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. Equivalent lab
notebooks with perforated carbonless duplicate pages are
also acceptable. (If you wish to use the spiral bound
notebooks with perforated original pages that are also
available in the bookstore and used in other chemistry
courses at WSU, then you must (1) turn in the
non-perforated duplicate pages after trimming the left
edge with a scissor (2) make sure none of the original,
perforated pages are removed from the notebook - you may
want to scotch tape along the perforation.)
- 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:
- Pre-lab Plan at the start of the lab period the
lab is being done.
- In-lab Journal at the end of every lab period.
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).
- Don't 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.
- Don't alter the duplicate page in anyway before
turning it in (erasure, Whiteout, crossout, additional
inking).
- Don't 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.
- Do make 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.
The Plan consists of the following sections in the order given below:
- 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.
- 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 Chemicals: 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.
- 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 SDS 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. We want the SDS info
to be easily accessible during the lab when you are
working with the chemicals just in case any questions
arise.
- 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.
- References: Give the title, author, and page
numbers of all reference materials used.
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.
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