Professor S. Robinson scady@po-box.esu.edu http://quantum.esu.edu/~scady
CHEM 123
General Chemistry I Laboratory
Objectives:
Sci Tech 324
570-422-3264
To learn how to use laboratory equipment properly
To learn how to accurately record measurements
To learn how to keep a laboratory notebook
To learn how to write a professional final laboratory report
To practice good laboratory techniques and safety
To prepare for advanced laboratories and research
Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
-Albert Szent-Gyorgi
1937 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine
Employers identify communication as one of the basic competencies every graduate should have, asserting that the ability to communicate is valuable for obtaining employment and maintaining successful job performance.
Journal of the Association for Communication Administration 2000 , 29 , 1-25.
Course materials:
Hand-outs (access from my homepage above)
Laboratory notebook and waterproof blue/black ballpoint pen
Flash drive
Scientific calculator
Safety goggles
Grading:
Your grade will be based on your final reports, project report, and pre-lab quiz scores. Your final average will be computed with the following formula:
Your final letter grade will be assigned according to the following guidelines:
AVERAGE
LETTER
GRADE
AVERAGE
LETTER
GRADE
AVERAGE
LETTER
GRADE
AVERAGE
93.0-100 A 87.0-89.9 B+ 77.0-79.9 C+ 60.0-69.9
90.0-92.9 A- 83.0-86.9
80.0-82.9
B
B-
73.0-76.9
70.0-72.9
C
C-
<60.0
LETTER
GRADE
D
E

General Chemistry I Laboratory
Office hours: I am always available for help by phone, email, or in my office. No question is trivial where your grade is concerned. I will be in my office on the necessary.
following days and times. You may also make an appointment to see me if
Tuesday: 9-10 AM Wednesday: 8-11 AM Thursday: 9-10 AM
Laboratory policies:
Please note that you begin each experiment with a perfect score. You are responsible for maintaining that grade. Only you can lose points based on the amount of effort you show for the pre-lab, in-lab data collection and submitted electronic reports. Your admission to college indicates you have the potential to uphold the A standard in your laboratory work. You must show the maturity and attitude necessary to preserve it.
Both individual work and teamwork are essential components of this laboratory course, as they are in real-life laboratory settings. Using the laboratory hand-outs, you and your team members are responsible for preparing a plan of action to be implemented inside the laboratory to complete the given experiment. It is highly recommended that you discuss the experiment with your team members before the laboratory begins. This will increase the likelihood of finishing the experiment before the three-hour time period ends.
A student will be dismissed from lab and receive a grade of zero for the entire experiment if any one of the following apply:
 Student fails to bring laboratory notebook and/or goggles to lab.
 Student fails to have laboratory objectives written in notebook prior to start of lab.
 Student fails to follow safety precautions, including handling and disposal of chemicals.
 Student fails to properly clean up lab equipment and bench.
 Student shows disrespect for instructor and fellow students.
 Student fails to make up a missed lab.
How to keep a laboratory notebook:
At the top of the page, print your name and the names of the team members. Give the date and the experiment name. Write the objectives of the experiment across both columns.
Objectives: Include two sets of objectives in your notebook for each experiment. Write in complete sentences.
Techniques: State the scientific procedures you will learn by doing the experiment.
Example:
1. I will learn how to use high performance liquid chromatography to identify the amount of caffeine in soft drinks.
2. I will learn how to prepare a set of standard solutions for a calibration curve.
3. I wlll learn how to use a micropipette and volumetric flasks.
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General Chemistry I Laboratory
Experiment: State the results you expect to obtain at the conclusion of the experiment.
Example: From a set of standard caffeine solutions with known concentrations, the concentration of caffeine in a soft drink can will be determined.
On the left-hand side of the notebook, write the procedural steps you perform in the laboratory in real time. If you make an error, draw a straight line through the entry. At a given step, write your quantitative measurements and qualitative observations on the right-hand side. Ask yourself if this is a step where you might introduce experimental error.
Measurements: Write measurements with the correct number of significant figures. For a digital display, all figures are significant. The last digit in the display is an estimated digit. For non-digitized equipment, such as graduated cylinders, the numerical value ends with the estimated digit.
Include the unit (g, mg, mL, mm, cm
3
, mol, s, min, etc.) with the numerical value. For example, the volume measurement for this graduated cylinder is
52.9 mL, where 0.9 is an estimated digit.
Pre-lab Quizzes: At the start of each lab you will be required to take an online quiz over the laboratory hand-out, MSDS information, and the 3D molecules associated with the experiment. Passing the quiz indicates you have an overview of the experiment, are familiar with the hands-on activities, and will not pose a safety hazard in lab. Failure to pass these quizzes shows a lack of preparation and will lower your course grade.
Experiment Schedule:
You start your laboratory work with some experiments designed to acquaint you with some of the glassware and experimental techniques needed to conduct an independent group laboratory investigation. A separate laboratory period is used to write the final report.
Each person submits a final report in his or her own words . Plagiarism is subject to academic disciplinary action and a failing grade for the course. The independent project is spread over several weeks at the end of the semester to allow you to correct errors and redo sections that do not provide acceptable data. You and your team members decide how to use the time allotted for the project. This is similar to conducting research in a real-life laboratory where you are responsible for the success or failure of the project. The amount of effort you give to this endeavor will directly impact the grade you receive for the course. A final report on the project follows the format used for other report submissions.
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General Chemistry I Laboratory
LABORATORY SCHEDULE
DATE
August 28
September 4
September 11
September 18
September 25
October 2
October 9
October 16
EXPERIMENT
Introduction to Course and Laboratory Safety
Density and Specific Gravity: Floating an Egg and Urine Analysis
Digital Balance, Volumetric Glassware, Hydrometers, Excel
Writing Lab Report
Gravimetric Analysis: Determination of the Phosphorus Content of
Fertilizer
Vacuum Filtration, Moles and Mass Stoichiometry
Writing Lab Report
Visible Spectrophotometry: Analysis of Food Dye in Beverages
Dilution, Chemistry of Color, Beer-Lambert Law
Writing Lab Report
Analysis of Commercial Bleach
Gas Laws, Moles and Mass Stoichiometry
Writing Lab Report October 23
October 30 through
December 4
INDEPENDENT PROJECT
Determination of the Heat Capacity of Metals
Enthalpy, Calorimetry, Specific Heat, Heat Capacity
Final Reports:
Use the guide given on the following pages to compose your report. Write the report with Microsoft Word . All calculations must be written with the Equation tool in Microsoft Word. Points are deducted for misspellings and incorrect grammar. Make sure your name, course, and section are on the title page. Substantial deductions are taken if any required section is omitted.
Email the report. Ten points are deducted for each day the report is late.
Academic Integrity: You are solely responsible for your laboratory work. The Academic
Integrity Policy adopted by East Stroudsburg University is to be followed by every student enrolled in this course. Violations of this policy will be reported to the Academic Disciplinary
Officer for appropriate action. The following statements are as true today as when they appeared in 1983:
“You forfeit your chance for life at its fullest when you withhold your best effort in learning.
When you give only the minimum to learning, you receive only the minimum in return. …in the end it is your work that determines how much and how well you learn. When you work to your full capacity, you can hope to attain the knowledge and skills that will enable you to create your future and control your destiny. If you do not, you will have your future thrust upon you by others. Take hold of your life, apply your gifts and talents, work with dedication and selfdiscipline. Have high expectations for yourself and convert every challenge into an opportunity.” ------A Nation At Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform
A Report to the Nation and the Secretary of Education by the National Commission on Excellence in Education, April 1983
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General Chemistry I Laboratory
Use Arial 12 font.
Bold the section headings.
Single space the “Abstract” section.
Double space all other sections.
Center your last name in the header on each page except for the title page.
Add page numbers in the footer at the right margin of each page except for the title page.
Give the title of the experiment. Give your name followed by your partner’s name. Indicate the date the report is
Title
Your name
Partner’s name
Submission date submitted.
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General Chemistry I Laboratory
State the experimental objective of the experiment.
State how the objective was achieved (technique).
State the result(s) of the experiment.
Do not use more than 5 sentences.
Last Name
Abstrac t single space
Introduction double space
2
State the experimental objectives of the experiment.
Give the chemical principles and theory behind the experiment.
Give any chemical reactions that are carried out during the experiment. Use Insert  Object  Symyx Draw document in Word to show chemical structures when appropriate. Use superscripts and subscripts for chemical formulas.
Describe how the results will be analyzed.
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General Chemistry I Laboratory
Give the experimental procedure used to conduct the experiment. If any values needed to be calculated, show the calculation. Use Insert  Equation in Word to show the calculations and answers. For example:
Organize your results into tables. Give your tables a number and title that describes the data. Go to
Insert  Table and choose the number of rows and columns you will need. Uncheck all boxes except Header
Row. Highlight the table cells and find the design for the table below. Select it and fill in the table.
Table 1. Absorbance vs. concentration data
Solution
1
2
3
4
5
Concentration, M
1.25 x 10 -5
2.50 x 10 -5
5.00 x 10 -5
1.00 x 10
-4
2.00 x 10
-4
Absorbance
0.113
0.226
0.452
0.904
1.808
Show any plots graphed for a set of data. If a linear plot, show the equation for the straight line and R 2 value on the graph.
Show any calculations used to determine a mathematical result.
If available, determine the average and standard deviation for class results.
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General Chemistry I Laboratory
:
Discuss how the chemical principles and theory in the introduction were demonstrated by the experiment.
Discuss whether the desired results were achieved.
Explain any experimental errors that may be associated with the result.
Discuss whether the objectives of the experiment were achieved. Note any areas where you could make improvements to obtain better results.
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