Formal Lab Reports
These reports will generally follow the format of a standard American Chemical Society organic chemistry publication, as in the Journal of Organic Chemistry. (CSULA has access to this journal online, if you wish to examine some articles… http://pubs.acs.org/journal/joceah). Formal lab reports will be handed in, typed in font size 12, Times. All reports should have a title page (# and title of the experiment), author and partner’s name, date of the experiment, and all pages must be numbered. The lab reports must be written in past tense, using passive voice.
1. Abstract: The abstract should briefly describe the topic, the principal findings (mp, % recovery, % yield), and the conclusions. It should be written last to reflect the content of the report.
2. Introduction: Provide a clear statement of the problem or project, and a brief discussion of the background, method, and/or theory behind the experiment or analysis/spectroscopy. Include any wider applications of the technique or reactions. The overall reaction should be included here, if there is one (draw structures using ChemDraw or any other drawing program). The reaction mechanism should be included here if applicable. It is also appropriate to discuss notable features of the experimental approach. (Is there an excess of a reagent? How is a product being isolated? Is the reaction set up to exclude water? Is TLC being used to monitor the purity of the product? What special equipment is needed to perform the experiment?)
3. Results/Discussion: You should combine these sections. What was the outcome? Provide (and interpret) data to support your stated outcome. Present results (experimental yields, melting points, % composition, TLC results, etc. – whatever is appropriate to the experiment) neatly, and in tables, where possible. Compare your results to literature values (with citations) where appropriate. For example, if you state that you successfully synthesized the desired product with high purity, how do you know (what data supports your conclusion and how do you interpret that data)? Where possible, compare your experimental data with a literature value (always reference your literature values). If the yield was low, discuss reasons why that might have occurred. Analyze all spectra and chromatograms, including data provided in the lab manual. Include copies of spectra.
Notes on NMR/IR analysis: In general, spectroscopic data is used to “prove” that you synthesized what you wanted to synthesize. Spectra are provided in your lab manual. Photocopy the relevant spectra to include in your report (or simply remove the page from your manual).
• First, analyze the NMR and IR of the starting material (if applicable). Draw the molecule and assign letters to each type of proton. For IR analysis, list the characteristic functional groups of your molecule and the IR peaks observed. Label your IR spectrum with the characteristic functional groups. Label your NMR spectrum with the letters corresponding to the different hydrogens. For each type of hydrogen, discuss the observed chemical shift and the splitting pattern.
• Next, compare the structure of the product and the reactant: what spectroscopic changes would you expect to find?
• Analyze the NMR and IR of the product as described for the starting material.
• Finally, state whether the spectroscopic changes you predicted were found in the actual data.
4. Conclusion: Summarize the objective and results, and comment on any unexpected results or any problems encountered.
5.
Bychinskaya References: Use American Chemical Society format. This is found in the book ACS Style Guide.
Examples of proper formatting may be observed in articles from the Journal of Organic Chemistry.
How to do referencing: No Wikipedia allowed!!! Any time you report using a procedure someone else developed (like in the lab manual) or you compare your data with “known” or “literature” values, you must cite a reference. Use superscript numbers in the text of the report, and present the numbered references at the end of the report. Superscript numbers can be:
• At the end of the cited information:
Fluoridated water as well as various fluoride products such as toothpaste provide fluoride ions necessary for remineralization.1
• Within the cited information:
Rakita1 states that fluoridated water as well as various fluoride products such as toothpaste provide fluoride ions necessary for remineralization.
Book with author:
Chang, R. General Chemistry: The Essential Concepts, 3rd ed.; McGraw-Hill: Boston, 2003.
Web page citation example:
National Library of Medicine. Environmental Health and Toxicology: Specialized Information Services. http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/enviro.html (accessed Aug 23, 2004).
MSDS sheet:
Ethylene Glycol; Material Safety Data Sheet No. E5125; Mallenckrodt Baker: Phillipsburg, NJ, (Feb. 25) 1999,
http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/e5125.htm, (accessed July 2001).
Handbooks:
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 81st ed. Lide, D.R., Ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2000; Chapter 4, p 73.
The Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals, 12th ed. Budavari, S.; O’Neal, M.J.; Smith, A.; Heckelman, P.E.; Kinneary, J.F., Eds.; Merck & Co.: Whitehouse Station, NJ, 1996; entry 4857.
The lab manual does not have an author or an editor, really. SO, here is the format you should use:
Chemistry 302A Organic Chemistry Laboratory Supplementary Material, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, CSULA, 2010.
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