CHEMISTRY 409
FALL 2009
Course Title: Physical Chemistry Laboratory I, CHEM 409, 1 credit hour
Lab Hours: M 2:00-4:50 (Section 001), SIMS 305
T 2:00-4:50 (Section 002), SIMS 305
W 2:00-4:50 (Section 003), SIMS 305
Instructor:
Dr. Lennart Kullberg
Office: SIMS 212B
Office hours: Monday & Tuesday 12-2, or by appointment
Phone: 323-4939
E-mail: kullbergl@winthrop.edu
Text: Physical
Chemistry - Methods, Techniques, and Experiments
by Rodney S. Sime
Physical Chemistry: A Guided Inquiry - Thermodynamics
by Spencer, Moog, and Farrell
Course Objectives: Chemistry 409 has four main goals:
*
To teach laboratory skills important in making
accurate measurements of physical and
chemical phenomena
* To teach how to critically analyze and interpret
such measurements
* To reinforce material from the physical chemistry
lecture courses
* To develop students' abilities to describe their
laboratory work and results in a professional
manner through reports
Topics: I. Determination of the Gas Constant - Handout
II. Bomb Calorimetry - Determination
of Heat
of
Combustion - Exp. #3, p. 420-431
III. Computational Determination of Heat of Combustion - Handout
IV. Guided Inquiry Activities on Thermodynamics
V. Thermodynamic Data from Electromotive Force Measurements
Exp. #22, p. 566-572
VI. The Rate of Reaction between Acetone and Bromine -
Exp. #27, p. 621-627
VII. Conductance of Solutions -
Determination of the Acid Ionization
Constant for a Weak Acid - Exp. #21,
p.558-566
VIII. Kinetic Study of a Reaction in Solution - Handout
Grading: Two-week labs will have a value of 100 points. The grade will be based on
1. Lab performance and lab results (50%)
2. Lab report (50%)
Grades:
A: 92-100% , A-: 88-91% , B+: 85-87%,
B: 80-84% , B-:
76-79% , C+: 72-75% ,
C: 66 - 71%
D: 56 - 65%
Lab Preparation: Before coming to the lab, write
up the procedure that you expect
to follow, including any sample calculations. This write-up can
be part of the introduction section to the lab report you eventually
hand in
Lab Notebook: 1. You will need a bound laboratory notebook. Notebooks will be
reviewed twice during the semester. Excellent notebooks will
increase your final grade slightly and unsatisfactory notebooks
will decrease your final grade slightly.
2. Notebooks must contain information which is crucial to the
current experiment: temperatures, times, measurements,
instrumentation data, chemical information, etc. That is, the
notebook should allow you to reconstruct the experiment in your
mind several days later in a place outside the laboratory where
you may be writing the experiment into a laboratory report.
Notebooks should also be dated, titled, and include your
partner(s) names.
3. Notebooks may arrange data in any manner that is legible and
understandable to others in the lab. This is crucial, as your lab
partners may find themselves relying on your personal notebook.
Likewise, you may have to continue your experiment on another
day, or someone else may try to reproduce your work in the lab.
Safety: 1. Safety goggles must be worn whenever you or someone else in the
lab are handling chemicals and/or running an experimental
apparatus.
2. Be aware of where the safety shower, fire extinguisher, mercury
spill kit, and other safety devices are located in the lab.
3. Material Safety Data Sheets are kept in a folder next to the oven.
4. Students should conduct themselves in a professional manner
while in the lab
Lab report: How to
write a report, see Sime, Chapter 8, pp 158-175
The lab report should include:
1. Title page: Title of Experiment, Your name
2. Introduction: Give about one page (or less)
describing the theory
behind the lab, and just what it is that you are reporting
on. You should be able to write this section before you
do the lab
3. Experimental: Describe the experiment, especially those parts that
are different from what was described in the class
handouts or the textbook. For those parts that were
carried out as described in texts or handouts, just
reference the text or handout. In other words, don't
repeat information here that is already written down
somewhere. Any variations from the procedure,
however, go here
4. Calculations: Go through a sample calculation. Just include
one full example of what you did
5. Results: Put all of your experimental data, including
calibration curves, here. Use tables and graphs to
report results
6. Conclusions: This section should be brief. What exactly did
you learn? How do your results compare to
literature values (reference to the appropriate
literature should be made). Comment on
reliability or accuracy of method used in
experiment
Reporting Mathematical Manipulations: Many word processors
do not handle mathematics well or require tedious input of
formulas in order to have them appear correctly. In this case,
please just leave a blank space on the paper, and insert the
formulas neatly by hand. You will probably save time anyway
Late Assignment Policy: Laboratory reports are due one week
after an experiment is completed. A penalty of 5 points per day
will be assessed for late reports
Individual
vs.
joint work: You may discuss the experiments, the appropriate data
treatment,
and the best means of presentation of the results with other students
in the class or with me. However, your report must be prepared
independently. You must write all the text and prepare all the graphs
and tables for your own report. Violations of this requirement are
usually obvious.
Student with Disabilities:
Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education.
If you have a disability and require specific accommodations to
complete this course, contact Services for Students with Disabilities,
at 323-3290. Once you have your official notice of accommodations
from Services for Students with Disabilities, please inform me as early
as possible in the semester.
Student Conduct Code:
"Responsibility for good conduct rests with students as adult
individuals." The policy on student academic misconduct is outlined
in the "Student Conduct Code Academic Misconduct Policy" in
the online Student Handbook (http://www2.winthrop.edu/
studentaffairs/handbook/StudentHandbook.pdf).