Remodeled
General Chemistry 115 Laboratory

General Chemistry is a course for students majoring in Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering. The course uses solid-state examples for many chemical principles which have traditionally been taught with solution or gas phase examples. The tools and concepts concerning nanotechnology are studied in several experiments, included Ferrofluids and LEDs, illustrated here.

During the summer of 2004, the General Chemistry Laboratory was remodeled with new lab benches and new computer workstations. This work was part of the 2003 Assisi Foundation of Memphis grant.

This view of the lab shows the 8 new computer workstations set at desk top level. There are also 8 wet lab workstations at normal laboratory bench height.

Each of the computer workstations is equipped with National Laboraotries LabVIEW and Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite (NI ELVIS). LabVIEW is also loaded on to the instructor's computer. That computer and the ELMO document camera are connected to a LCD video projector. A spare EVLIS is available for use with the instructor's computer with its image shown on the screen with the aid of the ELMO.

John Masterson is watching a movie concerning the preparation of Ferrofluid. The computer and internet connection allows the students to access the University of Wisconsin-Madison Material Research Science and Engineering Center Interdiciplinary Education Group's Nanoscale Video Lab Manual for this and other experiments.

Nelson Thompson is having great fun as they begin the preparation of their samples of Ferrofluid using the new stirring hotplates.

Yuri DeSouza and Navin Prabhu, both from the Sultanate of Oman, are in the middle of the Ferrofluid preparation using the new stirring hotplates.

Allison Taylor is proudly displaying the sample of Ferrofluid that she made with the aid of the new stirring hotplates.

Rick Jones examines his spiking sample of Ferrofluid.

Casey Nabors is measuring the band gap energy of a light-emitting diode (LED) using the ELVIS probes.

Matt Condren and Cara O'Hern are performing the Heat of Neutralization Experiment using the new LabView Virtual Instrument Recording Solution Calorimater. This virtual instrument was designed by Matt under the direction of Dr. Condren.

This is the screen from which the students operate their virtual instrument.

This screeen capture shows the block diagram that represents the LabVIEW programming done by freshman ECE major Matt Condren.

John McLaughlin and Cecil DeVilbiss are also measuring the heat of neutralization for 2 M HCl and 2 M NaOH.

Trey Bobbitt and Jason Williford await the end of their neutralization reaction.