Session: Undergraduate Research Posters: Chemistry Education:

Synthesis and analysis of molecules is essential to the undergraduate understanding of experimental chemistry. Extended goals for undergraduate chemistry include students taking part in computational modeling and having experience working with modern day lab instrumentation. Acetaminophen, being an easy to synthesize and relatively stable molecule, provides students with an adequate species for the introduction of computational chemistry, IR and Raman spectra as a means of product characterization. A well-known synthesis method for acetaminophen was performed to make the product. Melting point, Raman and IR spectra were produced and analyzed to determine purity of the synthesized acetaminophen based on known literature values. A computational molecular modeling program was used to create a 3D model of acetaminophen and provided calculated IR and Raman spectra. The experimental IR and Raman spectra were compared to the calculated spectra using graphing software. The synthesized acetaminophen was found to contain impurities as reflected in lower melting point and in the Raman spectra. Detailed results of the analysis will be presented.

Lorena Tribe

Professor, Penn State Berks

Appearances