Incorporation of Automated Column Chromatography Instrument into Undergraduate Laboratory Curriculum

Much of the research conducted today in the field of chemistry could not have been completed without automated instruments. Automated instruments allow efficient, thorough, and fast data collection. The ubiquity of automated instrumentation in research labs today calls for the inclusion of instrumentation in the undergraduate curriculum. Creating an academic environment similar to the one they will encounter in employment will in all likelihood promote better transitioning and retain students in the research field. Although many organic chemistry classes incorporate hands-on experiences on NMR and IR instrumentation, automated column chromatography is a technique that is important, but has yet to be integrated in the curriculum. At Simmons College, automated flash chromatography was successfully incorporated into the research-integrated organic chemistry laboratory course. This paper discusses the incorporation of automated instrumentation in the undergraduate organic chemistry curriculum and provides a model for other primarily undergraduate institution laboratories.