Laboratory Reports

Frequently, you will be asked to write and submit a report that summarizes an experiment you have performed. This report is due at the beginning of the next lab session (unless you hear otherwise from the lab instructor). Be sure you have performed any melting points, weighings, and/or theoretical yield calculations and recorded these results in your report before the report is due.

All Reports are to be turned in on 8" × 11½" paper and in the following format:

1. Title: a brief title of the experiment
2. Reaction: basic reaction and mechanism if appropriate
3. Procedure: Do not copy from the book! Instead cite the lab book and list appropriate pages.
4. Alterations: Describe anything that is different from the procedure in the lab book.
5. Data: List all data clearly and neatly in table form . (Remember to give melting point ranges!)
6. Calculations: Show at least one sample calculation of each type required. Present all graphs in this section neatly including titles, axis labels, reasonable axis limits, etc. Outline both theoretical and percent yield calculations for all synthesis experiments.
7. Comments: Describe any problems you may have encountered along with any explanations or improvements you could make to improve your results. What did you observe that was interesting or unusual? Discuss the results of your attached G.C. or IR spectra (Label peaks where appropriate.) Compare your BP or MP to literature values Fractional distillation: Compare and contrast simple distillation and fractional distillation. How are they alike/different? When would one technique be preferred over the other? What are the limitations of each technique? etc....