This activity was prepared by David Walker (LASA High School) and Rose Cory (University of Michigan), based on work conducted at Toolik Field Station in Alaska. The purpose is to introduce students to Van Krevelen diagrams, which are used to interpret results of high resolution mass spectrometry and characterize the compound classes present in complex organic mixtures. Students will
When radioactive elements decay they emit high-speed particles. These can be detected by use of a cloud chamber. The cloud chamber was invented by Charles Thomson Rees Wilson in 1911. The chamber works by saturating the air inside with alcohol vapor. Cooling the chamber with dry ice supersaturates the air. The energetic particles produced by the radioactive decay ionize
Oceanography is the study of the ocean. It covers a wide range of topics from marine life to the geology of the sea floor to the physical properties of the ocean. Physical oceanographers study the physical components of the ocean including light, waves, tides, currents and the composition of sea water. The physical properties of the ocean can