Introduction

• Argument-Driven Inquiry
  • Argument-Driven Inquiry
    
    This lab course is taught using a new and innovative instructional model called Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI)...
  • An Introduction to Scientific Argumentation
    
    Over the course of human history, people have developed many interconnected and validated ideas about the natural world...
  • Interactive Poster Session
    
    Once your group has completed your work, prepare a whiteboard (Figure 1) that you can use to share and justify your ideas...
  • Lab Reporting Scoring Rubric
    
    Lab Reporting Scoring Rubric printable form
  • Lab Report Review and Score
    
    Lab Report Review and Score printable form
• Lab Safety and Practices
  • Lab Safety
    
    The lab instructor will provide a statement to be signed by the student confirming that the following rules and regulations have been read by the student and summarized by the lab instructor...
  • Good Lab Practices
    
    Much of this course involves obtaining accurate data. Careful work usually leads to good results...
  • Measurements
    
    Chemistry is an experimental science that requires the use of a standardized system of measurements...
  • Preparing Graphs
    
    Graphs are often used to organize data so that relationships between numbers can be visualized...
• Laboratory Equipment
  • Laboratory Equipment and Glassware
    
    Goggles, Plastic/Glass Ruber Policemen, Tongs, Test Tube Holder, Erlenmeyer Flasks, Beakers, Graduated Cylinders...
  • Vernier Calipers
    
    The vernier consists of a main scale engraved on a fixed ruler and an auxiliary vernier scale engraved on a movable jaw...
  • Analytical Balance
    
    Analytical balances are used for very accurate, quantitative measurements of mass to the nearest 0.001 g...
  • Volumetric Glassware
    
    In quantitative chemistry, it is often necessary to make volume measurements with an error on the order of 0.1%, one part per thousand...
  • Bunsen Burner
    
    A bunsen burner is one of the primary means of heating in the laboratory...
  • Centrifuge
    
    Centrifugation (high-speed rotation) will be used to rapidly settle precipitates in solution...
• Instructional Videos
  • Instructional Videos
    
    Chemistry Lab Safety, Argument-Driven Inquiry, Handling Liquids, Handling Solids, Bunsen Burner, Spec 20
  • Additional Instructional Videos
    
    Cleaning & Conditioning a Buret, Titration, Cleaning a Buret, Using an Analytical Balance, Using a Volumetric Flask, Pipeting Techniques
• Resources
  • Periodic Table
    
    Periodic Chart of the Elements
  • Statistical Analysis of Data Collected
    
    When performing laboratory experiments, a certain variation in results will always occur regardless of the care taken in measuring...

Lab Investigations

• Printable Worksheets and Pre-Laboratory Exercises
  • Worksheet for Investigation 3
    
    Hydrate Investigation Design...
  • Pre-Laboratory Exercises for Investigation 4
    
    Beer-Lambert Calibration Curve...
  • Pre-Laboratory Exercises for Investigation 5
    
    Moles and Mass Calculations...
  • Worksheet for Investigation 6
    
    Experimental Design...
  • Worksheet for Investigation 7
    
    Quantitative Heat Data for Salts...
• Lab Investigation 1 - What is the best practice for laboratory measurement?
  • Using Laboratory Equipment and Glassware
    
    The chemistry laboratory is equipped with top loading balances and analytical balances...
• Lab Investigation 2 - Are these objects made of the same material?
  • An Introduction to Physical Properties
    
    Are the objects provided made of the same material?
  • Introduction
    
    A physical property can be observed or measured without changing the identity of the material...
  • The Problem
    
    Matter, the "stuff" of which the universe is composed, has two characteristics: it has mass, and it occupies space...
  • Materials Available for Use
    
    Water, Spill Can, Tongs, Graduated Cylinders, Beaker, Top Loader Electronic Balances, Vernier Calipers
  • Safety Precautions
    
    Carefully add the samples into the glass cylinders to avoid cracking the glass...
  • Getting Started
    
    You will need to determine a way to gather the data so that you produce evidence that can be used to justify your answer to the guiding question...
  • Procedure
    
    It is good scientific practice to determine values in more than one way...
  • Interactive Poster Session
    
    Once your group has completed your work, prepare a whiteboard that you can use to share and justify your ideas...
  • Report
    
    Once you have completed your research, you will need to prepare an investigation report that consists of three sections...
• Lab Investigation 3 - What is the identity of the unknown hydrate?
  • Identification of Hydrates Based on Percent Water in an Unknown
    
    What is the identity of your unknown hydrate?
  • Introduction
    
    When an ionic compound (such as salt) is crystallized from an aqueous solution (such as salt water), the resulting solid crystals may appear to be perfectly dry....
  • The Problem
    
    You will be given an unknown hydrate to identify this hydrate from a list of possible unknowns by determining the percent water in the hydrate.
  • Materials Available For Use
    
    Test tubes, Test Tube clamp, Beaker, Top Loader Electronic Balances, Bunsen Burner, 0.5 to 1.0 gram of unknown hydrate
  • Safety Precautions
    
    Never point the heating test tube at a person...
  • Getting Started
    
    The unknown hydrate may be any of the compounds in the table on the design page...
  • Procedure
    
    Be sure to weigh your empty test tube, so you do not lose material transferring between containers...
  • Interactive Poster Session
    
    Once your group has completed your work, prepare a whiteboard that you can use to share and justify your ideas...
  • Report
    
    Once you have completed your research, you will need to prepare an investigation report that consists of three sections...
  • Worksheet for Investigation 3
    
    Hydrate Investigation Design...
• Lab Investigation 4 - How could you make more of this dye?
  • Using Spectroscopy to Determine Solution Concentration
    
    How could you make more of this dye?
  • Introduction
    
    A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances...
  • The Problem
    
    Your research team has been asked to prepare more of certain color dye solution...
  • Materials Available For Use
    
    UV-Vis Spectrophotometer, Spectronic 20D spectrophotometers, 10 mL Graduated Cylinders, 50 mL Beakers
  • Safety Precautions
    
    Wear goggles at all times.
  • Getting Started
    
    In the pre-laboratory exercise of this investigation you will prepare a Beer's Law calibration curve for a primary dye...
  • Procedure
    
    Obtain a practice solution of the same dye that you used to prepare the calibration curve and determine the practice solution's concentration...
  • Interactive Poster Session
    
    Once your group has completed your work, prepare a whiteboard that you can use to share and justify your ideas...
  • Report
    
    Once you have completed your research, you will need to prepare an investigation report that consists of three sections...
  • Spectroscopy Background
    
    Begin by viewing the online video "Spectronic 20"...
  • Preparing a Beer's Law Plot
    
    Obtain two cuvettes for the Spectronic 20D...
  • Pre-Laboratory Exercises for Investigation 4
    
    Beer-Lambert Calibration Curve...
• Lab Investigation 5 - What is the optimum mole ratio for a reaction?
  • An Investigation of Mole Ratios and Limiting Reactants
    
    What is the optimum mole ratio for the formation of CO₂ from the reaction of sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid?
  • Introduction
    
    You have already learned how to balance chemical equations in terms of molecules, for example see the following equations...
  • The Problem
    
    When bicarbonate is mixed with acid, it breaks down into CO₂ and H₂O...
  • Materials Available for Use
    
    1.00 M Acetic Acid (HC₂H₃0₂), Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO₃), Graduated cylinders (1000 mL & 25 mL), Plastic tray...
  • Safety Precautions
    
    Handle acetic acid with care...
  • Getting Started
    
    You will need to collect gas by water displacement in order to measure the amount of CO₂ produced after the mixing of acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate in different molar ratios...
  • Interactive Poster Session
    
    Once your group has completed your work, prepare a whiteboard that you can use to share and justify your ideas...
  • Report
    
    Once you have completed your research, you will need to prepare an investigation report that consists of three sections...
  • Pre-Laboratory Exercises for Investigation 5
    
    Moles and Mass Calculations...
• Lab Investigation 6 - What is the best way to remove silver ion from an aqueous solution?
  • Using Chemical Reactions
    
    What is the best way to remove silver ion from aqueous silver nitrate?..
  • Introduction
    
    Chemical reactions can be recognized by a color change, the formation of a solid, the formation of bubbles, or a change in temperature...
  • The Problem
    
    This investigation requires you to use your knowledge of chemical reactions to design a procedure to remove silver ion from an aqueous silver nitrate solution...
  • Materials Available for Use
    
    Test tubes & rack, 0.5 M CaCl₂, 0.5 M AgNO₃, Copper metal, Side-arm filtration flask, Büchner funnel, Filter paper...
  • Safety Precautions
    
    Always wear goggles...
  • Getting Started
    
    Mix the reactants for each reaction in a test tube...
  • Experimental Design
    
    Please print the worksheet for this experimental design phase of the investigation.
  • Interactive Poster Session
    
    Once your group has completed your work, prepare a whiteboard that you can use to share and justify your ideas...
  • Report
    
    Once you have completed your research, you will need to prepare an investigation report that consists of three sections...
  • Worksheet for Investigation 6
    
    Experimental Design...
• Lab Investigation 7 - Why is sodium acetate used in commercial hot packs and ammonium nitrate in commercial cold packs?
  • The Commercial Use of Thermochemistry
    
    Why is sodium acetate used in commercial hot packs and ammonium nitrate in commercial cold packs?
  • Introduction
    
    When a salt dissolves in water, two opposite heat transfer processes are involved...
  • The Problem
    
    You and your teammates are to investigate different salts for potential use in cold or hot packs...
  • Materials Available for Use
    
    Electronic Balances, Sodium acetate (NaC₂H₃O₂), Ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃), Calcium chloride (CaCl₂)...
  • Safety Precautions
    
    Dispose of all salts properly...
  • Getting Started
    
    Each pair of students will work with one salt to determine the heat of solution...
  • Class Poster Session
    
    Once your group has completed the experiment, add your data to the class whiteboard.
  • Report
    
    This week you will NOT write a full lab report, just an argument for why each salt is used commercially...
  • Recommended Procedure for Quantitative Heat Investigations
    
    A calorimeter can be constructed from two concentric Styrofoam cups...
  • Worksheet for Investigation 7
    
    Quantitative Heat Data for Salts...
• Lab Investigation 8 - What shapes do molecules form?
  • Lewis dot structures help us predict covalent bonding patterns as well as locate non-bonding pairs of electrons on a molecule...

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