Back to previous Page.. Syllabus for the College Chemistry Laboratory (CHEM 120L, 1 credit; CHEM 122L, 1 credit) July 1, 2009
Notes: 1. This syllabus can be found at http://webpages.shepherd.edu/evolker/main.htm
2. The syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. It is not a contract.
Instructor: Dr. Eugene J. Volker, 304 876 5285 (office) , evolker@shepherd.edu. Outside of class, communicate with me by email, if possible.
Textbook: The manual by E. Volker, "CHEM 120L / 122L Chemistry Experiments, Fall 2009- Spring 2010".
Purpose: To introduce students to experiments that illustrate important chemical principles and techniques.
Content: Possible experiments include
Statistical Treatment of Experimental Data: Weights of Pennies
Determination of the Density of Liquids and Solids
Determination of Melting and Boiling Points
Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) of Drugs
The Behavior of Solid and Liquid Water on Heating
Distillation Under Atmospheric and Under Reduced Pressure
Testing Common Household Products for pH
Molarity and Electrolytes: Conductivity of Solutions
Testing Paper Currency for Dangerous Drugs
Isolation and Characterization of the Essential Oil of Anise
Reactions of Alcohols: Experiment and Building Molecular Models
Synthesis of Aspirin from Salicylic Acid
Polarimetry of an Unknown Amino Acid
Isolation of Lactose from Milk
Preparation of Soap from Vegetable Oil
Exploring the Properties of an Enzyme
Building Molecular Models: Hydrocarbons and Halogenated Hydrocarbons
Building Molecular Models: Hydrocarbons Review
Building Models of Organic Compounds: Stereoisomers
Building Molecular Models: Glucose
Attendance: You are expected to attend every laboratory period. If you are absent from the laboratory, report the reason to the instructor immediately upon your return to school.
Notebook and safety goggles: 1. Purchase an 11 by 8 1/2 inch spiral notebook of 80 pages and a pair of safety goggles from the Bookstore.
2. You have to keep a record of every experiment, demonstration, film, or model-building exercise in your notebook.
3. Use the format described in "The Laboratory Notebook" handout. Pay particular attention to the "Results" and "Discussion" sections.
Grading:
The laboratory grade will be composed of four graded experiments in the laboratory notebook (80 points) and a 20 point comprehensive laboratory quiz attached to the final exam in the lecture..
An "A" is given to the student who obtains 87.5% or more of the 100 points possible for the course, a "B" if he/she is within the next 12.5% bracket, and so on. You can compute your grade at any time during the course. Let's say you have a 15 and an 19, respectively, on the first two graded experiments. The maximum possible scores being 20 and 20, you are at (34/40)*100=85% and you have earned a "B".