Instructor Information
Instructor name: Dr. Jeff Dougan
Phone number: 217-649-3151 (my cell, please use judiciously)
Email Address: Jeff.Dougan@heartland.edu
Hours and Days of Office Hours: by appointment.
Lab Outline
Lab Information:
The lab portion of this course will consist of fourteen lab experiments. Most lab experiments will
have an associated Pre-Lab assignment and Post-Lab data pages and questions. The lab experiments
are designed both to be enjoyable and to reinforce the content presented in the lecture portion of
the class.
Lab Materials:
 Investigating Chemistry: In the Laboratory (Collins, 2009)
 Safety Glasses (own or ones supplied by HCC)
 Scientific Calculator
Lab Content:
Each week will begin with the students turning in their completed pre-lab assignment. Then, the
instructor will proceed with a brief explanation of the lab procedures for that particular week. Once
all of that has been completed, you will proceed with that week's lab exercise to its finality. All
work, including data pages and questions, is to be turned in before leaving.
Attendance:
Attendance for the lab portion of the course is required. Any student missing more than three labs
can fail the course. It is important to arrive in the lab room a few minutes before the scheduled start
time. Anyone who arrives during or after the completion of the instructor's Pre-Lab discussion or who leaves early
(without instructor permission or without having completed the assigned lab activity for the day) will be penalized half
of the associated points for that day's lab experiment. Lab data and reports that are not turned in prior to
leaving the lab for the day will not be accepted.
Lab work requires your full attention – you should not be texting during lab activities. Please
remember to either turn off or put your phone into silent mode before the start of each lab, in order
to minimize disruptions. If you need to have your phone “on” for emergency reasons, then you
should inform your instructor before lab begins. The course instructor reserves the right to dismiss
repeat offenders from a lab period after an interruption with the same penalty as leaving early.
Grading:
Grades will be determined by a combination of lab work and a series of activities that result in
solving a murder. The point values of each lab are found on the lab schedule. The total point value
is equal to 250 points or 25% of your overall grade.
Murder Scene:
At times throughout the semester, you will be presented with information useful to the solving of
the murder of Mrs. Catherine Goodbody.
Lab Format:
Before Lab
Completely and thoroughly read through the materials pertaining to the day’s topic and complete the
“Pre-Lab” questions associated with each experiment. (Note: The Pre-Lab questions can generally
be found after each experiment in the CHEM 161 Lab Manual.)
During Lab
Upon arrival in the lab room, the Pre-Lab questions must be shown to the course instructor, who
will initial this section for completion. Any student who does not have their Pre-Lab initialed by the
course instructor prior to beginning the experiment for the day will have two points deducted from
the associated points for that day's lab experiment.
The instructor will give a brief pre-lab discussion, which will detail the procedures and any safety
information for the experiment to be performed. Be sure to ask for clarification on any points of the
experiment that seem unclear, including usage of laboratory equipment or chemicals, safety
information, the data that should be collected, or data analysis.
Upon completion of the pre-lab, the experiment should be performed, to completion, as detailed in
the lab manual. Most experiments will be done in pairs. Be sure to record data, as detailed within
the experiment and listed on the data sheets following each experiment. Use either blue or black ink
when recording your laboratory data. Use a single strikethrough to cross things out – don’t scribble!
It is very important to be neat and legible. If I cannot read your handwriting, I cannot grade you
effectively.
When the experiment is completed, return any laboratory equipment and clean off the lab bench, as
needed. Then, complete any calculations and post-lab questions associated with the experiment.
Calculations and post-lab questions should be done individually. Be sure to show work to receive
partial credit, in case your data was incorrect. Write out all of the steps for a calculation that needs
to be done, using the blank space on the data and questions pages of the lab manual. Label the
calculations for what they are (density, percent error, etc.) and be neat. If the course instructor
cannot determine what all numbers pertain to, credit will not be given. Use the perforations in the
lab manual to carefully tear out the pages containing your pre-lab questions, data sheets, and post-
lab questions. Staple these pages in this order, and turn them in to the lab instructor, prior to leaving
for the day.
Note that, while actual lab experiments will be done in pairs, each partner is expected to contribute
equally to the activities done in class. If one partner is not contributing to the activity, a warning will
be issued. Grades for pre-lab questions, data, and post-lab questions will be assigned on an individual
basis.
Finally, if a conflict between partners occurs and you would like to be reassigned, please alert the
instructor to the problem and groups may be reassigned, at the instructor's discretion.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
All work submitted for grading should be solely your own. Plagiarizing information will not be tolerated.
Plagiarism is defined as taking another person's ideas or work and presenting them as your own.
This can include copying or paraphrasing text from another source, whether it be printed (textbook
or internet) or verbal (peer). If other sources are used in the completion of your lab assignments
(pre- or post-lab questions or reports), cite your sources with a textbook title and page number or
website address.
Plagiarism is considered a serious academic offense and violates the fundamental principle of
academic integrity. Heartland Community College allows for a variety of disciplinary responses to
plagiarism or other examples of academic misconduct, including course failure, suspension, or
expulsion from the College. Examples of academic misconduct can include, but are not limited to,
plagiarism, cheating, falsification or misrepresentation of data or academic records, and assisting
others in acts of academic misconduct. Further examples and definitions for academic misconduct
violations can be found in the college catalog.
The penalty for cheating on any assessment will be dismissal from the course with a failing grade (F).
A letter may also be placed in the student's permanent file at Heartland Community College, at the
discretion of the course instructor. Note that these decisions can be appealed based on the appeals
process found in the Heartland Community College Student Handbook.
LAB SCHEDULE
CHEM 110
Date
Aug 22
Lab Activity
Introduction to the Lab and Lab Safety
Points
5
Aug 29
Measurements, pp. 1 – 8
15
Sep 5
Physical and Chemical Properties, pp. 9 – 18
15
Sep 12
Microscopy I, pp. 203 – 213
15
Sep 19
Soil Examination, pp. 45 – 54
15
Sep 26
Fingerprints, pp. 123 – 134
15
Oct 3
Stoichiometry and Titrations, pp. 33 – 44
15
Oct 10
Blood Alcohol Determination, pp. 87 – 94
15
Oct 17
Explosives, pp. 103 – 114
15
Oct 24
Urine and Blood Analysis, pp. 75 – 85
15
Oct 31
Hair & Fibers, pp. 235 – 243 and pp. 165 – 174
15
Nov 7
Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, pp. 147 – 154
15
Nov 14
Footware Impressions, pp. 215 – 224
15
Nov 21
Gunshot Residue, pp. 183 – 192
15
Nov 28
No Lab – Thanksgiving
Dec 5
DNA Samples
Solve the Murder
Total Points =
15
20
250
In addition to the above, at indeterminate times throughout the semester, there will be activities related
to the murder scene. The dates and point values of these will be determined by Ann Pontius, since I’m
not privy to the identity of the murderer.