Organic Chemistry Laboratory
The laboratory used for Organic Chemistry is equipped with twelve six-foot hoods, each shared by a pair of students. Each student has their own glassware, both standard and microscale organic ground glassware. Organic laboratory sections meet four hours once a week.
Learning Objectives for the Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
Students should be able to:
- Use basic organic chemistry lab techniques to purify organic molecules: distillation, recrystallization, extraction, filtration. Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Learning Objective IV.
- Determine physical and chemical properties of organic molecules, using these techniques or instrumental methods: melting point, boiling point, polarimetry, infrared spectroscopy, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, gas chromatography, thin layer chromatography. Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Learning Objective IV.
- Set up and run a simple organic reaction and isolate the products of the reaction. Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Learning Objective IV.
- Understand the reasons behind techniques used, reaction conditions, isolation methods, and be able to correctly interpret the data from physical and chemical measurements. Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Learning Objectives II & IV.
- Use the chemical literature to find physical and chemical properties of organic molecules. Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Learning Objective III.
- Safely work in the laboratory by understanding the hazards and using proper precautions with chemicals and laboratory equipment and using proper chemical disposal procedures. Chemistry & Biochemistry Department Learning Objective IV.