Simple Syntheses of CdSe Quantum Dots

Quantum dots are an excellent resource for demonstrating quantum phenomena. Two new methods for synthesizing quantum dots are presented. Proceeding at relatively low reaction temperatures, these exercises are safe and easy to conduct in an undergraduate student laboratory. The quantum dots prepared from the first method exhibited visible luminescence across a broad range of colors. The size-dependent spectral properties of quantum dots were examined quantitatively in the second method. Following this procedure, students in an advanced chemistry laboratory course synthesized their own quantum dots. and gained experience with these important nanomaterials.