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Course Syllabus

Course: CHEM 2315

Division: Natural Science and Math
Department: Chemistry
Title: Organic Chemistry Laboratory I

Semester Approved: Summer 2021
Five-Year Review Semester: Summer 2026
End Semester: Spring 2027

Catalog Description: CHEM 2315 is the laboratory complement of CHEM 2310. The laboratory experience reinforces the principles of organic chemistry by teaching foundational techniques and simple synthesis reactions. This lab course is designed for pre-professional majors as well as chemistry majors. (Lab fee required)

Semesters Offered: Fall
Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 1; Lecture: 0; Lab: 3

Prerequisites: CHEM 1215 and CHEM 1225

Corequisites: CHEM 2310


Justification: Organic chemistry laboratory is taught by chemistry departments at USHE institutions. It is a two-semester sequence that is numbered as CHEM 2315 for the first semester and CHEM 2325 for the second semester at USHE institutions. It is required for all chemistry-based majors and many pre-professional programs; some programs require only the first semester. This course will provide students majoring in chemistry-centered disciplines and pre-professional areas a detailed study of foundational laboratory techniques and beginning synthesis methods.


Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will have a working knowledge of chemical reactivity, physical properties, preparation, nomenclature, and synthesis of organic compounds. Students will be able to apply reaction knowledge to syntheses and laboratory techniques in the isolation, purification, and identification of products.  Successful lab reports will contain easy-to-follow descriptions of procedures and results with appropriate detail for another student to be able to reproduce the work and recognize the results.

Students will be able to analyze and interpret experimental observations and compare their observations with literature results and data to form judgments about the success of a laboratory procedure.  Successful lab reports will include properly cited literature information and thoughtful analysis of the consistency of the student's own results with previous work, including when necessary commentary on what the student could have done to achieve better results.

Students may be asked to demonstrate reasoning about physical and chemical processes through tasks such as combining information from a variety of experimental methods to reach a consistent conclusion about the structure of a molecule or the outcome of a reaction, comparing the outcomes of similar experiments, or designing and explaining the justification for their own experimental protocols.  Successful lab reports will exhibit understanding by identifying connections between the concrete experiences of lab work and the abstract concepts discussed in lecture.

Students will be able to use scholarly and chemistry-specific databases such as GoogleScholar and ChemSpider to obtain information for the background and discussion sections of their lab reports. Such information might include the structures of chemicals used or prepared in the lab, accepted literature values for the physical properties of chemicals used or prepared in the lab, history and development of laboratory techniques, real-world (e.g. industrial and artisanal) applications of laboratory techniques, current chemical research involving materials or methods being studied, and various other topics as appropriate to the content of individual experiments.  Successful lab reports will demonstrate clear written communication and effective reading and knowledge retrieval.


Content:
CHEM 2315 focuses on development of foundational laboratory techniques. Representative lab experiments include: chemical information literacy (library session); melting point determination; recrystallization; extraction; liquid-liquid distillation; steam distillation; polarimetry; liquid chromatography; gas chromatography; the SN2 reaction; the E2 reaction; and a two- or three-week final project lab that integrates multiple techniques and/or concepts learned during the semester. Instructors who choose to teach spectroscopy in CHEM 2310 (see CHEM 2310 syllabus, Content Topic Set B) will also teach IR spectroscopy and NMR spectroscopy in CHEM 2315.

When appropriate to the historical background and/or real-world applications of the content, the diversity (or lack thereof) in the field and/or the implications for underrepresented/underserved populations will be explored in post-lab questions/lab report prompts.


Key Performance Indicators:
Students cannot miss more than two labs. Students who miss more than two labs will fail the course.

Student performance will primarily be assessed through:

Pre-lab questions/quizzes 5 to 20%

Experimental results 10 to 25%

Post-lab questions/lab reports 35 to 75%

Laboratory notebook 10 to 25%


Representative Text and/or Supplies:
In-house laboratory manual, Sannali Dittli/current instructor ed., most recent revision

Laboratory notebook with duplicate pages

Safety goggles


Pedagogy Statement:
Students prepare for each lab session by pre-lab questions about the techniques and/or safety concerns of each experiment and by organizing reference and procedural information in their lab notebooks. Each lab session begins with a discussion of the pre-lab questions, laboratory procedure, and safety concerns; this pre-lab discussion may include a pre-lab quiz at the instructor’s discretion.

Students then work in pairs or trios to gain hands-on experience with the equipment and techniques. Students are encouraged to work as independently as they are comfortable, with the instructor providing general supervision, answering specific questions as they arise during the class period, and trouble-shooting experimental difficulties.

Early experiments, particularly those which focus on learning foundational laboratory techniques, are highly structured and specific in their instructions to the students. Later experiments are less structured and require students to use the knowledge they have gained to construct their own full procedures from brief outlines.

An inclusive environment is fostered by requesting input from all students during the pre-lab discussion and by actively encouraging student groups to communicate with each other about their progress and outcomes.


Instructional Mediums:
Lab

Maximum Class Size: 24
Optimum Class Size: 18