VOL.9, NO.7
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
1225
ADDING INTEREST AND REALITY TO QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS HOYTCONLINGRAHAM New M~xrcoSTATE TEACHERS' COLLEGE, SILVER CITY,NEWMEXICO For some time the writer has felt that a challenge of interest was needed in qualitative analysis and that students should feel that they are doing actual analytical work. Most of the unknowns used in qualitative analysis courses observed by the writer consisted of solutions of pure laboratory chemicals. There is little connection between these solutions and the forms in which the students encounter the metals being tested for. Most unknowns look practically alike and to the students a new one simply means continuation of the same routine. There being very little transfer of training, undoubtedly many students complete courses in qualitative analysis and fail almost entirely to associate th$r procedures with the actual analysis of familiar metallic articles. As an experiment our present class in qualitative analysis was given a very brief introduction to the processes by the use of solutions of known composition. The students were then given metallic articles to study. These consisted of cheap jewelry from the 3 and 10 cent stores, belt buckles, tooth paste tubes, rouge and powder compacts, samples of duralumin from the "Akron," local ores, etc. The girls from the home economics department analyzed cheap tahlewares. One group tested for mercury in freckle creams. Some students brought their own specimens. Two students worked together and often for check purposes two groups studied the same article. The two groups held frequent conferences and rivalry often existed. When results did not look reasonable or when groups did not check the doubtful party did not hesitate to retest. The writer believes that this method has a t least three advantages. (1) It attracts more interest than testing for metals in solutions prepared in the laboratory. (2) It gives the students practice in procedures as they are more usually encountered. (3) It teaches the nature and composition of many common articles.
