ChemPages Laboratory
Joe L. March Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 John W. Moore and Jerrold J. Jacobsen Department of Chemistry, University of WisconsinÐMadison, Madison, WI 53706
Note:	Order Item Number: SP-24 Ordering Information
The ChemPages Laboratory CD-ROM uses text, images and video to clearly explain over 30 common laboratory techniques and equipment. Each technique or piece of equipment is organized as a module. Developed in HTML for use as pre-lab assignments for beginning chemistry courses, the modules are viewed using an Internet browser. Because the operation of the browser is familiar to most students, they are able to focus their attention on the material, not on how to use the software. The modules have been designed so that students can efficiently access relevant material. An outline of each module, which consists of the major steps involved in the laboratory procedure described, is presented on a navigation menu along the left-hand side of the screen. Each page of the module contains a text description and one or more images or video clips. Most modules close with a self-test to help students evaluate their knowledge of the procedure. Each module has been carefully written to avoid specific references to any particular experiment or to a specific brand or model number. Thus, the modules focus on the principles of the technique. One example is the measurement of the volume of a liquid with a graduated cylinder. The module discusses the methods of reading the meniscus on a generic graduated cylinder. Several sizes of graduated cylinders are presented. The description of the technique is applicable to a graduated cylinder of any size. Page from the Graduated Cylinder Module. Images and video are incorporated throughout ChemPages Laboratory to allow students to recognize unfamiliar equipment and to observe the proper handling of each piece of equipment. The video clips present visual and audio enhancement of the textual descriptions. By studying the video clips prior to attending a laboratory session, students can observe techniques or manipulations that may be unclear because they were unfamiliar with the language of the laboratory. Page from the Thin Layer Chromatography Module. The ChemPages Laboratory modules have been highly effective in preparing students for laboratory when coupled with pre-laboratory quizzes. Students are better prepared and more independent after using ChemPages Laboratory. The ChemPages Laboratory materials are general enough to be used with a wide variety of experiments. The modules are complete enough to be used independently, but should be supplemented by a printed manual (or HTML manual with links to relevant ChemPages modules) that describes local variations or gives specific references to experiments to be performed. However, the manual need not describe how to carry out laboratory procedures because that information is included in the ChemPages. This is particularly valuable for discovery-oriented experiments where students are expected to design their own procedures. The following modules are included in ChemPages Laboratory: Balance Barometer Bulb, 3-Way Bulb, Standard Buret Centrifuge Chart Recorder Chromatography, Gas Chromatography, Paper Chromatography, Thin Layer Calorimeter, Coffee Cup Conductivity Meter Electrochemical Cells Flask, Volumetric Filtration, Gravity Gas Burner Graduated Cylinder Hot Plate/Magnetic Stirrer Melting Points Mixing pH Meter pH Paper Pipet, Mohr Pipet, Volumetric Pouring Scales Separatory Funnel Spectrometer, Scanning UV-Visible Spectrometer, Spectronic 20 Spectroscope, Hand-Held Thermometer Titration Web Ready ChemPages Laboratory is another "Web Ready" publication from JCE Software. Developed in HTML format, Web Ready publications are ready to deploy on your WWW server. Licenses to distribute Web Ready titles on the WWW are available. Please contact us for terms and pricing. Hardware and Software Requirements Computer CPU RAM Drives Graphics System Other Software (Included) WWW Browser (Not Included) Mac OS Compatible   PowerPC; 150 MHz recommended   32 MB   4 x CD-ROM Hard disk 800 x 600;  thousands or millions of colors  System 7.6.1  or higher  QuickTime 3 Adobe Acrobat Reader  Netscape Navigator 4.0 or higher OR  Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher  Windows Compatible  Pentium; 150MHz   recommended  32 MB   4 x CD-ROM Hard Disk  800 x 600;  16-bit or 24-bit color   Windows 95/98  QuickTime 3 Adobe Acrobat Reader  Netscape Navigator 4.0 or higher OR  Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher Acknowledgement ChemPages Laboratory was developed under the auspices of the New Traditions curriculum reform project with funding support from the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education (Grant# DUE-9455928). The following people contributed to the development of ChemPages Laboratory: Supervising Editors: Joe L. March and John W. Moore; Video Production: Jerrold J. Jacobsen, Randy Wildman; HTML and Scripting: Eric Kolstad, Joe L. March, Rebecca Ottosen; Contributors: Gordon Bain, Ed Fedoskey, Yao-Ying Chein, Mary Engler, John Fulmer, Kelly Jetzer, Teri Larson, Amy Melvin, Stephanie Pitz, Jason Ratzenberg, Jacquie Scott, Paula Schlax. Availability Available: Now

First Published: March 2000

Citation: March, J. L.; Moore, J. W.; Jacobsen, J. J. ChemPages Laboratory J. Chem. Educ. Software SP24

Keywords: Computer Room; Laboratory; High School; General

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Last Updated: August 17, 2001 Created: January 25, 2000	Created by: Comments to: jceonline@chem.wisc.edu
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