Raman Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Curriculum

Edited by Matthew Sonntag

ACS Symposium Series

Explains the uses of Raman spectroscopy
Inspires readers to innovate new ways to incorporate Raman spectroscopy into the undergraduate curriculum

Raman Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Curriculum

Edited by Matthew Sonntag

Description

It has been nearly a century since Raman scattering was first experimentally observed. In current times, Raman spectroscopy has emerged as a versatile and powerful tool in a diverse set of scientific fields. Its implementation has grown markedly in the past 20 years due to technological advances and affordability of instrumentation. As such, more and more undergraduate institutions have acquired Raman instrumentation, and faculty from a variety of disciplines have begun to utilize the technique. This has resulted in an increased number of students gaining hands-on experience with Raman spectroscopy. As its use has grown, curricular pedagogies that utilize Raman spectroscopy to investigate interesting scientific problems have continually been developed, implemented, and publicized.

Given the recent developments in the field and inspired by similar symposia on nuclear magnetic resonance and x-ray crystallography at recent ACS meetings, the editors developed a symposium titled "Engaging Undergraduates with Raman Spectroscopy." This symposium was held at the National ACS meeting held in Washington, D.C., in 2017. It generated strong interest, and the quality of presentation and breadth of knowledge displayed by the presenters was indicative of the continual pedagogical innovation of Raman spectroscopy in the undergraduate curriculum. The collection of chapters herein is based on the symposium, and several contributors to this book were its invited speakers. One of the main objectives of this volume is to convey the ideas discussed at the symposium to the broader scientific community. Our hope is that readers not only learn a great deal about the uses of Raman spectroscopy but also are stimulated to innovate new ways to incorporate Raman spectroscopy into the undergraduate curriculum.

Raman Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Curriculum

Edited by Matthew Sonntag

ACS Symposium Series

Preface
1. Introduction to Raman Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Curriculum
2. Investigating the Similarities and Differences among UV/Vis, Infrared, Fluorescence, and Raman Spectroscopies through Discussion of Light-Matter Interactions
3. Connecting Organic and Physical Chemistry Students with Raman Spectroscopy
4. Implementation of Raman Spectroscopy in an Undergraduate Forensic Chemistry Course
5. Analysis of Over-the-Counter Drugs Using Raman Spectroscopy
6. Structural, Vibrational, and pKa Determination of Carboxylic Acids Using DFT Calculations and Raman Spectroscopy: An Instrumental Analysis Laboratory
7. Development of a Physical Chemistry Laboratory Experiment To Explore Vibrational Spectroscopy Selection Rules
8. Quantitative Analysis of Xylene Mixtures Using a Handheld Raman Spectrometer
9. Exploring the Figures of Merit of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
10. Research with Undergraduates at the Intersection of Chemistry and Art: Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Studies of Oil Paintings
11. Solvent Sensitivity of the ?C?N Group: A Raman Spectroscopic Study
12. Integration of Raman Spectroscopy in Undergraduate Instruction and Research at Pace University
Editor's Biography
Author Index
Subject Index

Raman Spectroscopy in the Undergraduate Curriculum

Edited by Matthew Sonntag

ACS Symposium Series

Author Information

Edited by Matthew Sonntag, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Albright College

Matthew D. Sonntag was born in 1985 in Janesville, Wisconsin. After earning his B.A. in chemistry from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he obtained his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Northwestern University. His research involved probing single molecules using tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with Dr. Richard P. Van Duyne and Dr. Tamar Seideman. He began his academic career at Albright College in 2014. Working alongside undergraduates, his current research focuses on studying the dynamics of single molecules with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and probing the structure and reactivity of glassy materials.

Contributors:

Matthew D. Sonntag
Christian S. Hamann
Julia B. Wiester
Eric R. Hantz
Kelly M. Elkins
Robin Carroll
Elmer-Rico E. Mojica
Jahaira Zapata
Jayson Vedad
Ruel Z. B. Desamero
Zhaohua Dai
Gabriela Arias De la Rosa
Lucy Chou Zheng
Jayson Vedad
Ruel Z. B. Desamero
William Adams
Jayson Vedad
Lauren Reilly
Nilam C. Shah
Ian Murphy
Alexandra Widmer
Shelle N. Burke
Carolyn G. Farling
Shelley A. Svoboda
Kristin L. Wustholz
Nadia Abbas
Lyric O. Wyan
Jayson Vedad
Zhaohua Dai
Alexis Javornik
Claudia Sobolewski
Tabitha Batte
John Viola,
JamieLee Rizzo
Demosthenes Athanasopolous