Fred J. Matthews

Brief Organic Lab Syllabus

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Brief Organic Lab Syllabus - CHEM 3501

Brief Organic Lecture Syllabus

Brief Organic Lab Schedule

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Brief Organic Chemistry

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Brief Organic Lab Syllabus - CHEM 3501

·         Other Required Materials:
Students will be required to purchase one hard-covered 1" three-ring binders (for the data sheets and spectral data sheets, a hole punch (or three-hole punch), and a set of splash-proof laboratory goggles (approved type are available in the bookstore).

·         Objectives:
(1) To introduce the student to organic chemistry laboratory techniques used to separated and identify the purity and chemical identity of products. Students will also learn how to manipulate data for mathematical calculations, including reactant recovery and purity.
(2) To provide the student with a firm foundation of laboratory techniques may used in other chemical and scientific laboratories.
(3) To provide the student with a firm understanding of laboratory safety that can be used in all future laboratory experiences.

·         Topics to be Covered:
A tentative list of laboratory experiments (Brief Organic Lab Schedule) will be provided. 

·         Out of Class Work:
Students are expected to read assignments from the texts prior to class (see reading assignments on lab experiments) and complete the pre-lab assignments located in the lab book. All techniques and experimental procedures should be thoroughly studied prior to lab.

·         Graded Materials:

A short test will be given at the beginning of each lab period. This quiz will cover the experiment performed the previous week and the experiment to be carried out that day (readings from Matthews and Zubrick). Students who arrive late will not be allowed to take the quiz.  There will be no makeup quizzes, however, students will be allowed to drop their lowest quiz grade.

Each student is required to submit three-ring binder containing the individual data sheets and spectral data sheets, due by 9:05 am Friday following the completion of each experiment; the binder will be returned the following Wednesday at 10:00 am. The student's name, lab section (day of week and lab start time), and current semester of study (e.g. Fall 200#) must be on the outside front cover of the three-ring binder. 

Laboratory products are due following the completion of each experiment and must be properly labeled (see below).

Students will be assigned a set of lab desk drawers with equipment for which they will be responsible from check-in (first lab) to check-out (final lab). Any broken or missing equipment that must be replaced during the semester will be subtracted from the student's "Lab equipment" points based on the current cost of equipment replacement using the most recent Fisher Catalog or similar equipment catalog currently utilized by the APSU Chemistry Department. The number of points subtracted from the starting total of 20 points will be based on the following scale: 1 point = $5.00 current catalog replacement cost.

·         Grading Scales:

Lab Grade
Lab participation - 3 pts per lab
Lab quizzes - 4 pts each
Lab data sheets - 8 pts per set
Spectral data - 8 pts per spectral set
Products - 2 pts each
Lab checkout - 3 pts
Lab equipment - 20 pts
Lab average = total pts earned / total pts possible

Course Grade
Lecture grade (75%) + Lab grade (25%) = Course average (100%)

Letter Grade from Numerical Average
A >90.00,  B >80.00,  C >70.00,  D >60.00,  F <60.00

·         Labeling Laboratory Products:
All samples must be properly labeled before being submitted for grading. A properly labeled sample should contain the following information:
submitter's name(s)
hood #
sample name
experiment number
date & class (beginning) time
# g (experimental)
% recovery/yield (experimental & typical class value)
mp, bp, microbp, and/or refractive index (experimental & theoretical)
GLC, MS, IR, and/or NMR data (see lab text for specifics)

·         Attendance Policy:
Students are expected to be present and on time for all laboratory meetings. No make-up labs will be permitted for unexcused absences. A student who is absent and has an acceptable excuse must make-up the laboratory experiment the Thursday following their return to classes; this make-up experiment must be performed in the other organic laboratory section. All excuses for missing lab must be submitted in writing at the next class (lecture or lab) which the student attends. A student who accumulates more than one unexcused absence from lab may be dropped from the course and given a grade of  F.

·         Laboratory Behavior:
The laboratory is expected to be a learning environment, therefore it is expected that students will be quiet, attentive, and courteous. Normal laboratory rules are followed, including no drinking, eating, smoking (yuck), horseplay, or yelling is allowed. Students are expected to follow all safety rules listed on the General Chemistry Safety and Laboratory Rule sheets. Students must wear safety goggles at all times will in the laboratory (NO EXCUSES ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR NOT WEARING YOUR SAFETY GOGGLES!!!). Pagers, cell phones, or other electronic devices must be turned off while students are in class.

·         Drop/Withdrawal Policy:
Students who choose to withdraw from organic lab must also withdraw from organic lecture. Students must obtain the instructor's signature to withdraw from CHEM 3500/3501 after the "APSU Automatic W Deadline" date.

October 10 - Monday - APSU Automatic W Deadline
October 21 - Friday - Dr. Matthews' Automatic W Deadline
November 10 - Thursday - APSU/Dr. Matthews' Last Day to Drop a Course 

·         Educational Goals:
The general objective of the University is to produce educated men and women equipped to use their abilities productively and wisely. The curricula of the University are routes to intellectual maturity and means to be development of ideas, insights, values, and competencies which form a permanent personal capacity for thought and action. The University does not claim that it will develop educated men or women. It does claim it will provide the opportunity and the favorable conditions for students to construct their own education and to acquire the means of making self-education the rewarding enterprise of a lifetime, enabling them to become effective agents of social change.
Given this opportunity at the University in this course, each student should develop, at an appropriate level:
(1) skills of inquiry, abstract and logical thinking, and critical analysis;
(2) literacy in writing, reading, listening, and speaking;
(3) the ability to understand and use numbers and statistics;
(4) an understanding of the scientific method;
(5) a concentration in a discipline in order to enter a chosen profession, undertake advanced study, or develop an avocation.
These are the marks of an educated man or woman, and it is the aim of the University to challenge and assist in their attainment. To this end Austin Peay State University is committed to the integration of human learning functions and to an orderly educational sequence.

·         Minor Policy:
According to APSU policy #3:032, minors (defined as those under the age of 18) are not allowed in classrooms. While recognizing that extenuating circumstances occur and make it difficult for some students to attend without bringing children with them on occasion, University policy will be enforced and thus any request for a child to attend lecture or lab classes will be denied. In addition, be aware that minors are not allowed in academic labs, computer labs, science labs, or the library. Further, children cannot be left in halls outside classrooms. Please be aware that the policy on unattended minors is for the purpose of ensuring that our classrooms are conducive to learning and for the safety and protection of minors. For additional information on minors on campus, contact the Office of Student Affairs in the Morgan University Center.