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Measurement of the Bulk Modulus of a Liquid Using a Pump–Probe Laser Technique

  • Laboratories and Demonstrations
  • Published:
The Chemical Educator

Abstract

We describe an undergraduate laboratory experiment that uses a time-resolved laser technique. Using pump-probe in a novel way, students determined the bulk modulus of a liquid. Employing the fourth harmonic from a pulsed Nd:YAG laser, an elastic wave is generated in an aqueous solution of N-acetyltryptophan, and the wave propagation is probed by a He-Ne laser. This experiment serves as a rare example of how a bulk property of a condensed phase can be measured using time-resolved optical measurements having relevance to undergraduate physical chemistry or material science laboratory.

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Author notes

  1. Christopher D. Lane

    Present address: Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027

  2. David J. Hathcock

    Present address: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, State University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA, 30118

    Christopher D. Lane, David J. Hathcock, Andrew J. Leavitt, Farooq A. Khan & John E. Hansen

Authors
  1. Christopher D. Lane
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  2. David J. Hathcock
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  3. Andrew J. Leavitt
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  4. Farooq A. Khan
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  5. John E. Hansen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to John E. Hansen.

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Cite this article

Lane, C.D., Hathcock, D.J., Leavitt, A.J. et al. Measurement of the Bulk Modulus of a Liquid Using a Pump–Probe Laser Technique. Chem. Educator 6, 235–237 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00897010489a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00897010489a

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