Course Syllabus

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Contact Information

Yunpeng Lan 🚩

PhD Candidate 🚩

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry 🚩

Office Hours: By Appointment🚩

Email: Yunpeng.Lan-1@ou.edu🚩

*Instructor has the right to modify the syllabus at any time throughout the semester

 

LABORATORY MATERIALS

  1. Laboratory manual: Labs are available on Canvas
  2. Laboratory notebook (see a detailed description below)
  3. A small binder or folder (for handouts, quizzes, and graphs. There will be quite a few, so they will need to be organized.) (Optional)
  4. Approved safety goggles: required by the state law.
  5. Calculator – necessary for experiment calculations and for quizzes

 

SAFETY

You will receive a handout of a list of “General Chemistry Safety Rules and Procedures”. You are responsible for reading these before you perform the first laboratory experiment. When you sign this sheet and your equipment card, you are acknowledging that you have read and understood these rules.

The State of Oklahoma requires you, by law, to wear safety goggles in the laboratory AT ALL TIMES. Each instance of being caught without wearing safety goggles will result in a loss of lab technique points. Repeated offense will result in you getting kicked out of lab, and possibly not coming back.

A face mask is required at all times within the lab AT ALL TIMES. A face mask must be worn for entry into the lab. Any instance of a face mask being removed in the lab will result in the student(s) being removed from the lab. Please see university guidelines for acceptable face masks (https://www.ou.edu/coronavirus/masking-policy).

You are also required to wear closed toe shoes, pants/skirts at or below the knee, and some sleeve. Unless you are properly dressed you may not do an experiment. However, you can leave and come back properly dressed.

 

EMERGENCY NUMBERS*

OUPD   911                (Fire, poison, safety)

OUPD   5-2864    (Non-emergency)

*Nearest phone:  Hallway

 

WASTE DISPOSAL

Below are the Rules associated with proper disposal of the waste. Any unreported mistake will result in loss of 5 technique points per incident. Reported mistakes will result in loss of 1 technique point per incident.

  1. All chemical waste goes into the designated chemical waste containers.Waste does not go in the trash or in the sink, unless specifically instructed to do so.
  2. !!! Waste must be disposed of into the proper container!!! Contamination is highly undesirable, but in case of this mishap it must be reported immediately.
  3. !!! Do not overfill the waste containers!!!There is a fill line on the containers for a reason. You MUST ALWAYS check whether the container is filled BEFORE pouring waste in. You MUST also ALWAYS check whether the container is filled to the mark AFTER you have disposed your waste. When the waste container is full report this to the TA, so the TA can replace the container.
  4. Waste must be properly recorded on the waste logs.
  • No Abbreviations of the waste logs. (except THAM in exp. 3 and EDTA in exp. 5)
  • Youmay not write the chemical formula to specify the compound, you must write the full name of the compound (e.g. for NaCl white ‘sodium chloride’)
  • When disposing an ‘unknown sample for experiment X’ you must specify either the exp. # or the common name of the unknown (e.g. ‘Unknown for Exp 2’OR ‘Unknown iron ore’; e.g. ‘Unknown for Exp 3’ OR ‘Unknown Antacid’)
  • When disposing an indicator, you must specify either the specific name of the indicator or the experiment to which it pertains (e.g. ‘p-diphenylamine sulfonic acid’ OR ‘ 2 indicator’)

 

A Note on Waste: a full list of all chemicals used in the Quant Lab is up on the ovens near the waste. Consult this list for proper chemical names and their placement into the Aqueous Waste and Heavy Metal Waste containers.

TIME MANAGEMENT

The scheduled times for experiments are from 3:00 PM to 5:50 PM (section 012). Be PREPARED and MANAGE YOUR TIME:

  1. you are required to read and prepare for each of the labs before attending that lab
  2. know what you have to do and when to do it (read the Daily Notes)
  3. know which parts of the experiment need care and which do not.
  4. be done on time. You may Not stay past 5:50 PM

   

If you have to be late or if you cannot attend a lab on a card turn-in or quiz day be sure to notify the TA in advance.

 

LABORATORY GRADING

A total of 1000 of the 2500 possible points in the course are assigned to the laboratory.

 

 

Points Each

Total Points

Experiments 1, 2 & 3

150

450

Experiments 4, 5, 6 & 7

100

400

Quizzes (7 total, drop lowest)

10

60

Notebook Write-ups (Exp 2 – 7)

5

30

Lab Technique (see below)

-

60

Total

 

1000

 

REPORTS (850 pts)

Laboratory report cards are due on or before the due date listed in the laboratory schedule. The laboratory schedule can be found in your lab manual. This report is not to be worked on during the laboratory period of the due date, or it shall be counted as late. The lab period is reserved for lab work only!!! All other work (e.g., reading the experiment, outlining the general information for the notebook, and calculating/working up results) must be done outside of the lab period. Late reports are dealt with harshly. 

  • Penalties

Late experiments (-20%)

Recalculated or redone experiments (-10%)

All recalculated or redone experiments must be signed by lab TA

Redone experiments must employ a new unknown sample

  • Note that only 20% of the grade for any experiment is obtained for completing the experiment; the other 80% is based entirely on accuracy.

 

QUIZZES (60 pts)

Seven quizzes will be given during the semester; the lowest grade will be dropped. Each quiz will be announced at least one lab period before it will be given, and each quiz is over the corresponding lab. The quiz will be announced once everyone has completed the lab at least once. The quizzes will be given during the first ten minutes of the lab period. If you show up late for a quiz you WILL NOT be given extra time. You will be allowed to use the remaining of the ten minutes to do the quiz.

 

NOTEBOOKS (30 pts)

  1. A permanently bound notebook with sequentially numbered pages is needed.
  2. First page should be a title page with your name and the name/number of the class and section, lab time, etc.
  3. Second and third pages of the notebook should be a Table of contents (to be prepared at the end of the semester).
  4. Start each new lab on a new
  5. Only write on right side of the book.
  6. Use black or blue pen only
  7. Mistakes should be crossed out with a single line Any scribbles will result in loss of points.
  8. The entries should be legible and easy to follow.
  9. The title, start date, and unknown number should be specified on the top of each page of the lab.
  10. Description of the procedure should be left out, however, to make data analysis easier make notes of unusual observations and occurrences that might lead to altered results.
  11. There should be 3 well-defined sections in each lab:
    1. Data: …...
    2. Calculations: ……
    3. Results: …… (frame the result in a box please, also don’t forget to include the standard deviation in your answer)
  12. Organization is important. This is why you are to prepare for the lab ahead of time:
    1. Read the lab.
    2. Mark Steps where data is acquired.
    3. Plan out data organization: What are the tables going to contain? What’s the best way to organize it? How many data points are you collecting?
    4. Design your Data Tables AHEAD of time (before taking the data)
    5. If starting on a new experiment, allocate the appropriate # of pages to finish the one you are working on. Your data organization plan will allow you to do so.
  13. When organizing your data, pretend like you’re trying to make it very clear and understandable to your grandma. She should be able to look at your notebook and explain how the lab is done.

 

The first lab will be worth zero points. However, it will be graded to aide you in writing up the following six labs which will be worth five points each. You will turn in your notebook after experiment 4 and after experiment 7. It will be graded and returned the following lab period. 

 

TECHNIQUE POINTS (60 pts)

As stated in the safety rules, you are responsible for keeping your benchtop and sink clean.  At the end of each lab period, clean the top of your bench and remove any debris from your sink.  Each row in the lab will be assigned a balance to be used throughout the semester.  The entire row is responsible for keeping the balance clean.  If there is a major spill, contact me.  The last person remaining in the lab each day from each row is responsible for turning off and cleaning the balance.  Each instance of not cleaning a balance or work area after use will result in a loss of 3 technique points (for the entire row in the case of the balance).

Other factors that could affect your overall laboratory grade include behavior and amount of time spent in the lab.  Each instance of horseplay or rowdiness which can endanger the safety of others will result in a loss of 5 points.  Each instance of working after class has ended will result in a loss of 1 point for every minute after that time.  Each student is expected to complete his or her work within the official hours of the lab.

Also technique points will be related to the number of re-dos, since getting the correct answer is directly related to the student’s technical performance in the lab.

 

GENERAL LAB RULES (*very important*)

Be on time!

No eating, no drinking in the lab.

Return chemicals to the shelf when finished using them.

Dispense shared chemicals either under the hoods or at the balance stations, do not take to your benches.

Don’t throw anything in the drain.

Dispose waste in the proper container (aqueous or heavy metal): stop, think, discard, and write it down. If you make a mistake, notify me immediately.

Balances should be zeroed-out when not in use.

Balances are to be cleaned and covered at the end of each class.

 

Lab Check-in and Check-out

CHECK-IN:

  • Students will be assigned a drawer on the first day of laboratory. Each student will account for his/her supplies at check-in and will vouch for the condition of the equipment, requesting replacements from the Teaching Assistant for damaged or unusable items at no cost.
  • Students must use PEN when filling out their Notice of Understanding (Breakage Card) at check-in. Pencil is not acceptable. If the cards are not filled out correctly the student responsible will be charged a $5 administrative fee and if the card is not signed in ink it will be considered the same as not checking out and a fee of $75 will be applied to the student’s account.
  • After completing check in, students are held financially responsible for all equipment issued to them. During the semester, any equipment that is broken or damaged will be recorded on the breakage card in PEN. The cost of replacement/repair for missing/damaged equipment will be billed to students through the bursar’s office as a “breakage fee”. Please note that this “breakage fee” is not the same as the “service charge” paid with other registration fees. The “service charge” is intended to partially cover the cost of chemicals and other consumable items used in the laboratory.
  • Since students will be sharing equipment with a lab partner, it is imperative that each student accounts for his/her equipment at the end of every laboratory period. Breakages in a shared drawer will be split between the partners by default unless a single partner is responsible for the breakage.

 

Make sure your equipment drawer gets locked. You will ultimately be responsible for equipment if it is stolen from you.

 

CHECK-OUT:

  • Students must check out of their laboratory drawer at the end of the term. If you drop or withdraw from the course at any time you must return to the next lab and go through the check out process with your TA or you will be assessed a $75 no checkout fee. Students who withdraw may not arrange a special time with their TA in order to check out.
  • If the breakage card is filled out incompletely, a $5 records fee will be assessed; if the card is not signed it will be the equivalent of not checking out and will be assessed a $75 fee; all information must be completed in ink and the TA must initial the cards at check-in and check-out.
  • Failure to check out on the assigned day at the assigned laboratory time will result in being assessed a $75 no checkout fee. Any absences from the laboratory check-out due to valid reasons must be accompanied by written documentation or the $75 no checkout fee will be assessed. This documentation must be provided to the Instructional Laboratory Manager.
  • During checkout students will go through their drawer and clean all supplies with soap and water.
  • Then students will go through their equipment with their TA and all losses/breakages and replacements of dirty items will be recorded on the Checkout side of the breakage card.
  • After the items are recorded on the card, the TA will fill any missing items.

 

CODES AND POLICIES OF BEHAVIOR

Each student should acquaint her or him self with the University’s codes, policies, and procedures involving academic misconduct, grievances, sexual and ethnic harassment, and discrimination based on physical handicaps.

Cheating in any form will not be tolerated.  This includes copying old lab reports, copying other students’ lab reports, allowing your lab reports to be copied, or falsifying data.  You are encouraged to discuss your answers and calculations with other students in the lab or with your lab instructor; however, the report itself is considered an individual effort, and it should be written on your own and represent your own work.  If you are caught cheating, the least that will happen to you is that your grade in the laboratory will be lowered.  You may also be failed in the course and suspended or expelled from the University.  The small gains you might acquire by cheating are not worth the penalties if you are caught.

 

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION POLICY

Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities.

 

GENERAL COMMENTS ON LAB TECHNIQUES

  1. Method of weighing on a single pan balance
    1. Place empty weigh boat on the balance, close all balance doors and zero.
    2. Carefully add chemical to weigh boat until desired weight is reached. Spilling chemicals on the balance pan will cause inaccurate measurements.
    3. Close doors (sides and top) and record the first stable reading. Do not wait an extensive amount of time before taking a reading; this will lead to inaccurate measurements.
    4. Notes: fingerprints, water, grease, etc. will cause inaccurate measurements. Use glovers or tongs when weighing a glass object (e.g. crucibles, weigh bottle, unknown bleach, etc.) to obtain precise weights.
  2. Proper use of a pipette (volumetric & serological)
    1. Fill pipette using rubber bulb (not mouth) above mark. Quickly replace rubber bulb with slightly moistened index finder, maintaining liquid level above the mark.
    2. Wipe off tip area with Kim wipe.
    3. Avoiding parallax error by rotating pipette until bottom of the meniscus is on mark.
    4. Remove drop at tip by touching the top of the flask you’re pipetting from.
    5. Delivery (TD = to deliver): release index finger, allow pipette contents to drain into receiving flask, touch tip of pipette to side of receiving flask, and hold for 5 seconds after “last bit” drains out. DO NOT blow out remaining solution with rubber bulb.
    6. Delivery (TC = to contain): release index finger, allow pipette contents to drain into receiving flask, touch tip of pipette to side of receiving flask, blow out remaining solution with rubber bulb.
  3. Proper use of a burette
    1. In general, no quick movements of the stopcock are allowed
    2. Clean the burette if you have not done so already
    3. Rinse the burette with a few milliliters of solution and dispense in waste beaker
    4. Fill burette to near the 0 mL mark, make sure to fill the buret tip and dislodge any bubbles from the tip and wall of the burette. Filling burette to exactly 0.00 mL is a waste of time and is not necessary.
    5. Record initial burette reading
    6. Reading (50 mL Burette): graduated to 0.1 mL, read to the 0.01 mL ALWAYS two decimal places: avoid parallax error by reading at bottom of meniscus at eye level; use a paper towel to light up meniscus. Between 50.00 mL and the stopcock is not graduated so NEVER drain into this region when doing titrations
    7. Reading (10 mL Burette): graduated to 0.01mL, read to the 0.001mL ALWAYS three decimal places. Between 10.00 mL and the stopcock is not graduated so NEVER drain into this region when doing titrations
    8. One drop of a typical solution is estimated to be approximately 0.05 mL
    9. To deliver 0.01-0.02 mL (fraction of a drop): slightly crack the stopcock, forming a portion of a drop on the tip and wash it down into the receiving flask with a squirt bottle using water.
    10. All reading should be taken at the bottom of the meniscus.
  4. Cleaning Glassware
    1. ALWAYS assume it’s dirty unless you have cleaned it yourself
    2. Wash with a small amount of soap
    3. Rinse with water
    4. Rinse with distilled water
    5. Rinse with a small amount of solution to be used

University Academic Policies and Student Support

Course Catalog 

Search the OU Course Catalogue.

Student Handbook

Please familiarize yourself with the OU Student Handbook.

Online Library

Access digital materials and other resources at OU Libraries.

Academic Misconduct

In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook. 

It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the definitions, policies, and procedures concerning academic misconduct. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity.

This site also defines misconduct, provides examples of prohibited conduct, and explains the sanctions available for those found guilty of misconduct.

Plagiarism 

Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism. 

For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.

Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities

The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course should contact their professor as early in the semester as possible.

Students with disabilities must be registered with the Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course.

If you have a disability and you would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation, please see the Graduate Student Handbook or get in touch with the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center.

Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability.  Learn more about the rights of pregnant and parenting students by consulting the FAQ sheets provided by the Institutional Equity Office.

Title IX Resources  

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office at 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates at 405-615-0013 (24/7) to learn more or to report an incident. 

Religious Holidays

It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays without penalty. It is the responsibility of the student to make alternate arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to the actual date of the religious holiday.

Copyright Policy

It is illegal to download, upload, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted material, in any form and in any fashion, without permission from the copyright holder or his/her authorized agent. The University of Oklahoma expects all members of its community to comply fully with federal copyright laws. If such laws appear to have been violated by any user, the university reserves the right (1) to terminate that user’s access to some or all of the university’s computer systems and information resources and (2) to take additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary or appropriate. Repeat offenders will be sanctioned and their privileges terminated.

Registration and Withdrawal

If you choose to withdraw from this course, you must complete the appropriate University form and turn the form in before the deadline. If you stop attending the course and doing the coursework without doing the required paperwork, your grade will be calculated with missed homework and examination grades entered as zero. This could result in receiving a grade of F in the course. Deadlines are shown in the Academic Calendar, which is available from the Office of the Registrar.

Student Grievances

In addition to any policies outlined related to submitting an informal or formal grievance by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about the process of submitting a formal grievance.

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
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