experiment16

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Last name, First name: Student ID, Date of Experiment, Experiment #

1) Experiment Title:

2) Purpose of the Experiment

3) Background/Introduction ( 3 – 5 Paragraphs)

4) Summary of the Experimental Procedure

5) Experimental results/Data (completed during the lab period

6) Post Lab Questions

7) Summary of the Experiment: Results / Conclusion – completed after the lab (2 – 3 paragraphs)

Recording Data:

The proper manner to record data is an integral part of any laboratory course as are the ethics involved in the recording of accurate data that was actually collected by the student and not copied from another. All data must be recorded in ink (non-erasable), signed and dated. If an error is made, one line is used to cross out the error and the correct data is entered next to the error. The researcher must then initial the change in data and put the date the change was entered. White out is not permitted.

As a chemist, you must keep a well-organized, accurate, and complete notebook. The lab notebook is a record of all data (weights, melting points, boiling points, etc.) plus all observations (color change, loss or gain of homogeneity, etc.) made during the course of the experiment. Having a record of all experiments and observations, in such detail that anyone who follows this record could duplicate the results obtained, is one key to success as a chemist and certainly in this lab. The lab report will serve as a basis for evaluation of your lab book keeping skills.

Writing a Lab Report for an Experiment

Objective or Purpose of the Experiment:

In your own words, state the experiment to be performed and name the techniques to be used. I also want you to state the reason for the experiment; I want to know what you think you are supposed to learn. A few sentences should suffice.

Background / Introduction: (3 – 5 paragraphs)

The "Background" usually means information about what you're studying at the moment and in particular the lab experiment you are about to perform. It serves to give some history and reasoning for performing an experiment. It should provide relevant equations and information that helps to understand the concept. The lab manual notes you took in lecture and the textbook are all good sources of "background". Don't just copy this information because that doesn't help or show that you learned anything. Re-write the background and explain it in your own words. A good explanation in simple terms is much better than one that sounds "science-y" but shows that you don't really understand what you're talking about. Additionally, writing a good background for the lab report will help you in the lecture. This will reinforce your understanding of

the concepts and help you. I promise. 

Experimental Procedures:

Each experiment will require different information in order for you to be prepared for the lab and the experiment you will be performing. You must restate the procedure. You may state the procedure in your own words. Imagine 5 years from now, you find your lab report and feel like repeating the experiment. You should be able to use the procedure that you have written to successfully do this. I will leave it up to you to organize this section in a manner that suits your style. Just make sure you list all the information you will need to complete the experiment.

***This part below is to be done during the lab and after the completion of the experiment***

Data and Observations:

Record everything and all data collected as it happens. You should also record the actual reagent weights and volumes used, even though the procedure has that information as well. In this section you will:

· Describe all reagents used and collect any pertinent experimental data.

· Write down any color changes, masses, volumes, temperatures, melting points, boiling points, etc. Record any notable changes during the experiment or reaction (color, consistency of the product, etc)

· Note any changes in procedure made during the experiment, and any mistakes that may have occurred such as spills (recorded mistakes will not lower the grade of your lab report).

Discussion and Conclusions:

Complete this section after all data has been recorded and the experiment has been completed. Restate the purpose of the experiment. Address whether the purpose and/or objectives of the experiment was completed. Discuss how the objectives were met. If the objectives were not met, state why. Explain the data that you have collected and what this data means. You must explain the data that you obtained, specifically in relation to the purpose of the experiment. Where appropriate, compare your data to literature values. If you have graphs, discuss them. If you have an unknown, state the unknown number and any pertinent information regarding the unknown that you have found. State any errors in the analysis including any possible mistakes (i.e. spills, faulty equipment, procedural errors that occurred etc.). Sources of error must be reasonable. Please make sure that this section fully discusses the data you obtained, but be concise. Points will be deducted for irrelevant discussion.

Most researchers only read the abstract or the conclusion of scientific papers. The conclusion sums up what was performed during the experiment and the results that were found. I would like to be able to read your conclusion and be able to determine whether or not the experiment was successful and the results that were obtained

Post- Lab questions:

Post lab questions can be found at the end of each experiment. These questions are to be answered as part of your lab report.

Below are some links to writing lab reports also:

General Format:

http://www.chem.fsu.edu/chemlab/chm1045l/reportformat.html

Writing a decent conclusion:

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Good-Lab-Conclusion-in-Science

Research proposal guidelines

http://orsp.umich.edu/proposal-writers-guide-overview

Very extensive review on writing a lab report with examples of lab reports

http://phylab.fudan.edu.cn/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=how_to_write_a_lab_report_1_.pdf

http://noodle.med.yale.edu/~staib/bme355/formal-labreport.htm

Things that should be included in your conclusion:

Imagine a person only having enough time to read the purpose of your lab report at the beginning and the conclusion at the end of your report because they are browsing through hundreds of research papers trying to find papers that relate to their research or field of expertise. If they can read your purpose and conclusion and fully understand the data that was obtained, then you probably wrote a decent conclusion. So, with that in mind and for your lab reports…

- Restate the purpose of the experiment and explain whether or not the purpose was accomplished and how it was accomplished.

- State all pertinent experimental values. These are usually the important calculated ones that would be in your data section of your report (most people do not want to search for the important values that were experimentally obtained). The data values are usually coincided with the purpose of the experiment in general.

- You must both give and explain the data you obtained in sentence format, specifically in relation to the purpose of the experiment.

- Where appropriate, compare your data to literature values. If your values are very far off from the literature values, then you should state a reason. Basically, points in the experiment that could have contributed to the percent errors. Sources of error must be reasonable. Spills, not following the exact directions, overheating, balances not being calibrated, thermometers not being calibrated etc.

There is not an exact length to a conclusion, it all depends on the experiment and what you set out to accomplish and calculate. Usually, one paragraph does not suffice in explaining everything. You do not need to add fluff. Just state in sentence format your date.