CHEM 113: Principles of Chemistry Laboratory

Spring 2016 / 2 Credits

Instructor:

Dr. Ken Adair

Phone: 368-3704
Email: kva3@case.edu
Office: Millis 222A

Teaching Assistants: Eric Abenojar

Jerod Kiese
Andrew Kollar
Charles Kolodziej
Binyu Lu
Rachael Matthews
Glesmarie Ortiz-Zayas
Regina DiScipio
Sandra Pejic
Peiran Wei
M
T
T
W
R
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eca20@case.edu
jmk260@case.edu
amk210@case.edu
cmk139@case.edu
bxl234@case.edu
rxm453@case.edu
gxo38@case.edu
rmd77@case.edu
sxp246@case.edu
pxw182@case.edu

Course Hours:

Lecture
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6

4:00-4:50pm
8:30-11:30am
1:00-4:00pm
3:00-6:00pm
8:30-11:30am
1:00-4:00pm
3:00-6:00pm

Course Website:

blackboard.case.edu

Office Hours:

Mon 3:00-4:00pm, Fri 2:00-3:00pm

Also available by appointment and during most laboratory hours.
Office hours will not be held during college holidays or when
prohibited by other commitments.

Required Text:

None

Pre/Co-requisites:

Chem 105 or Chem 106 or Chem 111 or ENGR 145

Please retain this syllabus for the entire semester

Millis Schmidt Lecture Hall

Millis 210
Millis 210
Millis 210
Millis 210
Millis 210
Millis 210

Catalog Description
A one semester laboratory based on quantitative chemical measurements.
Experiments include analysis, synthesis and characterization, thermochemistry and
chemical kinetics. Computer analysis of data is a key part of all experiments.
Course Expectations and Attendance:
Before the laboratory lecture each week students are expected to visit the course
website, print out a copy of the experiment for the week, and read the experiment in its
entirety. The laboratory lecture is intended to give a concise overview of the experiment
for the week, as well as a discussion of the key procedures and calculations involved in
the experiment. When students attend the laboratory lecture they should be prepared to
seek clarification of any portion of experiment that they do not feel ready to complete in
the laboratory. A tentative list of experiments to be performed this term along with the
period in which each experiment will be performed can be found at the end of this
syllabus. Any changes to this schedule will be announced at least a week in advance
whenever possible.
Students should arrive to their scheduled laboratory on time dressed in
appropriate attire and having attended the laboratory lecture. Teaching assistants will
assist in additional pre-laboratory instruction, be available to answer questions, and will
be responsible for monitoring and enforcing safety policies in the laboratory. In addition
all students will be assigned to one of the TAs for grading purposes. Students should feel
free to utilize any of the TAs in their section, but are advised to direct questions about
grading to the TA that is grading their work. All TAs will observe uniform standards
when grading and any concerns about the uniformity of grading practices should be
directed to the instructor as soon as they arrive.
Attendance in the laboratory lecture and laboratory is mandatory. Students that
fail to attend the laboratory lecture, or arrive at the laboratory unprepared and/or without
having completed the pre-lab assignment will not be allowed in the laboratory and will
forfeit all points for the given experiment unless prior arrangements have been made with
the students TA and the instructor has been notified. Additionally any student that
arrives at the laboratory in inappropriate attire will be asked to leave the laboratory until
the problem can be corrected. Students may also be asked to leave the laboratory if they
fail to observe the laboratory safety policies outlined during the first week of classes or in
the laboratory lecture. Any student asked to leave the laboratory for safety reasons will
forfeit all points for the given experiment. Students that arrive more than 15 minutes late
to lab will not be admitted and will forfeit all points for that experiment unless there are
significant and unforeseen circumstances that prohibited the student from arriving on
time. No make-up experiments or extra credit are scheduled for this course.
Finally students will be assigned a drawer in the laboratory with glassware and
other materials appropriate for conducting chemical experiments during this course.
Students are financially responsible for all items in this drawer as well as any other
materials checked out during the laboratory. Any items that are lost or broken during the

course will need to be replaced, and all charges for replacement paid, before final grades
will be released. You will need to provide your own lock for this drawer.
Appropriate Laboratory Attire:
Clothing worn in the laboratory should allow you to work effectively while
providing a last level of protection from chemical exposure. Clothing worn in the lab
should cover all skin below the waist, not be overly restrictive or baggy, and should not
trap chemicals close to the skin. Long pants and closed toed shoes (with socks) must be
worn at all times in the lab. Tight fitting clothing such as leggings may not be worn in
the laboratory as these tend to trap spilled chemicals against the skin. Likewise contact
lenses are not recommended in the laboratory as they may trap spilled chemicals and
vapors against the eye. Clothing worn in the lab should also not be so loose that it is
likely to shift and make contact with chemicals. Long hair and clothing such as ties
should be secured prior to entering the lab. Finally whenever working in a chemical
laboratory one must wear personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriate to the
chemicals being used. For this course that means lab coat, safety goggles with side
protection and nitrile gloves. Students must provide their own lab coat and goggles, but
nitrile gloves are available in the laboratory.
Students without appropriate laboratory attire will be denied access to the
laboratory until they are able to correct the problem. If a student is asked to leave the
laboratory due to safety issues no extra time will be given to complete the experiment.
Grading:
During this course you will be required to maintain a laboratory notebook as
described in the handout Maintaining a Laboratory Notebook. At the end of lab each
week you will submit to your TA copies of your notebook, containing your pre-lab
assignment, procedure, calculations, results, and answers to any post-lab questions. Your
grade for each experiment will be based on these submissions. Laboratory notebooks
with duplicate pages are available at the bookstore (or elsewhere) for this purpose.
Alternatively you may use any permanently bound composition style notebook and
submit photocopies as well.
Each experiment is worth 100 points of your final grade and will be based on the
four components described below as well as your ability to complete the experiments in
the allotted time. The safety exercises during the first laboratory session and the lab
practical during the final laboratory session have different grading schemes but are also
worth 100 points each.
1) Pre-Lab
For each experiment there are a number of questions that are to be answered prior
to each experiment. These questions will be written into the procedure for the experiment
and/or distributed during the laboratory lecture. You should fully answer these questions
in your laboratory notebook prior to arriving in the laboratory and TAs will initial your

laboratory notebook at the start of your laboratory period to certify that this assignment
was completed prior to your laboratory period. The pre-lab assignment is the only part of
your laboratory notebook that does not need to be written in the past tense and passive
voice.
2) Procedure
The procedure in your laboratory notebook should accurately reflect the
procedures and methods used in the lab, not simply what is written in the lab manual.
This means all recorded values and observations should be the actual values you have
measured in the lab, complete with the correct number of significant figures and units.
Likewise, any deviations from the procedure in the handouts must be reflected in your lab
notebook. The procedure in your lab notebook should contain all information that you or
a similarly skilled chemist would need to reproduce the experiment.
3) Data, Calculations, and Results
In most labs you will be asked to either calculate results based on the data you
have collected or to interpret your observations and make qualitative judgments. You
will need to organize (tabulate, or otherwise clearly label) the data in your lab notebook,
and, when appropriate, show how results were calculated. If you are asked to make
qualitative conclusions, you will be expected to clearly support your conclusions using
the data collected. These points will be based both on your ability to come to appropriate
results and/or conclusions and your ability explain and interpret your data.
4) Post-lab Questions
At the end of each experiment there are a series of post lab questions that you
should concisely answer in your laboratory notebook. Additional questions may be
distributed in either the lab lecture or the laboratory. These questions are intended to
guide you through concisely summarizing the most significant procedures, data,
conclusions, and sources of error from the experiment as well as to test your
comprehension of the science behind the experiment.
Your final grade in this course will be calculated by adding your grades on the
safety experiment, the laboratory practical, and your eight best grades from the remaining
ten experiments. In addition your grade may be adjusted upwards or downwards due to
skill points. These points are intended to either reward students for showing an
understanding and/or aptitude in the laboratory beyond that which is expected in the
course, or to punish students for repeated failure to follow safety procedures, severe
errors in judgment, and failure to maintain a clean workspace. Students will be informed
if they have gained or lost skill points when these points are gained or lost. In cases
where it cannot be determined which student(s) are responsible for such infractions skill
points may be assessed to all students in the section or to all students that could have
been responsible for the infraction.
Letter grades in this course will be assigned based on a ten percent scale (90100% = A, 80-89% = B, etc) unless the final distribution of grades warrants a more
generous scale. Students will be advised if a more generous scale is likely to occur.

Academic Integrity Policy

Case Western Reserve Universitys academic integrity policy can be found at:
https://students.case.edu/handbook/policy/integrity.html
Students in this course that violate the academic integrity standards set forth by
Case Western Reserve University, the College of Arts and Sciences, and/or the
Department of Chemistry will be dealt with according to the procedures set forth by these
institutions. Such consequences may include but are not limited to loss of all credit on
the relevant assignment or portion thereof, or failure of the course.
Please note that in this course you may have opportunity to work with other
students during the course of the semester. In such cases it is permissible to share the
data amongst all students that collaborated to collect the data. It is not permissible
however to share the interpretation of such data and each student is responsible for their
own interpretation and calculations. Any instances where students are found to have
copied calculations or conclusions from another student will be considered plagiarism
and dealt with as such.
Accommodation Policy for Students with Disabilities:
Case Western Reserve Universitys policies relating to students with disabilities are
governed by the Office of Disability Resources and can be found at:
https://students.case.edu/education/disability/policies/
Accommodations in this course can only be provided to students that have
properly documented their disabilities through the Office of Disability Resources.
Reasonable accommodations will be determined in collaboration with this office.
Tentative Course Schedule:
Week of:

Experiment

1/11
1/18*

No laboratory during first week of classes.

Check-In and Lab Safety
No laboratory lecture due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Density
Separation of a Mixture
Acid Molarity
Soda Ash
Aspirin Synthesis
Aspirin Recrystallization
No laboratory lecture or laboratories due to spring break

1/25
2/1
2/8
2/15
2/22
2/29
3/7*

3/14
3/21
3/28
4/4
4/11
4/18
4/25

Aspirin Characterization
Determination of Molar Volume of H2 at STP
Equilibrium of FeSCN2+
Determination of the Thickness of Copper on a Post 1982 Penny
Laboratory Practical
Check-Out
Last day of classes, no laboratory lecture

* denotes shortened weeks due to university recognized holidays.