Revealing the Wavelength Dependence of Photochemical Reactions: Cutting-Edge Research in the Teaching Lab

The prompt transfer of cutting-edge science into students’ curricula is a challenging task. Often research experiments are too complex or expensive to be translated into a secondary or tertiary education setting. Herein, we introduce a laboratory experiment that translates the recently developed research technique of a wavelength dependent, photochemical action plot into a student accessible format. The practical incorporates aspects of photophysics, required to calculate a constant photon emission from each different colored LED, as well as polymer chemistry in understanding the mechanism and quantitatively determining the polymerization conversion. During this practical the students (i) learn about areas where photochemical reactions are used to generate everyday materials, (ii) understand and apply the concepts of absorption and Beer–Lambert’s law, (iii) record and evaluate a photochemical action plot, and (iv) critically discuss the disparate nature of action and absorption spectra to generate an understanding of the implications for photochemical material design.