ATTAINING OPTIMAL CONDITIONS - AN ADVANCED UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIMENT THAT INTRODUCES EXPERIMENTAL-DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION

This experiment is a five-period laboratory exercise in experimental design and optimization performed in our junior laboratory course that integrates synthesis and analysis. We introduce experimental design to undergraduates because such methodology is increasingly important in modern industrial research practice. The well-prepared chemist will need to apply these concepts with facility. While this experiment formally introduces concepts of experimental design and optimization, other pedagogical goals include increasing experience in synthetic techniques and using chromatographic methods for separation and analysis.