General Chemistry: Behind the Scenes
Lauren Pintabona
ltc4@wildcats.unh.edu; Parsons Hall, 23 Academic Way, Durham NH 03824
Introduction
For the past three years I have been working for Amy Lindsay setting up and preparing all of the Gen. Chem. labs. Even though this may seem like a simple job, it requires a lot of hard
work and patience. Multiple labs are performed in the same week and most of the labs also consist of more than one part, meaning organization is key. If the labs are not set up and all
solutions prepared by lab day the procedure cannot be performed, therefore imposing deadlines that must be met. The lab experience of the students relies on the work we put into
setting up and preparing for every experiment. Despite these obstacles, the overall experience has been very rewarding. I picked up new tips and tricks along the way and I was able to
practice the techniques I’ve learned throughout my college career.
Chemical Timer
Acids, Bases, and pH
In Prep Room
In Prep Room
Purpose:
Purpose:
• prepare stock solutions to be used by students in
• Prepare a variety of acids, bases, and salts to be used to
analyzing reactions and preparing solutions of their
understand pH range, strong vs. weak, and concentrated vs.
own
dilute
Solution preparation in the prep. room
For each of the 24 chemicals:
In Lab
Purpose for Students:
• To understand the concepts involved
• Calculate amount of solid for the desired molarity
For each of the 4 labs:
• Prepare two 50 mL bottles
• 1 test tube rack per lab bench
• Fill test tubes accordingly
in oxidation-reduction reactions and
• 1 well plate
to experiment with the starch test
Chemical reactions:
Solution preparation in the prep. room
I2(aq) + 2S2O32-(aq) 2I-(aq) + S4O62-(aq)
In Lab
S2O32-(aq) + 2I-(aq)  I2(aq) + 2SO42-(aq)
For each of the 4 labs:
Original
Color
I2
S2O32SO4
2-
S2O82-
In lab set up for students
I2
S2O32-
SO42-
S2O82-
I-
Cl-
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I-
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Cl-
Acknowledgements
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• 2 test tube racks with all 24 chemicals (labeled)
• 2 of each type pH paper
In lab set up for students
Chemical reactions:
NiCl2(aq) + 2H2O(l) Ni(OH)2(aq) + 2HCl(aq)
Ni2+
(aq)
+ 2H2O(l) Ni(OH)2(aq) +
2H+
(aq)
Na2CO3(aq) + 2H2O(l) H2CO3(aq) + 2NaOH(aq)
CO32-(aq) + 2H2O(l)  H2CO3(aq) + 2OH-(aq)
Observation table for lab notebooks
Thank you so much to Amy Lindsay for helping me and working with me these past 3 years. A special thanks to the Chemistry Department and my fellow classmates, the class of 2013.