edited bv SUSAN H. HIXSON
Highlights
National Science Foundation Arlington, VA22230 CURTIS T. SEARS,JR. Georgia State University Atlanta, GA30303
Projects supported by the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education Environmental Chemistry as Focus in the Undergraduate Curriculum
plain mass loss and predict final product. Samples in this i n i t i a l y e a r included CuS04.5Hz0, FeS04.7Hz0, CaCz04.2HzO and metal carbonates; the behavior of all these compounds is well documented. See figure. Students D. M. Chittenden, M. E. Draganjac, and W. V. Wyatt in the inorganic chemistry laboratory were required to deArkansas State University termine the number of waters of hydration, and explain decomposition including the thermicity of the process. Several of the Arkansas State University chemistry facCurrently, a n integrated inorganic lab experience is heultv have elected to make environmental chemistm a focus ing developed based on the chemistry of selected metal of the laboratory experience to teach basic principles in inpolysulfide complexes (environmentally important a s strumentation, physical chemistry, and inorganic chemismodels for hydrodesnlfurization catalysts). The TGMJTA try courses. Additionally, in the undergraduate research methods will be used to study the decomposition of the laboratory required for a BS degree, they have mentored oolvsulfide. The decomoosition nroduct will be further students in environmentally relevant projects. The instrukh:i"rarrrrized by pou.der'~-mydiffraction techn~ques. mentation involved in these undergraduate experiences The TG.4DTA h:is 1xt.m used in Soecial Probl(!rns in (:hemwere the Varian Spectra250+ with GTA-97 graphite furistry-the research experien-to study the thermal stability nace atomic absorption (GFAA) spectrometer and the of a n organometallic polymer semi-condudor and to study the Seiko TGDTA320 Thermal Analyzer. vapor transport of chromium oxides in the CrlOIH20 system. TGA methods are currently used in physical chemistry The GFAA became fully operational as the instrumentaand inorganic chemistry a s stand-alone experiments to intion course was beginning in the fall of 1994. The graphite troduce the technique to the students. I n the physical furnace mode was demonstrated to the Instrumentation chemistm laboratom. students use the TGA curve to exstudents while the flame mode was used by students to analyze several natural water ---samples. $07.8 C F.804.7 H10 I n a module of laboratory exercises for the fall 1995 term, students will be expected to set up furnace mode methods and analyze /v\ 0. L88.2 environmental water samples or simula&s OIF EU.W lur trace metals. The research projects which involved AA 7 6 . 8 1. usage included a comparative study of metal species in storm water runoff from both a n urban industrial park and a supposedly pristine, forested, municipal park located on the outskirts of the city and a study of metal ions in the soil of a n Amerindian burial site a s locators for individual interment locations.
--I
-71
Ie" om".
64.15 0
250
500 TEMP C IHeatlngi
----750
Therrnogravirnetric analysis of the decornposltion of FeSO4.7H2O.
908
Journal of Chemical Education
24.1 1000
Acknowledgment This project was partially supported by a grant, DUE-9351560, from the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement Program.
