Chemistry Laboratory
Notebook Format
Table of Contents

The first page of your notebook will be the
table of contents.

This page should include a list of Lab titles
and their page numbers.
Example:
Table of Contents
1. Observation & Experimentation
pages 1- 4
2. Separating a Mixture
pages 5-
3.
Lab #1 Format

Date: This is the date you performed the
experiment
Lab #1
Date:
8/30/10
Lab #1 Format

Title: The title should be descriptive
Lab #1
Date:
8/30/10
Title: Observation & Experiment: Intro. To Scientific Method
Lab #1 Format

Purpose: State the reason for doing this
experiment. What questions are you trying
to answer?
Purpose…
Overview…
Objective…
Example:
Lab #1
Date:
Title:
8/30/10
Observation & Experiment: Intro. To Scientific Method
Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to observe the reaction
between calcium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, & phenol
red and to determine substances responsible for each change
Lab #1 Format
Introduction:
1. Define terms listed in Concept Section
2. Answer the pre-lab questions.
 Should be written in paragraph form
 Terms should be underlined
 Pre-lab questions should be answered in
sentence form. The question should be
included as part of the answer.

Example
Intro: The scientific method is an information gathering process
which involves making observations, forming a hypothesis,
designing experiments, and then drawing conclusions.
Observation, is using the senses or tools to describe a
properties or interactions of a substance. Experimentation is
designing test to explain observations or prove hypotheses
Chemistry, the study of matter and the changes it
undergoes, relies heavily on observation and experimentation.
New paragraph with answers to pre-lab questions
Lab #1 Format

Procedure: DO NOT RE-WRITE STEPS
Procedure:
Part A requires observing a chemical reaction
between CaCl2, NaHCO3, and Phenol Red.
Part B requires controlled experiments to be
designed and tested. The goal of these tests is to
determine which combination of substances
caused the observed changes.
Lab #1 Format

Safety Hazards: Describe specific safety
precautions.
Safety
Calcium chloride is slightly toxic. Phenol Red stains
Hazards: skin & clothing. Chemicals are skin & eye irritants
Lab #1 Format

Results: Observations, data collected in the lab,
and any calculations made.
Results:
Data Table A: The Overall Reaction
What are the properties of the individual substances?
Chemical
Calcium chloride
Sodium bicarbonate
Observation
Lab #1 Format

Discussion-Analysis: Post-lab questions should
be answered in sentence form. If question
requires calculation, SHOW WORK.
Discussion/
Analysis:
From the experiment, we have determined the
combination of substances responsible for the
observed temperature change to be----In the individual experiments we observed a
temperature change not initially seen. This
temperature change occurred when--------
Lab #1 Format

Conclusion: Answer to purpose. Be specific.
Include data from lab.
Conclusion:
•Observations about changes
•Identify substances responsible for changes
Lab #1 Format

Error Analysis: Specific sources of error.
What could you have done differently?