Chemistry News
Fluorescent molecules are compounds that absorb light of one wavelength, then re-emit light at a longer wavelength. This emitted light can be quantified using fluorescence spectroscopy. Molecular and cellular biologists use fluorescent compounds to label proteins, gels, and even cellular organelles. In many ways, fluorescent compounds have revolutionized research in the life sciences.
Continue reading Use the SpectroVis Plus to Explore Fluorescence Spectroscopy…
If your school owns MEL-TEMP units, this is for you. Our Wide-Range Temperature Probe fits perfectly into the thermometer slot of a MEL-TEMP unit. This is a great option, especially if your school is no longer using mercury thermometers. The Wide-Range Temperature Probe can be used safely to 330°C, and its RTD (resistance temperature detection) technology ensures accuracy to ±0.1°C.
Continue reading Using the Wide-Range Temperature Probe with MEL-TEMP®…
When we originally created the popular Periodic Table application in LabQuest, we realized that there was a gold mine of information in the database that could eventually be used to create periodic table plots, such as atomic radius vs. atomic number, first ionization energy vs. atomic number, etc. Most introductory chemistry courses introduce periodic trends by having students create these kinds of plots and look for recurring trends in many chemical and physical properties. You can do this in LabQuest App.
Vernier has updated its popular spectrometer with improved features:
- Improved range: 380-950 nm (VIS-NIR)
- 1 nm between reported values
- Improved optical resolution (~2.5 nm)
- New support for fluorescence
Available March 2010
This double-junction pH sensor is compatible with Tris buffers and solutions containing proteins. The flat shape is also useful for food and soil pH measurements.
Available February 2010
With ultra-safe design, this spectrum tube power supply will provide a simple means of viewing gas discharge spectral lines with any of our spectrometers. Unlike other designs, this system has no exposed high voltage. The gas tubes are permanently enclosed in plastic carriers that protect the tubes from breakage. There are no through-the-glass electrodes, so the tubes last far longer than older designs. The Power Supply will energize one tube at a time, and includes storage space for an additional six tubes. All tubes sold separately.
Available February 2010
Investigating Chemistry with Inquiry is a new lab book which contains 25 inquiry-based chemistry investigations. Each experiment includes a preliminary activity, teacher information, sample researchable questions, and sample data for those researchable questions.
Integrated-Science students Erin Smyers and Nicole Loughner from Homer-Center High School in Homer City, PA, worked with their science team leader, Mark Shopland, to investigate the pH changes in an oxidation-reduction reaction. The students chose to work with Thionin based on the demonstration “Thionin – The Two-Faced Solution” published by Flinn Scientific Inc. (Publication No. 0815.00).
Vernier and Ocean Optics will team up again this summer to offer a two-day spectroscopy workshop, entitled “Spec 101”. The workshop will be held on June 17 and 18 at the Ocean Optics headquarters in Dunedin, Florida.
It is an excellent opportunity for teachers to see the latest in spectroscopy technology and obtain valuable hands on experience with a wide variety of laboratory experiments. Last summer’s inaugural workshop was a rousing success, and this year’s is shaping up to be even better. Please visit the Ocean Optics education website for all the details and registration.
Although the Drop Counter was developed to record drops during titration, attaching the Luer-lock stopcock to the outlet of a chromatography column adapts it for use as an inexpensive fraction collector for column chromatography.
Vernier and Ocean Optics will team up again this summer to offer a two-day spectroscopy workshop, entitled “Spec 101”. The workshop will be held on June 18 and 19 at the Ocean Optics headquarters in Dunedin, Florida.
It is an excellent opportunity for teachers to see the latest in spectroscopy technology and obtain valuable hands on experience with a wide variety of laboratory experiments. Last summer’s inaugural workshop was a rousing success, and this year’s is shaping up to be even better. Please visit the Ocean Optics education website for all the details and registration.
Peter O’Connor, a teacher from Boonsboro High School in Maryland, described a situation facing many teachers—lots of students and only a few computers.
“Having used Logger Pro for many years dating back to the ULI days, my school has been happy using it in our labs. However, as class size increased, we have had issues with maintaining a small lab group size for each lab. This is a large issue when it comes to doing Vernier labs with computers.”
Having an array spectrometer is now affordable for each of your lab stations! Connect SpectroVis to a LabQuest or to a computer running Logger Pro using a standard USB cable (included) and see the results in full color.
Vernier consultant, Walter Rohr, came across an article published in the February 1989 Journal of Chem Ed that described a method of resolving mixtures with overlapping spectra without determining molar absorptivities or complicated mathematics. The method developed by Blanco called Multi-Wavelength Linear Regression Analysis, or MLRA, allows the composition of a binary mixture with overlapping spectra to be resolved with only three measurements—the absorbance of a standard solution for each component, and the unknown mixture itself.
Continue reading about Spectrophotometric Analysis of the Metals in a U.S. Five-Cent Coin…
The Vernier LabQuest just received a wonderful review in MultiMedia & Internet@Schools, an educational publication. The review gave the LabQuest a 5-Star rating (out of 5) with the following grades:
- Installation: A
- Content/Features: A
- East of Use: A
- Product Support: A+
“Students will enjoy using LabQuest…. I was impressed by the rugged construction. This is definitely a tool that will last, which makes it an excellent buy—especially with today’s tight funding…. I have no doubt that LabQuest is going to get plenty of use in my classroom. I would highly recommend it for every classroom that is serious about engaging students in meaningful scientific investigations.”
Multimedia & Internet @ Schools
Sally Finley
Country Hills Elementary School
Coral Springs, Florida
Read the full review »
Learn more about the Vernier LabQuest »
The Digital Radiation Monitor can be used with or without a computer for measurement of alpha, beta, and gamma radiation.
The O2 Gas Sensor measures oxygen concentration in air, and with its wide measurement range, the O2 Gas Sensor can also be used to monitor oxygen concentration during human respiration.
Perfect for everything from the respiration of peas to the respiration of humans. Our new CO2 Gas Sensor now has two ranges: 0-10,000 ppm for plant respiration and photosynthesis, and a high range of 0-100,000 ppm for human respiration.
Join us in this high-school chemistry classroom as students explore the new Vernier LabQuest. Together with their teacher, Hector Morales, students at the School of Science and Technology in Beaverton Oregon, perform an acid-base titration.
Vernier announces breakthrough data-collection technology for science education—the Vernier LabQuest.
LabQuest works as a stand-alone device or as a computer interface, providing the versatility to excel in the classroom or in the field.
The Vernier LabQuest includes built-in software for data collection, graphing, and analysis, and on-board applications such as a periodic table and stopwatch. Use the powerful and intuitive software from the vivid color touch-screen—all packed in a rugged and water-resistant exterior.
The freedom to inquire. The technology to excel. The Vernier LabQuest.
13979 SW Millikan Way
Beaverton, OR 97005-2886