Chemistry Assistance Manual for

Chemistry Assistance Manual for Premanufacture Notification Submitters, 105, EPA 744-R-97-003 (1997) [hereinafter Chemistry Manual], available at http //www.epa.gov/oppt/new-chems/pubs/chem-pmn/. 

USEPA. 1997. Chemistry Assistance Manual for Premanufacture Notification Submitters,... 

The comparison can be made manually on the basis of collections of tables (for example, A. Cornu R. Massot Compilation of Mass Spectral Data) or may be effected with computer assistance large databases can be used (e.g. Mass Spectral Data Base, Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge). 

For me, nothing illustrates this chasm between observation and chemical theory better than my experiences as a teaching assistant in the laboratory of a beginning chemistry course. Students were carefully following procedures described in the lab manuals, filling in the blanks to describe their observations. Then as a kind of climax they were asked to Write the equation for this reaction. Students were often stunned by this request, for they could perceive no connection between what they had observed and the equation they were expected to write. This gap between the perceptual experience of events and their conceptual representation is wider and deeper than for any other of the basic sciences. That fact in large part accounts for the late arrival of chemistry at its maturity, with the work of John Dalton early in the nineteenth century. 

Previous studies have reported that pre-laboratory exercises in Physics can improve student performance and improve student perceptions of the laboratory (Johnstone et al. 1998), however, the additional marking was seen as apotential disincentive (Reid and Shah, 2007). A number of studies have reported the use of computer based exercises to support the pre-laboratory work, particularly in Chemistry (e.g. McKelvey 2000) where it has been in use for over 10 years, and sophisticated online Dynamic Laboratory Manuals have been created incorporating video clips and interactive simulations (www.chemlabs.bris.ac.uk). There are also a number of uses of computer assisted pre-laboratory work in the biosciences (Adams 2009). One of these (Dantas and Kemm 2008) points out the importanee of including assessment, as simply making e-resources available will not itself motivate students. The use of online pre-laboratory work has not been reported in the engineering education literature. 

Surface treatment involves a flame plasma at the surface to be treated. The approach is to simulate the reaction taking place at the surface by taking a continuous 0.15mVmin sample of the air/fuel mixture and producing controlled combustion in a sealed chamber. An O2 sensor measures the amount of excess O2 or excess fuel present in the sealed chamber. This is called Plasma Value or PV. It is an accurate, reproducible measure of the flame chemistry and can be used in a control loop or displayed for information or to assist in manual control of the flame chemistry. 

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