CHEM 201 Lab 3: Synthesis of a Thermal LCD Display Winter 2025

Lab 3: Synthesis of a Thermal LCD Display

By completing all parts of this lab, you will make a working, room-temperature liquid crystal
display. It will be made by mixing two liquid crystals that have the appropriate optical
properties. One of the liquid crystals (cholesteryl oleyl carbonate) will be given to you. To
engage more deeply with the experiential nature of Synthetic Chemistry, however, you will
prepare the other one (Cholesteryl nonanoate).

You will work and discuss in small groups of

Before your lab...
approximately 3-4 for this lab, BUT you will
individually scan and submit your own 1. Read through…
completed Lab 3 worksheet one week after ü Lab 3 (this document)
your lab date.
2. Complete…
Submissions are due one week after your ü Pre-lab 3 (D2L quiz), with a score of
lab, at the same time that your lab 50% or higher
normally begins. Late deductions are ü Questions P1 and P2 in this
outlined in the Introduction to CHEM 201 document – you will need these
PDF in the Lab 1 folder. ideas and values in the lab, so come
prepared! The pre-lab quiz is closely
related and will help.
What laboratory techniques and skills will
You will not be allowed to
you practice?
enter the lab if the safety
• Ester synthesis course is incomplete, or you
• Weighing by differences have not passed the pre-lab
• Vacuum filtration quiz. Contact your TA or lab
coordinator if you have issues
• Handling chemicals requiring use of gloves
with either task.
and fumehoods
What chemical concepts will you apply? If concepts are unclear or new, refer to the
course textbook to review them.
• Correlate synthesis to a balanced chemical
reaction
On your lab day...
• Identify functional groups as key locations
of reactivity in molecules • Wear clothes & footwear that covers
• Theoretical and percent yield any exposed skin below the hem of the
lab coat, including your ankles.
What communication and reporting skills • Bring your lab coat & safety glasses

will you use? • Bring printed copies of...

ü Lab 3
• Describing qualitative observations ü Appendix J and Appendix K
• Using a claim-evidence-reasoning
• Bring a pen (not pencil) and scientific
framework to compare the results of a
calculator
reaction to literature values to assess yield
• Arrive at least 5-minutes early - you
and purity
need to find the room and get ready.

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CHEM 201 Lab 3: Synthesis of a Thermal LCD Display Winter 2025

Course learning outcomes & prerequisite skills

This experiment will have you examining the following overarching course outcomes:
• OOA Differentiate between a physical and chemical change.
• OOB Make key observations during an experiment.
• OOC Use evidence to provide chemically reasonable rationales for statement(s)
given or made.
• OOD Provide visuals required to help with rationales.

You will be utilizing pre-requisite expected background knowledge from CHEM

20/30:
• Solutions (Chapter 3)
• stoichiometry (Chapter 4)

The course learning outcomes that you will engage with are:
• LO 4 Describe and use electronegativity to predict or explain the type of bonding
established between two atoms.
• LO 5 Describe covalent, polar covalent, and ionic bonding.
• LO 6 Draw and/or recognize valid and complete Lewis diagrams including all
non-zero formal charges, and use them to Draw/Recognize valid structural isomers.

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Key Safety Information

FUMEHOOD USE REQUIRED

Triethylamine is toxic if the vapours are inhaled. Nonanoyl chloride vapours,
Acute Health although less toxic, is a serious respiratory and eye irritant. Both chemicals
toxicity hazard must always be handled in a functioning fumehood, where proper ventilation
will draw away the vapours. Methanol will also be primarily handled in the
fumehood.

Your reaction will be handled entirely in the fumehood starting as soon as

triethylamine is added until the excess triethylamine has been removed from
the product(s) by methanol addition and vacuum filtration.

Items that come in contact with significant amounts of triethylamine or

nonanoyl chloride will be disposed of in the fumehood (foam test tube
stopper, Eppendorf pipette tips, and gloves if a spill occurs)

GLOVES MUST BE WORN

Nonanoyl chloride and triethylamine are very corrosive. Wash your hands
Corrosive immediately if your skin comes in contact with either liquid, or with your
reaction solution.

While gloves are being worn, avoid cross-contamination – do not handle other
glassware, paperwork, or equipment on the benchtop. Remove gloves by
pulling them off at the wrist.

Methanol and triethylamine are flammable. Keep these substances away from
heat sources such as the hot plate.
Flammable

Background
A true liquid crystal display is a flat device that exploits the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals
and polarizers to project images. Examples of LCDs include Laptop and TV displays that were developed
over 15 years ago. In this experiment, you will create a very simple LCD device – one that relies only on
the light modulating properties of a mixture of two cholesteric liquid crystals.

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What is a Liquid Crystal?

Cholesteric esters, like the ones you will see in this lab, are large, high molecular weight molecules that
have a long, flat or rod-like structure.1 We describe them as liquid crystals because of their behaviour as
they transition between the solid and liquid phases.
Figure 1. Cartoon
In the solid phase, the individual molecules of cholesteric esters depiction of a layered,
are locked into layers. These layers are slightly displaced from helical arrangement of
cholesteric ester
one another, forming an ordered, helical arrangement molecules.
resembling a spiral staircase (Figure 1).

For most solids, as temperature increases, individual molecules will use the energy to break apart from
each other to eventually form a disordered collection of molecules (a liquid). In the case of the
cholesteric esters, however, we see an another ”in-between” phase, or mesophase, before the
molecules behave like a liquid (Figure 2). Before becoming fully disordered like a liquid, as the
temperature is increased, the layers of ester molecules are displaced from each other. There is a
macroscopic fluidity associated with this displacement. The presence of ordered molecules that display
fluidity also earns this phase the name of “liquid crystal.”

Liquid crystal phase

Solid Phase (mesophase) Liquid Phase
1st Transition 2nd Transition
Molecules are Molecules are Molecules are
highly ordered and ordered but move disordered and move
fixed in position fluidly fluidly

Figure 2. A representation of the liquid crystal “mesophase” relative to solid and liquid phases
as temperature is gradually increased from left to right.

This liquid crystalline phase is accompanied by unique physical and optical

properties. Melting behaviour for a liquid crystal is atypical; melting is
observed over a much broader range of temperatures than other ordinary
solids. A thermal liquid crystal, like our chloesteric esters, is one where, as
the temperature changes, the pitch or degree of rotation between layers
changes. Changes in pitch result in different colours being reflected back at
the viewer. Since the temperature varies between the surface and interior of Figure 3. The colours of
a liquid crystal, they appear pearlescent, that is, they reflect many colours at a mood ring, are an
example of a thermal
the same time. LCD.

1
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201202913 (accessed Aug 11, 2022)

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Synthesizing a Cholesteric Ester and the importance of Purity

Chlolesteric Esters can be prepared by reacting an acid chloride with an alcohol (equation [2] below).

When synthesizing a chemical species, one cannot assume that all molecules are reacting as they
should. Syntheses are often complicated by side reactions or reactions that use the starting materials to
make other, non-desired products. One possible side reaction may happen due to the high reactivity of
acid chlorides towards water, which would act as a base. In this case, nonanoyl chloride would react
with water to form nonanoic acid:

Note: During the lab make sure your glassware is completely dry before adding your reactants to prevent
this side reaction from taking place!

Because of the possibility of side reactions, checking the purity of a

product that is synthesized becomes important. One technique you have
KEY IDEAS
already seen that offers experimental evidence about sample purity is its
melting point range. As you saw in Lab 1, pure compounds undergo • Wide melting point range
“sharp” melting point behaviour; in other words, they have a small suggests a mixture of
melting point range of only a few degrees Celcius. In contrast, mixtures substances OR liquid
crystal behaviour
containing more than one substance undergo their melt over a wider
• Lower onset temperature
temperature range. suggests the presence of
an impurity.
The onset temperature (or start of the melting point range) for melting is
• Higher onset temperature
also expected to be affected by purity. The presence of impurities suggests that the major
typically results in a lower onset temperature than the literature value species in the mixture is
for the pure solid (a melting point depression). When a melting point is one with a higher melting
significantly higher than the expected literature value, this suggests that point.
the majority of the mixture is not the desired compound.

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To confirm that the melting point you obtain for the product you prepare is
accurate and the technique you will use is precise, you will practice your
technique with a pure sample of 2’-acetonaphthone (Figure 3), which should
match the literature melting onset and range closely.

Let’s look back at Lab 1 for a moment to practice with these ideas. In Figure 4. 2’-acetonaphthone.

Lab 1, you were provided with an unknown mixture of two compounds – one with a low melting point
(biphenyl), and one with a higher melting point (vanillin). Regardless of the composition of the mixture,
we expect that it will melt over a wider range of temperatures than either pure substance. But, what
about our expected onset temperature? The onset temperature will be lower (or depressed), but in
comparison to which of our pure compounds? If the mixture is mostly the higher melting point
compound, vanillin (mp 81-83°C), the mixture might begin to melt at 75°C – lower than pure vanillin but
higher than pure biphenyl (mp 68.5-69.4°C).

IMPORTANT: Your product, if successfully prepared, will be a liquid crystal. Since liquid crystals, just like
impure solids, melt over a range of temperatures, one must be careful about relating purity simply to
the presence of a range of temperatures. One must ask: is the range of temperatures reasonable? One
determines this by comparing the range to one quoted in the literature. For instance, if the expected
melting range for a liquid crystal is 69-75oC then an observed range of 60-65oC might be reasonable to
indicate an impure sample was obtained, while an observed range of 145-150 oC might indicate that the
liquid crystal was not synthesized in significant amounts – and most of your sample is the higher melting
point reactant.

You will mix the product you synthesize (cholesteryl nonanoate), with a second cholesteric ester given to
you called cholesteryl oleyl carbonate (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Cholesteryl oleyl carbonate.

Both esters have strong optical properties and produce a rainbow of colours with only small changes in
temperature. The ester you are given (cholesteryl oleyl carbonate) displays its optical property slightly
below room temperature, and the one you will synthesize (cholesteryl nonanoate) displays its optical
properties slightly above room temperature. The reason for mixing them together is to create a mixture
that displays the desired optical properties that include room temperature. The room-temperature
mixture of liquid crystals will then be used to make a room temperature thermal liquid crystal display.

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Procedure
• For this experiment you will work in small groups. Each group member must submit an
individually written lab worksheet – all of your observations and conclusions must be in
your own words.
• Take notes in the procedure margins during the lab presentation when your TA provides
suggestions of additional cautions or time management tips.
• Complete all laboratory work in PEN.

Before you begin, pick up your group’s equipment tray and check that it contains all of the
following items.

• beaker (150 mL) • test tube (25 x 150 mm)

• grad cylinder (10 mL) • metal spatula
• foam stopper • Permanent marker
• watch glass • test tube brush (medium)

Part 1. Synthesis of cholestryl nonanoate

1. Ensure that your test tube is completely dry. As described in the background section, water can
also react with nonanoyl chloride! Label your foam stopper and test tube clearly with your
initials – you will share fumehood space with other groups and will need to find your own test
tube among them.
2. Place your test tube into a 150 mL beaker. Tare the beaker and
test tube together, then use a spatula to carefully add ~0.25 g Record all numerical
cholesterol into the bottom of the test tube. Record the actual data (e.g. mass) in
Table 1.
amount of cholesterol added to the test tube.

Starting from this point, ALL work must take place in the fumehood until
specifically noted, to protect yourself and others from noxious fumes.

3. Add 2 mL of triethylamine directly to your test tube from the Record all visual
dispenser in the fumehood, ensuring that … observations before
• …the tip of the dispenser does not touch the walls of and during your
your test tube, so that it is not contaminated for the synthesis and
next user. If you do accidentally touch the test tube isolation in Table 2.
walls with the dispenser, let your TA know before any
other group uses the dispenser.

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• …you tilt your test tube so that the triethylamine flows down the walls. Doing this
washes down any solid cholesterol that may be stuck to the walls of the test tube, so it
all ends up in the reaction mixture.
• …you handle the dispensing pump with care and do not adjust any settings – it is
delicate and precisely calibrated to dispense exactly 2.00 mL with a single pump. Simply
gently raise the pump until you feel it stop, and then give it a gentle or slow press
downwards to dispense.
4. Swirl your test tube to ensure that the cholesterol is completely dissolved by the triethylamine.

5. Add 0.134 mL of nonanoyl chloride to your test tube using the

Waste disposal
preset Eppendorf pipette provided by the TA and stopper the Used Eppendorf
test tube with the foam plug provided. The solution should pipette tips should be
become cloudy and white. ejected directly into
the labelled waste
6. Heat the contents of your test tube in the boiling water bath for bag in the fumehood.
10 minutes.

7. Remove the test tube from the bath and allow it to cool to room temperature (~2 min). Record
visual observations before moving onto Step 8.

8. Add 10 mL of methanol using a dry graduated cylinder, and gently agitate the tube to dissolve
any solids present in the reaction mixture.

At this point, you have ideally synthesized your desired product, cholesteryl nonanoate already. But, as
discussed in the background, it is equally important to be able to isolate this species as a pure product,
removing solvents, unreacted starting materials, other products of the reaction, and even unintended by-
products of side reactions.

Part 2: Isolation of Cholesteryl Nonanoate - Crystallization and Filtration

Continue recording
9. Place your stoppered test tube in an ice bath in the fumehood
your visual
for ~15 minutes. A white precipitate of cholesteryl nonanoate observations in
should slowly form. Table 2.

While you wait for a precipitate to form, PROCEED TO STEP 10 AND 11.
10. Calculate the theoretical yield of product expected, showing your work in the space provided
below Table 1. Discuss the Reflect and Connect prompt with your group – make notes together
about what you will assume when doing a percent yield calculation later in the lab.

11. Weigh a filter paper on a watch glass and record their combined mass in the appropriate row in
Table 1.

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12. After cooling your mixture for 15-minutes on ice, remove the Waste disposal
test tube from the ice bath, and wipe the outside of the test The foam stopper
tube dry. Remove and dispose of the foam stopper. should be disposed in
the labelled waste
13. Next, you will use vacuum filtration to separate and collect the bag in the fumehood.
solid precipitate from the supernatant (the solvent and soluble
by-products).

• Follow the detailed steps for vacuum filtration in Appendix J.

• Use the filter paper you pre-weighed in Step 11 and the
Keep the watch glass
filtration apparatus that has already been setup for you you weighed with
in the fumehood. your filter paper in a
• Your TA will demonstrate proper filtration technique, safe place, as you
including… need to weigh it again
later, together with
o Ensuring your filter paper is well-seated in the your filter paper and
Buchner funnel before pouring your mixture, so product.
your solid product does not pass around the
edges of the filter paper into the filtration flask.
o Swirling the contents of your test tube to loosen any precipitate from the sides
before pouring.
• If needed, rinse your test tube with two additional portions (1 mL each) of methanol,
which are transferred to the filtration apparatus. Ask your TA if unsure.

14. Wait 5-minutes for your product to air dry under suction in the fume hood. While your product
is drying, set up an identical filtration apparatus at your lab bench.

At this point, all triethylamine from your reaction should have been filtered off in the
fumehood filtration flask –your Buchner funnel (and its contents) can now be safely
moved outside the fumehood.

15. After 5-minutes have passed, turn off the vacuum and bring
your Buchner funnel back to your bench where you have set Help your products dry
up the filtration for further drying. Place a snorkel about a effectively by gently
moving it around in the
foot away from the top of the setup while your product dries. funnel with your metal
spatula. Use caution to
16. Once the solid is dry, turn off the vacuum and remove the avoid ripping the filter
Buchner funnel containing your product. Carefully invert the paper.
funnel onto your pre-weighed watch glass and transfer both
the filter paper and your product to the watch glass.
17. Record the combined weight of the watch glass, filter paper and your product into Table 1.

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18. Complete the remaining calculations in Table 1. Calculate the net weight of product you isolated
and your percent yield.

Part 3: Melting point measurements

You will use only a small amount of your product to observe its properties – to observe its melting point
and its usefulness in a liquid crystal display.

Melting point measurements

19. Place a few crystals (~2 mm) of the product you isolated in a capillary tube. To pack the sample
at the bottom of the tube, drop the capillary tube (closed side down) several times down a glass
tube. Ask your TA for a demonstration if needed.

20. You will also measure the melting point of a reference compound (2’-acetonaphthone) that you
know is pure – comparing this pure reference sample to its literature melting point range will
help ensure that your technique for melting point measurements is giving you reliable results.

Repeat step 19 to prepare a capillary tube with a similar amount of 2’-acetonaphthone.

21. Check that the temperature of the melting point apparatus is less than 45°C, then insert the
capillary tubes in the melting point apparatus (as demonstrated by your TA). You can measure
the melting points for both samples at the same time, as long as you keep track of which tube is
which.
22. As outlined in Appendix K, program the melting point apparatus to increase the temperature at
a rate of 10°C per minute, as follows:

• press CLEAR three times.

• press the up key ▲ : the display should read 10.0.
• press the “GO TO” key; the display should read 10;10.
• press the “GO TO” key to start increasing the temperature or CLEAR to cancel your run).
• when the run is going, the LED on the “GO TO” key will illuminate.
• when finished, press CLEAR three times to end the run.
• the apparatus will take 5-10 minutes to cool; do not try to cool it more quickly using ice
or water.

23. In Table 3, record the your visual observations and the melting temperature range for both
compounds. Remember that you are looking for the initial onset of melting (clear separation
between liquid and solid phase) and the temperature at which all solids have melted.
24. Without touching the hot bottom portion of the capillary tubes, remove them from the
melting point apparatus, cool them briefly, and dispose of them in the labelled waste bag.

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CHEM 201 Lab 3: Synthesis of a Thermal LCD Display Winter 2025

Part 4: Preparation and comparison of Thermal Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)

In this portion, you will compare the properties of two LCDs at different temperatures – one will contain
only cholesteryl oleyl carbonate, while the other contains a mixture of cholesteryl oleyl carbonate and
your product (hopefully pure cholesteryl nonanoate).

25. Obtain assistance from your TA to prepare an LCD containing a mixture of cholesteryl oleyl
carbonate and your synthesized product:
a. Have your TA place a small amount of the lower melting cholesteryl oleyl carbonate onto a
clean microscope slide
b. Carefully warm the slide on the edge of a hot plate until the cholesteryl oleyl carbonate begins
to melt. Do not overheat or the product will decompose.
c. As soon as the cholesteryl oleyl carbonate melts, add a small amount of your product on the
slide. You need only enough to cover a metal spatula tip.
d. Use your spatula to mix the two cholesterol esters thoroughly together.
e. Your TA will place a second slide on top of the first, sandwiching the liquid between the two
slides, wrap the sandwiched slides in a paper towel and press firmly. The compound will
spread out into a thin film and any excess will “ooze” out from the edges of the slides.
f. Your TA will remove the slides from the paper towel and allow the sandwiched slides to cool
on the benchtop. Once the slides are cool to the touch they will tape the edges of the slides
to seal the device. This is your LCD!

26. Record your observations of both your mixed LCD as well as the reference LCD in Table 5 at
three temperatures: (i) room temperature, (ii) when warmed with your hands, and (iii) when
chilled on an ice bath. Pay careful attention to the colours associated with low and higher
temperatures.

Before leaving the lab…

• Reference LCDs should be returned to your TA.
• Properly dispose of any remaining waste:
o Any solution collected in your benchtop filtration flask goes in the organic
waste.
o Any kimwipes or paper towels from LCD assembly go into the
appropriately labelled waste bag next to the LCD preparation station.
o Your mixed LCD goes in the labelled waste bag on the lab bench.
• Clean all glassware in your equipment tray before you return it.
• Make sure your TA initials all FOUR data tables – these will not be graded
without your TA’s initials!
We strongly encourage you to stay and discuss all Reflect and Connect prompts
with your group and your TA before you leave – to ensure you are on the right
track for your individual C-E-R discussion and analysis after the lab.

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CHEM 201 Lab 3 Activity Worksheet

Your full name UCID #

Group members’ names (one name per box):

Write all answers in ink in the boxes provided.

Any work written outside of the boxes cannot be graded.
Submit all 8 worksheet pages as a single pdf document (Page 13-20).

DUE DATE: one week after your lab period, at the regular start time for your lab.

GRADESCOPE SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

Before you submit, make sure that…
q Your work is saved as a SINGLE PDF document, on the template provided.
q Your PDF includes all 8 worksheet pages, including this cover page.
q Pages are in sequential order and correctly oriented (not rotated or flipped!).
q Data tables with TA initials are included without rewriting.
q Corrections are made by crossing out errors a single line and writing the new answer next to it.
Never use white-out or otherwise erase or obscure original data.
q All answers fit into the template boxes provided. All answers (handwritten or typed) should
follow the length guidelines – overly long answers may lose points for clarity.
q Your PDF is your correct, final version – not an earlier draft.

Grade deductions may apply if your submission for this report does not meet all these criteria.

Academic Integrity Note: Remember, even though you collected your data with a group, your worksheet should
be completed individually. You should use your own data, and you may consult the lab manual, lab appendices,
lecture notes, course textbook, and your TA.

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CHEM 201 Lab 3: Synthesis of a Thermal LCD Display Winter 2025

Pre-lab preparation
Completed before attending your in-person laboratory session
Like experiment 1 you will begin by looking at the reaction in question and how it relates to what you
are learning in lecture. When examining a reaction, one must understand how the structures of the
reactant(s) interact AND relate to the product(s). Your pre-lab quiz on D2L will give you feedback to help
with both of these questions

P1. (a) Using electronegativities, label all the significant partial charges in the starting
materials using δ+ and δ– symbols (hint: find the polar bonds).

[1]

P2. Identify each reagent that will use lone pairs to create bonds with atoms in other
reagent(s). Name the atom with the lone pair and the atom to which it will form a new
bond.
Hint: Look at the partial charges you drew in P1. What new bonds formed in the products?

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In-lab: Data & Initial Reflections

Table 1: Quantitative results – Numerical data and calculated values

Measured mass of cholesterol used (g) (Step 2)

Calculated theoretical yield of cholesteryl nonanoate (g) SHOW WORK BELOW

Measured mass of watch glass and filter paper (g) (Step 8)

Measured mass of watch glass, filter paper, and product (g) (Step 12)

Calculated mass of product(s) collected (g)

Calculated percent yield of product (%) SHOW WORK BELOW

TA initials here
Sample calculation – theoretical yield of cholesteryl nonanoate Related to Pre-lab quiz Q8
Molecular masses and densities can be found on the previous page. Review Page 8 of the Procedure for the
exact amount of nonanoyl chloride used. Triethylamine is present in excess. Show all your work.

Sample calculation – percent yield of product(s) Related to Pre-lab quiz Q9

Reflect and connect – Group Notes

What does your percent yield calculation above assume about the purity of your collected product?

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CHEM 201 Lab 3: Synthesis of a Thermal LCD Display Winter 2025

Table 2: Qualitative results – Visual observations during synthesis and isolation

Remember to be precise in your descriptions – if you say “it was red” do you mean the solution, the solid,
or something else? If two boxes of observations are the same, use an arrow to duplicate a description.

Observations

Before chemicals
are mixed.

After chemicals
are mixed and as
the reaction
should be taking
place

Once the reaction

is assumed to be
completed, before
adding methanol

After initial
addition of
methanol

Prior to filtration

After filtration
and drying

TA initials here

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CHEM 201 Lab 3: Synthesis of a Thermal LCD Display Winter 2025

Table 3: Melting point range measurements

Experimental Literature
Chemical Species Melting point observations Melting Point Melting Point
Range (°C) Range (°C)

Technique practice
52-56 °C
2’-acetonaphthone

Product after
attempted purification
74-77 °C
Desired: cholesteryl
nonanoate

Reactant
no need to measure 147-149 °C
cholesterol

TA initials here

Reflect and connect – Group Notes

In POINT FORM – What does your melting point data for 2’-acetonapthone tell you about the accuracy
and precision of your group’s technique for measurement melting point ranges?

In POINT FORM – For your isolated product… What does the size of the melting point range tell you?
What does the onset temperature tell you? Review Pages 5-6 of the Background for support.

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Table 4: Optical properties

Table 5.
Qualitative Observations
Is it an LCD?
At room temperature When warmed When cooled on ice

Reference slide
(cholesteryl oleyl
carbonate only)

At room temperature When warmed When cooled on ice

Mixed esters slide

(cholesteryl oleyl
carbonate mixed
with your
synthesized
product(s))

TA initials here

Reflect and connect – Group Notes

In POINT FORM – Did adding your compound change the range of temperatures where optical
properties were observed for the LCD? Why do you think that is?

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Analysis & Discussion

Completed after laboratory session

Use your group notes and observations to reflect back on the laboratory experiment and
individually answer all of the following questions. Remember, if you are referring to values and
observations, these should be explicitly included in your evidence. Your answer here should
be able to stand alone, without needing someone to refer back to other pages.

a. KEY QUESTION 1: Did you synthesize the expected product, cholesteryl nonanoate?

CLAIM (argument). YES NO Circle the correct word.

EVIDENCE (Concrete observations made or data gathered in lab, use qualitative and quantitative
evidence)

REASONING Explain why your observations supports your claim in 2 sentences.

b. KEY QUESTION 2: i. Was the product you synthesized pure or a mixture?

CLAIM (argument). PURE MIXTURE Circle the correct word.
ii. If it was a mixture, was the desired product a major or minor component of this mixture?
CLAIM (argument). MAJOR MINOR Circle the correct word.

EVIDENCE (Concrete observations made or data gathered in lab, melting point evidence)

REASONING Explain why your observations support your claim in 2 sentences.

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CHEM 201 Lab 3: Synthesis of a Thermal LCD Display Winter 2025

c. KEY QUESTION 3: Is your calculated percent yield value an accurate or true representation of the
amount of product you made?
CLAIM (argument). ACCURATE NOT ACCURATE Circle the correct choice.

EVIDENCE (Concrete observations OR previous claims)

REASONING Explain why your observations support your claim in 2 sentences.

d. KEY QUESTION 4: How did your product affect the optical properties of the LCD? How did
these optical properties compare to expectation? Use 2-3 sentences.

Remember: The document “Introduction to CHEM 201 Labs”

contains additional support on how to make a strong CER
argument. You can find this resource on D2L > Labs > Lab 1.

Lab 3: Worksheet SCAN & SUBMIT THIS PAGE Page 20 of 20