GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I CHEM 1111.007 (57425) FALL 2011 PALO ALTO COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS Class Meeting Times: Wednesdays 12:30 PM – 3:50 PM in San Jacinto Hall, Room 209 Credits: This is a 1-credit-hour course. This course is separate from General Chemistry Lecture, which is a 3-credit-hour course. If you are also enrolled in General Chemistry Lecture, you will receive two (2) letter grades (determined independently) and a total of 4 credit-hours in chemistry. Instructor: Mr. Dale Robinson Phone: (210) 486-3375 Email: drobinson@alamo.edu Catalog Description: Rationale: Course Objectives: This laboratory course is designed to accompany CHEM 1311, General Chemistry I. This course provides a quantitative study of the properties of chemical compounds and chemical reactions. The course is designed for science majors. Chemistry is an experimental science. This course is a supplement to the lecture since students observe in practice the principles they learn about in class. For those planning to pursue careers involving laboratory work -particularly in chemistry -- this course will provide a foundation of necessary laboratory skills. For all students, this course will provide a greater understanding of how scientists conduct their work and report their results. To learn the safe use of chemicals. To become familiar with the operation of chemical equipment and instruments. To learn to interpret results. To learn to evaluate data. To learn to communicate the results of scientific experiments. Text: Beran, Jo A., Chemistry in the Laboratory, A Study of Chemical and Physical Changes, Second Ed., John Wiley & Sons, 1996. Grading: Laboratory Reports 40% Laboratory Quizzes 40% Formal Report 20% ___________________________________________ Total 100% Your semester score (SS) will be computed using the following formula, which incorporates the percentages given in the above table. Denoting your lab report average as LRA, your lab quiz average LQA, and the grade on your formal report as FR, your semester score (SS) is calculated as follows:. SS = 0.40 * LRA + 0.40 * LQA + 0.20 * FR All grades in this course will be on a 0 - 100 scale. The letter grade which you will be assigned for this course is determined by the value of SS as follows. If SS is 90 or higher, your grade is A If SS is 80 or higher, but less than 90, your grade is B If SS is 70 or higher, but less than 80, your grade is C If SS is 60 or higher, but less than 70, your grade is D If SS is less than 60, your grade is F Attendance Policy: Student Withdrawal Policy: Prompt and regular attendance is required. Students missing two (2) labs (not necessarily consecutive) may be dropped from lab by the instructor. Students are responsible for all work missed due to any absences. In particular, note that a student is not exempt from a lab quiz that covers an experiment conducted in his or her absence. The student bears the responsibility of finding out what he or she missed while absent, and becoming familiar with the theory behind the missed lab. Students wishing to withdraw from the course should file the proper paperwork with the Admissions and Records Office. If a student stops attending but does not formally withdraw, a grade of F will be assigned if the student is still “enrolled” at the end of the semester. This is true even if the student could have been dropped by the instructor under the attendance policy above. Note that since CHEM 1311 and CHEM 1111 are separate courses, withdrawing from CHEM 1311 does NOT automatically withdraw a student from CHEM 1111. Notes on Lab Reports: Notes on Lab Quizzes: For each week that lab meets (except the first meeting) a laboratory experiment will be conducted. For each experiment conducted, there is a Lab Report that must be completed. Lab Reports usually have three (3) parts. First, there is a Lab Preview which should be completed before beginning the experiment. Secondly, there is a Data Sheet on which the measurements and observations made during the experiment are recorded. Finally, there is a set of post lab Questions which test your understanding of the principles behind the experiment. In general, students will work as a group (not to exceed 4 students unless the instructor approves otherwise) on completing the lab report, but the instructor has the option of requiring that part or all of any lab report be an individual effort. Unless you are told otherwise, however, you may work together on completing your lab report for an experiment, and only one report will be turned in for each group of students working on an experiment. The grade earned on the lab report is assigned to all students working in the group. However, the instructor may make adjustments to an individual student’s grade where necessary, to account for significant differences in participation or adherence to laboratory rules. Members of a group who are absent for a particular experiment are not eligible to receive a grade for the experiment which the other group members completed in their absence. After the physical work of the experiment has been completed, each group is expected to clean up their work area and spend the remainder of the lab period finishing the Group Lab Report. If the remaining time is not sufficient to finish the Group Lab Report, a one-time extension will be granted at the end of the lab period, making it possible for the group to turn in the Group Lab Report at the beginning of the next lab meeting without a late penalty. If a group leaves the lab before the end of the period without submitting a Group Lab Report, the report is considered late. Late lab reports are penalized 10% for each lab meeting that elapses from the day it is due until it is received. Late lab reports are not accepted if the graded reports for that experiment have already been returned to the students. Lab Quizzes covering the experiments students have conducted will be given from time to time. The quiz dates and the number of quizzes to be given have not been determined in advance. Lab quizzes will be announced in lab the week before they are to be given. Your lowest lab quiz grade is dropped before computing your lab quiz average. In consideration of this privilege, and the time required to prepare and grade make-up assignments, students are not allowed to make up just one missed lab quiz. If more than one quiz is missed, and all were missed for valid reasons, see the instructor. Such situations are handled on a case-by-case basis. Notes on the Formal Report: Laboratory Safety: The formal report is a typewritten (or computer printed) paper that discusses one of the experiments conducted during the semester. The report must contain the following seven (7) sections: Abstract, Introduction, Procedure, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, and References. More details on the paper – including when it will be due – will be provided at a later date. Students are required to practice safe laboratory techniques at all times. This includes (but is not limited to) wearing safety glasses whenever experiments are in progress. Even when an individual student is just doing paperwork, that student must be wearing safety glasses if experimental procedures are in progress elsewhere in the lab. A grade penalty may be imposed for failure to adhere to required safety rules. A student who arrives for lab without safety glasses and for whom safety glasses can not be found will not be allowed to conduct that day’s experiment and will be considered absent for the day. Make-up Work: A student missing a lab during the semester must conduct Experiment 15 (“Molecular Geometry”) on November 30, 2011 to avoid a zero grade being used in the lab report average calculation. Those who have not missed any labs need not do this experiment, but may do so if they choose. The make up lab will replace the lowest of the student’s other lab report grades, and will have no effect if the make up lab itself is the lowest grade. GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I CHEM 1111.007 (57425) FALL 2011 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE August 24 Introduction. No experiment will be conducted today. August 31 Experiment 1: “Safety and SI” September 7 Experiment 2: “Techniques and Measurements” September 14 Experiment 5: “Nomenclature: Elements and Compounds” September 21 Experiment 7: “Formula of a Hydrate” September 28 Experiment 8: “Formula of a Compound” October 5 Experiment 9: “Limiting Reactant” October 12 Experiment 6: “Reaction Types and Analysis” (Parts A - D) October 19 Experiment 6: “Reaction Types and Analysis” (Part E) October 26 No Lab Meeting. College closed for Employee Development Day November 2 Experiment 17: “Molar Mass of a Volatile Compound” November 9 Experiment 10: “Calorimetry” November 16 Experiment 12: “Spectroscopy” November 23 Experiment 13: “Chemical Periodicity” November 30 Experiment 15: “Molecular Geometry” (Make-up lab) December No Lab Meeting. Course has ended. 7