Sampling the Soils Around a Residence Containing Lead-Based Paints: An X-ray Fluorescence Experiment

Bachofer, Steven J.

doi:10.1021/ed085p980

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…A search of all ACS journals for the keyword XRF in the title turned up a surprisingly few number of hits: 15. Some potentially useful articles on XRF for chemical educators include ones by Bachofer on sampling techniques and XRF methods for analysis of lead in soil, and Perring and Audrey on use of XRF for determination of a number of different elements in milk-based products, interelement absorption effects on chlorine peak ratios, and the use of XRF and other instrumental methods for the analysis of works of art. , Surprisingly, none of the major quantitative analysis or introductory analytical chemistry textbooks include any mention of XRF. Other than the few examples cited above, it is clear that XRF is not being taught as a viable analytical technique, much less used as part of the laboratory curriculum .…”

Section: Building Xrf Into the Curriculummentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry: A Long Overdue Addition to the Chemistry Curriculum

Palmer

2011

J. Chem. Educ.

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X -ray science has a rich and important history. In the early 1900s, six different Nobel Prizes were awarded for the discovery of X-rays, development of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray spectrometry, and related work. Current X-ray methods include general techniques such as XRD and wavelength-and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF and EDXRF), as well as more specialized techniques such as total reflectance XRF (TXRF), proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXI), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), and X-ray absorption near edge fine structure (XANES). Although EDXRF (hereafter referred to as XRF) is currently used for environmental, regulatory, forensic, and many other diverse applications, it is largely overlooked in most chemistry programs in the United States. Indeed, most chemistry and biochemistry students graduate with no knowledge of these techniques and their qualitative and quantitative capabilities. Possible reasons for this include the lack of faculty expertise or training in this area, resistance to change, and the cost of the equipment. Recent advances in portable XRF analyzers and their impressive analytical performance have been ignored or misunderstood by most chemistry instructors. The purpose of this article is to bring attention to XRF, its capabilities, and applications, and to encourage its integration into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum.

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Section: Building Xrf Into the Curriculummentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry: A Long Overdue Addition to the Chemistry Curriculum

Palmer

2011

J. Chem. Educ.

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“…From an instructor’s standpoint, this was also a satisfactory lab; apart from the XRF instrument all chemicals and materials are readily available. Many art museums have XRF units and may be willing to collaborate, and as pointed out in another recent article, there are many rental companies that supply XRF units so instrumentation should not be an insurmountable problem . During the laboratory time, different aspects of photographic chemistry were discussed, which served to reinforce classroom learning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Investigation into the Creation, Stability, and X-ray Fluorescence Analysis of Early Photographic Processes: An Upper-Level Undergraduate Laboratory

Rogge

Bezur

2011

J. Chem. Educ.

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Photography is one of the few fine art forms that were initially developed by scientists such as Herschel and Talbot; however, in the modern chemistry curriculum, photography has become divorced from its scientific beginnings and resides in the studio arts department of most universities. An upper-level undergraduate experiment is described in which students duplicate William Henry Fox Talbot's original silver-based photographic methods and analyze their prints by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The students are able to successfully make prints and experimentally confirm whether the prints had been halide stabilized, thiosulfate-fixed, or toned with sulfur, selenium, or gold. Their experimental results are discussed in the context of preservation of museum collections and photograph conservation. This experiment introduced students to the field of conservation science, where chemistry is applied to the investigation and preservation of artistic or cultural materials, activities that often involve the re-creation of historic techniques.

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“…Analytical chemistry offers unique challenges in motivating students; the entire course requires continued fluency in algebra and students can easily be overwhelmed with its breadth and complexity of topics. Conveying a relationship between the content and the real-world is a crucial factor in increasing student motivation and attitudes toward the subject. , The integration of environmental topics provides a great opportunity to illustrate the relevancy of the content and its real life applications. − The incorporation of research-based activities into the chemistry laboratory has been shown to have positive impacts on student attitudes and skills. − Furthermore, projects with service learning components are known to have positive effects on student outcomes including student critical thinking skills, efficacy for civic engagement, and the ability to integrate theory and experience. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Island Explorations: Discovering Effects of Environmental Research-Based Lab Activities on Analytical Chemistry Students

et al. 2014

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Motivating students in analytical chemistry can be challenging, in part because of the complexity and breadth of topics involved. Some methods that help encourage students and convey real-world relevancy of the material include incorporating environmental issues, research-based lab experiments, and service learning projects. In this paper, we describe an approach that combines all three of these methods by integrating environmental research-based activities into the second-year undergraduate analytical chemistry course. We discuss the development, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of the research-based labs employed during the new summer analytical chemistry course. Students perform environmental investigations of sites on Beaver Island, Michigan, and prepare reports to contribute to an ongoing research project analyzing these locations that began in the 1970s. Preliminary impacts on analytical students were examined using pre-and postsurveys, including the Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences Questionnaire, and a new survey and questionnaires developed for this work. Responses and grades were compared across three summers, and to those from students in the traditional analytical course. Results suggest that the research-based activities positively impacted aspects of student attitudes, their perceptions of how chemistry knowledge influences understanding of environment issues, and their perceptions of how analytical techniques are applied in the real-world. Students indicated that the new labs provided real-world applications of class content, helped them learn new concepts and gain skills working with others, and helped them feel more confident conducting chemistry-related experiments. ■ INTRODUCTIONAnalytical chemistry offers unique challenges in motivating students; the entire course requires continued fluency in algebra and students can easily be overwhelmed with its breadth and complexity of topics. Conveying a relationship between the content and the real-world is a crucial factor in increasing student motivation and attitudes toward the subject. 1,2 The integration of environmental topics provides a great opportunity to illustrate the relevancy of the content and its real life applications. 3−8 The incorporation of research-based activities into the chemistry laboratory has been shown to have positive impacts on student attitudes and skills. 9−20 Furthermore, projects with service learning components are known to have positive effects on student outcomes including student critical thinking skills, efficacy for civic engagement, and the ability to integrate theory and experience. 21−27 We wondered how the combination of these approaches for incorporating environmental issues, research activities, and service learning would affect analytical chemistry students. We previously described the preliminary impacts of a researchbased lab in our honors general chemistry laboratory, and now we have expanded the work to the undergraduate analytical chemistry course. 28 In this paper we discuss the developm...

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Sampling the Soils Around a Residence Containing Lead-Based Paints: An X-ray Fluorescence Experiment

Cited by 17 publications

References 9 publications

Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry: A Long Overdue Addition to the Chemistry Curriculum

Energy-Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry: A Long Overdue Addition to the Chemistry Curriculum

An Investigation into the Creation, Stability, and X-ray Fluorescence Analysis of Early Photographic Processes: An Upper-Level Undergraduate Laboratory

Island Explorations: Discovering Effects of Environmental Research-Based Lab Activities on Analytical Chemistry Students

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