Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Instrumental Analysis (Face-to-Face)

CHEM 4230-01

Course: CHEM 4230-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: PSCI
CRN: 31206

Course Description

Theory and principles underlying the analytical applications of spectroscopy, spectrophotometry, colorimetry, magnetic resonance, and chromatography. Three (3) hours lecture per week. A minimum grade of "C" (2.0 or above) must be earned in this course before it can be counted in a physical science major or minor or as a prerequisite for any other course. (Fall) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): (CHEM 3000 and CHEM 3005) or (CHEM 3620 and CHEM 3625) - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C

Required Texts

“Principles of Instrumental Analysis” – 7TH Edition (Skoog, Holler, Crouch)

Learning Outcomes

  • Students will be able to learn the principles of science
  • Students will be able to practice the principles of science through laboratory experiments and outside of class discussions
  • Students will be able to communicate the principles of science they have learned and practice through oral and written means.
 

This Course has the following specific objectives:

  • To educate students to apply course material by thinking independently and critically about chemistry.
  • Students will gain and demonstrate an understanding of chemistry, its principle concepts and reoccurring themes.
  • Students will be able to understand the terminology, classifications and trends in  analytical chemistry

Course Requirements

•             A minimum grade of C (2.0 or above) in CHEM 3000 or CHEM 3620/3625 and admission to program.

•            Class attendance and appropriate participation. As a result of your registration for this class, it is assumed that you will attend class each time and complete the exams on the day that they are scheduled. This class meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The only excused absences are those for approved University activities that have been cleared by the professor at least one week prior to the activity.

•            Completion of assigned reading prior to scheduled date for discussion in class. 

•            Respect for, and consideration of, other students and the professor. Science depends on empiricism and rational thought, emotion is not supposed to cloud the issue

•            All Exams will be taken on the day scheduled. It is the responsibility of the student to speak directly to the Professor at least one week prior to the scheduled exam and make arrangements to take the exam early if the professor will allow it. At the conclusion of the proscribed exam hour (11:00 AM), it is no longer permissible to take the exam. If you sleep in, etc. then you have missed the exam and will not be able to take it. Exceptions to this rule are rare and at the discretion of the instructor.

•             All homework assignments are to be turned in at the beginning of the class period on specified due dates. Homework assignments that are turned in late will be worth 67% of their graded value.  Homework assignments that are more than one week late will not be graded or worth any pointsHomework that requires several papers must be stapled together to receive full credit.

•            It is the responsibility of the student to retrieve and retain all assignments and quizzes. Assignments or quizzes left abandoned for more than two weeks will be discarded.

 

Homework

Problem sets will be assigned daily for each chapter. These assignments will be graded for completion. Homework is due at the beginning of the class, two class periods after it is assigned. Homework is worth 5 points each: 3 points for turning it in, 1 point for completion and 1 point for correctness. The instructor will choose on problem to grade and determine it for correctness. If the homework is turned in late then you will automatically lose 33% of the graded value. Homework that is more than a week late will not be considered.

 

Oral Presentation

Each student will be required to choose a topic and research a current application of the chosen topic in a chemistry journal article within the last 5 years. The presentation should last 10 minutes and highlight the differences between the standard instrument and the improvements made by the authors of the paper.

 

Research Paper

In conjunction with the oral presentation, the students will also be required to submit a 3-5 page paper summarizing the differences in the analytical instrumentation. Charts and graphs can be included and will be counted in the page total. The paper will be graded on content and analysis but grammar and spelling points will be assessed.

            

 

Examinations

There are 4 examinations that will take place over the semester. The first 3 will be a combination of short answer, multiple choice, matching, and work out problems. These will be based on the information from the chapters assigned to each exam. These eight exams are worth 100 points apiece. The final will be an ACS standardized examination; comprehensive exam over the entire block of material covered during the semester. As such it will be worth twice as much a regular exam.

Course Outline

Chapter Five: Signals And Noise
5A The Signal-to-Noise Ratio
5B Sources of Noise in Instrumental Analyses
5C Signal-to-Noise Enhancement
Instrumental Analysis in Action—The Electronic Analytical Laboratory
Chapter Six: An Introduction to Spectrometric Methods
6A General Properties of Electromagnetic Radiation
6B Wave Properties of Electromagnetic Radiation
6C Quantum-Mechanical Properties of Radiation
6D Quantitative Aspects of Spectrochemical Measurements
Chapter Seven: Components Of Optical Instruments
7A General Designs of Optical Instruments
7B Sources of Radiation
7C Wavelength Selectors
7D Sample Containers
7E Radiation Transducers
7F Signal Processors and Readouts
7G Fiber Optics
7H Types of Optical Instruments
7I Principles of Fourier Transform Optical Measurements
Chapter Eight: An Introduction To Optical Atomic Spectrometry
8A Optical Atomic Spectra
8B Atomization Methods
8C Sample-Introduction Methods
Chapter Nine: Atomic Absorption and Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry
9A Sample Atomization Techniques
9B Atomic Absorption Instrumentation
9C Interferences in Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
9D Atomic Absorption Analytical Techniques
9E Atomic Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Chapter Ten: Atomic Emission Spectrometry
10A Emission Spectroscopy Based on Plasma Sources
10B Emission Spectroscopy Based on Arc and Spark Sources
10C Other Sources for Optical Emission Spectroscopy
Chapter Eleven: Atomic Mass Spectrometry
11A Some General Features of Atomic Mass Spectrometry
11B Mass Spectrometers
11C Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry
11D Spark Source Mass Spectrometry
11E Glow-Discharge Mass Spectrometry
11F Other Mass Spectrometric Methods
Chapter Twelve: Atomic X-Ray Spectrometry
12A Fundamental Principles
12B Instrument Components
12C X-ray Fluorescence Methods
12D X-ray Absorption Methods
12E The Electron Microprobe
Chapter Thirteen: An Introduction To Ultraviolet-Visible Molecular Absorption Spectrometry
13A Measurement of Transmittance and Absorbance
13B Beer’s Law
13C The Effects of Instrumental Noise on Spectrophotometric Analyses
13D Instrumentation
Chapter Fourteen: Applications Of Ultraviolet-Visible Molecular Absorption Spectrometry
14A The Magnitude of Molar Absorptivities
14B Absorbing Species
14C Qualitative Applications of Ultraviolet Visible Absorption Spectroscopy
14D Quantitative Analysis by Absorption Measurements
14E Photometric and Spectrophotometric Titrations
14F Spectrophotometric Kinetic Methods
14G Spectrophotometric Studies of Complex Ions
Chapter Fifteen: Molecular Luminescence Spectrometry
15A Theory of Fluorescence and Phosphorescence
15B Fluorescence and Phosphorescene Instrumentation
15C Applications of Photoluminescence Methods
15D Chemiluminescence
Chapter Sixteen: An Introduction To Infrared Spectrometry
16A Theory of IR Absorption Spectrometry
16B IR Instrumentation
16C IR Sources and Transducers
Chapter Seventeen: Applications Of Infrared Spectrometry
17A Mid-IR Absorption Spectrometry
17B Mid-IR Reflection Spectrometry
17C Photoacoustic IR Spectroscopy
17D Near-IR Spectroscopy
17E Far-IR Spectroscopy
17F IR Emission Spectroscopy
17G IR Microscopy and Imaging
Chapter Eighteen: Raman Spectroscopy
18A Theory of Raman Spectroscopy
18B Instrumentation
18C Applications of Raman Spectroscopy
18D Other Types of Raman Spectroscopy
Chapter Nineteen: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
19A Theory of NMR
19B Environmental Effects on NMR Spectra
19C NMR Spectrometers
19D Applications of Proton NMR
19E Carbon-13 NMR
19F Application of NMR to Other Nuclei
19G Multiple Pulse and Multidimensional NMR
19H Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Chapter Twenty: Molecular Mass Spectrometry
20A Molecular Mass Spectra
20B Ion Sources
20C Mass Spectrometers
20D Applications of Molecular Mass Spectrometry
20E Quantitative Applications of Mass Spectrometry
Chapter Twenty-One: Surface Characterization By Spectroscopy And Microscopy
21A Introduction to the Study of Surfaces
21B Spectroscopic Surface Methods
21C Electron Spectroscopy
21D Ion Spectroscopic Techniques
21E Surface Photon Spectroscopic Methods
21F Electron-Stimulated Microanalysis Methods
21G Scanning Probe Microscopes
Chapter Twenty-Two: An Introduction To Electroanalytical Chemistry
22A Electrochemical Cells
22B Potentials in Electroanalytical Cells
22C Electrode Potentials
22D Calculation of Cell Potentials from Electrode Potentials
22E Currents in Electrochemical Cells
22F Types of Electroanalytical Methods
Chapter Twenty-Three: Potentiometry
23A General Principles
23B Reference Electrodes
23C Metallic Indicator Electrodes
23D Membrane Indicator Electrodes
23E Ion-Selective Field-Effect Transistors
23F Molecular-Selective Electrode Systems
23G Instruments for Measuring Cell Potentials
23H Direct Potentiometric Measurements
23I Potentiometric Titrations
Chapter Twenty-Four: Coulometry
24A Current-Voltage Relationships during an Electrolysis
24B An Introduction to Coulometric Methods of Analysis
24C Controlled-Potential Coulometry
24D Coulometric Titrations
Chapter Twenty-five: Voltammetry
25A Excitation Signals in Voltammetry
25B Voltammetric Instrumentation
25C Hydrodynamic Voltammetry
25D Cyclic Voltammetry
25E Pulse Voltammetry
25F High-Frequency and High-Speed Voltammetry
25G Applications of Voltammetry
25H Stripping Methods
25I Voltammetry with Microelectrodes
Chapter Twenty-Six: An Introduction to Chromatographic Separations
26A General Description of Chromatography
26B Migration Rates of Solutes
26C Band Broadening and Column Efficiency
26D Optimization of Column Performance
26E Summary of Chromatographic Relationships
26F Applications of Chromatography
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Gas Chromatography
27A Principles of GLC
27B Instruments for GLC
27C Gas Chromatographic Columns and Stationary Phases
27D Applications of GC
27E Advances in GC
27F Gas-Solid Chromatography
Chapter Twenty-Eight: High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
28A Scope of HPLC
28B Column Efficiency in LC
28C Instrumentation
28D Partition Chromatography
28E Adsorption Chromatography
28F Ion Chromatography
28G Size-Exclusion Chromatography
28H Affinity Chromatography
28I Thin-Layer Chromatography
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Supercritical Fluid Chromatography and Extraction
29A Properties of Supercritical Fluids
29B Supercritical Fluid Chromatography
29C Supercritical Fluid Extraction
Chapter Thirty: Capillary Electrophoresis, Electrochromatography, and Field-Flow Fractionation
30A An Overview of Electrophoresis
30B Capillary Electrophoresis
30C Applications of CE
30D Packed Column Electrochromatography
Chapter Thirty-One: Thermal Methods
31A Thermogravimetric Analysis
31B Differential Thermal Analysis
31C Differential Scanning Calorimetry
31D Microthermal Analysis
Chapter Thirty-Two: Radiochemical Methods
32A Radioactive Nuclides
32B Instrumentation
32C Neutron Activation Methods
32D Isotope Dilution Methods
Chapter Thirty-Three: Automated Methods Of Analysis
33A Overview
33B Flow Injection Analysis
33C Microfluidics
33D Discrete Automatic Systems
Chapter Thirty-Four: Particle Size Determination
34A Introduction to Particle Size Analysis
34B Low-Angle Laser Light Scattering
34C Dynamic Light Scattering
34D Photosedimentation

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late work is worth 2/3 of its graded value. Assignments that are more than one week late will receive no credit.

Attendance Policy

The nature of the class requires in-class participation. Failure to participate will make it harder to understand the material and therefore harder to pass that class.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.