Chemistry 234 Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Back to Table of Contents

General Information

Course Objectives

Chem 234 provides you with an opportunity to learn about the properties, syntheses, separation, purification, and identification of organic compounds. The course consists of lecture sessions and laboratory sessions.

In lecture sessions you learn the theory and detailed background behind certain organic experimental techniques.

In laboratory sessions you conduct experiments designed to introduce you to a variety of these experimental techniques. Chem 234 is also designed to provide you with the opportunity to learn how to keep the records of scientific research in a laboratory notebook, a skill which is required in many scientific fields.

You are, of course, expected to perform the assigned experiments in the laboratory, but you are also expected to understand the principles behind these experiments. Near the end of the course, you will be expected to carry out the chemical syntheses of organic compounds and determine the structures of unknowns.

Experiments

The techniques and background material for each experiment will be presented in the weekly lecture session. You must read the appropriate text and syllabus material before coming to each lecture.

You must be on time for lab. The TA's prelab lecture is critical to your success, and it starts at the beginning of lab. Showing up late means missing critical information regarding how to perform the experiment efficiently and safely.

Late lab reports will be assessed a 15% penalty. Reports will not be accepted after they are one week late.

You will perform the experiments only in your assigned laboratory period. We expect that you will come to each laboratory session well-prepared and ready to use your laboratory time efficiently. TAs have the instructor's authority to send any students out of lab who are not properly prepared for the lab. Time missed for this reason can not be made up! There are times when you may need to work on two different experiments in the same laboratory session, so you must plan ahead. If you miss a lab period for a valid reason (medical or a pre-approved absence), you may be able to do the experiments at another time (preferably that same week). However it is your responsibility to schedule these make-ups with your TA and with the Storekeeper. Unexcused absences cannot be made up and will be scored zero.

Each new technique will be described to you in detail before you will have to use it, but thereafter you will be expected to be able to use that technique without any further detailed directions. To do this, you must acquire not only good manipulative skills in the laboratory but also a good sense about what a given procedure accomplishes and when it should be used.

Occasionally, you may encounter difficulties with an experiment. If you are responsible for this difficulty and require additional starting material, a penalty of 10% of the grade for that experiment will be assessed.

Required Equipment for Lab Work

1. Safety goggles
2. Lab coat
3. Lab noteboook
4. Appropriate clothing (see laboratory safety section of syllabus for details)
5. Valid breakage card
6. Be prepared for the the day's lab

Lab Quiz

There is a on-line quiz associated with each experiment in WebCT. To receive credit for the quiz it must be completed before the scheduled starting time of your laboratory section.

Tutorials

Interactive tutorials are available to aid in your understanding of the experiments and to make your laboratory work easier. Although you can work at these lessons any time you wish, it is most helpful if you do the appropriate lessons shortly before going to the laboratory. You will earn 2 points toward your grade for each tutorial you complete.

In Chem 234 the tutorials are on the Internet. You access them through WebCT.

To log onto ChemNet select Interactive Tutorials in WebCT. Next you have to type your NetID and your campus password on the Blue Stem authorization page. If you have difficulity please consult with the Chemistry Learning Center Supervisor in 212 Chemistry Annex or with your instructor.

The graded tutorials for Chem 234 are listed below (in the order you will want to complete them):

Melting Points
Phase Diagrams
Mixed Melting Points
Recrystallization
Boiling Points
Mole Fractions
B.P. of Mixtures
Distillation Experiment
Fractional Distillation
Distillation Columns
Extractions
Extraction Experiment
Partition Coefficients
t-Butyl Chloride
Esterification
Elimination Reactions
Aldol Condensations
Chemical Tests
Try Known Compound
Qualitative Unknown

Getting Help:

There will be time at the end of each laboratory session to get help from your teaching assistant. In addition, TAs are available in the Chemistry Learning Center, 212 Chemistry Annex, Monday - Thursday afternoons to answer questions.

Missed Labs:

For medical or true emergency reasons we will attempt to accommodate students who cannot carry out their experiments at the assigned times by scheduling them to do these experiments at other times. However, to receive credit for such experiments, the student must inform their own TA of the rescheduling and reschedule the experiment with the storeroom manager (469 Noyes Lab) at least 2 days in advance of the make-up date. Such rescheduling will only be provided for significant medical reasons or emergency situations. More than one rescheduled lab per semester will approval of the instructor in charge of the course. Students will receive a grade of zero for labs not made-up and more than one zero on a lab will almost certainly result in failure of the course.

Grading

The grading in Chem 234 is based upon the results of the ten experiments, the lab notebooks, the two one-hour written exams, 10 on-line quizzes, and the 20 tutorials.

The semester of Chem 234 is divided into three parts. Part I, Introduction to Techniques, emphasizes theory and principles. Most of the points in Part I are earned on a 50 minute written exam covering these topics.

Part II, Synthesis, emphasizes laboratory work. Most of the points in Part II are earned from the results (yields, purity, calculations) of the three experiments. Part III, Identification of Organic Compounds, also emphasizes laboratory work, with most of the points being based upon your ability to identify and support your identification of an unknown organic compounds.

Near the end of the semester, the second (and last) 50 minute written exam will cover the theory and practice of the laboratory experiments in Parts II and III, including the applications of spectroscopy.

The points associated with these activities are:

If you are missing your goggles or lab coat during lab, 10 points will be deducted from your overall grade per offense.

The grade distribution for Chem 234 will be approximately 15% A, 30% B, 50% C, and 5% D plus E. Therefore, an "average" student will receive the "average" grade of C in this course. You must complete every experiment in order to receive at least a grade of D.

Any requests for regrading of laboratory reports or quizzes must be submitted in writing within one week of the day it is handed out in class. No requests will be accepted after this time period. All laboratory reports to be regraded should be submitted to your TA.

If you cheat on any lab, lab report, quiz or exam (i.e., report false data for the melting points or gram yields of the samples you turn in), you will automatically receive a grade of zero for that experiment and/or an F grade for this course. University of Illinois academic integrity policies will be enforced. The the following Web site for information: http://www.uiuc.edu/admin_manual/code/rule_33.html

Your TA will check the melting point and gram yield of your samples.

On-line quizzes must be completed before the start of your scheduled laboratory period.

Laboratory Notebooks and Reports

Your laboratory notebook is the complete and permanent record of your activities in the laboratory. Your notebook should be patterned after the form discussed in Chapter I of the textbook. All data, observations, etc., should be entered directly into the laboratory notebook during the laboratory session. As part of your pre-laboratory preparation, you should enter the quantities and physical properties of all the compounds and solvents to be used for an upcoming experiment. Your notebook will not be turned in each week, but it will be spot-checked during the semester by your TA.

Your laboratory report is different from your laboratory notebook. Your report is a complete and readable summary of the experiment you have just performed. The report is written on a sheet of paper separate from your laboratory notebook. Each laboratory report is due one lab period after you finish the particular experiment. Laboratory reports should be turned in at the beginning of the laboratory session. A late laboratory report incurs a penalty of 10% of the grade for that experiment. No report will be accepted more than two lab periods after it is due unless extenuating circumstances prevail.

(1) Balanced equations for the chemical reactions,

(2) Summaries of data and yields, including the appropriate calculations,

(3) Graphs or tables, if appropriate,

(4) A discussion of errors and their possible effects upon the results of the experiment,

(5) Answers to all assigned exercises (see below),

(6) Anything else assigned, and

 

back to Table of Contents