Course Overview I
   • Why do students take chemistry labs?
    • Most lecture courses provide a theoretical background 
     in general and in organic chemistry but usually do not consider 
     much many of the practical aspects of an experiment. 
    • Conducting an experiment in lab is often times much 
     more complicated than chemistry conducted on paper because 
     many details have a significant impact on the overall outcome 
     of the experiment.
    • Performing an actual experiment in the lab is a learning 
     experience on how to combine many theoretical and practical 
     aspects together (i.e., theory of the reaction, 
     Le Châtelier Principle, polarity, acidity, kinetics, etc.).
          Course Overview II
   • Titration of an Unknown Amino Acid 
   • Determination of Iron in Vitamin 
   • Extraction of Caffeine from Tea
   • Titrimetric Analysis of Vitamin C 
   • Isolation of Chlorophyll and Carotenoid (Pigments from Spinach) using 
    Column Chromatography
   • Aldol condensation 
   • Oxidation of Borneol to Camphor 
   • Distillation and Gas Chromatography
   • Molecular Modeling  
   • Infrared Spectroscopy
   • 13
    C NMR and DEPT Spectroscopy 
                     Administrative Issues
      •  Make sure that you arrive on time to your first in-lab meeting 
         because if you are more than 15 minutes late, you will lose 
         your spot in the course. Lame excuses do not count later on 
         i.e., “I did not think that the lab meets during week 1” or 
         “I did not find the lab”! 
      •  Wait-listed students will be accommodated if spaces become 
         available during the first meeting of the section only: priority 
         will be given based on seniority.
      •  We are not able to accommodate extension students this quarter.
      •  If the student is added to the roster, the instructor will report 
         the student to the department to been enrolled (usually at the 
         end of the first week and not on the same day!).
                            Textbooks/Readers
       •   Required Texts
            •                                                nd
               Chemistry Experiments for Life Science Majors (2  edition) by A.A. Russell, Burgess 
               Publishing (from 14BL) 
            •                                   th
               Techniques in Organic Chemistry (4  edition) by Mohrig, Alberg, Hofmeister, Schatz and 
               Hammond (from 14BL) 
            •  Laboratory notebook with duplicate carbon copies (from 14BL, available from the 
               Undergraduate Chemistry Fraternity - AXE - Young Hall 1275 and the student store)
       •    Recommended Texts
            •  14 CL Practice Problems and Exam Collection (Spring 2016, 3rd edition, $20) by 
               A. Bacher available from Course Reader Material (1081 Westwood Boulevard)
            •  Peter Atkins, Loretta Jones, Chemical Principles – The Quest for Insight (5th edition) 
               (or any other equivalent general chemistry text)
            •                                   th
               W. H. Brown, Organic Chemistry (7  edition) (or any other similar text)
            •  Mohrig et al., Techniques in Organic Chemistry (online: $47.99 for a 180 day 
               subscription via coursesmart), most students usually have a copy already if they 
               were enrolled in Chem 14BL recently
                Preparation for In-lab Meeting 
        •    To complete the laboratory work on time the student must prepare for the period’s assignment 
             before his/her laboratory section meets. The course is impacted; there is neither make-up 
             time in the course nor space for the student to work in other sections.
        •    Pre-lab: title, purpose, introduction, balanced chemical equations, detailed procedure, 
             safety information of all chemicals used (review the MSDS for each compound used 
             in the experiment), spectroscopic information (a Xerox copy is preferable)
        •    In preparation for the lab, the student should first study the pertinent sections in the text, 
             review the lecture notes pertaining to the experiment, then view (and possibly review) 
             the appropriate videotapes for any new techniques to be used in the experiment
        •    If the student still has questions relating to the experimental details, s/he should consult a 
             teaching assistant or the course instructor to clarify the procedure. The handout will not be 
             helpful if the student does not understand the material.
        •    Pre-labs are due at the beginning of the lab period. Late pre-lab work will count as ZERO. 
        •    The student will not be allowed to perform an experiment without providing a pre-lab. 
        •    The duplicate copy of the in-lab data is to be turned in to the T.A. at the end of the lab period.