Edward Navarre - Chemistry Department

Current classes

Engineering Chemistry (CHEM 131)

Engineering Chemistry Laboratory (CHEM 135)

contents available in BlackBoard

Office hours:
Monday, Friday 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm in my office
Tuesday, Thursday 12:50 pm - 1:50 pm in lecture hall following CHEM 131

Current research

The research in this laboratory focuses on atomic spectroscopy and developing new, portable instrumentation. Presently, there are projects starting up in direct solid sampling elemental analysis and electrothermal atomization for atomic absorption spectrometry. We make our own instruments, so if you like to see what "makes it all work" you could have fun working in this group.

The ETA system is feature complete. Experiments are now underway. A trigger interface between the Ocean Optics spectrometer and the Gage oscilloscope has been designed which allows synchronous data collection with completely adjustable spectometer integration times. A clever new power supply has being designed to further automate the ETA analysis. The new power supply is now our production system. The recent addition of a fancy new spectrograph allows us to detect the elusive arsenic atom lines.

A second complete system will be up and running shortly. This one will utilize the HR-640 monochromator and offer much higher speed detection.

Testing of chemical modifiers designed to improve the ETA performance is underway. Some improvements with nickel and lead analysis have been demonstrated.

Currently, we are finishing construction of the pulsed plasma system. The capacitors, power supply, and supporting circuit passives have been delivered. The support frame for the discharge apparatus is constructed and the machining of custom parts has begun. Wiring of the high-voltage circuitry is next.

Latest news

Thanks to the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences for helping us to get the new spectrograph.

The ETA system was recently featured in the St. Louis Post Dispatch Health Section. We are grateful for the publicity.

Chris Edmiston and Brad Noble have delivered a feature-complete first-generation ETA power supply. Wow, is it nice!

New funding from the Vaughnie Lindsay New Investigator Award will move the ETA project through its preliminary stages.

We are very pleased to have had Gary Hieftje present the 2010 Probst Lecture.

Carrie McNeal has made the first measurement on the ETA system.

Thanks to Dr. Brad Noble (SIUE Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering) for introducing us to the Programmable System-on-Chip.

Thanks to the SIAM Center for offering us time on their CNC mill.

Work has begun on the renovation of the laboratory. As a result, many experiments are on hold while the room is full of dust, but construction of apparati continues. The recent acquisition of shop equipment has allowed Bright and Adam to build framing and a Faraday cage.

Not to be out done by UVM, the University of Illinois (UIUC) has donated a genuine 0.35-meter Heath monochromator, an echelle spectrometer (incorporating two Heath drive screws), a rowgowski coil, and Richard Sack's spark stand. Aside from the historical significance of these things, they are wonderful research tools that we will be putting back to work.

I have recently received a generous donation of instrumentation (including an ICP, MIP, monochromator, vacuum deposition apparatus) from colleagues at the University of Vermont.

Last modified: Thursday, 01-Sep-2011 09:00:08 CDT