Dr. Robert J. Snyder
General Chemistry/Instrumental Analysis
about me
I am a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Southern Connecticut State University. Chemistry to me is a search for the truth. It is a way of looking at and thinking about the world in which we live. Chemistry is the art and science of substances and their transformations. And transformation is exactly why I love teaching Chemistry. To see the " light bulb go on"; to witness the change that occurs when a student, who never before liked Chemistry, suddenly becomes excited and wants to learn more about the way a Chemist looks at the world. I am a Chemist because of my high-school Chemistry teacher. He was so enthusiastic about his subject that I wanted to learn more just to be able to talk to him further about some of the themes that he had introduced during the lecture hour. I hope that I pass some of that along to my students.
contact me
Office: Jennings Hall 305
Email: snyderr1@southernct.edu
Phone: (203) 392-6263
Fax: (203) 392-6396
Education
Ph.D., Saint John's University
B.A., University of Massachusetts, Amherst
EXPERIENCE
Lecturer, Quinnipiac College, 1995
Lecturer, Manchester Community Technical College, 1994-1995
Senior Training Specialist/Technical Instructor, Perkin Elmer Corp., 1988-1994 Associate Professor, Sacred Heart University, 1981-1988
Assistant Professor, Sacred Heart University, 1976-1981
PROFESSIONAL Interests
My research interests involve finding novel ways to use infrared spectroscopy to analyze materials. The techniques that I have used most often are Diffuse Reflectance using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and Horizontal Attenuated Total Reflectance (HATR). While infrared spectroscopy is traditionally a qualitative tool, I am interested in developing methods for using infrared spectroscopy as a quantitative technique, i.e., to determine the amount of a component(s) in a mixture.
COURSES
CHE 120 General Chemistry I
CHE 121 General Chemistry II
CHE 440 Instrumental Methods of Analysis
CHE 540 Advanced Analytical Chemistry
CHE 547 Special Topics in Analytical Chemistry: Infrared Spectroscopy
