LEGO® spectrometer 'Lab in a Box' for first-year undergraduate students, distributed by Imperial College’s Department of Chemistry to the homes of students during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-2021 containing 1 LED light source, 1 light detector, 1 control and computer interface box, 1 diffraction grating, 1 lens, 1 Lego kit, 1 plastic measuring cylinder, 4 disposable plastic beakers, 4 disposable plastic cuvettes, 4 disposable plastic pipettes, sample tubes, gloves, 1 pack of Blu Tack, light proof cloth, paper optical slits; LED light source, detector and interface system designed by Nick Brooks, built by Simon Turner, Elina Zalite and DeeJay Kistnah, experiment designed by Joshua Edel and Alex Ivanov and kit assembly and logistics by DeeJay Kistnah

In October 2020, the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College dispatched a Lab in a Box to their first year students across the globe.

Using this kit, first year physical chemistry students were learning how to design, build and use their own spectrometers at home. The aim is to introduce students to UV-Vis spectroscopy – a common form of electronic spectroscopy used to measure how much a chemical substance absorbs light. All spectrometers have five basic components, a light source, a monochromator or diffraction grating, entrance and exit slits, a detector and a device to read the detected signal. Students were provided with these plus a black out cloth and LEGO bricks to house their spectrometers. Once built, they analysed samples of dyes such as methylene blue.

Students were expected to watch the introductory lectures, read the lab manuals, risk assessments and standard operation procedures to ensure they carried out their experiments safely at home.

Once built, they tested samples provided with their kits and recorded their results, submitting their reports online. After they were finished with the kits, they returned as much as possible for re-use.