Practical atmospheric photochemical kinetics for undergraduate teaching and research

Including practical atmospheric chemistry in the undergraduate syllabus presents numerous challenges: most research grade equipment is too complex and expensive, and can require extensive safety training for students to use independently and efficiently. Herein we report an undergraduate analytical project that can be effectively performed in teaching laboratories equipped with standard UV-vis spectrometers, centred around an important application of photochemical kinetics in atmospheric research. Carbonyl containing compounds in dilute cyclohexane solutions may be considered as in a “quasi-gas-phase” environment. Measurements of absorption spectra in such solutions can therefore provide useful information into the atmospheric photochemistry of carbonyl compounds - a critically understudied aspect of atmospheric kinetics. We have delivered this course for two years and found that a project centred around collecting, processing, and understanding the atmospheric implications of these spectra is accessible to a range of student abilities and is an excellent tool for introducing the wider concepts and impacts of atmospheric chemistry.