SCIE 170 - Intro to Research I

Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Laboratory (or Other) Hours: 0

Prerequisite(s): Regents Chemistry
Restriction(s): None

Corequisite(s): None

This course is the first of a two-semester sequence introducing the student to laboratory techniques used in research. Students are also introduced to the critical aspects of laboratory safety, and will become familiar with such apparatus as visible and UV spectrophotometers, optical polarimeters, lasers and infrared spectrophotometers.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Course:

Identify potential safety hazards in the lab as well as describe the techniques by which he or she could resolve specific problems produced by those hazards.
Use various resources to examine the potential safety or health hazards of chemicals used in the laboratory as well as common substances used for both household and medical purposes.
Describe visible and UV spectroscopy on both a theoretical and practical level. This will include setup, execution, and evaluation of experimental results through the submission of formal laboratory reports. The student will be responsible for making necessary solutions, running required reactions, using selected UV-visible spectrophotometers, and analyzing results through the use of various computer software packages.
Describe optical polarimetry on both a theoretical and practical basis. In addition, the student will be responsible for making all solutions used in experiments performed, knowing proper techniques for use of the polarimeter, and submitting a formal lab report describing all results.
Use a laser to determine the degrees of refraction and diffraction of light. From that data and other information such as solution concentration and distance between grooves or lines on a surface will be determined. The student has the responsibility to prepare all solutions, effectively use the laser apparatus, and submit a formal lab report of the work.
Describe infrared spectroscopy on both a theoretical and practical level. This includes both dispersive IR and FTIR techniques. The student will be responsible for the examination of principally neat organic liquids and solids using both variable and fixed cells. Once the sample is prepared, the student also will be able to complete the analysis by using infrared spectrophometers previously stipulated and then submit a formal lab report.