Construction of a Novel Sample Holder for Use in Undergraduate IR Spectroscopy Experiments Undergraduate ir spectroscopy experiments on liquids (thin films) and solids (KBr pellets) are performed routinely in many colleges and universities throughout the world. Associated with these experiments are the inevitahle expenses for NaCl plates, holders, b and other assorted equipment. A sense of economy prndded us to construct a novel form of NnCl disc holder which requires two uhiquitore raw materials, a Rakelite screw-top hottle cap and plastic bottle with matching threads. With a lathe or cork horer a 1.5-cm disc is cut from the end of the cap. The threaded hottle neck iscut off from the hottle. The Exploded view of sample holder. holder is assembled hg screwing these two parts together with the salt discs in between a, baed Bakelite cap: b. ~acldiscs; (see figure). The tremendous advantages of this holder lie in the fact that it costs almost c, threaded plastic bottle neck. nothing exeerrt for a few minutes lahor. that Rakelite bottle cam and olastic bottles of the nppruprmr wzr t2.5. 10. and 15 mm rap dinmeter! nre r ~ n d ~ al vy a ~ l a l hin even the most spnrcrlv rqoipprd latwmtorie~, that hrine constructed from plastic parts thew I- lrssrhanrr for the rxpensiw N K l dlsr* to h r n m r damsred and that it 13 nlza, urrful for mounting K R r pellet^. In ndvanrrd rounesrtudcnti ma\ construct rhrir own hdderi. 'NSF Undergraduate Research Participant, Summer 1977.
L. Ferrin' Y. Pocker University of Washington Seattle 98195
508 1 Journal of Chemical Education
R. Law
B. P. Ronald Idaho State University Poeatello 83209
