International University, Vietnam National University - HCMC
GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY
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GENERAL GUIDELINE
For Chemistry Lab, before joining the class, students need to prepare documents such as
Prelab and Data sheet, and after finishing the lesson, a report needs to be submitted to the
lecturer. Below are specific instructions for students when preparing the above documents.
I.
Before the class:
a. Prelab (by individual)
This is a summary of the experimental procedure. It should be HANDWRITTEN, briefly
SUMMARIZING each step of the experiment as described in the lab manual and succinctly
presented on A4 size paper in order to create impression for the marker. The purpose of the
prelab is to assess the student's comprehension and preparation for the lesson, so each
student should read the lab manual carefully before writing the prelab and avoid copying
from the lab manual. The discussion questions at the end of the lesson (included in the lab
manual) should be used for reference and lesson orientation only, not for providing
answers to the prelab.
b. Data sheet (by group)
The data sheet should be prepared by each group before the lesson to record the data,
phenomena, notes... obtained during the experiment. This is the basis for the students to
rely on and write the group report as well as for the marker to rely on to assess the accuracy
of the information provided in the report. Moreover, this is also a way for students to get
acquainted with the scientific working style, as a premise for students in future research
careers. The data sheet should be printed out according to the form provided to the
students, handwritten in pen (avoid using pencil) during the experiment, and then
submitted with the report.
II.
•
After the class:
Report (by group)
The purpose of the report is to assess the students' understanding of the lesson and the
ability to analyze phenomena that occur while doing experiments. Plagiarism in any form is
not allowed. The report should be presented clearly and beautifully in the format provided
(color printing is recommended), including photos of the experiment for maximum score.
Below is the score scale and detailed instructions for the report.
•
i.
Score scale
Introduction: 5pts
Clearly present the content, objective of the lesson and the knowledge gained from the
lesson. Copying from the lab manual will be marked as zero.
ii.
Materials and Methods: 5pts
Written by B.Eng. Nguyễn Đỗ Xuân An
Edited by MSc. Lê Nguyễn Thiên Phúc
Last updated: 12/2022
International University, Vietnam National University - HCMC
GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY
Page 2
List out the equipment and chemicals that were used in the experiments as well as the
preparation steps for the experiments.
iii.
Results and Discussion: 70pts
Should include:
•
Results: Fully describe the results of the experiments (by pictures and chemical
reactions)
− Pictures of the results: should be clearly photographed, white background for
colored or dark colored precipitates and solutions, and black background for white
or light-colored precipitates and solutions. Avoid using hands, lab coats, or no
background. Each photo must be briefly described (above the images) and captioned
(below the images).
− Chemical reactions: must include the stoichiometric coefficient
• Discussion describe and discuss the results obtained from the experiments. clearly
state the phenomena that have occurred (the phenomena occur due to what
principle? ...). In the case of experiments that do not give results or produce
unexpected results, explain, or suggest the reasons leading to them.
iv.
Conclusion: 10pts
Concluding and synthesizing experiments, lessons learned from doing experiments (the
mistakes...) As well as difficulties and ways to overcome when doing experiments
v.
Format: 10pts
The maximum score for a report that includes all of the above is 90 points. To achieve 100
points, the report should be presented cleanly (color printing; stapled; uniform in font,
color, alignment, line spacing, ...)
Written by B.Eng. Nguyễn Đỗ Xuân An
Edited by MSc. Lê Nguyễn Thiên Phúc
Last updated: 12/2022