CHE 450G: Practical Inorganic Chemistry

U of KY Dept of Chemistry

CHE 450G Laboratory Reports and Grading

• General Notes
  • Physical Appearance
  • Proper English
• Format of the Lab Report
• Grading Criteria
• Regrading of Reports
• Late Penalties

General Notes

Physical Appearance

Laboratory reports must be submitted in a clear and legible form. Specifically:
• No handwritten reports will be accepted. All reports must be turned in as printer output on white paper. Laser printed copy is preferred. "I couldn't get a computer", "the network crashed" etc. are not acceptable excuses for turning in a late laboratory report.

• In addition to the printed output, each report must also be submitted electronically as an email attachment in Microsoft Word format. The subject line of your email should read "450 lab report submission" so that my email program can automatically handle the message. The file name of the attachment should contain your last name and a brief but useful title of the experiment (no more than 31 characters total). For example, "Smith Angelici #19" is a good filename, but "Brown Report #3" is not.

• Chemical structures, graphs etc. should be generated with chemical structure or graphing software that can be found on the Microlab computers or the 450G laboratory (look here for a list of free software). It is suggested that you learn how to use this software before you need to use it! Be sure that all graphics are contained in the word processing file itself so that you only need to turn in one file per report. IR and NMR spectra etc. are the only figures exempt from the electronic submission requirement, although you are welcome to scan the figures into your report.

Proper English

Students are reminded of the following University regulation:
5.2.4.3 Acceptable Standards in English

Teachers in all courses are expected to call attention to and penalize for errors in English usage and to require the rewriting of papers which do not meet acceptable standards in English.

Any instructor who finds the written work of any student seriously defective in English is expected to report the case, together with specimen papers, to the dean of the student's college. A committee composed of this dean and the chairman of the Department of English shall have power to require additional work in composition without credit. This remedial work shall begin not later than the following semester and shall continue until the committee is satisfied with the student's proficiency. When a student is required to do this additional work, the committee will report this requirement to the Registrar, who will indicate the fact on the student's record.

Format of the Lab Report

Laboratory reports should be in the same format used by J. Am. Chem. Soc. The proper format for ACS journals is listed in the first journal of each year -- see J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1997, 119, 7A-11A (Notice to Authors). You can also find the Notice to Authors (and MUCH other information) on the ACS web site.

It is HIGHLY recommended that you read over a few J. Am. Chem. Soc. articles before you begin writing your first lab report (or even perform the experiment) to become familiar with the substance and style that is expected for these laboratory reports.

Please do not forget:

• Reminder: All reports must include at least one reference to the primary scientific literature. Footnotes should be in standard J. Am. Chem. Soc. format. Students frequently forget these items and are penalized accordingly.

• Although you are working in lab teams, each team member must submit their own report. You are free to discuss the findings and conclusions with your lab partner, but the writing and structure of your report must be solely your own work.

The following sections are required in all reports:

Abstract

This is a very brief (a few sentences) statement of what was accomplished. It only contains important numerical data such as x-ray unit cell data, kinetic activation parameters or rate constants. Raw data is not included. Summarize the findings, interpretations and the conclusions. Don't forget units and uncertainties in measurements. Remember to state how something was synthesized.

Introduction

This should contain a brief statement of purpose or goal. It is important to establish why you performed the experiments you did and to put your work in context relative to the existing literature . In this course, this section may be a bit shorter or less detailed than in a J. Am. Chem. Soc. article, however, you should make an effort to find at least a few literature references. A decent introduction should be 1-3 pages depending on the experiment.

If you are introducing a "new" technique then your introduction should include a brief but appropriate discussion of the principles being developed or explored. Include numbered equations if necessary and be sure to define all terms (and units). If you use more than one new technique, you'll need to include discussion for each one.

Experimental

This is a detailed description of how the experiment was actually performed. Don't be too detailed (such as "the weighing paper was folded in half, placed on the paper and then the balance was tared...") but be sure to include masses, moles, reaction times, yields, color changes (or lack thereof), characterization data (i.e., m.p., IR peak positions), etc. Be sure to identify solvents (and whether/how they were purified) and/or reference compounds (footnote if necessary). A perfect experimental will permit someone who has never seen or performed the reaction to perform it flawlessly and to know exactly what to expect as the reaction proceeds.

Results

This section will present your experimental data, but without extensive interpretation. For example, you might talk about the kinetic data and how the plot is first or second order, but leave the mechanistic implications for the Discussion section. In some formats, Results and Discussion can be combined; it is up to you to decide which is a more efficacious format for your experiment. Be sure to refer to data tables, spectra, or figures which will be included in your report. Make sure that all Figures and Tables are properly labeled and numbered according to J. Am. Chem. Soc. standards.

Do not turn in a "freshman style" report in which calculations of yield etc. form the basis of your results. Such trivial calculations go in the Supporting Information section of the report, which will usually consist of your duplicate lab notebook pages (if you've done your notebook properly).

Discussion

This section is probably the most important one in your report (less so for a simple synthetic procedure). It should contain your interpretation of the experimental results along with any necessary justification. For example, based on your observations you may wish to comment on a proposed reaction mechanism or potential sources of error. Keep in mind that sometimes no real conclusion can be drawn from the available data (if not, explain what additional experiments could be performed). You may also want to provide answers to some of the questions in the book which follow the experimental procedure. If desired, the latter two sections can be combined into a single "Results and Discussion" section.

Conclusion

This should summarize your major results and focus on their significance. This might be more speculative than a simple abstract and is often a place where the author muses on other possible avenues of exploration or makes predictions. You MUST suggest a further avenue of study in EVERY report that you turn in. Don't just say "NMR spectroscopy would be useful", for example, tell why it would be useful...what it would differentiate or disprove?. Take a look at some real J. Am. Chem. Soc. articles for examples.

References

Use standard J. Am. Chem. Soc. format. Extensive references to the primary literature are not required, but some must be given to demonstrate that the student has read and understood the original literature report, not simply a summary of it in the textbook. The student should feel comfortable discussing any of the papers referenced and may be called upon to do so in the laboratory. Do not include references that you have not personally looked up -- students have been caught referencing materials that are not available in our library, and such incidents will result in a large point deduction for cheating.

Tables and Figures

While "routine" spectra such as NMR spectra are not normally reproduced in J. Am. Chem. Soc. articles, you should include such data as Figures in your reports. The Figures should be numbered and titled according to ACS standards and referenced in the lab report. Tables should be clear, uncluttered, titled, self-explanatory and referenced in the lab report. Never put a Figure in your report unless you are going to discuss it (note the word is "discuss" rather than "mention"). Do not submit your original spectra with your report -- either photocopy the original, print two copies when you print your data or be penalized.

Supporting Information

Supporting information is usually supplied with a submitted manuscript and includes data etc. that are not normally part of the final published paper but are critical to the peer review process. In this course, your duplicate lab notebook pages will be considered Supporting Information. If you did additional calculations or data work-up after the laboratory period, be sure to turn in those extra yellow pages.

As all your calculations and numerical data are entered in your laboratory notebook (if it is filled out correctly), you should not need to add additional pages of calculations, plots etc. to this section. Keep a good notebook! Remember that ALL data gets transcribed into the notebook and interpreted. If you take a spectrum, write down the peak values and assign them!! If you do this when you get the data, you don't need to do it later when you're writing the report. In addition, you may immediately find that there is something wrong and have the opportunity to fix it!

Grading Criteria

Because each experiment uses different techniques and has a different focus, the specific number of points allotted to each section of a report will tend to vary. You will not be supplied with a checklist and point value for each item -- it is up to YOU as a scientist to write the paper, decide what areas are most important and make sure that you follow the J. Am. Chem. Soc. format completely.

Recognize that writing abstracts, footnotes, equations, introductions etc. are fairly routine exercises that can earn you "free" points if you learn to do them correctly. For this reason, there is a large emphasis placed on how you analyze and interpret your data, particularly with respect to the conclusions that you can (or can not) draw. Our goal is not to put you through "cookbook" exercises and spit out "plug-n-chug" answers. Our goal is to develop the skills that you need as a scientist -- writing, thinking, reasoning, understanding and communicating.

Students are reminded to make sure:

• The abstract includes descriptions of synthetic methods, numbers, units, uncertainties, data interpretation and conclusions.

• The introduction sets the stage for the work, provides a coherent rationale for the work and explains any concepts that might be new or unfamiliar.

• The Results and Discussion section(s) explain and interpret the data. Show how the sum of the data lead you to a Big Picture. Sometimes you can not draw a definitive conclusion or two sets of data give conflicting results -- that's life in the real world. Deal with it as professionally as you can.

• Tables, Schemes, Figures etc. are all numbered/titled etc. according to J. Am. Chem. Soc. format and are referenced from the text.

• To include at least one pertinent primary literature reference. Often you'll use at least one in the introduction and another when you compare your findings to previously reported literature values.

• Your conclusion is more than a summary.

• As many peaks as possible are assigned in spectra. Make sure you don't have any "missing" peaks if you are claiming to identify something. Make sure you don't have any unassigned (or undiscussed if you can not assign any)!

• Take the time to read a few J. Am. Chem. Soc. papers so you know what to expect. Do this before you even do your first experiment in this course!

Regrading of Reports

The first laboratory experiment that you perform may be submitted for a regrade according to the following conditions:
1. You may not submit this report for a regrade if your original report was plagiarized (actually, this means you will already have determined your final grade of E).
2. You may not submit your report for a re-regrade.
3. No other laboratory reports will be accepted for regrades.
4. The regrade will count as your grade for the lab even if you score lower than you did originally.
5. If you are assessed any late penalties on your original report, these will be applied to the regrade.
6. You must submit the original lab report with your rewritten report and submit an electronic copy of the rewritten report.
7. The regrade is due no later than 5 PM a week after you receive your graded report.

Why the opportunity for a regrade on the first report? Because I will personally grade every little tiny nitpicking detail to show you exactly what you need to improve. Your report will be handed back to you with enough red ink to cover the national debt. You'll be shown what is OK, what needs expansion and what can be trimmed. This not only helps you get your first report in order, it ensures that your future reports are everything they should be.

Late Penalties

Laboratory reports are due at the times indicated on the class experiment schedule. If unforeseen difficulties arise or excused absences are incurred, an extension may be granted by the instructor of the course (not the TA's). Such extensions must be requested at least two days before the lab report is due. You must fill out a written request for an extension and talk to me personally.

The following grading penalties will be applied to late laboratory reports:

# of days late	Penalty
1 or less	10%
1-2	20%
2-3	35%
3-4	50%
4-5	70%
more than 5	90%

For example, a report turned in 48 hours late receives a 20% penalty, but one turned in 50 hours late receives a 35% penalty.

NOTE: Penalties accrue over weekends and holidays. A report due on Friday at 1 PM that is turned in on Monday at 8 AM will be assessed a 35% late penalty!

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