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Faculty & Staff |
Room |
Extension / Email |
Position |
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Prof. Martín G. Zysmilich |
4-449A |
x3-4526 |
Faculty in Charge |
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Dr. M. D. Gheorghiu |
4-449B |
x8-6848 |
Laboratory Director |
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Dr. Miriam Diamond |
2-325 |
x3-0909 |
Coordinator of Chemistry Education |
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Ms. Launa Johnston |
2-325 |
x3-7271 |
Administrative Secretary |
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Mr. Peter Floyd |
2-325 |
x8-7492 |
Administrative Assistant |
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Mr. Chuck Warren |
4-450 |
x3-4540 |
Stock Room |
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Mr. Ray Dove |
4-469 |
x3-4539 |
Chemistry Lab. Instrument Tech. |
1. Characterization of an Unknown Amino Acid;
2. Potentiometric Titration of an Acid Mixture; pH Meters;
Matlab
3. Kinetics of Ascorbic Acid Oxidation by Potassium
Hexacyanoferrate (III); UV-Vis; Matlab
4. Essential Oils; Gas Chromatography; IR; Polarimetry; Refractive
Index
5. Preparation of Ferrocene and Acetylferrocene; Column Chromatography: TLC
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This manual will give you all of the essential information you will need to begin work in 5.310 Laboratory Chemistry. Since safety in the laboratory is a primary consideration, we begin with that topic.
The separate material on safety regulations supplied during the
check-in procedure should be read, signed, and given to your T.A. by
February 24, 1997 (for MW sections) and February 25, 1997 (for TH
sections). Failure to abide those deadlines unqualifies you to attend
the lab until the date that the "Chemical Hygiene Clearance Form"
will be handed in by you. Be sure to read the Chemical Hygiene
Manual.
During the first laboratory period, locate the positions of the
following safety equipment and be certain you know how to use
them.
1. Fire Extinguishers, mounted in various locations in the
lab.
2. Showers, one at each end of the lab near the
corridors.
3. Eye wash, one at each sink in the center aisle.
4. Fire Blanket, one at each end of the lab near the
corridors and one near the power control panel.
While in the laboratory, you must wear safety goggles.
Personal prescription glasses cannot be substituted for safety
goggles. Contact lenses may NOT be worn at any time with or without
protective goggles. Additional safety equipment (gloves, lab coats,
etc.) may also be obtained there.
Safety Lectures
Lectures will be given concerning Safety and General Laboratory
Procedures on Tuesday, February 4 at 1:00 P.M. in Room 4-370 and on
Wednesday, February 5 at 1:00 P.M. in Room 4-370. Check-in will begin
immediately following this lecture. This lecture is mandatory for
all students intending to take this laboratory course.
Reference: Toxic and Hazardous Industrial Chemical Safety Manual,
International Technical Information Institute, Tokyo, 1979.
In the handouts for the experiments, each time a chemical is used
which has toxic or hazardous properties, a note is included referring
you to a complete description of that chemical, its properties, and
methods for handling it safely. The guidelines given are intended for
safety in the use of industrial quantities of these chemicals. They
are intended as a guideline and should be kept in mind whenever
working in the laboratory.
Check the bulletin board to determine your desk assignment and the
name of your T.A., who will issue you the following items:
1. An inventory, listing the equipment contained in the desk,
2. “Chemical Hygiene Clearance Forms” sheet, which is to be signed and handed back to your T.A.
3. A package of experiments. Additional copies of the experiments may be purchased from the Chemistry Stockroom, 4-450.
4. A key for the lock on your assigned desk will be handed out
during the afternoon.
Check the equipment in your desk against the list given to you by
your T.A; the items in your desk may not be arranged as outlined on
the sheet. For convenience in checking-in and checking-out, attempt
to have your desk equipment conform to the organization of the sheet.
A duplicate list, with pictures, is included as Appendix C for your
convenience in identification. Immediately report any discrepancies
to your T.A., who will give you a replacement slip to be used in
obtaining the missing item from Laboratory supplies stockroom
(4-450). If your equipment is in order, sign the check-in sheet and
return it to your T.A. with the signed sheet of safety regulations.
You will not be registered for the course until the check-in
procedure is completed. Once you have checked into the laboratory,
you are responsible for the items in your desk, and even if the
course is dropped the following day, it is your responsibility to
check-out of the laboratory.
Your T.A. will give you the time at which you can report to
Laboratory Supplies to receive an account number, an identification
number, and a pad of slips with your number for checking out
equipment during the semester.
Students will check out of the lab on Wednesday, May 12 or
Thursday, May 8. No lab work will be permitted on
these dates. Students who do not check out as scheduled will
be checked out by the Office of Laboratory Supplies. For this
service, the charge of $35 will be billed to the student's personal
account. If you DROP the course, you are STILL required to complete
the check-out procedure, and you may check out at the
time when you are leaving the course.
All glassware must be replaced, if necessary, by purchase from
Laboratory Supplies, and the desk items will be checked against the
check-in sheet.
In addition to the equipment in your desks, other items may
be checked out from Laboratory Supplies on presentation of an account
slip.
Returnable Equipment
These may be obtained from Laboratory Supplies (4-450) for a
limited period of time. Most items are in short supply and must be
returned immediately. You will be charged only if the equipment is
damaged or not returned. Many items are identified by tag or painted
numeral. Record the number at the time the item is issued for your
records. Only those items issued to you will be accepted for
credit.
Item
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Dish, culture, pyrex, bottom and top |
Egg-shaped magnetic stirrer |
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Manometer and trap |
Powerstat-Variac |
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Vacuum distillation apparatus |
Cell, for polarimetry |
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Cell, plastic, for spectrophotometry |
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Items Available in the Laboratory
These are either instrument accessories or common laboratory
hardware and equipment. Most can be found near the sinks or on the
shelf above the middle desks.
Item
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Brushes |
Capillaries for TLC application and m.p. |
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Copper wire* |
Glass helices |
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Insulation material* |
Labels for submitting samples |
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Lubriseal* |
Parafilm |
(*--Do not discard; return to appropriate location)
You will be charged only for your purchase of safety goggles,
nonreturnables and "breakage," i.e., all returnable items you fail to
return to Laboratory Supplies and desk items that are replaced in the
course of checking out. Do not indiscriminately purchase
non-returnable items from Laboratory Supplies without consulting your
T.A. to determine whether you will need them.
There will be five required experiments in 5.310. Questions
regarding experimental procedures, data interpretation, grades, etc.,
which a T.A. cannot answer should be directed to a faculty member or
to Dr. Gheorghiu.
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Experiment |
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1. Amino Acid |
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2. Potentiometric Titration |
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3. Kinetics |
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4. Essential Oils |
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5. Ferrocene |
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Points for laboratory technique are included in the preceding
scores.
The schedule for the experiments is on Page 6. Portions of the
Essential Oils, Ferrocene and Kinetics experiments are conducted in
pairs. At check-in time, attempts will be made to assign adjacent
desks to those who have selected lab partners. Alternatively, you
will be assigned a partner.
Laboratory reports are due on the dates indicated on the schedule.
All reports, including the last one, must be turned in by Wednesday,
May 7, 1997 in order to get a grade in the subject.
Samples of prepared compounds are turned in to your T.A. NOT
the Chemistry Education Office.
Laboratory Introductory Demonstrations
Associated with each experiment, there will be an introduction and
demonstration in the lab explaining particular techniques. It is
incumbent upon you to attend the appropriate demonstrations before
beginning that particular aspect of the experiment. Until
demonstrations on the instruments have been attended, permission to
use them will not be granted. Demonstrations associated with
experiments 1-5 will be repeated as necessary during the semester.
Demonstrations are planned on the following topics:
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Crystallization |
Infrared Spectrophotometer |
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Titration |
Thin-layer Chromatography |
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Top Loading Balances |
Column chromatography |
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Visible Spectrophotometer |
Analytical Balances |
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Refractometry Polarimeter |
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The laboratory will be open on Mondays through Thursdays from 1:00
P.M. to 5:00 P.M.. The laboratory is also open for supervised work on
Friday, 1:00-4:30 P.M., but regular T.As will not be in
attendance.
TO WORK IN THE LABORATORY ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON, ADD YOUR NAME TO THE SIGN-UP SHEET ON THE BULLETIN BOARD ACROSS FROM THE STOCKROOM BEFORE 5PM ON THURSDAY. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO WORK IN THE LAB IF YOU DO NOT SIGN UP. You should work only in your assigned section, and attempt to finish all work during your regularly scheduled laboratory periods.
Required:
1. The printed version of this manual.
2. A Laboratory research notebook, available from Laboratory
Supplies.
3. R. J. Sime, “PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY: Methods, Techniques, and Experiments, “ Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia, PA, 1990
(Available at the MIT-COOP Bookstore)
4. D.A. Skoog, D. M. West and F. J. Holler, “FUNDAMENTALS OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, “ 6Th Ed., Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1992.
(Available at the MIT-COOP Bookstore)
The notebook to be used in the laboratory is the "LABORATORY
RESEARCH NOTEBOOK," available from Laboratory Supplies (4-450).
It has 100 pairs of duplicate numbered pages (each white Page being
followed by a yellow page, perforated at the top for easy removal).
No carbon paper is necessary. The reverse side may be used for
calculations. Supplementary material including spectra, graphs, etc.
should be assigned a number when they are first produced, referenced
in the notebook and submitted with the notebook number, the page
number of the first reference and a letter to sequence the references
on this page. For example, JD -I-38B identifies the second item on
page 38 on Jane Doe's first notebook. Label the item with this
number, your name, the date, and other relevant information. At the
end of each laboratory period have the teaching assistant initial,
and date your day's entries.
Your T.A. must sign and date your notebook at the end of each
day's work. Laboratory reports are to be submitted in the following
manner: the yellow copy of each day's work is to be handed in to your
T.A. at the end of each lab day. Using these data, a coherent report
should be prepared having the format described in section D, below.
Also refer to the grade sheets you will receive for each experiment
as guidelines. The total report for each experiment will consist of
the pages handed in, the report as described below, any samples
(handed in to your TA or Dr. Gheorghiu) and the grade sheet as cover
sheet. Reports are due as indicated in the Schedule.
C. Preparation for the Laboratory and Manner of use of Laboratory Notebook
(1) Note: The experimental handouts contain the
directions for carrying out the experiments. Read them carefully and
write out the directions for the work to be done on each afternoon in
your notebook. The handouts themselves may not be brought into
the laboratory.
(2) With this or any other notebook, erasure (or use of
“white-out”) is not permitted. If a single recorded reading
is in error, cross it out neatly, and write the correct number above
it or beside it. If something happens that vitiates the data on an
entire page, cross out the data and record the circumstances; do not
under any circumstances remove any original page from a laboratory
notebook.
(3) Record data in the notebook directly; do not record
them first on a scrap of paper. If any circumstance forces you to
record data remote from your notebook, date and sign the record and
staple or tape it into your notebook. It is much better to plan ahead
to have your notebook with you whenever you happen to be making
observations. Be sure all numbers are accompanied by the appropriate
units.
(4) Start each experiment and each section within an
experiment on a new notebook page. First write the date, and the
subject of the experiment on the top. If the page represents a
continuation of an experiment from previous pages, so indicate. When
you come to the end of an experiment, leave the remaining space (if
any) blank. Never skip notebook pages, or any significant amount of
space on a notebook page for readings to be filled in later; always
record your data in serial fashion except where it is appropriate to
record data in tabular form.
(5) Other things being equal, a neat and well organized notebook
is far preferable to a messy or poorly organized one, although,
neatness and organization are distinctly secondary to other
considerations: legibility, accuracy and completeness. In the
interest of neatness, do not crowd the page. If your handwriting is
large, write on alternate lines of the page. Illegible notebooks will
receive a grade of zero. If you cannot write legibly,
PRINT.
(6) Record all data and results. The crude yields of products or
product mixtures should always be recorded. If the product is
separated into crude acidic, basic, and neutral fractions, the weight
of each crude fraction should be recorded. If any of the crude
fractions is a solid, its crude melting point should be recorded. It
is extremely important to make every effort to account for all
of the reactants in the various fractions of crude products. Thus,
for a chemist to begin a reaction with 10 g of a reactant and then to
describe only the isolation of 1.3 g of a product at the end of the
reaction is inexcusable. The fate of the remaining 8.7 g of material
should be indicated, even if no additional pure substance can be
isolated.
Data from distillation, chromatography, titration, weighing, etc.
should be entered directly in the notebook in tabular form. For
example, the data for a fractional distillation should be entered in
a table under the headings: (a) fraction number, (b) weight, (c)
boiling point range (pressure range), (d) appearance. It is important
that the weights of each fraction be determined immediately after
distillation. Otherwise, the fractions may undergo change or loss due
to evaporation.
The progress of the purification of reaction products should be
recorded by noting the weights and the physical constants (melting
point or boiling point range, refractive index or optical rotation
where appropriate) of the various fractions throughout the
purification. One should never report the weight without melting
point or other physical constants for a crude product and then report
only physical constant (s) without weight data for the pure
product.
For each pure reaction product, important intermediate, or
derivative, record the total yield (both weight and percentage),
physical appearance, color, odor, and physical constants (m.p., b.p.,
etc.). For a solid product, record also the recrystallizing solvent
used and the crystalline form obtained (e.g., needles, prisms,
plates, etc.).
Manner of use:
1. Duplicate yellow pages: ball point pen, press hard
2. One side only: use other side for calculations
3. No erasures:
4. Record data with units directly into your notebook:
5. New page for each experiment and each new major section:
6. Be neat! Do not crowd page:
1. Title, date, your name
2. Introduction: statement of purpose of experiment with balanced
equations; brief
3. Procedure and observations in the laboratory:
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4. Data: use tabular form wherever possible; e.g., weighing:
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50 mL beaker & cmpd |
30.2684 g |
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50 mL beaker |
20.2221 g |
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weight of cmpd. |
10.0463 g |
Examples:
Synthesis and purification by recrystallization
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% yield |
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crude product |
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recryst. #1 |
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recryst. #2 |
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Distillation as purification
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b.p. range |
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Absorbance vs. Concentration
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concentration |
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5. Calculation and graphs.
Need to use data to calculate some quantity:
Graphs:
Spectra:
6. Data Analysis and Errors
7. Discussion, Interpretation and Conclusions
Four reports on Experiments will be as written format. The last
experiment will be an Oral Report.
The written report, no longer than 10 pages (without
Appendices) should consist of the following elements:
(1) Title. This should be a brief, clear description of the
subject of the report.
(2) Abstract . This is a concise statement of the
major results obtained. It should consist of only 2-4 complete
sentences. It is best prepared after the rest of the report has been
completed. The “Abstract” will be printed on the same page
with the Title. On the same page print your name, your group, TA name
and the lab partner.
(3) Introduction. The record of an experiment should begin
with a brief statement of the experiment to be performed, with
balanced chemical equations where relevant, and a statement about the
goal of the experiment.
(4) Procedures and Observations. Refer to the manual for
descriptions of experimental procedures, but be sure to record any
variation from the suggested procedure. Clearly labeled sketches of
experimental setups are usually preferable to lengthy descriptions.
Particularly when describing a synthesis, attempt to use a style
similar to that commonly employed in describing synthetic procedures
in scientific journals (e.g., "...a solution of 10.0 g of reactant A
in 50 mL of anhydrous ether was added, dropwise and with stirring
over a period of 30 minutes, to ..."). For each reactant, the correct
name, formula, source, grade or stated purity, weight (or
volume and density in case of a pure liquid, or volume and
concentration in case of a solution), should be recorded. Standard
data (m.p., b.p., etc., of reagents are not necessary. In
addition, the volumes of any reaction solvents used should be
specified. These data are very important and should be noted in table
form.
(5) Summary of results. All data, yields, calculated
results, etc. should be presented, preferably in tables or graphs if
applicable.
(6) Calculations and Graphs. A sample calculation should
always precede results of calculations based on a formula. Notebook
entries in this category should be done in the laboratory.
Experience should soon convince you that problems with quality,
internal consistency, and data validity which are detected
immediately are more quickly and efficiently rectified. Graphs should
always be done separately on good quality paper referenced in your
notebook.
(7) Analysis of Data and Errors. ALL ANALYSIS OF DATA IS
TO BE DONE INDIVIDUALLY, even for experiments for which the data
were obtained with a partner. The reproducibility and precision of
data should always be examined, and the major sources of errors
identified. Detailed statistical analyses of error are rarely called
for, but when possible, you should attempt to distinguish between
systematic and random error.
(8) Discussion, Interpretation, Conclusion. The outcome of
each experiment should be quantitatively and qualitatively discussed
in relation to the goals of the experiment as stated in the
introduction. You should (a) briefly summarize the key results of
each experiment; (b) explain the significance of your findings: (c)
explain any unusual difficulties or problems which may have led to
poor results; (d) offer suggestions for how the experimental
procedure or design could be improved.
(9) References. Present a numbered list of references to texts,
monographs, journal article, standard computer programs.
(10) Appendices. This is the place to put hard copies of computer
output (tables, spectra). Each Appendix should have a number and a
title and referred to in the body of the report.
After completing the last experiment, you will present your
results and analysis to your TA in the form of an INFORMAL ORAL
REPORT. In this report, you should tell your TA briefly:
Much of the preparation for your Oral Report will be the same as
for a Notebook Report such as those you have turned in for earlier
experiments. In particular, the data analysis, graphing and plotting,
error analysis, etc. should be carried through to completion and the
results should be presented in an appropriate form (tables, plots,
etc.) for efficient communication. You will bring your lab notebook,
raw data, analysis, results, plots, and any other materials that are
appropriate, and you will discuss your experiment with your TA. You
may bring notes, books, and pretty much anything (inanimate) which
will help you in your discussion. You may work with other students,
use written reports from earlier years, and in general use any
sources you want to prepare for your oral. You are, of course,
expected to do your own data analysis and calculations.
You may use any sources of help in understanding the analysis
as well as any other aspect of the experiment.
You should plan on discussing your experiment for about 10-12
minutes. Be aware that it is impossible to present everything that
you know about the experiment. Therefore you should plan very
selectively what you have choose to present. During the last 8-10
minutes your TA will ask questions pertaining to your experimental
work.
The objectives of the oral are to encourage you to learn as much
as possible, and to find out how much you know in an efficient
manner. In an informal exam of this type there is no
substitute for knowing the material.
After analyzing your data and mastering the material, you
will want to spend some time organizing your presentation. You will
almost surely want to use some notes, especially to guide you through
theoretical discussions. You may use a blackboard if you wish. You
may also just show your (neatly written) notes to your TA on
occasion, rather than transcribe them onto the board. (This is
especially convenient if there are many equations.) Do whatever makes
you most comfortable, without wasting time. You will surely need to
show your TA spectra, plots, etc. As always, attention should be paid
to the presentation of data and results so that they are
easily understood. Write neatly, label the axes of plots,
indicate units, errors, etc.
You should come prepared to “take the initiative” and guide the oral exam. Otherwise your TA will be forced to take the initiative by asking you question after question, likely venturing into territory you may not prefer to explore. Be prepared to give an informal but well organized presentation. Your presentation should include the following elements, in sequence:
It's that simple!
The oral should not be a harrowing experience. Just tell
your TA:
Ordinarily, you will not turn in your data, analysis, results,
etc. However, you must do so if your TA so requests after your oral
exam.
Your grade will reflect your ability to convince the TA that you
understand the most important aspects of the experiment. The
experiment grade sheet will be used by TA as a guideline for grading
you.
Sign-up sheets will be posted indicating when orals are scheduled. Check the day, date, time and topic of your oral Report. Plan to come to the Reference Room (4-449) approximately ten minutes prior to your scheduled Oral Report time. You will be directed to the Section of the Lab where your Report will be heard.
Notebooks and reports will be graded by the T.A. responsible for
that experiment. Your T.A. should discuss the comments and
evaluations with you. Questions, suggestions, comments, and
complaints not being handled by the T.A.'s should be directed to Dr.
Gheorghiu and/or the faculty member in-charge.
All categories listed above will be considered in grading, but the
relative weight will depend on the nature of the experiment. Your
final grade for each experiment will be based on:
(1) Results: accuracy, yield, unknown identification.
(2) Data Analysis: correct manipulation of data, error analysis,
sample calculations.
(3) Technique: Efficient use of time, independence, experimental
expertise.
(4) Notebook report: Organization, comprehension, completeness,
lack of extraneous or irrelevant entries.
Each experiment will be graded on the basis of quality of the
laboratory work and the write-up. Grading will be conducted by the
T.A. assigned to the particular experiment. Grade sheets indicating
the criteria applied in evaluating the laboratory work will be
provided for each experiment. The aggregate of the experiments and
the staff's evaluation will be the basis of the overall grade for the
course.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All experimental reports which have been graded are returned to you with a date stamped on the cover sheet. Please take the time to check the total score, and to look at the notes made by the Teaching Assistants who have given you your score.
You have Ten (10) Calendar Days from the date on your cover
sheet to request any review of the grading of your report. After ten
days, no report will be accepted for change of an incorrectly added
score, or any requested re-evaluation. It is your responsibility
to take the time to promptly look over each report when it is
returned to you.
Submission of Samples
The compounds you prepare should be given to your T.A. in a labeled container. The required format for your label is:
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Student Name Name of Compound* b.p. or m.p. Date Tare wgt. Net wgt. |
* For the unknown acid experiment, this will be your sample number.
Drying Samples
There are four ovens available for your use under the hoods, Two are set at 50 _C and two at 100 _C, and are to be used for drying chemicals only. Do not attempt to change the temperature of any oven.
Safety Note: When removing glass from a heated laboratory
oven, use the pair of gloves available by each oven (unless you have
leather fingers).
It is your responsibility to leave the benchtop clean after each
lab session. Also, each time after you are using any balance, you
must leave clean the area of any paper leftover or chemical spills.
Failure to abide to this rule could diminish severely your lab
technique grading.
MAKE EFFICIENT USE OF YOUR TIME !
Reading your experiment beforehand will help you plan your
work for the next laboratory period. Know exactly what the
experiment requires and estimate how long each step will take.
Certain reactions require several hours to go to completion. Begin
these first, so that you can work on other parts of the experiment
while those reactions are proceeding.
When handing in your preparations, remember that a smaller amount
of pure material is generally better than a large amount of
contaminated or dirty material.
Your reports should be scientific documents, not novels. Write
exactly what you mean, no more, no less. Avoid verbose and flowing
descriptions without omitting essential information. In short, make
it easy for the reader to determine exactly what you did and what
results you obtained.
Finally, READ THE TECHNIQUES MANUAL.
*Examples of reasonable scientific style may be found in the
Journal of the American Chemical Society and the Journal of
Chemical Physics, which are in the library.
There will be five 10 point laboratory quizzes during the
semester. The quizzes will be given in the laboratory. A schedule for
lab quizzes is given below:
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(a) Amino Acid: |
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On your third Amino Acid lab day. |
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(b) Potentiometric Titration: |
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On your second experimental lab day. |
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(c) Kinetics: |
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On your third experimental lab day. |
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(d) Essential Oils: |
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On your third experimental lab day. |
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(e) Ferrocene: |
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On your third Ferrocene lab day. |
IF YOU FAIL TO TAKE A LAB QUIZ, SCHEDULE ONE AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE WITH your TA. A MISSED LAB QUIZ MUST BE MADE UP WITHIN TEN
CALENDAR DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THE QUIZ.
These are guidelines for evaluating laboratory techniques for the
students. All lab technique are 10 points. Therefore each technique
below is evaluated 1 point.
1. Student is able to follow instructions.
2. He/She wears goggles and observes lab safety.
3. Students arrives in laboratory on time.
4. Student is able to complete experimental work&leave the lab
on time at 5:00 PM.
5. He/She handles balances and other instruments with care.
6. Student comes to the laboratory well prepared, having read the
experiment in the lab manual. It is forbidden to use the Lab Manual
during your work. The only source permitted to examine during the
time you carry out the experiment is your pre-lab notes.
7. Work in lab is planned and well organized.
8. Works well with the lab partner and is cooperative with others
in the lab.
9. Student is able to work independently.
10. He/She asks good questions.
Section II. Safety in the M.I.T. Undergraduate Chemistry
Laboratories
Protection of the health and safety of individuals in the
laboratory and respect for preservation of the environment are
regarded by the Chemistry Department as moral imperatives. A good
safety program requires everyone to share the responsibility --
faculty, staff, and students. The safety program in these
laboratories is headed by the Undergraduate Laboratory Director, Dr.
Mircea Gheorghiu, and includes an Undergraduate Laboratory Safety
Committee composed of faculty, teaching assistants and students.
Safety information will be provided in a number of ways. Each
laboratory subject begins with a mandatory safety lecture
to provide general information and advice. In addition, the
instructions for each experiment and the accompanying T.A.
presentations will contain safety information specific to each
experiment. Reference works with various data on chemicals used in
the laboratory will be on file and available in the room outside Dr.
Gheorghiu's office. A partial list of such references is attached.
One of these, Prudent Practices of Handling Hazardous Chemicals in
Laboratories, is especially recommended as a readable and
comprehensive document on the subject.
The laboratory policy regarding toxic substances is to design experiments and procedures that keep levels of exposure below the Threshold Limit Values (TLV's) recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial hygienists. This is a conservative policy, since these TLV's are regarded as safe for indefinite periods of exposure for forty hours a week in the workplace. Copies of the ACGIH recommended TLV's are available for reference.
Notwithstanding the department's unswerving commitment to safe
undergraduate laboratories, it is important to bear in mind that an
absolutely risk-free teaching environment is neither possible
nor desirable. Hazards abound in daily life. Gasoline, for example,
is both explosive and toxic, yet most citizens are confident that
they know how to handle it safely. Anyone considering a career in the
experimental sciences or in medicine needs to learn how to handle a
great variety of potentially dangerous substances with informed
caution and competence. One of the objectives of the undergraduate
laboratory subjects is to provide that kind of education for safe
behavior and safe practices in the laboratory and in the world
outside.
A list of basic rules for safety in the laboratory is appended,
along with relevant excerpts from the Chemistry Department Safety
Manual and data sheets on all known toxic materials used in the
laboratory. Copies of the full Safety Manual are available upon
request in Dr. GheorghiuÕs office. There is also a good
section on safety in the Techniques Manual, which you should read in
its entirety.
References
1. Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals in
Laboratories, NRS 1981 (also see refs. pp. 152-153) (QD
51.N32).
2. Prudent Practices for Disposal of Chemicals from
Laboratories, National Academy Press, 1983. (QD 51.P77)
3. Threshold Limit Values and Biological Exposure Indices for
1985-86. American Conference of Governmental Industrial
Hygienists, 1985.
4. Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances, 1978
Edition. U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare
publication no. 79-100, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
D.C. 1979.
5. M.I.T. Accident Prevention Guides, 1-6, M.I.T. Safety
Office, E19-207.
6. Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials, 5th
Edition, N.T. Sax van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 1970. (Extensive
listing of common industrial and laboratory chemicals in Ch. 12,
giving hazard analysis and countermeasures. Also good section on
cancer risks in Ch. 8). (T55.3.H3.5272).
7. Chemical Carcinogens, 2nd Edition, ed. C.E. Searle, ACS Monograph No. 182 (2 Vols.). (RC 268.6.C48 1984).
General Safety Rules for the Undergraduate Laboratories
1. The right way is the safe way to do your job. Plan your work.
Follow instructions. If you do not know how to do the job, ask your
teaching assistant.
2. Be able to use all safety devices and protective equipment
provided for your use and know their location (eyewash
fountain, shower, fire blanket, fire extinguisher).
3. Safety goggles must be worn at all times.
4. Do Not eat or drink in the laboratory (and do not store
food in a chemicals refrigerator).
5. Positively no smoking in the laboratory.
6. Personal effects: wear proper clothing (including protective
clothing when handling corrosive, toxic, or flammable materials).
Avoid loose sleeves, loose cuffs, bracelets. Be careful with long
hair. Proper shoes are required (no sandals).
7. Horseplay in any form is dangerous and prohibited. Do not run