CHED 430 |
| The goal of this project was to improve our Organic I lab curriculum. Essential oils from several different spices were obtained by steam distillation. Steam distillation allows us to isolate natural products without the risk of thermal decomposition. We were able to identify and characterize the major essential oil compounds using Infrared Spectroscopy and comparing the results with the IR spectra found in the literature. The essential oil molecules were visualized using Odyssey Software. The computer images were interactive, allowing us to rotate, scale and change the type of model viewed. In addition, the computer calculated many properties of the target molecule. Applying these findings, we designed a mini-project that the students performed and presented their results at the end of the course. This project was organized to give students an opportunity to share experiences and reflect on the process of connecting the experimental results to molecular structure and mathematical foundations.
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Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Chemical Education
11:00 AM-1:00 PM, Monday, March 26, 2007 Hyatt Regency Chicago -- Riverside Center, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |