CHM 3410L, Section 1

Physical Chemistry I Laboratory

Fall Semester 2018

Time and location: M 9-11:50, CP 375

Text: Laboratory Manual will be provided by the Instructor. A $5 fee will be charged to recover copying costs. Further reading (not required): Experiments in Physical Chemistry, 7th or 8^th Eds., D.P. Shoemaker, C.W. Garland, and J.W. Nibler (McGraw-Hill: New York, 2002)

Supervisor: Dr. Mebel, CP 332, 305-348-1945, mebela@fiu.edu

Webpage: http://faculty.fiu.edu/~mebela

Office hours: MW 3:00 - 5:00 pm or by appointment.

Instructor: Elizabeth Stewart, estew013@fiu.edu

Office hours: CP 378, Tu 1 - 2 pm

Corequisites: Physical Chemistry I (CHM 3410)

Prerequisites: Quantitative Analysis (CHM 3120 and 3120L).

Grading and Lab Reports: The course grade will be based primarily (90%) on the lab reports, and to a smaller extent (10%) on laboratory notebooks.  Three factors are important in the lab reports: completeness of the error analysis, quality of the discussion, and quality of the data.  A sample lab report can be found in the text.  A lab report should include all of the following sections: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, and Discussion.  In the Methods section, there is no need to repeat a description in the text; it is sufficient to cite the text in a footnote.  Each experiment in the text has sections entitled Calculations and Discussion.  You should perform all calculations described in the Calculations section unless otherwise instructed.  Your Discussion section should address (but not be limited to) all questions suggested in the text Discussion section unless otherwise instructed.  If you have questions regarding matters for calculation or discussion, see the instructor.  You are encouraged to discuss the lab and perform calculations with your partners, but all reports must be written independently.  Late reports will be subject to a reduction of one third of a letter grade for each day or fraction of a day they are late (weekends will count as one day). Note that all five reports must be turned in to receive a passing grade.

The grading criteria for lab reports are:

A  Clear, complete, and correct results, error analysis, and answers to all Discussion questions; clarity in writing.

B  Minor errors in calculations and error analysis, confusion with some Discussion questions.

C  Major errors in calculations,  incomplete error analysis, incomplete Discussion.

D  Confused approach, missing error analysis, missing or trivial Discussion.

F  Completely inadequate.

Lab Notebooks: Each student is expected to purchase a laboratory notebook, in which all data will be recorded.  Loose leaf binders are not recommended, and loose sheets of paper are unacceptable.  Lab notebooks will be inspected after the last lab and graded as acceptable (check) or deficient (check minus).  Extended discussions and calculations are not expected in notebooks, but the data should be recorded clearly and completely.  Students will not be permitted to begin work on the first experiment without a notebook.

Experiments:  A total of six experiments will be performed.  The first two prepare one for research in physical chemistry and are not experiments per se:  (1) a problem set to introduce the kind of error analysis expected in laboratory reports, and (2) a literature search to be done in the library.  The last four experiments will be performed in the laboratory.  Two weeks are allowed for carrying out each of these, but usually only one will be needed.  Reports are due by 5 P.M. one week after the last date assigned for a lab as per the table below.  You may give reports to me or the TA in lab or have them stamped by the Department secretary and leave the in my or TA’s mailbox in CP 304.

The overall schedule is shown below.  In-lab experiments do not start until Sep. 24 in order to allow you to cover concepts in the lecture class first.  One class session will introduce the in-lab experiments (Sep. 17).  You will be assigned to groups of two-three for these labs, and groups will rotate through them, so that each group will perform a different experiment on a given date.  Two class sessions are set aside for each in-lab experiment.  Usually one will be sufficient, but the second is available if you need more time.  The groups and schedule will be assigned on Sep. 17.

Tentative Schedule

Date	Experiment	Source	Due Date
8/20	Introduction	Syllabus
8/27	Literature Search	Lab Manual	9/10
9/10	Error Analysis	Lab Manual	9/24
9/17	Intro. to Expts.
9/24	Rotation #1	Lab Manual	10/8
10/1	--continue--
10/8	Rotation #2	Lab Manual	10/22
10/15	--continue--
10/22	Rotation #3	Lab Manual	11/5
10/29	--continue
11/5	Rotation #4	Lab Manual	11/26
11/19	--continue

Rotations 1-4 will each be one of the following experiments:

Heat Capacity Ratios of Gases

Heats of Combustion

Vapor Pressure of a Pure Liquid

Mutorotation of Glucose

Rotations

Sep. 24, Oct. 1:	Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4	Heat Capacity Ratios Heats of Combustion Vapor Pressure Mutorotation of Glucose
Oct. 8, 15:	Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4	Heats of Combustion Vapor Pressure Mutorotation of Glucose Heat Capacity Ratios
Oct. 22, 29:	Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4	Vapor Pressure Mutorotation of Glucose Heat Capacity Ratios Heats of Combustion
Nov. 5, 19:	Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 4	Mutorotation of Glucose Heat Capacity Ratios Heats of Combustion Vapor Pressure

Important dates: 08/27 - last day of early drop, 10/29 - last day of late drop.