Incorporating Basic Optical Microscopy in the Instrumental Analysis Laboratory

Flowers, Paul

doi:10.1021/ed200054k

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…4 Several groups developed fluorescence microscopy activities for the undergraduate analytical laboratory. 5,6 Walt and co-workers described an inexpensive hand-held fluorescence microscope to view dyed fingerprints on paper and as a teaching tool for fluorescence microscopy. 7 There has also been considerable interest in developing hands-on activities that use microscopy tools to visualize chemical or biological processes.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Van Duyne and co-workers developed a coffee cup atomic force microscope (AFM) activity in which students manipulate a model AFM to measure and analyze height information on various objects . Several groups developed fluorescence microscopy activities for the undergraduate analytical laboratory. , Walt and co-workers described an inexpensive hand-held fluorescence microscope to view dyed fingerprints on paper and as a teaching tool for fluorescence microscopy …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Homemade Smart Phone Microscope for Single-Particle Fluorescence Microscopy

et al. 2019

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Imaging tools advance nanoscience education by enabling students to see and engage with matter that is not visible to the human eye. However, undergraduate students generally lack access to expensive research-grade electron and optical microscopes, especially at primarily undergraduate institutions. New, inexpensive, and hands-on microscopy activities are needed to advance nanoscience education. Here we demonstrate a microscopy activity in which students assemble a total internal reflection-based fluorescence microscope using interlocking building bricks and image a series of micrometer- and nanometer-sized fluorescent beads. The hands-on experiments are accompanied by fluorescence image analysis, single-particle detection, and particle size measurements. The activity enables students to explore the optical diffraction limit effect that was the subject of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This activity introduces undergraduate students to underlying principles of optical microscopy, optical components and light sources, Snell’s law, and image processing and analysis procedures while reinforcing major concepts like data analysis and statistics, fluorescence, emission, and absorption.

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Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Homemade Smart Phone Microscope for Single-Particle Fluorescence Microscopy

et al. 2019

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“…Students were able to explore the effects of path length, effective spectral aperture, transillumination, stray light, and various magnification settings. 6 Others have used low magnification light microscopes to study fusion reactions in which a flux was performed to detect cations and anions in solution, 7 and studied the reactivity of metals such as calcium, silver, and magnesium using replacement reactions. 8 The experiment described here introduces students to the dark field microscope, an instrument commonly used in analytical and nanomaterials research.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most recently, Flowers used optical microscopy by employing the microscope as a microscpectrophotometer. Students were able to explore the effects of path length, effective spectral aperture, transillumination, stray light, and various magnification settings . Others have used low magnification light microscopes to study fusion reactions in which a flux was performed to detect cations and anions in solution, and studied the reactivity of metals such as calcium, silver, and magnesium using replacement reactions …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Dark Field Microscopy for Analytical Laboratory Courses

et al. 2014

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An innovative and inexpensive optical microscopy experiment for a quantitative analysis or an instrumental analysis chemistry course is described. The students have hands-on experience with a dark field microscope and investigate the wavelength dependence of localized surface plasmon resonance in gold and silver nanoparticles. Students also observe and measure individual crystal growth during a replacement reaction between copper and silver nitrate. The experiment allows for quantitative, qualitative, and image data analyses for undergraduate students.

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“…This is particularly true for introductory chemistry courses, where class sizes are often large and the many laboratory sections limit the availability of spectroscopic tools. Attempts have been made to provide inexpensive spectroscopic tools that allow undergraduate students to understand how the instruments function, − as well circumvent the need to have direct access to instruments via remote access…”

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confidence: 99%

Developing Tools for Undergraduate Spectroscopy: An Inexpensive Visible Light Spectrometer

2013

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The design and implementation of an inexpensive, high-resolution Littrow-type visible light spectrometer is presented. The instrument is built from low-cost materials and interfaced with the program RSpec for real-time spectral analysis, making it useful for classroom and laboratory exercises. Using a diffraction grating ruled at 1200 lines/mm and blazed in the first order, the spectrometer was found to have a resolution (R = λ/Δλ) of 7500 (0.07 nm) at 525 nm allowing for detailed spectroscopic experiments such as an analysis of the iodine vibronic spectrum or multiplet line splitting in the solar spectrum. The simple design of the spectrometer makes it possible to exchange gratings of different lines/mm easily. The instrument provides a means of incorporating macroscopic experimental observations of visible spectroscopy into the undergraduate chemistry program in a practical hands-on way while avoiding the “black-box” nature of many modern spectrometers. Special attention is given to the possibilities such an instrument presents for the introductory chemistry curriculum and example demonstrations and experiments are provided.

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Incorporating Basic Optical Microscopy in the Instrumental Analysis Laboratory

Cited by 5 publications

References 25 publications

A Homemade Smart Phone Microscope for Single-Particle Fluorescence Microscopy

A Homemade Smart Phone Microscope for Single-Particle Fluorescence Microscopy

Dark Field Microscopy for Analytical Laboratory Courses

Developing Tools for Undergraduate Spectroscopy: An Inexpensive Visible Light Spectrometer

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