Printable,/Downloadable Copy of Syllabus

Course Description and Objectives

Chemistry 620 is a graduate-level survey of optical spectrochemical analysis. The focus of the course is the question “What can be determined about the nature and properties of matter via its interactions with photons?” The course considers the elements of optical measurements from the standpoint of light/matter interactions. The course manages this broad topic in two stages: the first covers the basic principles that describe the operation of spectrometer components; the second uses four papers chosen by the class from the literature to illustrate the details of modern measurements. The course is intended for graduate students and well-prepared undergraduates in chemistry and biochemistry or closely allied fields. This course presumes basic knowledge of physics, electronics, physical chemistry and instrumental analysis.

The objectives of Chem. 620 are that the student be able to 1) describe the basic scientific principles underlying optical measurements; 2) describe the operation of the instrument components required to make optical measurements; 3) compute the amount of light generated, passed or detected by the components discussed; 4) evaluate results of measurements in terms of common interferences and noise sources; 5) critique (orally and in writing) papers from the literature that describe measurements utilizing the elements covered in the course.
Go to Chem620 Home Page

• Instruction - Office Hours and Contact Information
• Schedule for Lectures
• Links
• Texts
• Grading
• Policies

Required Materials:     

Many students find comfort in the familiarity of a textbook; sadly none that covers the relevant material has been released in recent years. Consequently, the instructors of this course have written a monograph that defines the scope and context of the course:

Wirth, M.J. and S.L. Neal, Chi., 2006.

Additional resources:

Since no text adequately covers the course content, the successful student will use the discussions in Chi to direct and limit their reading in other texts. Several excellent books cover specific aspects of the course content. The following are on reserve in the Chemistry Library:

Ingle, J.D.; Crouch, S.R., Spectrochemical Analysis, Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1988.

James, J. F., The design of optical spectrometers, London, Chapman & Hall, 1969.

Hecht, E., Optics, 3rd ed. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley, 1998.

Moore, J.H, Davis, C.C, Coplan, M.A., Building Scientific Apparatus, 2nd ed. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley, 1989.

Marshall, A. and Verdun, F., Fourier Transforms in NMR, Optical & Mass Spectroscopy. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1990.

Students who feel they must have a textbook will find many of the topics discussed in Ingle & Crouch, but most modern aspects of the course content are not covered there. Some students benefit from having an undergraduate level instrumentation text handy for review. For example:

D.A. Skoog, F.J. Holler and S.R. Crouch, Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 6th Ed., Thompson Brooks/Cole, 2007

You are encouraged to be familiar with the University's Policy of Academic Honesty found in the UD Student Guide to University Policies, which can be found at this link to the Catalog. The policies delineated there apply to this course.  While the content of this course can (and should!) be discussed with others, material submitted for grading must be done independently. It is also critical that material copied from print and electronic resources be clearly attributed.  Submitting work for grading asserts your awareness of the academic honesty policy and affirms your adherence to it. 

Students requesting special accommodations in Chem 620 must already be registered with UD's ADA Center or Academic Services Center, as appropriate. Those students should contact the course instructor well in advance of any course activity to arrange for special accommodations that follow the terms of the arrangements set by the Center staff.

Important notices and answers to questions will be sent to the class distribution list to provide the fastest dissemination of information. The registrar will add your campus e-mail account to the class distribution list, so plan to activate your campus e-mail account quickly and check it often.

Every effort will be made to respond promptly to e-mailed questions or concerns from students. Be aware that because University antivirus software and SPAM filters may trap and remove mail - especially external mail - under some circumstances, only e-mail originating from UD accounts will receive responses.  UD virus and spam filters currently remove "zip" and closely related, executable file attachments whether or not they show signs of infection, so information sent in the form of "zip" files or their executable relatives cannot be received. 

Placing and receiving phone calls in class is disruptive and discourteous to your fellow students as well as the instructor. You are expected to turn your cell phone off and stow it during lectures and course help sessions. Accessing a cell phone during any Chem 620 exam may result in the immediate expulsion of the student from the exam.