Chemistry 128 -- General Chemistry Laboratory

Fall 2003

Syllabus

Instructors:

Textbook:

On-Line Course Information:

Notebook:

Grades:

Schedule of Experiments

This schedule is subject to change.

Comments:

This semester is part of process of making serious changes in the laboratory content. Many of the experiments were introduced in 2002 and a few are new this year. We are developing new laboratory instruments and the use of computers to collect and analyze data. Many of the experiments will be organized around work in small groups and you are encouraged to work together. Many of the experiments will be accompanied by on line computer tutorials.

In one sense the course itself is still an experiment. We will make every effort to provide complete notes and to have supplies and equipment ready for use. We will not have the advantage of having worked through these experiments for several years, so there will be some "bugs" from time to time. You've already seen one aspect of this, with a delay in the availability of the lab notes.

We will ask you to help us assess the content and to provide feedback. This will generally be done anonymously although you should free to discuss the course with the instructors.

One reason for the reorganization is to show more clearly what chemists actually do in their laboratories today. This should also apply reasonably well to laboratory work in many related fields-- biology , environmental science, medical technology, materials science. We've focused on several generic tasks and tried to select experiments that illustrate each type of activity:
  • The lab also is designed to illustrate how modern scientists work. The classical laboratory, based mainly on beakers and Bunsen burners is a thing of the past. Most laboratories are well equipped with a wide range of chemical instruments. It's not uncommon for a laboratory project to involve $500,000 or more in set up costs. Of course, it's unrealistic to provide you with resources on that scale. We try to provide simpler (O.K., cheaper) instruments that are still representative of the instruments that are critical to modern science. This includes a range of electronic sensors for chemical species, instruments to separate complex mixtures, fast methods of chemical analysis and the use of computers in recording and studying experimental data.

    We also would like the lab work to explore the logic of experimental work.

  • It's also desirable to see how experimental work is incorporated into the more formal and theoretical framework that is part of a field like chemistry.

    This is not that easy to meet all of these goals and still package each experiment to fit into a 2-3 hr time block. The experiments can't be too demanding on time or too complex to work reliably. Truly open ended experiments can pose safety risks and are unlikely to function successfully in the 2-3 hour time constraint.

    The laboratory format will vary as we attempt to meet as many of our goals as possible. Some experiments, like chemical synthesis take the form of a single process and you will do this as individuals. Other experiments, like spectroscopy are really 4-8 mini-experiments on a central theme and you will work in small teams. Another type of experiment (like titration and kinetics) has several different experiments going on at one time. You will work on one project, but will have the chance to see several closely related experiments in operation.

    Finally, we hope that this experience will be enjoyable as well as educational. It is possible -- on last year's assessment questionnaires the term ""fun" was selected more often than any other single descriptor. Relax and enjoy the experience.

    8/26/03

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