Laboratory Notebooks
Chemistry 11
Spring 2001
Notebook:
You can use one of the laboratory notebooks that are on sale in the bookstore or you can use loose pages (typed) arrange in a folder. Write in pen, not pencil. Do not attempt to erase or use whiteout. If you make an error, neatly cross out the error by drawing a line through it with a pen and then record the correct information.
Do not use the words I, we etc in your write up.
Leave the first two pages blank for a Table of Contents. In this table enter experiment numbers and titles from the lab manual, and page numbers from your write-ups for each experiment as you go along.
Start each experiment on a new page.
Your lab report should include the following.
1. Date:
The date the experiment is going to be preformed
2. Title: of experiment (from lab manual)
3. Purpose:
One or two sentence precise description of the lab you are performing that day
4. Theory:
Detailed description and explanation of any reaction you will be performing and any new lab techniques you will be doing.
If there is an equation for the theory include the equation(s)
If a chemical reaction is going to be carried out write a balanced equation for the reaction and include
Make this section as detailed as possible (pretend you are explaining the experiment to a high school student). In this section do not include the procedure (or the recipe) of the experiment.
5. Table of reagents:
In this section you should include relevant physical properties such as bp, mp, densities and solublities.
And write molecular weight, amount used and moles ( if needed for percent yield) used for any reagent that is going to participate in a chemical reaction.
At this point it is best to divide you page in the middle vertically so that the procedure and observation can be written side by side.
6. Procedure:
Obtained from your lab book. Each step of the procedure should be given a separate line. Include flow charts.
7. Observation.
Enter experimental observation directly into the notebook, using your pen. Record what you actually do (including any procedural modification, amounts of materials used and obtained,) and what you actually observe at the time such as color change, phase change etc. that are not mentioned in the procedure. Result of tests you perform.
Report melting point as ranges, not single temperature.
Staple or tape instrumental records graphs into your notebook. Each person on the team should have these data (original or photocopies) in their notebooks.
8. Table of Data, Result and calculation:
Tier and tape the data table from your textbook into your lab notebook
Including amounts of material used and obtained, melting and boiling point, color and other appearance, any type of spectroscopic data.
You need to show the steps in your calculation. If you are doing percent yield you need to show the calculation of the theoretical and percent yield.
9. Answer to assigned questions
These prelab questions are sometimes referred as advance assignment or prelab assignments.
Tier and tape the table from your lab book and tape into your lab notebook and do the calculation before you come to the lab.
10. Discussions and Conclusion:
This should be about three paragraphs. This includes:
Restating the purpose (be specific)
Restating the result (summarized)
Discussing result including possible sources of error (physical as well as chemical) and including points like the following.
Did you alter the techniques in any way?
if you had to perform the experiment again?
How strong is the evidence that you have isolated or created the final product?
Is there another experiment that could be done to test your conclusions in this experiment?
11. At the end write yours and your partners name and signature
Before you come to do the lab write the Prelab Write-ups, which include Date, Title, Purpose, Theory (including equations and mechanisms), Table of reagents and physical properties, and Procedure and answer any prelab questions if assigned. (1 - 6).
Make sure all your prelab write up is complete before you come to the lab. You will not be using you lab book; you will only be using your lab notebook during the lab.
Arrive on time since prelab lecture will be given at the beginning of each lab. You can not carry out the experiments unless you attend these lectures.
During the lab you will be recording observation, data and result (7 –9)
Make sure you use the right significant figures when reading your data or doing your calculations
The end of the lab you will answer any questions if assigned do any calculations if any and write the discussion and conclusion. (10 & 11)
Prelab write up
· Date and title = ½ point
· Purpose = ½ point
· Theory = 1 point
· Table of reagents and procedure = 1 point
· Answer to assigned questions ( prelab or post lab) = ½ point
During the lab and after the lab
· Lab technique (following the procedure, keeping your work area clean during the lab, cleaning your work area such as your bench, your drawer, the sink nearest your bench, balances and returning equipments to their right place after lab) = 1 point
· Data and observation = ½ point
· Result and calculation = ½ point
· Conclusion = 1 point
· Over all neatness of the lab report and recording in the title in the table of content = ½ point
Notice: the maximum number of points you can earn by just doing the prelab write up only and not doing the lab is 50 % of the lab grade. .