CHEM 4310LB SYNTHESIS LAB SPRING 2014
TIME: TR 1:15-5:05 PLACE : 37-360
INSTRUCTOR : Dr. T. Birdwhistell
OFFICE: NCF 341 PHONE: 520-7370
OFFICE HOURS : MWR 9-11 (or by appointment)
CREDIT
E-MAIL:
: 2 semester hours tbirdwhi@xula.edu
TEXT: T. L. T. Birdwhistell "Advanced Synthesis Laboratory Manual"
COURSE DESCRIPTION : Advanced methods in the synthesis and characterization of organic and inorganic compounds; includes an independent project. A wide range of compounds will be synthesized, including organic compounds with medicinal applications, bioinorganic compounds, transition-metal organometallics, and coordination compounds. Two four-hour labs per week.
Prerequisite: CHEM 3210 and 3210LB.
COURSE OBJECTIVES : The student is expected to become skilled in a variety of synthetic and spectroscopic techniques used in a modern chemistry laboratory. By the end of the semester, the student should be able to independently research a synthetic problem and design a procedure to execute that synthesis. The student will also be able to report experimental results using the format approved by the American Chemical Society for publications.
QUIZZES AND EXAMS : A 10-pt lab quiz will be given on each of the experiments, with the exception of the independent project. The quiz for a particular experiment will be given on the lecture day following the completion of the experiment. A comprehensive final exam will be given on the last day the lab meets, April 24, during the normal lab period.
LAB NOTEBOOKS: Each student is required to keep a lab notebook. One may use his notebook from Quant. Lab, or another one like it. Instructions for keeping the lab notebook are in the lab manual. At the end of an experiment, a copy of all the pages associated with that experiment should be torn out and given to the instructor. The quality of your lab notebook is an important factor in your lab technique grade.
LAB REPORTS: Each student must write a lab report on each experiment done during the semester. Instructions for writing the lab reports are presented in detail in the lab manual, along with a sample report. Lab reports are due one week after the completion of the experiment. The text of each lab report must also be submitted through Turn It In on Blackboard, and is due on the same day as the hard copy is due to be submitted. A late penalty will be assessed at 5 points per day for up to one week. Lab reports more than one week late will receive a grade of zero.

CHEATING : Lab reports are to be written independently by each student. Any evidence of plagiarism--either from another student or from a literature source--will result in a grade of zero on that lab report. The same policy will hold for quizzes and the final exam.
LAB TECHNIQUE : An important aspect of this course is learning good lab technique. Each student will be graded on the following: 1) how well he is prepared for the lab, 2) how efficiently he uses his time in the lab, 3) how well he keeps his lab notebook, 4) how well he handles cleanup and waste disposal in the lab, 5) how well he follows instructions, and 6) how well he behaves in general while in the lab.
SAFETY : Safety is extremely important when working in a laboratory. Each experiment lists safety precautions that should be taken during that lab. Students are required to wear safety goggles and a lab coat at all times during the lab. Failure to do so--or failure to follow any of the safety guidelines for a given experiment--may result in the student being kicked out of the lab for the rest of the day.
GRADING : A tentative grading scale is given below:
Quizzes 7(10) 70 90-100% A
Lab Reports 7(50)
Oral Report
Indep. Proj. Report
Lab technique
350
50
100
50
Literature searching exercise 50
Final exam 100
770 total points
80-89%
70-79%
60-69% below 60%
B
C
D
F

COURSE OUTLINE : A tentative schedule is given below.
Dates Experiment
Jan. 14
Jan. 16
Introduction; check-in
Lecture; literature searching
Jan. 21
Jan. 23-28
Benzoxazine
Jan. 30 Lecture; quiz; report writing
Feb. 4-Feb. 13 [Co(NH
3
)
5
X] +n ; spectrochemical series
Feb. 18
Feb. 20
Spectroscopy; literature searching exercise due Jan. 23
Lecture; quiz; spectroscopy
Zn Grignard
Feb. 25
Feb. 27
March 3-7
Lecture; quiz; spectroscopy trans -Stilbene; outline for Independent Project due
Mardi Gras Holiday
March 11
March 13
March 18
March 20
March 25
Lecture; quiz; spectroscopy
1,2-Diphenylethane
Lecture; quiz; spectroscopy
Cobaloximes
Lecture; quiz; spectroscopy
March 27
April 1
April 3-15
April 17-18
April 22
April 24
Microwave Synthesis
Quiz; spectroscopy
Independent Projects
Easter Break
Final Exam
Oral Presentations; check out