Atomic Absorption Spectrometer Expands Opportunities for Chemistry Students

Melissa Schultz (foreground) and Paul Edmistion test Wooster's new Atomic Absorption Spectrometer.

WOOSTER, Ohio - A new atomic absorption spectrometer, purchased recently by the department of chemistry at The College of Wooster, will enable students and faculty members to conduct a wider range of experiments when classes resume in the fall. The instrument, which measures the amount of metal within a sample, is valued at approximately $22,000, nearly half of which ($10,000) was provided by a Pittsburgh Conference Memorial National College Grant.

"This instrument is very important to our curriculum because it enables us to do things we could not do previously," said Melissa Schultz, assistant professor of chemistry, who co-wrote the grant with Paul Edmiston, associate professor of chemistry. "It also opens new opportunities for research."

The atomic-absorption spectrometer uses the absorption of light to measure the concentration of specific metal atoms like lead or nickel, according to Schultz. The instrument will be used in a variety of courses, including introductory chemistry, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, and environmental chemistry, an area in which Schultz specializes. "To be able to measure the presence of metals in water, for example, will really enhance our research," she said. "The unit is compact and very easy to use."

The grant was awarded by the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (a non-profit corporation) and its sponsoring technical societies: the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh and the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh. Grants are given to science departments at small colleges for the purchase of scientific equipment, audio-visual or other teaching aids, and/or library materials for use in the teaching of science at the undergraduate level. The instrument was delivered to Wooster and installed in Severance Hall this week.