AP Chemistry Lab Report Guidelines
Mrs. Gano, 2016-2017
Lab reports will be written up in a bound duplicate notebook which will produce a carbon copy of each page. The bottom copy will be torn out and submitted for grading. The top copy is for you to keep for your records. Some universities and colleges will want to see your lab notebook before granting chemistry credit, or to facilitate class placement. Therefore, it is important that you keep a neat and accurate representation of your laboratory work.
All lab reports must be handwritten in ink. All errors should be drawn through with a single line. NO WHITEOUT OR CORRECTION FLUID is allowed (you might need the information later)! NEATNESS COUNTS, and points will be deducted for messy labs.
Put your name (in ink or permanent marker) on the front of your lab notebook. The Table of Contents is on the underside of the front cover. You should enter all labs we write up into the Table of Contents. The first lab will begin on page 1. The first page of every lab should have the heading information filled out completely, including the full name of the lab and your lab partner’s name. Subsequent pages of the same lab can have simply your initials and the name of the lab filled out, in case the page is separated from your lab book. The parts of the write-up will be very similar to what you may have experienced in first-year chemistry. The big difference is that there will be no required introduction. That information from the lab handout will be your best resource for synthesizing the concepts in the conclusion. The parts of the lab write-up are:
I. OBJECTIVE:
State the purpose of the lab in short, numbered sentences.
II. MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT:
List the materials and equipment needed for the lab in columns. Separate the Materials (those items that are consumed during the lab) and Equipment (those items that are not consumed during the lab) into separate columns. Be sure and write the formulas and names of the chemicals used. Often, these will not be listed in the lab handout. You will have to read to find them. Ex:
Materials: Equipment:
Sodium hydroxide, NaOH Electronic Balance, .0001g
III. Procedure QUESTIONS:
1. Read through the lab procedure.
2. Answer the Procedure Questions: you do NOT need to write the question first if you use complete sentences.
IV. SAFETY
Include a section highlighting the SPECIFIC safety concerns with the chemicals, equipment, or procedure. Be sure to list appropriate safety equipment required. You need more detail than "be careful with chemicals."
V. PRELAB QUESTIONS (OPTIONAL, for EXTRA POINTS)
Many of the labs that you will do will have pre-lab questions included. These are optional. Pre-lab questions, in order to earn extra points on a lab, must be done before the lab, and must be written before the data table! They are worth 5 extra points on your prewrite grade.
VI. DATA TABLES:
Draw all data tables, with a correct title, into your lab book. A straight edge must be used, but the gridlines of the lab book may be useful. Include appropriate units for all numbers, and read all measuring devices using appropriate significant figures estimation. Don’t forget to note which balance you are using throughout the lab.
VII. OBSERVATIONS: (ANY time there is a visible observation to be made--every lab!)
Record into your notebook all your observations that occurred while performing the procedure. Use the format below:
Procedure Step # Reactants (if applicable) Observation
2. HCl + NaHCO3 tube got cold and
solution bubbled
VIII. ANALYSIS:
Perform one of each type of calculations for EVERY calculation needed for the lab. Many times, the answer may need to be entered back into the data table, so watch for this. Box the final answer in the calculation section. Be sure and include a formula, if applicable. If many calculations need to be repeated due to multiple trials or samples, again, one sample calculation in detail is sufficient, and the rest may be entered into a results table. REMINDER: UNITS AND SIGNIFICANT FIGURES ARE CRITICAL!
Answer any end of lab questions included in the handout by copying the question into your lab notebook and answering them fully. You should not begin to answer these questions until you have completed the entire lab and have collected all of your data.
IX. CONCLUSION:
This is the most important section. It is very similar to what you have done before, but with more thought and effort given to the results and the errors. Your conclusion should include a brief summary of the objectives/purpose of the lab and a summary of the procedure. You should highlight new techniques and equipment that were used in the lab. Make sure to actually give your results for the experiment, and to report any errors. Be sure to think about the errors in your lab data/calculations (READ MR. LESMEISTER’S HANDOUT “Dealing with Experimental Uncertainty”). What part of the procedure introduced them? Your error must be linked to your data collection/procedure and the effect that error had on the end calculation. In other words, why was the calculated number too high or too low? What step caused the collected data to be off in such a manner that it would make the end calculation off in the manner determined in the lab? How could the lab be improved to either reduce error or simplify the procedure? Grammar counts. Spelling counts. Use complete sentences and logical discussions.
PARTS I - V must be written up in their entirety before coming to class to perform the lab investigation. The data tables for PART VI must be drawn as well. Together these elements make up the Lab Pre-Write (100 point-grade). All data and observations during lab must be entered DIRECTLY into your lab notebook with pen.
Complete lab write-ups are due one week (7 days) after the lab is completed unless otherwise specified. Never leave lab write-ups to the last minute. The analysis portion of your lab is worth 200 points. Labs are 30% of your grade in the course. You can turn a lab in early for 10 extra points the day after the lab has been performed.
CHEATING/PLAGIARISM and LAB PARTNERS
Obviously, you and your partner should have identical data. It is acceptable for you to work on calculations with your partner, and to discuss the analysis questions together. But your answers to those questions should be in your own words, and not identical to your partner’s. Although you can discuss your results and key errors with your partner, your conclusion must be written completely independently of your partner. I grade partners’ lab reports together. It is unacceptable for me to recognize key phrases or wording from one lab report to another, let alone entire paragraphs. The first instance of this will result in a 50% grade loss for both labs; the second, in a zero on both labs and an office referral for cheating.
D. Tate; mod. Gano