Click on the experiment title to download the prelab and instructions as a pdf.
 

Date (Week of)	Experiment Title	Points
September 5	Check-in and Laboratory Safety
September 12	Measurements of Mass, Volume and Density	20
September 19	Properties of Hydrates	20
September 26	Determining the Empirical Formula of an Oxide	20
October 3	Ionic Reactions in Aqueous Solution	20
October 10	Exploring Acid-Base Reactions
October 17	Exploring Acid-Base Reactions (Continued)	20
Note:	You need your carbon copy notebook for the week of October 24
October 24	Working with the Ideal Gas Law	20
	Formal Written Lab Report for this experiment
October 31	Thermochemistry and Hess's Law	20
	Graphing assignment for Hess's Law data
November 7	Synthesis and Analysis of a Coordination Compound
	Graphing assignment for Hess's Law data due	10
	Formal Written Lab Report Due	30
November 14	Synthesis and Analysis of a Coordination Compound (Continued)
November 21	No Lab
November 26	Synthesis and Analysis of a Coordination Compound (Continued)	30
	Formal Written Lab Reports Returned
December 5	Check-out
	Rewrites on Formal Written Lab Report Due

Policies:

Lab Safety: All students must wear goggles in the laboratory at all times.  Each time it is necessary for the instructor to remind a student of this, two points will be deducted from you lab courtesy points.  If all of your courtesy points are used up, then deductions will be from your lab reports.  If you refuse to put your goggles on, then you will be asked to leave the laboratory with a score of zero for that particular lab.  You must dress appropriately.  This means no open toed shoes, sandals or shorts/skirts unless wearing a lab coat.  Long hair must be tied back.

Prelabs:  At the start of each lab you will be required to hand in a prelab assignment.  It will cover material that you are going to have to know for that particular experiment.  Each prelab is worth 10 points and there will be a total of 8 prelabs handed in.  For labs that last two or three weeks, only one prelab is handed in the first week.

Lab Reports: You are expected to download and read the day's experiment before you come to the lab.  All data should first be recorded in the appropriate pages of your laboratory manual.  Each lab report is to be handed in at the end of the lab period.  This will enable you to ask questions since your instructor will be present.  In the case of experiments that last more than one week, you must show your data sheet with all of your calculations up to that point to your instructor.  In experiments where you work in pairs, each student must submit separate lab reports.  This does not mean two copies of the same report, it means doing your own work.  Lab reports will be graded on experimental technique, quality of results, treatment of data and overall quality of work.  Any labs that are missed must be made up during that week or by special arrangement with the instructor.  Any lab not made up within the allotted time will be recorded as a score of zero.  There are 20 points for lab courtesy.  This includes safety awareness as well as behavior in the laboratory, which includes arriving to lab on time and being prepared for lab.

Quizzes: There will be a quiz at the beginning of each laboratory session with the exception of the first week of experiments.  They will be worth 10 points each and will cover material from the laboratory experiment performed the previous week.  If you are late for a quiz, you may not make it up at any other time.

Graphing Assignment:  You will be asked to graph your data for the Hess's Law experiment using any computer software of your choice.  It should be noted that most students use Excel.  The assignment will be due the week after the Hess's Law lab is performed.  This assignment is worth 10 points.

Formal Written Lab Report:   You will be required to write a formal lab report for one of the laboratory experiments that you perform.  Your lab report will be typed and instructions on the procedures for writing your formal lab report is at the end of this syllabus and also available on the website.  If you receive an unsatisfactory grade on your lab report, you may rewrite it to receive up to one third of the points you missed.  When you hand in your rewrite for your formal written lab report, you must also hand in your original report as well.
Detailed description of the laboratory notebook and the formal written lab report are given here.

NOTE:  At a certain time in the semester (week of Oct 24th) you will no longer be filling in blanks of results sheets but start recording you prelab questions, data, observations and any post lab questions in a carbon copy notebook.  This will start with the last three experiments and is noted on the first page of your syllabus.

Grading:
 

Laboratory reports	170
Prelabs	80
Quizzes	100
Graphing Assignment	10
Formal Written Lab Report	30
Lab Courtesy	20
Total	410

Grades:
 

A	100 - 93%
A-	90 - 92%
B+	87 - 89%
B	83 - 86%
B-	80 - 82%
C+	77 - 79%
C	70 - 76%
D	60 - 69%
F	0 - 59%

Comments:

1.  Always be on time for lab.  Constant tardiness will not be tolerated.

2.  Do not be afraid to ask questions, that is what your instructor is there for.   You could also be saving everyone from a potential disaster.  ONE EXCEPTION IS THAT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRELABS ONCE YOU HAVE ENTERED THE LABORATORY FOR CLASS.

3.  Proven cases of academic dishonesty will result in an F for the course.  This includes being caught having old quizzes and lab reports from previous semesters in your possession in the laboratory.

4.  If you miss a laboratory class, you must have a university approved excuse.  You are also required to show documentation to your instructor supporting your excuse.  Failure to do either one of these will result in your not being able to make up the missed laboratory experiment.

5.  Penn State Erie puts a very high value on academic integrity, and violations     are not tolerated.  Academic integrity is one of Penn State's four principles to which all students must abide.  Any violation of academic integrity will receive academic and possible disciplinary sanctions, including the possible awarding of an XF grade which is recorded on the transcript and states that failure of the course was due to an act of academic dishonesty.  All acts of academic dishonest are recorded so repeat offenders can be sanctioned accordingly.  More information on academic integrity can be found at: www.pserie.psu.edu/faculty/academics/integrity.htm.

6.  Failure to check out will result in a lowering of one letter grade for the course.