This activity leads students through the synthesis of compound nanoparticles and examines how key physical properties such as band gap vary with particle size.  Prior to doing this, students should have some exposure to the structure of solids, band theory, and band gap as a periodic property (see, for example, Lisensky, et al. J Chem. Educ., 1992, 69, 151-156.)  Though the article on which this activity is based  is not new, it is accessible to someone new to the field and was mentioned in a C&E News article that contained the citation for Moungi G. Bawendi's 2010 ACS award.