Chem 260 Lab Schedule

Chemistry and biochemistry are experimental sciences and experience working in the lab is an essential part of most courses in our department. The particular focus of the Chem 260 lab is investigating the thermodynamic, equilibrium, and kinetic properties of reactions. During the semester you will learn how to make quantitative measurements with appropriate precision and accuracy, learn how to use several routine quantitative methods of analysis, learn how to design and carry out experiments, learn how to evaluate critically experimental data, learn how to report responsibly the results of an experiment, and learn how to work as part of a small research team.

Weekly Schedule

The schedule below outlines the work we will complete during our lab sessions. The title of each experiment is a link to a shared Google Drive folder with documents and files that you will need to complete your work. With the exception of the first experiment, each of the three main experiments is a four-week project, one on thermodynamics, one on equilibrium chemistry, and one on kinetics. In general, the first week of an experiment is fairly prescriptive (with a focus on learning about new experimental methods and learning about how to analyze data). Work on an experiment during the second, third, and fourth weeks provides you and your partners with increasingly more freedom to design an experiment that helps you answer a question.

Introduction to the Chem 260 Laboratory

• • week of January 27th: Working Safely in the Laboratory and Essential Lab Skills

Project-Based Experiments

• • week of February 3rd, through week of February 24th: Thermodynamics of Hydrogen Peroxide's Decomposition (we will also check into lab during the week of February 3rd)

  • week of March 3rd through March 31st: Equilibrium Acid Dissociation of Organic Dyes 

  • week of April 7th through April 28th: Kinetics of the Bleaching of Dyes 

  • week of May 5th: wrap-up and check-out

General Lab Policies

Electronic Record Keeping

Our collective confidence in chemistry and biochemistry depends on experimentation that is well documented; for this reason, you will maintain a permanent electronic record of your work in lab that is accessible at all times to each member of your group and to your instructor via a shared folder on a Google Drive. The last thing you should do before leaving the lab is to ensure that your data files, spreadsheets, and text documents are uploaded to this shared file. Give careful thought to how will organize your data and how will name files. Your electronic record takes the place a traditional bound lab notebook. 

Lab Reports

You will present the results of your work in lab through a series of different types of reports that focus on how to communicate results using well-designed figures and tables. Most of these reports are prepared individually; at least one will be a collaborative effort. Details on lab reports are included with in each experiment.

Grading

Each week of lab work carries a value of 25 points: the first experiment has a value of 25 points and each four-week project-based experiment has a value of 100 points. An assessment of your contributions to group work by your peers accounts for 25 points. Attendance is worth 50 points, with one point deducted each time you are up to 10 minutes late, three points each time you are up to 20 minutes late, and five points each time you are more than 30 minutes late; arriving more than 30 minutes late results in a deduction of 10 points.

Making Good Use of Time

You can complete all laboratory work in the time available if you come to lab prepared. At a minimum you should read the experiment before coming to lab and think through what you need to accomplish during the laboratory period. You also should familiarize yourself with the instrumentation and software by reading the relevant materials accessible through this web page. You will find it helpful to meet with your group before you begin work in the lab and to meet between laboratory sessions to evaluate your data and to make plans for further work; this planning and discussion is critical to your success.

Safety in the Laboratory

Although a chemistry or biochemistry laboratory is equipped with chemicals and equipment that can result in injuries, there is no reason that a laboratory is inherently less safe than other environments where one is exposed to caustic and/or reactive materials, sharp objects, and hot items. You can work safely in a laboratory if you pay attention to how you dress for lab, how you prepare for lab, how you work while in the lab, and how you clean up at the end of lab. You will receive a printed copy of the department's policy regarding laboratory safety and an additional essay on working safely in lab, both of which we will discuss on the first day of lab.

Working as Part of a Team

Working with other students as part of a small research team is a rewarding experience. There is an abundance of evidence in the educational literature that the process of discussing an experiment with peers leads to a deeper understanding of the specific experiment and the broader science that underlies the experiment. In addition, working as part of a group is a valuable skill that is of increasing importance to employers, to graduate programs, and to health professionals. Indeed, you will spend most of your professional career working closely with others. An effective group, however, does not happen without some effort on your part. Some tips on working as a group that will help you get more out of this experience is included in your group's shared Google Drive folder.