Guidelines for Laboratory
Notebooks
Experience in carrying out standard organic lab
procedures is essential to the development of good organic
chemistry laboratory skills. However, learning how to
properly document experimental results is also very
important. Documentation of results requires the
keeping of a detailed laboratory research notebook. It is
generally accepted that such a research notebook is
necessary for the documentation of any scientist's work.
For example, an industrial research notebook is the legal
basis for defending and obtaining patents. A research
notebook should be a permanent, original, and honest
scientific record of all observations made and data
obtained while working in the lab.
General Instructions.
- The 100-Page Top-Bound Carbonless Laboratory Notebook
(available in the bookstore) is required. (Certain
equivalent lab notebooks with perforated carbonless
duplicate pages are also acceptable).
- Make sure the back cover flap is placed between the
set of pages on which the entry is being made and the
following original page.
- The duplicate copies are ripped out and turned into
the instructor at the required times throughout the
semester.
Important Do's and Don'ts
- Do use ink. The lab record should be permanent and
pencil is, thus, unacceptable.
- If you make a mistake cross it out with one or two
lines and proceed (the original entry should remain
legible).
- Never record data on a loose sheet of paper first with
the plan of copying it into the notebook later.
- Don't waste time being overly neat.
- Never alter the duplicate page in anyway before
turning it in (erasure, Whiteout, crossout, additional
inking).
- Never tear out any original white pages.
- Do label the notebook completely with all
information pertinent to the course on the table of
contents page.
- Do keep the table of contents up to date.
- Be sure that every page is dated and identified with
your name, course information, and the experiment title
and number.
Format.
The notebook entries for each experiment should be
divided into two sections, (1) the "Pre-lab Plan" and (2)
the "In-lab Journal".
Each of these parts should be done on its own separate
page(s). Do not start the in-lab journal on the same page
as which the pre-lab plan ends.
"The Plan"- To be completed before the start of
each new experiment and turned in (yellow sheets) at the
beginning of the lab period during which the experiment
will be started. Each student must prepare their own
individual pre-lab plan in their own lab notebook.
This section consists of the following:
- Experiment Number, Title, Date and Course &
Section Number
- Balanced Chemical Equation: If the experiment
involves a chemical reaction, then the balanced chemical
equation should be given and should show the structures
of the reactants to be used and the major product
expected. Do not include equations for side reactions or
reactions used during work up. Do not include the full
mechanism of the reaction being carried out.
- References: Give the title, author, and page
numbers of all reference materials used.
- Purpose: In two or three sentences describe the
experiment in more detail than the title conveys. Tell
exactly what will be done and how the results will be
evaluated.
- Table of Reactants and Products: Include
structures, molecular weights, relevant physical
constants, (i.e., densities of liquids to be measured by
volume, bps of liquids, mps of solids), and amounts to
be used of each reactant (in moles as well as in the
units in which it will be measured). Make sure to do any
needed calculations of amounts to be used before lab.
Indicate whether each reactant is a solid or liquid at
room temperature and whether any special safety
precautions need to be taken with it. Even though they
are not formally reactants or products, solvents and
catalysts should also be included in this table. Also
include the molecular weight, relevant physical
constants, and theoretical yield of the major product(s)
expected.
- Planned Procedures:This should be a relatively
brief outline (preferably in the form of a flow-chart or
step-by-step list) extracted from the procedure given in
the lab text and/or handout. Your planned procedures
should be complete enough to allow you to be able to do
the experiment while referring to your notebook only.
Include sketches of any glassware apparatuses you will
have to assemble. In addition, the sequence in the
carrying out of important steps should be emphasized.
Try to anticipate any time lags that may exist and plan
a productive way to use this time.
- Safety Precautions: Include all special safety
precautions associated with the specific
experiment to be performed. Identify any particularly
hazardous materials to be handled and any specific
precautions to be taken with it. (Standard lab
precautions such as wearing eye protection at all times
should not be included here.) Find the MSDS for each
chemical (if available) and either add it to your
Favorites list or save it on your computer in a folder
you can find easily during the lab. The idea is that the
MSDS info should be easily accessible during the lab
when you are working with the chemicals just in case any
questions arise. We will periodically check at the start
of the lab to see that you have the MSDSs available on
your computer.
The Journal - To be completed during the
lab and turned in to the instructor before leaving the lab.
Make sure you start a new page for every new day in the
lab. The date at the top of the page should be the actual
date when all of the writing on that page was done! Each
team keeps and submits only one in-lab journal with a
designated team member being primarily responsible for
writing it, as shown in the team assignments table on the
lab grading policies page.
Observations and Data go in the right-hand
column of the notebook page.
Observations
- All observations should be carefully noted - make
sure you use enough words to adequately describe what
you observe.
- Observations should always include the appearances of
all starting materials and products.
- Observations of color changes, odors, phase
separations, heat evolution, gas evolution, or any other
unusual or unanticipated results are particularly
important.
- Labeled sketches of glassware setups used are good to
include here.
- Also record your initial observations on any spectra
obtained, e.g., number of peaks, key peak positions,
etc.
Data
- Make the data entries easy to find by underlining them
or placing in a table..
- Never record data or observations first on a loose
sheet of paper with the intention of copying it into
your notebook later.
- The data that is recorded should include (if
applicable):
- tare masses (always subtract tare masses and record
the mass of substance in the notebook)
- amounts of reactants actually used (as measured)
- weight of product obtained and % yield calculation
- any physical constants that are measured (i.e., mp,
bp, refractive index, etc.)
- Also record the file name and acquisition time for all
NMR spectra.
Actual Procedures go in the left-hand column of
the notebook page.
- During the lab you should record faithfully what you
are doing while you are doing it.
- Do not merely copy the lab manual or handout procedure
because you may actually do the work slightly
differently.
- It is customary in scientific writing to use the past
tense, passive voice:
- Bad - "I am now refluxing a solution of 1-butanol
and sulfuric acid. It has now been two hours and I am
now discontinuing the reflux."
- Better - "I refluxed a solution of butanol and
sulfuric acid for two hours...."
- Better - "Reflux a solution of 1-butanol and
sulfuric acid for two hours...."
- Best - "A solution of 1-butanol and sulfuric acid
was refluxed for 2.0 h...."
Signatures: All three lab partners should sign at
the bottom of the last page of the journal, signifying
that they have read and agree with what has been recorded.
Note - Please also read chapter 3 in Mohrig for another
perspective on how to keep a laboratory notebook. Most of
what is written there dovetails perfectly with what I have
written in these guidelines, if there are any
disagreements however, make sure to use these guidelines
as your primary reference.
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