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

Course Objectives: 

The purpose of this course is to acquaint the student with fundamen­tals of instrumental methods for chemical analysis and applications to problem solving.  The student will be expected to develop procedures for solving analysis problems using both qualitative and quantitative measurements.  Laboratory experiments are designed to provide the student with experience in analysis techniques requiring precise measurements.  The student will study the operating principles of analytical instruments and investigate the effect of operation parameters on measurements while properly recording scientific protocols according to industry standards. Students will draw conclusions from experimental data. Laboratory experiments are typically divided into two parts. Each part must be completed in one laboratory period!

 

LABORATORY MATERIALS:

  1. Laboratory manual: Labs are available on Canvas
  2. Laboratory notebook (see a detailed description below)
  3. Approved safety goggles: required by the state law.
  4. Face mask: required to enter the lab.
  5. Calculator – necessary for experiment calculations

 

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 understand 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 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 asked to leave 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 tops with some sleeve. If proper attire is not worn you may not do an experiment.

 

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

 

OUPD   911                    (Fire, poison, safety)

OUPD   5-2864    (Non-emergency)

 

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.
  • 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 calcium;)
  • 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 is posted. Consult this list for proper chemical names and their placement into the Aqueous Waste and Heavy Metal Waste containers.

 

Grading:

Reports and lab notebook are due at the beginning of the lab on the appropriate date.  Otherwise, it will be considered late.

 

Lab Reports

1000 pts

Practice Problems

25 pts

Lab Notebook

150 pts

Lab Technique

125 pts

Total

1300 pts

 

Lab Reports (1000 pts):

             Prelab Reports:

Prelab must be completed and turned in on Canvas no later than the Part I of the lab begin (3:00 pm) and is worth 50 pts (half of your final report grade for that experiment).  You will not be allowed to start the lab without turning the prelab in. 

             Reports:

Lab reports are due on Canvas by 3:00 pm one week after the completion of the respective lab. Final reports are worth 100 pts (50 from the prelab and 50 for its completion).  Any prelab/final lab reports turned in late will not be accepted without a reasonable excuse (10 pts. lost per day late with no reports accepted after one week).  More detailed description of lab report requirements can be found in the lab manual.  Reports will be graded based on the following: formatting, flow of report, understanding of technique(s), analysis of results, and accuracy of results.

 

Lab Notebook (150 pts):

  • You must have a bound (NO SPIRALS) notebook with sequentially numbered pages.
  • Entries must be legible and easy to follow and indexed in a table of contents on the first page in the notebook.
  • Entries must be dated at the top right corner of the page OR in the margin as each part is written.
  • At the completion of every lab, the bottom of the page should be signed and dated by you.
  • Use permanent ink ONLY.
  • Mistakes should be crossed out with a single line with the date and your initials next to it, followed by the correction.

 

Lab Technique (125 pts):

You will be graded on the following: cleanliness (glassware and lab area), waste manifest (proper filling out of all logs and proper disposal), attendance and tardiness, instrument misuse, and laboratory preparedness.

 

Online Instruction:

In the case of online instruction being implemented, students will continue to complete prelab and lab reports as stated above. Sample data will be provided to students one week prior to lab reports being due. Lab notebook and lab technique points will be assigned to the lab report. Lab notebook and technique points will be evaluated based on the “Experimental Procedure” section, which will be modified, as noted in the student lab manual.

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Breakage Cards: You must fill out a breakage card correctly in blue or black ink on the first day of lab. Failure to do so will result in a $5 records fee charged to your bursars account. You must sign the back of this card in blue or black ink. Failure to use ink will result in a $5 records fee. Failure to sign will result in a $75 fee charged to your bursars account.

 

Check-Out: Students must check out of the lab at the end of the term. Failure to check out during the assigned laboratory time will result in a $75 no check-out fee charged to the student’s bursars account. Students who withdraw must attend the next regularly scheduled laboratory session to check out or a $75 no check out fee will be charged to the student’s Bursars account. Any absences from the laboratory check-out due to valid reasons must be accompanied by written documentation or the $75 no check-out fee will be assessed.

 

DRESS CODE

Proper attire in the lab is important for your safety.  Therefore, a student will be required to leave the lab if they are not dressed appropriately for the lab, including check-in and check-out.  In general, all the student’s skin should be covered except for the lower arms and hands (up to mid-bicep) and the neck and head.  A good description of what would be acceptable dress would be tennis shoes, full-length pants, and a short sleeve T-shirt.  Shoes should contain and cover the full foot. Pants/Skirts/Dress should cover all the legs to the ankle and up to the shirt/top.  Shirts/Tops should cover from the pants/skirt to the neck and mid-bicep.

Approved laboratory goggles MUST be worn at all times in the lab. If goggles are removed while an experiment is in progress, the student may be asked to leave by the laboratory instructor, thereby forfeiting all points for that experiment. If goggles should fog or become dirty, students should clean them outside of the laboratory.

 

Face masks are required and may not be removed.

 

 

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 ACCOMADATION 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 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 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 Student Handbook for more information about the process of submitting a formal grievance.

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
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