TEXT: Misc. Experiments of the Modular Laboratory Program from CER

INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Barry Rugg Office: 1020 Silver Hours: T, 9:30 - 11:00

Take Home Labs:

Friday lectures will be held in room 703 Silver. Sec 1 - 8:25 a.m.; Sec. 2 - 9:30 a.m.

Laboratories will be held in room 151 Brown.

*The take home labs are due in the laboratory class on the due dates.

Purpose: In the General Chemistry II Lab course, you will make a lot of measurements. You will apply the methods that you learned during "General Chemistry I Laboratory" (or its equivalent) to perform these measurements. Some new chemical procedures will be introduced as well. Accuracy will have a major effect upon your grade. However, your understanding of the underlying chemical theories and your ability to answer questions will be the most important consideration. Use this course to help yourself to understand the material covered in the lecture course (College Chem. II, V25.0102). You will find that each experiment concerns a topic covered in the lecture course. Think about what you learned in lecture as you prepare for and perform each experiment. Think about what you saw in the laboratory as you prepare for relevant quizzes and examinations in the lecture.

Lectures: The laboratory lecture is intended to provide you with information that is not covered sufficiently in the experiment write-ups. This includes additional background material on the experiment, details of the procedure, instructions for carrying out calculations and any suggestions or hints that will help you to obtain good results. It is an important part of the course. As discussed below, our use of the computer interfaces for experiments written for conventional laboratories means that every time that we use the interface in an experiment, we'll have to modify the procedure to some extent. The lecture is the place to find out what the changes will be. Attendance will not be taken, and there will be no quiz given in lecture. You must attend the lab lecture, however, if you want to obtain the information that is necessary to perform well in the laboratory. The TAs and I will not feel compelled to repeat information that has been presented in the lab lecture. I will usually give at least one piece of information that will appear on the laboratory quiz but which is not given in the experiment write-up.

Laboratories: Attached is a schedule of the experiment to be performed during each laboratory session. You are expected to read the introduction and procedure to the experiment, including any supplements that I hand out, and to understand it well enough to answer the "Prelaboratory Questions" (before you arrive at the lab) and to take a short quiz (at the start of the laboratory session). The "pre-lab" is your ticket to the laboratory. You will not be allowed to enter and start working until you have handed in the prelaboratory exercise. It is also a good idea to read the "Post-Laboratory Questions", and answer any that you can, before coming to lab. This will be more efficient and it will indicate some of the important concepts of each experiment. A quiz will be given at the start of each laboratory session (arrive on time!). You will have a lecture concerning the upcoming experiments each week, which will help you to prepare for the questions. However, neither the lecture nor the reading alone will be sufficient; you need both.

As during the previous term, the experiments will often involve the use of our LabWorks computer interface systems in order to enable the rapid collection of high precision data and to facilitate its analysis. For those of you who have never used the interfaces, we will perform an introductory exercise at our second meeting in the laboratory. This will serve as a refresher for those who have worked with the interfaces. The interface does not replace the chemist (i.e., you), nor does it make the measurement process easier. What it does is make it possible to collect a lot of high precision data and leave enough time to analyze it thoroughly. You should bring your NYU ID card with you to the laboratory for every class because you will need it to "sign-out" the LabWorks probes for your experiment.

During the experiment, feel free to ask (reasonable) questions. It is a learning experience, not a test. It is probably best to ask a TA your question since your classmates are no more experienced than you.

You should listen for announcements and monitor the whiteboard for any changes that we decide to make as the experiment is performed. It is your responsibility to notice and follow these instructions.

Unless specifically told otherwise by a TA, you are expected to work with your partner and only

with your partner. Getting data from some other lab team is not acceptable (i.e., it is cheating).

If you miss an experiment due to illness, you must provide documentation, on a physician's stationary, that justifies your absence. Give the documentation directly to Prof. Rugg.

Required Materials: You will need certain items for this course:

• Safety goggles (available at the NYU Bookstore).
• Rubber gloves (disposables are available at the NYU Bookstore; reusable rubber gloves can be purchased in supermarkets).
• The package of experiment write-ups from the Modular Laboratory Program in Chemistry from CER (available at the NYU Bookstore - be sure to get the V25.0104 package).
• A laboratory equipment breakage card (available in the chemistry stockroom during the first week, or from Mr. Ghali in room 565 Brown thereafter).
• At CHECK-IN (or soon after) you will be required to rent a hallway locker within the Main complex. You must rent a locker because you will not be allowed to bring books, bags, or coats into the laboratory after the first week.

In an effort to minimize costs (think "tuition") and to reduce any environmental damage, we all will make a concerted effort to avoid wasting laboratory materials and to dispose of all products properly. With this in mind, you must observe the following rules in the lab:

• When you obtain a reagent for use in an experiment, read the label on the bottle; make sure that the substance name, its chemical formula, and its concentration match those specified in the directions for the experiment.
• Take only the amount that you need, and DO NOT RETURN any reagent to the bottle.

• Dispose of all materials into the proper waste container (again, read the labels). NOTHING WILL GO INTO THE SINKS. RUBBER GLOVES, DISPOSABLE PIPETS, and (of course) BROKEN GLASS MUST be disposed of in the "Broken Glass" container (not the regular trash).

In an effort to minimize injuries, we are going to be fanatical about safety. The first experiment (TECH430) is "Laboratory Techniques: Safety Precautions". The write-up includes a tear out Laboratory Safety Quiz and a Chemistry Laboratory Safety Agreement, both of which will be collected (and the quiz graded!) when you arrive for the second laboratory class. We will give a safety tour during the first lab class to show you where all of the safety equipment is located.

The most important safety rule is

If you do not follow the safety rules presented to you, you will be removed from the lab and you will lose credit for the experiment.

Store your goggles in your lab locker because you will not be allowed to work if you do not have them.

Failure to follow any of the rules will result in expulsion from the laboratory.

The Course Web Page: There is an internet website for this course, and all of the general chemistry courses at NYU, at the URL:

Grading: Completed laboratory reports are due on the day that you perform the experiment, before you leave the laboratory. Tas are not authorized to accept laboratory reports after the class has ended. Late labs lose points.

Grades will be based upon the following scheme:

quiz 10%

pre-lab, results, and post-lab 70%

final exam 20%

Each experiment is graded out of 100 points, of which 5 to 10 points is for "effort and attitude", as evaluated by the Tas.

An Observation: Every day before lab starts, people gather in front of the door (which blocks the hallway), and many begin to cheat (yes, that is what it is) by copying the answers to the prelab questions from others who took the time and made the effort to determine the answers. I know that this goes on and you know that it goes on. Now the people who have cheated go in the lab without really understanding what is going on. These unprepared people either make life difficult for their lab partner or, in cases where both partners are unprepared, make life difficult for the whole class by working slowly, taking a long time at instruments and reagent stations, and monopolizing the TAs. They have to ask around for the answers to post-lab questions because they still have only a glimmer of understanding by the end of the day. They get little from the experiment. Prepared people lose too. However, I must point out that plenty of these prepared people perpetuate the problem by providing the pre-lab parasites with pro-bono preception. So. Why don't you all stop this? Do your prelabs before heading for the lab. You'll perform better. Don't share your answers with others. They're using you. This is your education. Do it right!