Tentative course schedule - CH201 - Summer 2024

You will get the most of lectures if you have done the appropriate preparation beforehand. In this course, the preparation ahead of lecture will include:

  • Reading the lab that will be discussed;
  • Completing Top Hat pre-lecture assignments, which will typically also include watching some short videos (links in the schedule below are to helpful review videos that you should watch before lecture); and
  • Reading additional parts of the lab manual (LM), or the writing guide (WC) at the end of the lab manual.

Also, make sure to prepare for upcoming technique workshops during the labs by working through the sections in the Appendix for each technique/skill before arriving at the lab.

Date Details
M 5/20 No classes today
T 5/21
9am 		First day of classes - no lab today
  • TopHat assignment on Professional Standards due before lab on Thursday (by 9am)
T 5/21
2:30pm 		Lecture on lab 1: tools, techniques, and approaches in quantitative analysis
R 5/23
9am		 Lab check-in, safety tour, and orientation (in the lab)
  • TopHat assignment on Professional Standards due BEFORE LAB today (by 9:00am)
Lab #1: Tools of the trade for quantitative labwork
               (post-lab for lab #1 is at 7pm on Friday)

Techniques: as new techniques are being introduced in lab, you will be asked to work through the section of your lab manual about each new technique before lab. Then, in lab, there will be one-on-one workshops on each technique. Before lab 1, please make sure to review the material about:
  • Laboratory practices (LM: Appendix A.1)
  • Micropipettes (LM: Appendix A.4), and
  • Balances (LM: Appendix A.3; skip A.3.2 and A.3.4).
  • Preparing lab research notebooks (LM section on Notebook and Assignments, video)
Self-assessment of assignments: technical documents, especially in the sciences, can be challenging to perfect -- that is normal. A detailed rubric designed to help you polish your work is posted under "Course Documents" in blackboard. Use the "Post-lab Assignment Rubric" to help you assess and refine your work.
R 5/23
2:30pm 		Lecture on lab 2: estimating molecular size and experimental design
  • Make sure to read through the introductory material in lab 2 (posted on Blackboard)
  • Types of error (uncertainty)
  • Relative standard deviation (video)
Feedback:
  • The lab TF will provide detailed feedback and guidance on the post-lab assignments
  • Typically, TFs make an effort to have the feedback available within a day (or two) of submission
  • Imporant details on how to access and interpret the feedback are presented in the "Turnitin Assignments - Getting Feedback" document posted on blackboard in the "Course Documents"
  • Feedback on Lab 1 should be posted by Monday afternoon (5/27) so that you can use that feedback when working on lab 2
Self-assessment of assignments: technical documents, especially in the sciences, can be challenging to perfect -- that is normal. A detailed rubric designed to help you polish your work is posted under "Course Documents" in blackboard. Use the "Post-lab Assignment Rubric" to help you assess and refine your work.
T 5/28
9am 		Lab #2: Determining the surface area of a molecule of stearic acid
               (post-lab for lab #2 is due at 7pm on Wednesday)

Techniques:
  • Glassware and measurement fundamentals (LM: Appendix A.2)
  • Glass transfer pipettes (LM: Appendix A.5), and
  • Vacuum filtration
T 5/28
2:30pm 		Lecture on lab 3: experimental design and gravimetric analysis
R 5/30
9am 		Lab #3: Gravimetric analysis of calcium
               (post-lab for lab #3 is due at 7pm on Friday)
               (EXTENSION: to make sure that you have time to process feedback
                from lab 2, an automatic extension to 7pm on Monday (6/3) is offered.)

Techniques:
  • Mass by diference (LM: Appendix A.3.2)
  • Burettes (LM: Appendix A.7)
R 5/30
2:30pm 		Lecture on lab 4: difference between endpoint and equivalence point in acid-base titrations
  • Acid-base indicators (LM Intro to lab 4)
  • How balances work, Buoyancy (LM: Appendix A.3.4)
  • Statistical significance with t-test and F-tests (LM lab 4)
A note about acid-base concepts: acid-base chemistry is some of the most important and useful chemistry that you will study. It is crucial that you review the fundamentals of these concepts ahead of the lecture today on lab 4. To that end, please review the following concepts:
T 6/4
9am		 Lab #4: Statistical survey of the use of indicators in acid-base titrations
  • Part of the analysis requires the statistics from the whole class, which will be sent on Wednesday by email.
  • Consequently, the post-lab for lab #4 is due on FRIDAY 6/7 by 7pm
Techniques: pH meters (LM: Appendix A.8)
T 6/4
2:30pm 		Lecture on lab 5: acid/base titrations of polyprotic acids
  • Titrations of weak acids (videos 5.21-5.23)
  • Derivative plots in Excel (video)
  • Percent protonation of acidic/basic sites, and why we sometimes only observe one equilvance point
R 6/6
9am 		Quiz #1 at the beginning of lab today (covering labs 1-3 and the related lectures)

Lab #5: Potentiometric titrations of weak polyprotic acids (part 1)
               (no post-lab assignment is due until the whole lab is complete)
               (must show TF completed post-lab question 1 before the end of lab)

Techniques: ChemDraw (LM: Appendix A.11)
R 6/6
2:30pm 		Lecture on lab 6: light and spectroscopy of molecules
T 6/11
9am 		Lab #5: Potentiometric titrations of weak polyprotic acids (part 2)
               (post-lab for lab #5 is due at 7pm on Friday)

Techniques:
  • Volumetric flasks and solutions (LM: Appendix A.6)
  • Benchtop spectrophotometers (LM: Appendix A.9)
  • Cary 60 Research-grade UV-Vis spectrophotometer (LM: Appendix A.10)
T 6/11 No lecture today - review for lab 6:
R 6/13
9am 		No labs today
R 6/13
2:30pm 		No lecture today
T 6/18
9am 		Lab #6: Introduction to molecular spectroscopy
               (scan of tutorial is at the end of lab, 7pm on Wednesday at the latest)

Techniques: review volumetric pipettes and volumetric flasks
T 6/18
2:30pm 		Lecture on lab 7: colorimetric analysis
  • Linear regression (using Excel)
  • Uncertainty from linear regression
  • Review: Solution preparation (videos 2.1-2.3)
  • It would be helpful to review the readings for lab 2 (LM).
R 6/20
9am 		Lab #7: colorimetric determination of iron
               (post-lab for lab #7 is due 7pm on Friday)
R 6/20
2:30pm 		Quiz #2 at the beginning of lab today (covering labs 4-5 and the related lectures)

Lecture on lab 9: spectra of mixtures
  • UV/Vis of mixtures, isosbestic points
  • Buffers
T 6/25
9am 		Lab #9: Spectroscopic investigation of acid-base indicators
               (post-lab for lab #9 is due 7pm on Wednesday)
T 6/25
2:30pm 		Discuss lab practical
R 6/27
9am 		Lab Practical in the lab
R 6/27
2:30pm 		Quiz #3 during lecture time (covering labs 6-9 and the related lectures)

Thursday, June 6, 2024 5:08 PM