Simple, Portable, and Inexpensive Spectrophotometers for High Schools Lab Activity

A simple, portable and inexpensive spectrophotometer for chemical analysis and laboratory activities is a growing topic of research in chemical education. The purpose of this study was to investigate how academics develop simple, portable and inexpensive spectrophotometers in the chemistry classes. This study used a systematic literature review method. A total of 46 related journal articles from 2009 to 2019 were used as sources for review. Sources of the articles reviewed were mostly obtained from the Journal of Chemical Education. As a guide to the study conducted, three formulations of the problem were used. First, what type of instruments developed. Second, what specific technology used and third, what pedagogical approach used. The results of the study conducted indicate that the UV-Vis instrument is the most developed one. This opens up opportunities for other researchers to develop other types of spectrometry instruments. The use of LED technology as a light source and a smartphone camera as a detector is a currently developing innovation. The development and the use of simple spectrophotometer have been successfully conducted at various levels of education including high school. This proves that simple, portable and inexpensive spectrophotometers can be used and developed at the high school level.

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