Introduction: The laboratory part of General Chemistry I is an essential, fascinating and challenging part of the course. It will supplement and enhance the lecture material and help you greatly in understanding the subject. Chemistry comes easily to few people. Most students find it difficult to master. My job is to help you meet and enjoy the challenge. In these pages I try to tell you exactly what I expect of you and what you need to do to succeed. I expect you to follow my guidelines but I always welcome your suggestions, comments and opinions.

Laboratory Prestudies: A prestudy page torn out of the lab manual will be due at the start of each lab on the dates shown on the schedule. Answers to most prestudy questions can be found just by reading the laboratory experiment writeup. I also usually cover the prestudy material briefly one week before the prestudy is due. Your graded prestudies will be handed back before you start the labs they pertain to. Review any errors you made so you are well prepared for the lab. If you happen to miss an experiment, hand in the prestudy anyhow. Late prestudies will be penalized one point a day. Prestudies handed in after the start of the lab they pertain to will receive no credit. Mr. Whitfield, your lecture professor, will drop your lowest prestudy score from your final average.

Laboratory Class Format: Class begins promptly at 6:00 PM. Please make every effort to arrive a few minutes before that time to leave your report on my desk and take a seat. I expect everyone to be prompt so I can conduct class without wasting your time and making you stay later in the evening than necessary. If for some reason the lab entrance is open and I am not there, please do not go into the lab. I am responsible for your safety and I do not allow unsupervised students to be around chemicals and equipment. After you hand in your assignments, I begin by taking your questions. There is ample time for you to ask questions about any aspect of the course, including the lecture. Since you have lecture only once a week, I will answer any lecture material questions you have. Bring as many questions as you can about review problems, experiments, lab reports, prestudies, etc. After you have asked your questions, I give you background on the prestudy due the next week, especially if that topic has not come up in lecture. Finally I make a detailed presentation of the night's experiment. I describe the theory and reasons for doing the experiment and relate it to the lecture material. I describe how to do the measurements needed and I demonstrate the instruments you will use. For the lab report, I show examples of setups and calculations with the proper expression of units and significant figures. If you come in late and miss this part of class, your ability to do the experiment will be hampered. The last part of my talk is safety aspects of the experiment. This is one of the most important parts of my presentation. You must be present for at least this part of class to work in lab. If you miss it, for your own safety and that of the other students, I may not allow you to do the experiment. This is at my discretion. The safety talk consists of specific precautions for that evening's experiment with emphasis on the use of personal protective equipment such as safety goggles, gloves and aprons. I also give detailed instructions on the proper, environmentally acceptable disposal of each chemical waste you generate. When I am done talking, I invite you again to ask questions before you start to work

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Laboratory Experiments: To begin doing laboratory experiments, you must be present at the first evening lab to hear my safety lecture, witness demonstrations of safety equipment and see the safety videos. Then you must read the safety policy and sign the statement on the last page that says you understand the safety rules and agree to abide by them. You will do one laboratory experiment every week on the dates shown on the lab schedule. You will work on your own, without a lab partner on most experiments. If you don�t understand something, ask me. My primary function in the lab is to guide you. During each experiment, I observe your work and help with your lab technique. I approve your data entries and tell you when something should be done over. Data must be recorded in the laboratory in black permanent ink on the data sheets provided. Most industrial and medical laboratories require ink for recording data. Because ink cannot be easily erased, it produces a more credible document in case of future questions or litigation. The color black is required because blue, red and green inks do not photocopy well. Never record data in pencil or on scraps of paper for transfer to the data sheet later. If you make a mistake and wish to repeat a measurement, do not erase or scribble over the incorrect datum. Draw a single line through it and write the new value next to it. A datum is an observation, not a guess or a conclusion about the meaning of a test. Just put down what you measure or observe with your senses. Don�t put down what you think. Your opinions and conclusions belong in the body of the report, not on the data sheet. For full credit, a properly filled-out data sheet must accompany every report. Check with me before you leave lab so I can approve and initial your data sheet. Work at your own pace and take any breaks you need. The lab period is open-ended. When you are finished, you are free to go.

Laboratory Report Requirements: A written report is required for every laboratory experiment you do. Your prestudy and lab report scores together will be worth about 36% of your final grade. Just as you work on your experiments by yourself, so should each lab report be an individual effort. You receive credit for them so they must be your work alone. Never copy results or answers to questions from anyone else. Consider these laboratory experiments and the reports you write as training to help you compete in the world outside the classroom. Make each of your lab reports a neat, informative, high quality, professional-looking document that you are proud of. A report for each experiment is due at the start of the next week's lab period. If you know in advance you will be absent from lab, hand in your report ahead of time in lecture. You cannot get credit for a lab report unless you are present to do the experiment. Your graded reports will be given back as soon as possible. At the latest, you will get them back by the next lab. Go over your graded reports to make sure you understand any errors you made. This is important so you can improve your subsequent reports. There are no makeups for missed labs but Mr. Whitfield will drop your lowest lab score from your final average.

Your lab report will consist of pages from the lab manual and any supplemental handouts I give you. Answer the questions in black ink and show your setups and calculations neatly. All calculated answers must have the correct units, the correct number of significant figures and be preceded by a clearly written setup showing the units of each quantity. I will give you detailed instructions on writing setups. You will lose credit if you do not show a setup even if an answer is correct. If you miscalculate and get a wrong answer without showing a setup, you will get no credit for that problem. If the lab manual pages do not provide enough room for setups, then attach a sheet of plain white 8 � by 11" paper. When you tear report pages out of the lab, trim the ragged edges with scissors to the 8 � by 11" size.

 Graphing of data is required in several reports. I will teach you how to draw graphs and give you a handout with graphing rules. Use only metric graph paper such as styles 12-188 and 12-282 available in the CCRI bookstores. Do not use graph paper with � inch spaced lines or other paper designed for English measurements. For full credit, graphs must be done in black ink and stapled with the rest of the report pages. If you wish, you may also include a computer-generated graph with your report. However, if you do, a hand graph is still required. If you hand in both kinds of graphs, I will give a small amount of extra credit if you lose points for something else. Report questions, graphs and calculations are worth 20 out of a possible 25 points. Always strive to produce a neat, professional-looking document that will reflect well on your ability and attitude toward work in the laboratory.

In addition to the pages from your lab manual, the lab report must be prefaced by a typewritten title page and an abstract page on 8 1/2" x 11" white unlined paper. The title page must contain the course name and number, the name and number of the experiment, the date it was performed and your name. The abstract page, which must also be typed, should consist of two or three brief paragraphs stating the name and purpose of the experiment, what was done and the results and conclusions. Briefly describe the experiment without going into detail. Tell what experiments were done and for what reason. Briefly state the results of your experiment. The abstract should be in the past tense, third person and passive voice. Observe spelling and grammar rules. The abstract should be concise, informative and to the point, without unnecessary detail. Make it interesting and inviting to read. Together, the title page and abstract count 5 points toward your lab score. An example of a well-written abstract follows:

Experiment No. 9, The Three States of Matter was performed in order to study the physical characteristics of solids, liquids and gases.

Your report must be neat, handed in on time at the beginning of the laboratory period, and stapled in the upper left corner with pages in this order: title page, abstract page, report, questions, graphs, other supporting material and finally, data sheets. Unstapled reports are not acceptable. I give full credit for lab reports only when you meet all the above standards. Late reports are penalized two points per day.

Office Hours: I will not be posting daytime office hours this semester but I will be available most days at the Flanagan Campus and at least one day a week at the Knight Campus if you need help. If you wish, you may drop by my office (room 1222, Flanagan Campus) at any time, make an appointment to see me or telephone me at 333-7140. I will also be available evenings before, during and after each lab to talk to you. You may contact me by e-mail at eterezakis@mail.ccri.edu. I will be glad to respond to any questions you have.

Emanuel G. Terezakis, Ph.D.

Professor of Chemistry