And speaking of well-documented sources, the Webbook of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (http://webbook.nist.gov/) is astounding 5000 IR spectra, 8000 mass spectra, plus heats of reactions, ionization energies, and more. Search by Formula, Name, Partial formula, CAS registry number, Molecular weight, Ionization energy, and Proton affinity. Searching is quick and easy, and the wealth of data returned is well-tabulated for ease of usewith a multitude of references. I used the database to generate this IR spectrum of acetone (http://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.exe?Name=acetone&Units=SI&cIR=on&cTC=on#IR-Spec). The proper citation for the spectrum is S. E. Stein, "Mass and IR Spectra Data" in NIST Standard Reference Database Number 69, Eds. W. G. Mallard and P. J. Linstrom, February 1997, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (http://webbook.nist.gov/).

Now back to the fun part. Thomas G. Chasteen of Sam Houston State University has created a great site, complete with QuickTime movies and sound bites to explain several instruments (http://www.shsu.edu/~chm_tgc/sounds/sound.html ). Look here for Pulsed Flame Photometric Detector, Photomultiplier Tube, GC/MS, and more. If you don't have QuickTime, this site provides a GIF slide show without sound. The movies are large (1.7 MB for Atomic Emission Detector) when compared with the parallel GIF animations (81 k). Here is a graphic from the Atomic Emission Detector show (http://www.shsu.edu/~chm_tgc/sounds/pushmovies/aed.mov.gif).

More on instrumental analyses can be found on the Organic Chemistry OnLine site by Paul R. Young of the University of Illinois at Chicago (http://chipo.chem.uic.edu/web1/ocol/toc.htm ). His Proton NMR practice sets show spectra matched with molecular formulas. Good hints accompany these problems, making this a fine site for your students. Look at the clear spectrum of C₃H₆O₂ from the first problem set (http://chipo.chem.uic.edu/web1/ocol/spec/H_NMR1.htm). Be sure to look around while you are at this amazing site for good theory, great review sets, and problem sets on stereochemistry, addition reactions, and bonding. Don't miss the QuickTime movies in the section on IR spectroscopy, complete with several examples, for example, the symmetric stretching of water (http://chipo.chem.uic.edu/web1/ocol/Movie/Vib2.htm).

Speaking of searching, do you remember that great animation or the fine movie you saw on the Internet, but forgot to bookmark? Luckily WEB-ster is here to help (http://ep.llnl.gov/msds/orgchem/Web-sters_Org_Chem.html). This resource site by Nick Turro of Columbia University and Ron Rusay of Diablo Valley College/ UC Berkeley serves as a collection agency for chemical educators and students. The storehouse is divided into many compartments, one of which is Graphics and Animations: http://ep.llnl.gov/msds/orgchem/graphics.html. Want to find something? You might do well to check WEB-sters Organic Chemistry first.

World Wide Web Addresses

Atomic Emission Detector: http://www.shsu.edu/~chm_tgc/sounds/pushmovies/aed.mov.gif

Thomas G. Chasteen's Page of Movies, Sounds, and GIF Animations: http://www.shsu.edu/~chm_tgc/sounds/sound.html

Conference on Fair Use (CONFU) Interim Report: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/confu/

Symmetric stretching of water: http://webbook.nist.gov/

WEB-sters Graphics and Animations: http://ep.llnl.gov/msds/orgchem/graphics.html

WEB-sters Organic Chemistry: http://ep.llnl.gov/msds/orgchem/Web-sters_Org_Chem.html

Paul R. Young's Organic Chemistry OnLine site: http://chipo.chem.uic.edu/web1/ocol/toc.htm