CHEM 113 LABORATORY REPORTS - Fall 2013

        Chemistry is a "discovery" science.  The laboratory component of an introductory chemistry course provides students with the opportunity not only to reinforce and demonstrate the theoretical concepts that are presented in the lecture component, but also to experience personally the "discovery" of chemical principles.  It should be noted that the Chem 113 laboratory syllabus is only partially coordinated with the accompanying Chem 103 lecture syllabus, and is designed to be a largely independent stand-alone course.  As a result, some of the experiments performed in the laboratory may require an understanding of principles and theory that are not formally covered in lecture.  In such cases, the laboratory text (as well as relevant sections of the lecture text) must be studied to obtain the necessary background information.

        Among the essential features of working in a laboratory are the accurate recording of experimental  observations in a properly maintained laboratory notebook and the preparation of written reports that describe the experimental observations and the conclusions derived from them.  Details regarding notebook maintenance and of the format and content of the required reports are provided in Chapter 4 (pp. 67-72) of your laboratory textbook.  The latter chapter, as well as Chapter 2, "Mathematical Methods and Manipulation of Data" (pp. 13-27) should be studied carefully prior to preparing your first report.  The "Prelaboratory Report" and "Prelaboratory Problems" for each experiment must be completed prior to the class meeting in which the experiment is performed and will be checked by your instructor at the beginning of each class period.  These pages should be submitted as part of the final report.  Each report should contain the components described in Section 4.4 of your laboratory text (p. 70), including all "Postlaboratory Problems."

        You will submit a written report for each of the 10 experiments performed.  Two of the experiments (Nos. 17 and 18) require two laboratory periods in consecutive weeks for completion.  In these cases, only a single report describing all parts of the experiment will be submitted.  The maximum grade on each of the reports for the eight one-period experiments is 15 points, while the reports for experiments 17 and 18 are worth 25 points each.  All 10 report grades, plus the grade for the assigned pre-laboratory homework problems (also worth a maximum of 15 points) submitted at the first lab meeting, will be summed to determine your final grade for the course.  [NOTE: A grade of zero will be assigned for any experiment which you miss due to an unexcused absence, or for which you do not submit a report.]

        Laboratory reports are due no later than the beginning of the laboratory period one week after completion of the experiment.  (Reports for the experiment completed during the week of Nov. 18 are due by 5:00 P.M. on Wednesday, Nov. 27.)  Reports submitted after the due date will be considered late, and will be graded as follows:

Grade  =  G x (0.75)0.2n

where G is the grade that the report would have received had it been submitted on time, and n is the number of class days that the report is late.

TA's Laboratory Report Addenda

Last Updated August 9, 2013 by Michael Rosynek