NATIONAL COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM ETHALINE CORTELYOU Armour Research Foundation, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois
W. P. CORTELYOU Roosevelt College, Chicago, Illinois
THENational Cooperative Undergraduate Chemical Research Program was organized a t t,heSt. Louis American Chemical Society Convention September 9, 1949, to stimulate undergrahuate research and to supply data to fill existing gaps in the chemical literature. The major premise of the program is that usable chemical data can be obtained from check results made by two or more undergraduate students (in different schools) assigned to a specific determination, independent of and unknown to each other. The program is set up under a system of projects that involve research simple enough for undergraduates and that should yield results that are sufficiently objective to permit checking by undergraduates. There are now eleven snch projects in the fields of inorganic, organic, physical, and analytical chemistry: 1. The sensitivity of inorganic qualitative analysis reagent solutions: directed by W. P. Cortelyou of Roosevelt College. 2. The solubilities of inorganic fluoride salts in organic solvents: directed by J. H. Walkup of Centre College. 3. The solubilities of inorganic chloride salts in organic solvents: directed by K. E. Jackson of the University of Alabama. 4. The solubilities of soluble, inorganic salts in water: directed by Sister Agnes Ann of Immaculate Heart College. 5. The characterization of amines as salts of oxalic acid: directed by H. Cohen of Roosevelt College. 6. The preparation and properties of certain aliha tic ethers: directed bv L. W. Devanev bf Baylor university, Wac;, Texas.
7. The preparation and characterization of acyl derivatives of acenaphthene: directed by Edith Chu of. Immaculate Heart College. The determination of the absorption spectra of dye-type compounds in different solutions: directed by J. A. Hancock of Texas College of Mines. 9. The preparation and characterization of alkyl esters of benzenesulfonic acid: directed by Reverend Bertin Emling of St. Vincent College. 10. The determination of indexes of refraction of two-liquid solutions a t different concentrations of each liquid: directed by R. I. Rush of Centre College. 8.
11. The determination of vapor pressure-temperatnre relations of organic compounds: directed by E. M. Baker of Fresno State College. Each project is subdivided into research units; each research unit is of snch a nature that acceptable check results can be expected in 50 laboratory hours, the equivalent of one semester hour of college credit. When satisfactory check results have been obtained on any research unit, the successful students will be awarded a Certificate of Acceptance by Dr. N. A. Lange of the Handbook Publishers, Incorporated, who will use suitable data in the "Handbook of Chemistry." Data obtained on several units of a project may be published as a paper with full credit given to all participating students and schools. Information concerning the program may be obtained from either of the co-authors.
