Last Name, First Name

Last Name, First Name

CHM 226-Section #

Date

Experiment Title

Abstract

Insert a reaction scheme that describes your experiment above and type your abstract here. An abstract is a short summary of the experiment. It is not an introduction (that is the next section); it is a concise description of both the procedure and the results. It should be three or four sentences. No references are necessary here.

Introduction

Write at least two paragraphs describing the background and applications of the reaction that you performed. Include at least three references from primary chemical literature (no websites).[1] Be sure to format your references according to the ACS style (see the link on the course website).[2] Good introductions typically contain a figure that helps to describe the background material.[3]

Figure 1. Mechanism of toluene nitration

You must discus the mechanism of the reaction and include an original figure, drawn by you—not cut-and-pasted from a website. Be very careful to write this section in your own words. We will be watching closely for plagiarism. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, refer to this website: http://www.plagiarism.org/.

Procedure

Clearly and succinctly describe what you did in the experiment. DO NOT USE FIRST PERSON. Use a figure to show the reaction (often the same figure used in the abstract) and draw a table to show the amounts of reagents used (taken from your laboratory notebook).

Figure 2. Synthesis of dinitrotoluene

Table 1. Reagent Table

Reagent / Toluene / Nitric Acid / Sulfuric Acid
Equivalents / XX / XX / XX
Molecular Weight / Density / XX / XX / XX
Moles (or mmol) / XX / XX / XX
Amount used / XX / XX / XX

Discussion and Conclusion

Discuss your observations and the outcome of the reaction. Be sure to calculate percent yield and comment on any errors that may have contributed to a lower-than-expected yield.

If spectra were acquired, present a table showing how the peaks can be assigned to your compound. Attach spectra to the back of this report.

Write a simple conclusion. No more than one or two sentences.

References

1

[1] Reference 1 (be sure to use ACS format: http://library.williams.edu/citing/styles/acs.php)

[2] Reference 2

[3] Reference 3