Hi everyone! So much has happened this week, both in and outside of the lab. I made progress on the Raman spectrometer and have started my poster board for next week. Because this is the last full weekend in Houston, we all filled our schedules. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do any glass-blowing this week, but I’m thrilled to have the spectrometer calibrated!
Lab Work
Maximized Raman peak.
I focused on the Raman spectrometer this week, leaving the microscope for any free time. Now that all lenses, filters, and covers were in place, I needed to align the laser to best show the Raleigh peak. To do this, I removed the filter. Raleigh spectra shows the same amount of energy entering and leaving the sample. When the peak is as large as possible, it means the most amount of light is traveling into the camera. I struggled to raise the Raleigh spectra, so I went back and checked the entire setup. The convex lens that condenses light was too tall, preventing light from entering the spectrometer. Once I lowered the lens, the Raleigh peak extended farther than the spectrum. I put the filter back, and the cyclohexane spectrum showed! Still, the cyclohexane peaks could be larger. Novodha helped me move the spectrometer closer, add the filter to the infinity correcting lens, and adjust focus to improve the graph. I remeasured everything for working distances, and the spectrum was excellent! Moving the spectrometer forward reduced the external light that entered with the laser light.
Cyclohexane Raman spectrum.
In the last two days, I got spectra of cyclohexane (often used to align systems) and titanium dioxide! I used the spectrum references of each material online to check my results. First, we tried putting powder in an NMR tube, then made a titanium dioxide slurry, and dried it on a glass slide. I did the same for iron oxide, aluminum oxide, and zinc oxide. However, the spectrum did not show when I secured them into the sample holder. Tomorrow, I’ll look into using aluminum oxide pellets and research other possible avenues.
On Friday, Noah and I presented at the group meeting. We brought donuts from Shipley’s and arrived 15 minutes early to finish taking photos for our slideshows. We had separate topics, but it was nice to present on the same day. I was nervous, hoping I could remember everything. Overall, the research group gave great advice, and I am more comfortable making my final presentation with their feedback.
Adventures
To celebrate the 4th of July, the group went to Shake Shack, walked around Rice Village, and then to the Hermann Miller Park to watch fireworks. Almost the entire Welch group went, so it was great to hang out with everyone! We walked around before the fireworks started, and I lost a game of tag. Yesterday, everyone visited the campus Rec Center. We played badminton and rock climbed. Afterwards, we went to Hangry Joe’s and walked back to the dorms. I’m sore today, but it was worth it!
Next Week
Next Monday, I’ll work on remaking samples and, hopefully, making spectra. My poster should be done by Wednesday, so I can get it printed in time for presentations on Friday. I think next week will go quickly, but I hope to do more glass-blowing on Thursday.
I’m excited to see how presentations go next week! Thanks for reading!
There are no comments published yet.