Department of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education

JWT 115 CHEMISTRY PRACTICAL GUIDE

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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1
1.1 Attendance ........................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Lab Preparatory Tasks ....................................................................................................... 1
1.3 The Practical Activity ......................................................................................................... 2
1.4 Practical Report .................................................................................................................. 2

2.0 Practical 1- Flame tests ...................................................................................................3

3.0 Practical 2 – Heating curve of water ................................................................................4
4.0 Practical 3 – Conservation of matter ................................................................................7
5.0 Practical 4 – Acids and Bases ......................................................................................... 10
Finding Out How Much Acetic Acid is in Vinegar. ...................................................................10
How to do the titration: ................................................................................................................11

6.0 Practical 5 – Galvanic cells Zinc-Copper Cell ................................................................... 13

7.0 Practical 6 - Organic chemistry- melting and boiling points............................................ 15
Appendix A: Pre-Laboratory Task............................................................................................. 17
Theory of the Practical Work .......................................................................................................18
List of apparatus ...........................................................................................................................18
Safety Precautions ........................................................................................................................18
Flow diagrams ...............................................................................................................................19
Pre-Laboratory rubric ...................................................................................................................20
Rubric scoring During Lab practical ..........................................................................................20

Appendix B: laboratory safety rules ......................................................................................... 21

Appendix C: Practical Report Template .................................................................................... 23
Introduction....................................................................................................................................23
Experimental Procedures ............................................................................................................23

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1.0 Introduction

Practical work is divided into three components: i) Pre-laboratory task (10 marks); ii)
During the practical and iii) post-laboratory task. All three tasks are compulsory, the first
task always has 10 marks and it is written before doing the practical work in the laboratory.
The second part is the practical work itself and you will be scored by the teaching assistant
during the tasks and experiments in the laboratory. The last part is the writing of the
practical report which will be handed to the teaching assistant a week after doing the
practical.

1.1 Attendance

Practical work sessions are scheduled every fortnight from the beginning of the semester.
All sessions are compulsory and no opportunity will be given for any absenteeism unless
evidence of an authentic doctor’s note is produced.

1.2 Lab Preparatory Tasks

All students are required to complete the pre-laboratory task (Appendix A) for each
practical before being allowed in the laboratory. The tasks should be handed to the
teaching assistant in your laboratory venue. No pre-laboratory task NO ENTRANCE into
the laboratory venue.

The Pre-laboratory work should be arranged according to the template that you find on
ClickUp under Laboratory resources. The structure of the template is as follows:

a) Completed cover page;

b) The theory behind the practical (250 words);
c) List of apparatus;
a. Flow diagrams showing the planned steps to be followed when doing the practical
work from start to finish. Use of diagrams and presentations of apparatus should be
used extensively;
d) Safety considerations are to be taken during the practical work. The safety
precautions should be specific to the experiment chemical and apparatus that you will
be handling.

Print, complete the report and bring it to the laboratory.

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1.3 The Practical Activity

There are six practical activities contained in this guide. You are required to familiarise
yourself with these experiments through research before coming to the laboratory and by
completing a pre-laboratory task. You will do the experiments in groups and you are
expected to be an active participant in your group as you will be scored by your TA using a
rubric that is at the end of your pre-laboratory task. Please, read and understand the
laboratory safety rules (Appendix B) whose soft copy you can find on ClickUp under
Laboratory resources.

1.4 Practical Report

A laboratory report is a written document that explains and analyses a practical work that
involves a scientific concept. It outlines a practical work's goal, techniques, results,
discussions, and conclusions. The main objective of the report is to demonstrate your
understanding of the processes of the scientific method by executing and assessing a
hands-on practical activity. Since parts of the report have been covered in your pre-
laboratory task there is no reason to include them in the practical laboratory report. Follow
the practical report template as shown in Appendix C. You end your report by answering
the questions that are asked in each practical activity.

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 2.0 Practical 1- Flame tests

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Aim: To determine what colour a metal cation will cause a flame to be.

Apparatus:

• Watch glass • Metal salts (e.g. NaCl, CuCl2, CaCl2,

KCl, etc.)
• Bunsen burner
• Metal powders (e.g. copper,
• Methanol magnesium, zinc, iron, etc.)
• Toothpicks (or skewer sticks)
Warning:

Be careful when working with Bunsen burners as you can easily burn yourself. Make sure
all scarves/loose clothing are securely tucked in and long hair is tied back. Ensurethat you
work in a well-ventilated space and that there is nothing flammable near the open flame.

Method: For each salt or powder do the following:

1. Dip a clean toothpick into the methanol
2. Dip the toothpick into the salt or powder
3. Wave the toothpick through the flame from the Bunsen burner. DO NOT hold the
toothpick in the flame, but rather wave it back and forth through the flame.
4. Observe what happens

Results: Record your results in a table, listing the metal salt and the colour of the
flame.
Metal Salts Colour Metal Powder Colour
NaCl Copper

CuCl2 Magnesium

CaCl2 Zinc

KCl Iron

Discussion

The above experiment on flame tests relates to the line emission spectra of the metals.

Question

What is the significance of the line emission spectra in the experiment on a flame test

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3.0 Practical 2 – Heating curve of water

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Aim: To investigate the heating curve of water.

Method:

1. Place some ice in a beaker.

2. Measure the temperature of the ice for 2 minutes and record it as your initial
temperature when time is zero.
3. Heat the ice and record the temperature after every 30 seconds.
4. Continue heating until it boils. Measure and record the temperature.

Warning: Be careful when handling the beaker of hot water. Do not touch thebeaker
with your hands, you will burn yourself.

Results:

1. Record your results in the following table:

Heating of ice
Time (s) Temperature (oC) Time (s) Temperature (oC)
1 16
2 17
3 18
4 19
5 20
6 21
7 22
8 23
9 24
10 25
11 26
12 27
13 28
14 29
15 30

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2. Plot the graph of the heating curve water.

Answer the following questions for your discussion.

3.1 What is an important observation in the heating curve of water. (2)

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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3.2 Explain the observation above. (2)

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4.1 Name the process in which matter change from solid to liquid. (1)
_________________________________________________

4.2 Name the process in which matter change from liquid to solid. (1)
____________________________________________________

4.3 Why does water never reach 100°C when boiling?

__________________________________________________________ (1)

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 4.0 Practical 3 – Conservation of matter

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Aim: To prove the law of conservation of matter experimentally.

Warning: Always be careful when handling chemicals (particularly strong acids like
hydrochloricacid) as you can burn yourself badly.

Materials:

Reaction 1:

3 beakers; silver nitrate; sodium iodide; mass meter (digital scale)

Reaction 2:

Hydrochloric acid; bromothymol blue; sodium hydroxide solution; mass meter

Reaction 3:

Any effervescent tablet (e.g. Cal-C-Vita tablet), balloon; rubber band; mass meter;Test
tube; beaker

Method:

Reaction 1

1. Solution 1: In one of the beakers dissolve 5 g of silver nitrate in 100ml of water.

2. Solution 2: In a second beaker, dissolve 4.5 g of sodium iodide in100 ml of water.

3. Determine the mass of each of the reactants.

4. Add solution 1 to solution 2. What do you observe? Has a chemical reaction taken
place?
5. Determine the mass of the products.
6. What do you notice about the masses?
7. Write a balanced equation for this reaction.

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Reaction 2:

1. Solution 1: Dissolve 0.4 g of sodium hydroxide in 100 ml of water. Add a few dropsof
bromothymol blue indicator to the solution.

2. Solution 2: Measure 100 ml of 0, 1 M hydrochloric acid

solution into a second beaker.

3. Determine the mass of the reactants.

4. Add small quantities of solution 2 to solution 1 (you can usea

plastic pipette for this) until a colour change has taken place.
Has a chemical reaction taken place?

5. Determine the mass of hydrochloric acid added. (You do this by weighing the
remaining solution and subtracting this from the starting mass)

6. Compare the mass before the reaction to the total mass after the reaction. What doyou
notice?

7. Write a balanced equation for this reaction.

Reaction 3

1. Half fill a large test tube with water.

2. Determine the mass of the test tube and water.
3. Break an effervescent tablet in two or three pieces and
place them in a balloon.
4. Determine the mass of the balloon and tablet.

5. Fit the balloon tightly to the test tube, being careful to not drop the contents into the
water. You can stand the test tube in a beaker to help you do this.

6. Determine the total mass of the test tube and balloon.

7. Lift the balloon so that the tablet goes into the water.

What do you observe? Has a chemical reaction taken place?

8. Determine the mass of the test tube balloon combination.

9. What do you observe about the masses before and after the reaction?

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Results: Fill in the following table for the total mass of reactants (starting materials)and

products (ending materials).

Reaction 1 Reaction 2 Reaction 3

Reactants

Products

Add the masses for the reactants for each reaction. Do the same for the products.For each

reaction compare the mass of the reactants to the mass of the products.What do you notice?

Is the mass conserved?

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 5.0 Practical 4 – Acids and Bases
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Titration is the name given to the procedure when an acid is reacted with a base to determine
the concentration of either the base or the acid.

Experiment: The skill you will encounter in this experiment is how to manipulate a burette
during titration. You will have to work the tap with your left hand while swirling the contents
of a conical flask with your right hand

Finding Out How Much Acetic Acid is in Vinegar.

Acetic acid (CH3CO2H(aq)) is the acid present in vinegar. In this part you will titrate acetic
acid against a standard solution of sodium hydroxide to find the concentration of acetic acid
in vinegar. Work in pairs. Do a rough plus at least three other titrations, swopping roles so
that you each get a chance to perform every operation. Combine your results and use the
average of the two readings for the final calculation.

Preparing the vinegar solution:

Measure off about 50 mL of vinegar in a clean measuring cylinder.

Transfer the vinegar quantitatively to a 250 mL volumetric flask. (This means that you must
transfer every drop of the vinegar to a 250 mL volumetric flask.) To do this, add a little
distilled water to the vinegar in the measuring cylinder and swirl it around to mix. Put a glass
funnel into the neck of the volumetric flask and pour the solution in the measuring cylinder
through the funnel into the volumetric flask. Use your wash bottle to rinse the measuring
cylinder thoroughly so that the washings go into the funnel. Finally rinse the inside of the
funnel to make sure that any vinegar sticking to the inside of the funnel also goes into the
volumetric flask. Now carefully add distilled water up to the mark, put the stopper on and
gently turn the flask upside down a few times to make sure the contents are well mixed.

Getting the burette ready:

In a clean, dry beaker collect about 200 mL of the standardised approximately 0.2 mol L-1
solution of NaOH which has already been prepared. Use some of this solution to rinse out
your burette including the tap. (Pour this rinsing down the sink.) Now fill your burette with
the standard NaOH solution, make sure the tap is full and make a note of the burette reading.
You are now ready to perform the titration.

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How to do the titration:

Transfer your vinegar solution from the volumetric flask to a clean 250 ml beaker. Use a
pipette to transfer 20.00 mL of the vinegar solution from the volumetric flask to a clean 250
mL conical flask. Add two drops of Phenolphthalein indicator. You must now titrate the
vinegar solution in the conical flask with the sodium hydroxide in the burette, swirling the
flask all the time with your right hand.

You will be able to add NaOH fairly fast at first until you notice that the colourless colour
changes light pink and does not disappear immediately. Now continue adding the base drop
by drop until the light pink colour just remains. This is the end point. If the solution turns
pink, you have added too much NaOH and there is nothing you can do to fix it! Take the
burette reading at the end point and record it.

Repeat the titration at least three times and clean up before doing any calculations.
IMPORTANT: rinse the burette out very well with tap water to remove all traces of NaOH(aq)
or else the next person using it will encounter problems with the tap sticking.

Now present the results of your titrations in a table similar to the one below.

Titre 1 2 3

Final Burette reading

at the end point/mL

Initial Burette reading

at the start/mL

Vol of base added/mL

(6)

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Questions to be answered individually.

(i) Calculate the average volume of base used. (2)

(ii) Write a balanced equation representing the reaction between acetic acid and sodium
hydroxide. (3)
(iii) Calculate the number of moles of NaOH in the average volume of NaOH used.
(3)
(iv) Determine the number of moles of acetic acid that reacted with NaOH (2)
(v) Calculate the concentration of acetic acid that reacted with NaOH. (4)
(vi) Calculate the concentration of acetic acid in 250 ml volumetric flask (3)
(vii) Determine the concentration of acetic acid in 20 ml of vinegar. (3)
(viii) Explain under what conditions a strong acid and a weak acid can have the same pH.
(2)
(ix) Can a base and an acid also sometimes have the same pH? Explain. (2)

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 6.0 Practical 5 – Galvanic cells Zinc-Copper Cell

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Aim:

To investigate the potential difference of Zn/Cu cell at room temperature

MATERIALS:

• Two 250 ml beakers

• Cotton wool
• Copper sulphate solution
• Copper electrode
• Zinc sulphate solution
• Zinc electrode
• Concentrated sodium sulphate or
sodium chloride solution • Insulated copper connecting wires with
crocodile clips
• Salt bridge made with a U tube (this can
• LED bulb
be made from a plastic tube which is bent)
or filter paper soaked in the salt bridge • Ammeter
solution

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pour about 200 ml of the zinc sulphate solution into a beaker and put the zinc electrode
into the solution.
1. Pour about 200 ml of the copper sulphate solution into the second beaker and placethe
copper electrode into the solution.
2. Fill the U-tube with the sodium sulphate solution and seal the ends of the tubes withthe
cotton wool. This will stop the solution from flowing out when the U-tube is turnedupside down.
3. Connect the zinc and copper electrodes to the ammeter. Does the ammeter recorda
reading?
4. Place the U-tube so that one end is in the copper sulphate solution and the other end is
in the zinc sulphate solution, as shown in the diagram.

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Is there a reading on the ammeter?
5. Remove the ammeter and insert the LED bulb in the circuit. Does it glow?If not, try
connecting a few cells in series until the LED lights up.
6. Observe what is happening at the copper electrode and at the zinc electrode.

In the last activity, we demonstrated a zinc-copper cell. This is made up of a zinc half-cell
and a copper half-cell. Together, they make up the whole cell. The purpose of the U-tube
is to connect the two half cells. It is called the salt bridge.

TAKE NOTE: You can also use a voltmeter to measure the potential difference
across the cell. The voltmeter will replace the ammeter and LED light.

How do we explain the chemical reactions taking place in the zinc-copper cell?

When a zinc sulphate solution containing a zinc plate is connected by a U-tube to a copper
sulphate solution containing a copper plate, reactions occur in both solutions.
• At the zinc electrode, the zinc metal has gone into the zinc sulphate solution as zincions.
• At the copper electrode, copper ions from the solution have deposited onto the
electrode as copper metal atoms.
In the zinc-copper cell the important thing to notice is that the chemical reactions thattake
place at the two electrodes cause an electric current to flow through the outer circuit. In this
type of cell, chemical energy is converted to electrical energy.
As we have said before, an electric battery used in appliances such as a torch consistsof two
or more electric cells connected. There are many different battery celltypes such as zinc-
carbon, nickel-cadmium, and nickel-zinc batteries.

QUESTIONS:

1. What did you notice on the ammeter (or voltmeter) when you connected the circuitwith
the U-tube?
2. What does the ammeter reading tell us?

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 7.0 Practical 6 - Organic chemistry- melting and boiling points

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Aim:

To investigate the relationship between boiling points and intermolecular forces

Apparatus:

Butan-1-ol (CH2(OH)CH2CH2CH3), propanoic acid (CH3CH2COOH) and ethyl

methanoate (HCOOCH2CH3), cooking oil
Three test tubes, a beaker, a thermometer, a hot plate

Method:

WARNING!

Ethyl methanoate can irritate your eyes, skin, nose and lungs. Keep open flames
away from your experiment and make sure you work in a well ventilated area.

1. Label the test tubes 1, 2 and 3. Place 20 ml of butan-1-ol into test tube 1, 20 ml of
propanoic acid into test tube 2, and 20 ml of ethyl methanoate into test tube 3.

2. Half-fill the beaker with cooking oil and place it on the hot plate.
3. Place the thermometer and the three test tubesin the beaker.
4. Make a note of the temperature when eachsubstance starts to boil.

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Results:

Fill in the gaps in the table below. Do the values you obtained match those reported in
literature?

Compound Ethyl methanoate Butan-1-ol Propanoic acid

Molecular formula

Molecular mass

Type of

intermolecular
forces

Literature boiling

point (oC)

Experimental 54 118 141

boiling point (oC)

Draw the structural representation of ethyl methanoate, butan-1-ol and propanoic acid.

Discussion and conclusion:

You should have found that the ethyl methanoate boiled first, then the butan-1- ol and then
the propanoic acid.
Ethyl methanoate has some dipole-dipole interactions but cannot form a hydrogen bond.
The alcohol (butan-1-ol) can form hydrogen bonds and so has a higher boiling point. This
strong intermolecularforce needs more energy to break and so the boiling point is higher.

For propanoic acid hydrogen bonds form between the carbonyl group on one acid andthe
hydroxyl group on another. This means that each molecule of propanoic acid canbe part of
two hydrogen bonds (this is called dimerisation, see Figure 4.57) and so theboiling point is
even higher for propanoic acid than for butan-1-ol.

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 Appendix A: Pre-Laboratory Task

Department of Science, Mathematics and

Technology Education
LABORATORY REPORT COVER PAGE

Experiment: _______________________________________________Date: ___________

Student Name: ______________________________________ Student No.: ____________

Course name: _______________________________________ Course Code: ____________

Teaching Assistance: _______________________________ Lab N0.: __________________

Lecturer: __________________________________

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Theory of the Practical Work
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

List of apparatus
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Safety Precautions
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

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Flow diagrams

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 Pre-Laboratory rubric

Criteria 0 1 2 3 Comments by
Tutor

Theory Imprecise or incomplete Generally clear structure Effective theory that

communication of ideas & and communication, but displays some
little or no demonstration with limited demonstration originality & some
of reasoning skills and the of reasoning skills and/ reasoning skills, to
information is not related the information is related related to the practical
to the practical work to the practical work work.

List of Some apparatus are listed All apparatus are listed

apparatus

Safety Lab Safety assessment is Lab Safety assessment is

Precautions original and assesses key original, assesses key
safety topics, but is not safety topics, and is
Not attempted

particularly creative or creatively presented.

engaging for students. Protocols for chemical
Chemical use, storage, use, storage, and disposal
and disposal are present, are present and are
are written but are written with thorough
missing some detail. detail.

Flow Student completed some Logical sequence was Evidence that the
diagrams of the steps of the lab, but followed, but missing procedures were
not in order. steps. The flow diagram followed completely
Flow diagram does not used is incomplete and and in logical
show a logic sequence. distracting. sequence.
The flow diagram is
complete with no steps
missing.

Rubric scoring During Lab practical

Criteria Exceeds (4) Good (3) Fair (2) Poor(1) None (0)
Following a
sequence of Can complete
Accurately following instructions an experiment Able to follow a Unable to follow a
a sequence of including by following a single written, single written,
written/verbal branched sequence of diagrammatic, or diagrammatic, or
instructions instructions. instructions. verbal instruction. verbal instruction.
Manipulative skills Able to use all
include correct and apparatus and Use most of the
safety handling of materials apparatus and Able to use only
apparatus and correctly and materials the most basic Unable to use
materials. safely. safely. equipment. basic equipment
May need some Needs Dependent on the
Does not need assistance from assistance from student
assistance from the teacher to the teacher to Needs assistance assistance to the
Technical Problem the teacher to get experiment get experiment from the teacher to whole practical
solving experiment. started. started. do the experiment. work.

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Appendix B: laboratory safety rules

It is critical that you prepare for each experiment by reading it carefully before entering
the laboratory. Not only will this ensure that you get the maximum benefit of the
experience, but it also makes for a safer environment in the laboratory. This is important
not only for your own safety but also for those around you. A number of policies have
been developed in order to make sure that the laboratory is safe and that it runs
smoothly. In each experiment specific hazards are indicated by bold type and
procedures are described that must be adhered to. Accidents commonly occur when the
following rules are not followed.

The following rules are designed for your safety in the laboratory. The Laboratory
Instructor (LI) is required to enforce these rules and has the full backing of the Division
and Faculty. The LI is also required to enforce all laboratory experiment-specific safety
procedures in carrying out the laboratory work. Violations of these rules will result in
expulsion from the laboratory.

1. No one is allowed in the laboratory without the supervision of a LI. No laboratory work
will be done without supervision. Perform only authorized experiments, and only in the
manner instructed. DO NOT alter experimental procedures, except as instructed.

2. Approved safety glasses must be worn by all persons at all times and they may not be
modified in any manner. NO SAFETY GLASSES NO ENTRY INTO THE
LABORATORY!

3. Closed-toe, closed-heel shoes must be worn at all times.

4. Lab Coats of 100% cotton are REQUIRED upon entering lab. NO LAB COAT NO
ENTRY INTO THE LABORATORY!

5. Absolutely NO food or drinks are allowed in the laboratory. This prohibition applies to
the storage of food and the consumption of food, beverages, medicines, tobacco,
and chewing gum. Contact lenses and cosmetics are not to be applied while in the
laboratory. Infractions will result in expulsion from the laboratory. Because cell phones
or other personal electronic media can easily be damaged in the laboratory, use of such
devices is not allowed in the laboratory.

6. Learn the location and how to operate the nearest eyewash fountain, fire
extinguisher, and fire alarm box. First aid for acid or base in the eyes is to wash with
copious amounts of water using the tubing attached to the tap for 15 minutes; then
go immediately for further treatment. First aid for acid or base on skin or clothing is to
wash thoroughly with water for 15 minutes. Use the above tubing on tap as a shower if
appropriate, removing contaminated clothing for thorough washing.

7. All operations in which noxious or poisonous gases or vapours are used or produced
must be carried out in the fume hood.

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8. Confine long hair while in the laboratory. Hair can catch on fire while using open
flames.

9. Mouth suction must never be used to fill pippettes. Always use pipette fillers.

10. All accidents, injuries, explosions, or fires must be reported at once to the TA In case
of serious injury, the TA or Lab Supervisor must call 911 for an ambulance.

11. Horseplay and carelessness are not permitted and are cause for expulsion
from the laboratory. You are responsible for everyone's safety.

12. Keep your working area clean – immediately clean up ALL spills or broken glassware.
Exercise appropriate care to protect yourself from skin contact with all substances in the
laboratory. Clean off your lab workbench before leaving the laboratory.
Skateboards, rollerblades, and other such personal equipment must be stored outside of
the laboratory. Personal electronics are only permitted when needed for the laboratory.

13. Put all toxic or flammable waste into the appropriate waste container(s) provided in
your laboratory.

14. Containers of chemicals may not be taken out of the laboratory . Never take
uncapped glassware containing chemicals into the hallways or other public areas.

15. Laboratory doors must remain closed except when individuals are actively entering or
exiting the lab. DO NOT prop the door open with chairs, stools, or any other objects.

16. Gloves will be provided, when toxic chemicals are being used. Gloves are presumed
to be contaminated and must not come into contact with anything outside the laboratory
except chemical containers.

17. Specific permission from your the Lecturer is required before you may work in
any laboratory other than the one to which you have been assigned. Only laboratory
rooms where the same laboratory course is operating may be used for this purpose.

18. If you have a special health condition (asthma, pregnancy, etc.) or any personal
health concerns, consult your doctor before taking chemistry lab.

19. If you come to the laboratory with non-compliant goggles, shoes, or clothing, you will
not be allowed to work in the laboratory. In that context, note that THERE ARE NO
MAKE-UP LABORATORIES. Your course grade will be significantly lowered or you may
fail the course if you do not meet the dress code.

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Appendix C: Practical Report Template

Introduction
The purpose of this experiment was…

- Derive your introduction from the aims and objectives which you get from your
research about the practical work.
- Outline the purpose of the practical work.
- Practical hypotheses and Variables.
- The introduction should be just a paragraph between 100 and 150 words only. be
a few sentences long.
- remember everything in this report is past tense.
- no “I’’ or “We” in a practical laboratory report, replace them with “the student” and
“the group”.

Experimental Procedures

This should be returned in past participle tense and do not copy-paste every step
from the lab manual, paraphrase step by step the way you have carried the practical
in your own words. The procedure should be accompanied by diagram representation
of the final experiment set up.

1. Measurements and Results

- show all observations, measurements, and calculations in this section.

- Number all tables and graphs, and make certain to have titles, units, and axis
labels.

2. Analysis and Discussion

Explain your results in terms of the theoretical background you provided in your pre-
laboratory report.

Analyse and infer what is the meaning of the data presented in the tables and
graphs.

Interpret, what is the significance of the results?

3. Conclusion

After you present your conclusion, provide a short justification of the results. Discuss
the implications of your conclusion.

4. References

Pavelich, M. J., & Abraham, M. R. (1979). An inquiry format laboratory program for
general chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 56(2), 100.

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Rudd II, J. A., Greenbowe, T. J., & Hand, B. (2001). Recrafting the general chemistry
laboratory report. Journal of College Science Teaching, 31(4), 230.

Bhandari, P. (2022). How to write a lab report: step-by-step guide and examples.
Retrieved 16 February 2023 from the World wide web https://www.scribbr.com/academic-
writing/lab-report.

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