Integration of National Instruments' LabVIEW Software into the Chemistry Curriculum

• Steven M. Drew ^[1]
  1. [1] Carleton College

     Carleton College

     City of Northfield, Estados Unidos

     
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 73, Nº 12 (December), 1996, págs. 1107-1111
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Modern analytical instruments controlled by computer workstations equipped with LabVIEW have been used to enhance the investigative nature of a student's laboratory experience at Carleton. The overall aim of this continuing project has been to provide students with user-friendly analytical tools that will improve their ability to quickly perform chemical analyses, in turn leaving more laboratory time for experimental design and open0ended investigation. We have found that LabVIEW can be used as a central laboratory software system that can be customized by the instructor to fit specific experimental needs and programmed by students with minimal training. In lower-division courses, such as introductory chemistry and sophomore analytical chemistry, intuitive LabVIEW VI's have been designed by the instructors to run specific instrumental tasks for the students. The time saved by providing students with intuitive LabVIEW VI's to control their intruments has generated more lab time for open-ended investigation. Upper-division courses for majors have focused on learning how to program and use LabVIEW to control experimental apparatus designed and built by students.