Undergraduate Experiments in Physical Chemistry
Oxford University

First Year Experiments

Instructions for these experiments, together with relevant background notes, will be issued to all 1st year students at the start of the course. [Click here to find out when you will be working in the Physical & Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory.] Copies in pdf format can also be downloaded by clicking on the links below, though it may not be possible to access some experiments from outside Oxford.

I.1 Introduction to the 1st year course
Introduction, 1st year (updated October 16, 2007)

I.2 Outline of experiments

Outline of experiments (updated August 1, 2006)

X.1 An Introduction to Solution Chemistry Techniques


Instructions (updated August 1, 2006)

X.2 An Introduction to Experiment design and Experimental Error

Instructions (updated October 17, 2007)

X.3 Kinetics

Instructions (updated October 24, 2007)

X.4 An Introduction to Vacuum Techniques

Instructions (updated August 26, 2004)

X.5 An Introduction to Optics

Instructions (updated October 29, 2004)

B.1 Background notes 1: Analysis of Experimental Data

Background Notes 1 (updated July 21, 2003)


Errata: This is a link to a list of important changes in the 1st year manual incorporated into instructions since the start of week 1, Michalemas term, 2006.
 

Second / Third Year Experiments

Instructions for these experiments are on file in the Lower Teaching Laboratory, and a copy can be obtained on request from the technician there.

1.03 Measurement of Heat Capacities Using Acoustic Interferometry and IR Spectroscopy

Instructions (updated September 28, 2005)

1.05 The Carbon Monoxide / Carbon Dioxide Equilibrium at Temperatures above 800K

Instructions (updated September 28, 2004)

1.06 Nitrogen Adsorption on Alumina at 77K

Instructions (updated January 14, 2008)

2.01 Bomb Calorimetry

Instructions (updated October 18, 2007)

2.02 Determination of the Formula and Stability Constant of a Complex

Instructions (updated July 24, 2003)

2.04 Illustration of Debye-Huckel Theory Through the Solubility of Ionic Salts

[New style instructions, updated February 24, 2006; obtain from technician in the Lower Teaching Laboratory.]

2.05 The ternary system potassium nitrate / sodium nitrate / water

Instructions (updated January 14, 2005)

2.06 Liquid Phase Equilibria

Instructions (updated July 25, 2003)

2.10 Dipole Moments from Measurements of Relative Permittivity and Refractive Index

Instructions (updated October 25, 2007)

3.02 Scanning tunnelling microscope

Instructions (updated July 29, 2003)

4.04 Redox potentials

Instructions (updated April 6, 2005)

4.06 Computational Dynamic Electrochemistry

Instructions (updated October 27, 2004)

4.07 Ions in Aqueous Solution

Instructions (updated August 6, 2003)

4.08 Introduction to Electrode Potentials

Instructions (updated October 16, 2007)

4.09 Determination of Copper in Tap Water Using Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

5.02 The Persulphate / Iodide Clock Reaction

Instructions (updated January 4, 2006)

5.08 The Kinetics of Oxygen Atom Reactions

Instructions (updated August 19, 2003)

5.09 The Gas-phase Photolysis of Acetaldehyde

Instructions (updated August 20, 2003)

6.01 Scientific Programming in FORTRAN (In preparation - see Dr Cartwright for details)

6.02 Molecular Modelling

Instructions (updated September 5, 2003)

6.03 Computational Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

6.04 Computer Simulation by Molecular Dynamics

Instructions (updated October 21, 2004)

6.05 Computational Raman Spectroscopy

Instructions (updated January 3, 2006)

7.05 Infrared Vibration/Rotational Spectra

7.06 The Infrared and Near-IR Spectrum of Ammonia

7.08 The Visible Spectrum of Iodine Vapour

[New style instructions, updated April 13, 2006; obtain from technician in the Lower Teaching Laboratory.]

7.09 The Emission Spectrum of the Nitrogen Positive Ion

7.11 Fluorescence Spectra and the Rate of Electron Transfer by Quenching

Instructions (updated December 2, 2005)

7.12 Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Instructions (updated September 10, 2003)

7.13 Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry

Instructions (updated October 22, 2004)

7.15 Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy

Instructions (updated September 9, 2003)

8.02 Solution Calorimetry

Instructions (updated October 10, 2005)