Subject:  General Lab Help

I often get a number of questions about the pre-lab, notebook
and lab reports.  I hope this helps.

The pre-lab usually consists of questions pertaining to the exp.
You'll need to read the discussion and write out the procedure
in your notebook in order to answer most of the questions.
There's also a video in the pre-lab you must watch (all the way
to the end, including credits) and there may be questions based
on this video.  The pre-lab may also have data entry based on
the report sheet in the manual using data similar to what you
would collect in lab.  You will take this data and do the
necessary calculations.

The pre-labs can be found on Carmen.  There you'll find a link
to an external site where you'll actually do the pre-lab.  I
have direct link to the site as well in the syllabus and below,

https://uglabs.cbc.osu.edu/

Once at this site you should click on "General Chemistry",
then "Chem 1220: General Chemistry II".  Once there you'll
see several links about labs.  The first one is "General
Chemistry Pre & Post Labs". Clicking on this will take you
to an instructions page about the pre-labs and data entry.
Read these thoroughly.  You get only ONE chance to submit
a pre-lab or data entry.

For the dTf exp there is on-line data entry.  You will go
to the same link as above and click on "Data entry".  You will
enter your data and calculated values on-line.  This is for grading
purposes.  You still need to turn in a lab report.  My suggestion
is for you to do your calculations and fill out a copy of the report
page from the manual and then do the on-line data entry.

You should read the whole experimental write up (discussion and
data analysis) and write your procedure before trying to do the
pre-lab.  Answering the pre-lab questions will be a lot easier if
you've read the material in the lab manual and written your procedure
in the notebook.

The pre-lab assignments are due by the dates listed on Carmen and
the lab syllabus.  No credit will be given if done after those dates
unless you get special permission from Dr. Moore.

The notebook should have the following in it when you walk into lab:

1)  Exp #, title, your name, date.  These should be on every page.

2)  purpose (found in the lab manual)

3)  Procedure (from the lab manual), consisting of the following:

        a)  a bibliographic reference to the manual

        b)  procedure - this should be an outline in your own words.
                        Condense what's in the lab manual in such a
                        way that you (or someone) else can follow it
                        and do the experiment.  Be brief (like a
			cookbook).  Use reasonable abbreviations that
			would be understood by the average person taking
			a chemistry course.  However, don't make it too
			brief.  Someone should be able to pick up your
			notebook and repeat the experiment using just
			your notebook without having to refer to the
			lab manual.

        c)  data tables where you will put your data during lab.
            The best thing to do here is often to just copy the
            report sheet from the lab manual (at least those lines
            representing the data you will collect in lab).  There are
            times you may need additional lines (as you do for exp 11
            for the temperature readings you will need to determine
            your initial and final temperatures).

The lab notebook comes with you to lab.  Do not tear out the pages
with the procedure and bring them with you.  The TAs will be checking     
your notebook within the first several minutes of lab.  If you don't
have all of this done you will get points deducted from your notebook
grade.

The notebook should be done in pen.  If you make a mistake you simply
put a single line through the mistake and write the correct number
next to the incorrect number. NEVER erase things, scribble over them
completely or use whiteout.  Points will be deducted.

Anything you write during the lab should be in the notebook, NOT
the lab manual.  If you put your data in the lab manual or another
sheet of paper rather than the notebook it won't count (i.e. it doesn't
exist as acceptable data for the report or a grade).

Follow the instructions in the lab syllabus about reports.  There
are templates you'll use for the reports.  You download these from
Carmen.  They are submitted digitally and you must follow the proper
naming convention given in the syllabus and Carmen or you will lose
points.

Never give one word answers to questions in the report.
You need to also give an explanation for your answer (in words or
using calculations).  For example, if a question asks whether your
molecular weight would be higher or lower if you made a certain mistake,
answering higher or lower is not sufficient.  You must give an
explanation for your answer.

There are web addresses in the syllabus to instructions for good
notebooks and lab reports (active links in the on-line syllabus and
our class web page).  The departmental pages can be found at,

https://uglabs.cbc.osu.edu/gc-labnotebook/

https://uglabs.cbc.osu.edu/gc-labreport/


You will also find some other useful links about lab on my class web page:

"My Suggestions for Writing a Notebook Procedure",

http://www.chemistry.ohio-state.edu/~rzellmer/chem1220/lab/notebook_proc_1220.pdf

"Lab Report Format - My Lab Report Example" (very helpful),

http://www.chemistry.ohio-state.edu/~rzellmer/chem1220/lab/chem1220_sample_lab_report.pdf

This is something a former TA prepared and I edited.

"Laboratory Videos",

https://uglabs.cbc.osu.edu/gc-lab-videos/

You may also want to look at my links about using Excel for calculations
and graphs.  You don't have to use Excel but it will come in handy for
several of the lab reports.

Dr. Zellmer