Department or Program: Chemistry

Course Number: 413

Semester Hours: 1

Frequency of Offering: Once per academic year, ~12 students per section, one section.

Course Title: Physical Chemistry Laboratory I

This is an existing course previously approved by A2C2: Yes

This is a new course proposal: No

Proposal Category: Writing Flag

Departmental Contact: Bill Ng, chairperson.

Department Approval and Date:

Dean's Recommendation and Date:

USS Recommendation and Date:

A2C2 Recommendation and Date: __________________________

Faculty Senate Recommendation and Date: __________________________

VPAA Recommendation and Date: __________________________

Dean's Recommendation and Date: __________________________

President's Decision and Date: __________________________

Catalog Description:

Experiments accompanying CHEM 412 (Physical Chemistry I). Meets (one credit toward) University Studies Writing Flag requirement. Laboratory work should be taken concurrently with CHEM 412, but can be taken following successful completion of the course. Computer applications. Prerequisites: ENG 111 and CHEM 412. Offered yearly.

a. practice the processes and procedures for creating and completing successful writing in their fields;

Requirements: Students are expected to practice applying the scientific method in the collection of data, to use modern techniques (including computations via mathematical and computer software) in analysis and interpretation of results, and to use proper writing techniques in the composition and completion of several research reports. Each report will be critiqued and evaluated based on specific criteria as established in the organizational format of the report. The reports will follow accepted formats used in scientific journals.

Activities: Students are provided with many opportunities to apply proper writing techniques in relating interpretation of experimental results to chemical principles and theories. The students will discuss the results and interpretations with classmates and will describe the experimental work in a written format consistent with that used in appropriate scientific journals.

b. understand the main features and uses of writing in their fields;

Requirements: Students are expected to produce professional-style scientific reports by following the guidelines of the ACS Style Guide adopted by the American Chemical Society. The reports will parallel the method of scientific reasoning: defining the problem, creating the hypothesis, devising the experiment(s) to test the hypothesis, conducting the experiment, analyzing the data, interpreting the results, and drawing the conclusion.

Activities: Students will follow acceptable scientific writing formats in the composition of several laboratory reports*. The reports will be organized in a format that would parallel the method of scientific reasoning. The general organization of a research report will include: Title/Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Experimental Details or Theoretical Analysis, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, and References.

*Typically four laboratory reports. Each report (on average) contains ten composition pages, not including graphs, charts, or tables.

c. adapt their writing to the general expectations of readers in their fields;

Requirements: Student laboratory reports are expected to follow a format that is consistent with and adopted by the ACS Style Guide, which is the general format required by most chemistry journals.

Activities: Students will be shown examples of ACS Style Guide adopted laboratory reports and chemical journals. They will adapt their writing to be consistent with the general expectations of readers in the chemical field. After each experiment, students will compose a laboratory report and will receive critiques before writing their next reports. Several reports will be required for completion of the course.

d. make use of the technologies commonly used for research and writing in their fields; and

Requirements: Students are expected to work in pairs to collect several experimental data sets using modern experimental techniques and instruments in Physical Chemistry. Laptops and appropriate software packages will be used to collect data. Resultant data analysis can be incorporated directly into word processors in appropriate formats. Students are also expected to search the literature via library and electronic sources.

Activities: Students work in pairs in data collection. Analysis can be done collaboratively, but laboratory reports must be written individually. Modern instrumentation and appropriate software packages (such as HyperChem for molecular modeling, Mathcad for scientific calculations, Excel for graphical and statistical analysis, LabWorks for on-line data collection and analysis, and Word for report composition) are used to collect data, interpret results, and compose the laboratory report. In addition, students will compare their experimental results to similar studies in the literature, which can be searched via chemistry journals/references in both non-electronic and electronic formats.

e. learn the conventions of evidence, format, usage, and documentation in their fields.

Requirements: Students are required to follow conventions of evidence, format, usage, and documentation as listed in the ACS Style Guide.

Activities: By composing a laboratory report following each experiment, and by receiving critiques of each report, students will gain a thorough understanding of the format of laboratory reports and the format used in chemical journals.

Submitted with this proposal is a sample CHEM 413 syllabus, which includes the course description, course outcomes, sample laboratory schedule, and evaluation criteria. Also attached is the Format of Laboratory Reports description from the Physical Chemistry Laboratory Manual. In addition, one copy of a sample Student Laboratory Report has been provided for the USP Director.

Sample Syllabus

Instructor: Dr. C. B. W. Ng (PA-312G, 457-5293)

In order to do well or pass the course, students are expected to:

1. perform experiments and compose a laboratory report for each experiment, [Outcomes a to e],

2. follow formats of publication style report as recommended by the ACS Style Guide, [Outcomes b, c, e],

3. make improvements upon subsequent reports by recognizing critiques on previous reports, [Outcomes b, c, d, e],

4. utilize modern instrumentation and software packages in the compilation of reports, [Outcome d],

5. collaborate/discuss with students and instructor in data collection/analysis/interpretation, [Outcome c], and

6. review journal publication styles and literature searches, [Outcome b, c, e].

Students are encouraged to consult with the instructor regarding questions or problems encountered in the writing process. Furthermore, students are encouraged to make use of services provided at the Writing Center.

List of Laboratory Experiments:

Each report is due two weeks after the completion of each experiment. Due to a limitation of equipment, a rotational schedule will be arranged. The details of experiments are contained in the PChem Lab Manual.

The following table is a typical laboratory schedule for groups of students.

Reports will be graded using a specific criteria table. The following is a sample table.

Additional course information can be accessed via the webpage:

Guidelines on how to prepare a professional-style laboratory/research report are not routinely available to undergraduate students. For this reason, the following information on report writing with a suggested format is provided to be helpful to undergraduate students.

J. S. Dodd (ed.), The ACS Style Guide, 2^nd ed., American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. (1997).

This volume is an invaluable writer's handbook in the field of chemistry. It contains a wealth of data on preparing any type of scientific report and is useful for both students and professional chemists. Every research laboratory should have a copy, and it should be as accessible as the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. It gives pointers on the organization of a scientific paper, correct grammar and style, and accepted formats in citing chemical names, chemical symbols, units, and references. There are useful suggestions on constructing tables, preparing illustrations, using different type faces and type sizes, and giving oral presentations. In addition, there is a brief overview of the chemical literature, the way in which it is organized and how information is disseminated and retrieved. A list of other excellent guides to technical writing is also provided. See also The Basics of Technical Communicating, Cain, B. E.; ACS Professional Reference Book. American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1988.

Most scientific laboratory/research reports, irrespective of the field, parallel the method of scientific reasoning. That is: the problem is defined, a hypothesis is created, experiments are devised to test the hypothesis, experiments are conducted, and conclusions are drawn. This framework is consistent with the following organization of a research report:

Title

Abstract

Introduction

Experimental Details or Theoretical Analysis

Results

Discussion

Conclusion

References

The title should reflect the content and emphasis of the project described in the report. It should be as short as possible and include essential key words.

The author's name (e.g., Mary B. Chung) should follow the title on a separate line, followed by the author's affiliation (e.g., Department of Chemistry, Central State College, Central, Arkansas, 67123) and possibly the origin of the report (e.g., In partial fulfillment of a Senior Thesis Project under the supervision of Professor Danielle F. Green, June, 1990). For laboratory reports, the partner's name is also included.

All of the above could appear on a single cover page. Acknowledgments and a table of contents can be added as preface pages if desired.

The abstract should, in the briefest terms possible, describe the topic, the scope, the principal findings, and the conclusions. It should be written last to reflect accurately the content of the report. The length of abstracts vary but seldom exceed 200 words.

The research student should understand that a primary objective of an abstract is to communicate to the reader the essence of the paper. The reader will then be the judge of whether to read the full report or not. The student should also know that if the report were to appear in the primary literature, the abstract would serve as a key source of indexing terms and key words to be used in information retrieval. Author abstracts are often published verbatim in Chemical Abstracts.

"A good introduction is a clear statement of the problem or project and why you are studying it." (The ACS Style Guide. American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1997.)

The nature of the problem and why it is of interest should be conveyed in the opening paragraphs. This section should describe clearly but briefly the background information on the problem, what has been done before (with proper literature citations), and the objectives of the current project. A clear relationship between the current project and the scope and limitations of earlier work should be made so that the reasons for the project and the approach used will be understood.

This section should describe what was actually done. It is a succinct exposition of the laboratory notebook, describing procedures, techniques, instrumentation, special precautions, and so on. It should be sufficiently detailed that other experienced researchers would be able to repeat the work and obtain comparable results.

In theoretical reports, this section would include sufficient theoretical or mathematical analysis to enable derivations and numerical results to be checked.

If the experimental section is very lengthy and very detailed, as in synthetic work, it can be placed at the end of the report or as an appendix so that it does not interrupt the conceptual flow of the report. Its placement will depend on the nature of the project and the discretion of the writer.

In this section, relevant data, observations, and findings are summarized. Tabulation of data, equations, charts, and figures can be used effectively to present results clearly and concisely. For laboratory reports, a sample calculation for each set/sequence of calculations should be included for informational purposes.

The crux of the report is the analysis and interpretation of the results. What do the results mean? How do they relate to the objectives of the project? To what extent have they resolved the problem?

Because the "Results" and "Discussion" sections are interrelated, they can often be combined as one section. Also, error analysis can be incorporated in this section.

A separate section outlining the main conclusions of the project is appropriate if conclusions have not already been stated in the "Discussion" section. Directions for future work are also suitably expressed here.

A lengthy report, or one in which the findings are complex, usually benefits from a paragraph summarizing the main features of the report--the objectives, the findings, and the conclusions.

The last paragraph of text in manuscripts prepared for publication is customarily dedicated to acknowledgments. However, there is no rule about this, and research reports or senior theses frequently place acknowledgments following the title page.

Literature references are collated at the end of the report and are cited in one of the formats described in The ACS Style Guide or standard journals. Do not mix formats. All references should be checked against the original literature.

The personal computer and word processing have made manuscript preparation and revision a great deal easier than it used to be. Students should have the opportunity to use a word processor, and have access to graphics software that allows numerical data to be graphed, chemical structures to be drawn, and mathematical equations to be represented. These are essential tools of the technical writer. All manuscripts should routinely be checked for spelling (spell-check programs are helpful), and all manuscripts should be carefully proofread before being submitted. For research reports, preliminary drafts should be edited by the faculty advisor before the report is presented in final form.