Date of Last Revision
2023-05-03 13:02:25
Major
Chemistry
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2019
Abstract
In a time where many high school science classes are lacking in quality laboratory education, there is a need for accessible chemical equipment that enhance teaching fundamental concepts of chemistry with ease and at a low cost. The DualSpec handheld smartphone spectrometer aims to be a quality open-source spectroscopic instrument that can easily be made and used at home by people of any scientific level. This research sought to show that the DualSpec could be used to teach higher level spectroscopic concepts such as those used in chemical kinetics. The DualSpec was compared to a commercial spectrometer using the commonly taught crystal violet experiment. Both instruments showed that the reaction with sodium hydroxide was a first-order reaction with respect to the crystal violet concentration, with comparable time constants of 0.288 (± 0.00279) and 0.363 (± 0.00107) min-1. This shows that the DualSpec can be utilized as a teaching tool for high school chemistry classes to prepare students for undergraduate chemistry curricula by providing accessible and quality hands-on experiments.
Research Sponsor
Dr. Adam W. Smith
First Reader
Dr. Michael Konopka
Second Reader
Dr. Chrys Wesdemiotis
Recommended Citation
Greggila, Mary, "Chemical Kinetics using a Smartphone Spectrometer" (2019). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 959.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/959
Included in
Analytical Chemistry Commons, Other Chemistry Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons, Secondary Education Commons