Chemical Education Today
Reports from Other Journals
News from Online: More Spectroscopy by Carolyn Sweeney Judd Let’s start with the spectrum—the electromagnetic spectrum, of course. Go to the EMSpectrum Explorer at http:// mc2.cchem.berkeley.edu/chemcnx/light_energy/EMSpectrum/ emspectrum.html. Not only do you get information about wavelength, frequency, and energy, but you also get a handy converter that will calculate frequency, wavelength, and energy when one value is entered. And there is more. For example, clicking on red light of 680 nanometers reveals that mitochondria, the power plants of cells, are about the same size as this wavelength, which is also used for photosynthesis. Interesting food for thought! From the EMSpectrum Explorer, go to the Light and Energy page at http://mc2.cchem.berkeley.edu/chemcnx/ light_energy/index.html for three Colors of Light Tools. The Color from Emission tool (http://mc2.cchem.berkeley.edu/ chemcnx/light_energy/applets/emission/index.html) illustrates additive color by mixing differing amounts of Red, Blue, and Green light. Then look at the Color from Absorption tool at http://mc2.cchem.berkeley.edu/chemcnx/light_energy/applets/absorption/index.html. The image from the applet shows the white beam and three filters. Take out the blue, green, and red components by altering the scroll bars or text boxes. The third tool, Removing Color with a Single Filter from Colored Light at http://mc2.cchem.berkeley.edu/chemcnx/ light_energy/applets/single/index.html, uses a single filter to take out various colors. Excellent for explaining the theory behind the operation of a basic spectrometer. The Light and Energy tools module, which received support from the National Science Foundation, has been developed under the direction of the ChemLinks Coalition— headed by Beloit College; and The ModularChem Consortium, MC2, headed by the University of California at Berkeley. The Project Director is Marco Molinaro from the Uni-
versity of California at Berkeley; the Project Manager is Susan Walden; Susan Ketchner and Leighanne McConnaughey are also members of the team for this excellent teaching site. For your information, all of the applets will soon be moving, along with the MC2 site, but the old addresses will still work. The next place to explore is Physics 2000 at http:// www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/introduction.html. The introductory graphic is a harbinger of good things to come: move the negatively charged particle and see the water molecule spin in response to the position of the charged particle. One goal of the Physics 2000 Educational Initiative is to make physics more accessible to students and people of all ages. Sounds like a good goal for all sciences! One of the first sections is called Einstein’s Legacy. Here you can find spectral lines explained in terms of team colors for rival football squads (http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/ quantumzone/index.html). Choose from 20 elements to see characteristic emission spectra. The cartoon teachers and students help explain emission spectra. Great applets compare the Bohr atom and the Schrödinger model as well as emission and absorption (http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/ quantumzone/schroedinger.html). Einstein’s Legacy has many topics: X-rays and CAT Scans, Electromagnetic Waves and Particles, the Quantum Atom, Microwave Ovens, Lasers, and TV & Laptop Screens. Several topics also have sections for the advanced student. One of those advanced sections is part of the second major section of Physics 2000: The Atomic Lab. Two topics are Interference Experiments and Bose–Einstein Condensate. An applet illustrating Laser Cooling is at http:// www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/bec/lascool1.html. Next go on to Evaporative Cooling at http://www.colorado.edu/physics/
Absorption (one of three tools) ( http://mc2.cchem. berkeley.edu/Chem1A/solar/applets/absorption/index.html).
Evaporative cooling in a Bose–Einstein condensation (http:// www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/applets/bec.html).
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Reports from Other Journals 2000/bec/evap_cool.html. The cartoon professors begin the explanation with a picture of steam rising from a cup of hot coffee. Next is an applet with atoms in a parabolic magnetic trap at http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/applets/bec.html. The height of the magnetic trap can be changed in order to allow for escape of the most energetic atoms, resulting in cooling so that the Bose–Einstein Condensate is formed. Physics 2000 demands robust computing power. Check the system requirements on the introductory screen before venturing too far into this site. Martin V. Goldman, from the University of Colorado at Boulder, is the Director of Physics 2000, which received support from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and the National Science Foundation. David Rea is the Technical Director, and many others help make this excellent site possible. Mark your calendars: October 31 through December 3, 1999! Bookmark this site—http://www.ched-ccce.org/confchem/ 1999/d/index.html—and sign up. The Winter 1999 CONFCHEM Online Conference will focus on Developments in Spectroscopy and Innovative Strategies for Teaching Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Curriculum. Scott
Van Bramer of Widener University is the conference chair. Experts will present six papers, each to be followed by online discussions. CONFCHEM Online Conferences are sponsored by the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education’s Committee on Computers in Chemical Education (CCCE). Several Online Conferences are held each year—all are well worth your time. Carolyn Sweeney Judd teaches at Houston Community College System, 1300 Holman, Houston, TX 77004; phone: 713/ 817-6315; email:
[email protected].
World Wide Web Addresses EMSpectrum Explorer http://mc2.cchem.berkeley.edu/chemcnx/light_energy/ EMSpectrum/emspectrum.html Light and Energy http://mc2.cchem.berkeley.edu/chemcnx/light_energy/ index.html Emission Spectrum Java Applet http://mc2.cchem.berkeley.edu/chemcnx/light_energy/ applets/emission/index.html Absorption Java Applet http://mc2.cchem.berkeley.edu/chemcnx/light_energy/ applets/absorption/index.html Removing Color with a Single Filter from Colored Light http://mc2.cchem.berkeley.edu/chemcnx/light_energy/ applets/single/index.html Physics 2000 http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/introduction.html Einstein’s Legacy: Spectral lines http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/quantumzone/ index.html Einstein’s: Schrödinger’s Atom http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/quantumzone/ schroedinger.html The Atomic Lab: Laser Cooling http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/bec/lascool1.html The Atomic Lab: Evaporative Cooling in a Bose–Einstein Condensation h t t p : / / w w w. c o l o r a d o . e d u / p h y s i c s / 2 0 0 0 / b e c / evap_cool.html The Winter 1999 CONFCHEM Online Conference will focus on Developments in Spectroscopy and Innovative Strategies for Teaching Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Curriculum http://www.ched-ccce.org/confchem/1999/d/index.html
access date for all sites: July 1999
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