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Dry Lab Experiments

  • Page ID
    65236
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    A dry lab is a laboratory where computational or applied mathematical analyses are done on a computer-generated model to simulate a phenomenon in the physical realm. Examples of such phenomena include a molecule changing quantum states, the event horizon of a black hole or anything that otherwise might be impossible or too dangerous to observe under normal laboratory conditions. This term may also refer to a lab that uses primarily electronic equipment, for example, a robotics lab.

    • 1: ab initio Calculations - Atomic Energetics (Dry Lab)
      Students use modern ab initio calculations to calculate the electronic binding energy of the 1st and 2nd row atoms. They will compare the "accurate" ab initio result that include electron-electron repulsion that reduces the energy of the orbitals. They will calculate the effective nuclear potential that give the "accurate" answer and relate it to Slater's rules, shielding and orbital penetration. Electron spin multiplicity is discussed.
    • 2: ab initio Calculations - Diatomic Molecular Orbitals (Dry Lab)
      This ab initio homework addresses the quantum calculations of simple diatomic systems. The characteristic properties and spectroscopic parameters are calculated and compared for five fluorine species. These parameters are then contrasted to gain a connection between the electronic structure and experimental observations. Due 12/2/16 (Friday)
    • 3: ab initio Calculations - Dihydrogen Potential Curve (Dry Lab)
      Students will use predict the potential energy curve for the dissociation of H_2 which can be used to predict the bond energy and bond length of the bond of molecular hydrogen. The spring constant can be extracted from this calculation, but will not be addressed in this assignment.
    • 4: ab initio Calculations - Electron-Electron Repulsion (Dry Lab)
      Students will us modern ab initio calculations to calculate the electronic binding energy of the 1st and 2nd row atoms. They will compare the "accurate" ab initio result that include electron-electron repulsion that reduces the energy of the orbitals. They will calculate the effective nuclear potential that give the "accurate" answer and relate it to Slater's rules, shielding and orbital penetration. Electron spin multiplicity is discussed.
    • Exercise I: Structure and Electronic Energy of a Small Molecule
    • Simulation: Probabilistic Interpretation of Atomic Orbitals (Dry Lab)
      The basic properties of hydrogenic wavefunctions are discussion including nodes and degeneracy

    Thumbnail: A wavefunction for a single electron in a 5d atomic orbital of a hydrogen atom. The solid body shows the places where the electron's probability density is above a certain value (here 0.02 nm−3): this is calculated from the probability amplitude. The hue on the colored surface shows the complex phase of the wave function. (CC BY-SA 3.0; Saumitra R Geek3).


    Dry Lab Experiments is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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