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Published on: June 14, 2018
Open-Source Photochemistry in the Organic Chemistry Teaching Laboratory
K C Levandoski1, Christopher Jiotis1, James A Kenar1
1Mund-Lagowski Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois 61625, United States.
None:
We report the development of an undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory exercise that utilizes a set of low-cost, open-source photoreactors to introduce students to photochemical principles. A series of nine 3D printed photoreactors were constructed with emission maxima centered from the near-UV to the near-IR. Students used these photoreactors to measure the impact of photon wavelength on the bromination of bibenzyl. The class data was pooled, and the students rationalized the observed wavelength dependence of the reaction. Results from a postlab survey indicated that students believed this laboratory activity increased their understanding of photochemistry, their ability to formulate their own hypotheses, and their ability to adapt and learn from their mistakes.
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