Flame atomic absorption spectroscopy in the undergraduate laboratory: Assessment of a NSF-CCLI supported project. What did the students learn and what did we learn?

摘要

In traditional chemistry curricula, students may encounter a particular instrument only once in their undergraduate career. We have developed an approach that exposes students multiple times to selected instruments, with early encounters focusing on fundamental aspects of the techniques and later encounters building in complexity and sophistication. We recently finished the assessment phase of a curricular project centered on the incorporation of flame atomic absorption spectroscopy throughout the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. Our assessment indicates that this approach is successful and our initial goals were largely achieved.