Organic Chemistry Laboratory

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Understand the common safety issues and hazards associated with organic chemicals and running organic chemistry experiments.
• Know how to find appropriate safety and physical data about known organic compounds.
• Learn how to keep reproducible experimental records in accordance with expected local standards.
• Be able to determine melting points and acquire IR spectra.
• Be able to successfully recrystallize and isolate organic compounds using simple or binary solvent systems.
• Be able to set-up simple and fractional distillations.
• Understand the basic process of running organic synthesis experiments. Plan, execute, workup, purify and analyze.
• Be able to summarize laboratory work in a formal report that includes an introduction with literature references and uses Chemdraw to draw clean structures in the ACS 1996 format.
• Be able to complete one or two step organic reactions in a timely manner. Be able to determine a reasonable work-up and purification approach to isolate a reaction product.
• Be able to calculate theoretical and experimental yields. Be able to speculate on reasons for poor reaction yields.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Homework, course assignments, lab reports and pre-lab assignments and quizzes	90%
Lab Performance	10%

Grading Scale for the Course

Percentage	Letter Grade
92-100%	A
90.5-91.9%	A–
89-90.4%	B+
82-88.9%	B
80.5-81.9%	B–
79-80.4%	C+
72-78.9%	C
70.5-71.9%	C–
69-70.4%	D+
62-68.9%	D
60-61.9%	D–
< 60%	F

Attendance/Participation:

Attendance is required for all labs. We schedule to make-up labs during the regular class hours for missed labs. Unexcused labs will receive a score of zero points.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

• A basic composition notebook. These are typically on sale everywhere before the fall term. Cost: ~ 2 dollars or less.
• Why Does Asparagus Make Your Pee Smell? Fascinating Food Trivia Explained with Science / Andy Brunning (Softcover, ~ $15) Or access for free through the library. You can read the book online. https://login.libproxy.uncg.edu/login?url=http://www.uncg.eblib.com/EBLWeb/patron/?target=patron&extendedid=P_4419847_0
• Safety Goggles (buy from the bookstore or online)