[shell52080]

I need to design an experiment for my Physical Chemistry 2 lab. We can do whatever we want but I have no idea where to even start looking. I'm mainly interested in medication and vitamins, but that may not apply to physical chemistry. Some ideas my professor gave were:

-finding Avogadro's number through electrochemistry and x-ray diffraction
-spectroscopy on dyes
-identifying matter in used engine oil

Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

[Arkcon]

I'm mainly interested in medication and vitamins,

*shaking the Magic-8 Ball*

-spectroscopy on dyes

Would be closest.

But seriously, anyone of them would be good.  Try to find out what your prof expects from you.  Back in my day, (ooh, these aching 40 year old bones) it wasn't just anybody who got to play with the x-ray diffractor. 

[shell52080]

Thanks for your response. Those were experiments that other students have done in the past. I could do them, but I wanted to try to do something different. I actually used the x-ray diffractor last semester and I really like it. It broke the last week of classes, so I don't know if it's up and working yet. The actual experiment has to take 4-5 4 hour lab periods. Would something with generic brands of ibuprofen work? I don't know what I would do though? I still have time to decide but I'd like to figure it out sooner rather than later. Thanks!

[Alpha-Omega]

Bruker site:  http://www.bruker-axs.com/index.php?id=pharmaceuticals
Panalytical:  http://www.panalytical.com/index.cfm?pid=98
Rigaku: http://www.rigaku.com/xrd/index.html

Pge 15 of this pdf gives you a diffraction pattern for ibuprofen:  http://www.icdd.com/membership/minutes/pdf/xrd-ICDD_Mar-07-B_He.pdf

This takes you to their thin film and powder XRD....then go to APPLICATIONS at the top and check drug discovery....

Check the USP (US Pharmacopeia), EP (European Pharmacopeia), and JP (Japanese Pharmacopeia) for test guidelines for drugs....

Anyway...that is a start....

Ref:  Characterization Ibuprofen by XRD: 
http://www.xraydiffrac.com/materialtypes.html

[lemonoman]

What about doing some enzyme kinetics?  Find an enzyme that eats up a particular molecule (or medicine), and you can model the rate at which it's eaten up.

[shell52080]

Thank you for the responses! They are very helpful!