Experimental Write-up

In the new paradigm involving the use of an ELN, the workflow is much simplifled. The analytical requests are generated directly from the experimental write-up within the medicinal chemists notebook. No copying or manual duplication is required. The request is then routed electronically to the... 

It is useful to divide the lab book into two the right hand side being reserved for the experimental write-up, whereas the left hand side can be used for calculations, notes, gel photographs and similar additions. Scraps of paper, paper towels or even... 

If you work for any length of time in the laboratory you will rapidly acquire a large number of spectra. It is important that you keep these safe and in proper order, with an unambiguous cross-referencing system so that you (and anyone else) can locate the spectra or measurements which apply to the product of a particular experiment (see Chapter 3 for detailed advice on this). Spectra are best kept in clearly labelled folders or binders of some description, preferably ones which allow for removable attachment of the spectra. The other data should be recorded in the laboratory notebook along with the experimental write up. If data sheets are used then all the data should be recorded on these as they are measured. 

In the laboratory portion of the project, the students quantify iron in real and artificial surface water samples by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The iron is complexed to the o-phenanthroline (phen) ligands in a buffered solution to create a highly colored orange complex, [Fe(phen)3] The intensity of the complex color is proportional to the concentration, following Beer s Law. Students create a standard series and prepare a surface water sample using modified standard protocols (21). We use autodispensers to dispense corrosive reagents and provide the stock iron solutions this equipment reduces exposure and ensures that the experimental work can fit within the three hour laboratory period. Students measure of the absorbance of their standard series as well as their surface water sample on a spectrometer at X = 508 nm. Students complete the experimental write-up, calculations, data analysis, and assessment during the subsequent laboratory period. 

There is obviously a lot wrong with this particular experimental write-up ... 

Time spent in complying with regulatory and legal issues, for instance, completing the paper notebook write-up of an experiment, is time taken out of the lab and is therefore time not spent making new discoveries. Shortening the time taken to both set up new experiments and document experimental outcomes will therefore have a direct and positive impact on scientific productivity. 

For your chosen option, write out a complete procedure based on the table on the previous page. Include a diagram showing the experimental set-up, and detailed safety precautions. Have your teacher approve your procedure, and then carry it out. 

It is important that you are not over-ambitious. Your project is unlikely to be a piece of original research, but it will be new to you. Take the advice given by your teacher or lecturer. You have only a limited time available to plan your project, carry out the experimental work and then write up the Project Report. If you try to do too much, you may run out of time. 

Your record of work, which may be paper-based or electronic, may be presented as your evidence for a record of experimental data. In this regard, you must record all your raw results and the uncertainties associated with each measurement. If you tabulate your results, the tables should have proper headings and the appropriate units. The more information you record as you carry out your project, then the easier it will be to write up a good, comprehensive Project Report later. The number of marks you obtain out of the 30 marks available for the project will be awarded by the marker based purely on what he or she reads in your Project Report. 

The write-up to this point is to be completed as a Prelab assignment. The experimental procedure followed is then recorded in your notebook as you proceed through the experiment. The detail should be sufficient so that a fellow student can use your notebook as a guide. You should include observations, such as color changes or gas evolution, made during the experiment. If you obtain a recorder printout of numbers, a spectrum from a spectrophotometer, or a photograph, these records must be saved and handed in with your report. 

This is the most important section of your write-up, because it answers the questions, Did you achieve your proposed goals and objectives and What is the significance of the data Any conclusion that you make must be supported by experimental results. It is often possible to compare your data with known values and results from the literature. If this is feasible, calculate percentage error and explain any differences. If problems were encountered in the experiment, these should be outlined with possible remedies for future experiments. 

The following guidelines provide some tips on how to write a good experimental section which will be acceptable to a thesis examiner or journal referee. The recommendations in this section are provided so that preparation of that crucial manuscript will be a straightforward task and not the nightmare encountered by many graduate students upon writing-up. 

Experimental You should note as many details as possible when doing the experiment or making observations. Don t rely on your memory or hope that the information will still be available when you come to write up. Even if it is, chasing these details might waste valuable time. 

For all experimental work, students are required to accurately and clearly record their procedures, observations, data, and results in their laboratory notebook on an ongoing basis while in the laboratory. To assist the students with the task of properly completing their notebooks, the audience has been identified as (1) themselves, as they will need the information in the notebook when writing up report sheets or formal reports and (2) other students with similar chemistry background who may want to repeat the experiment. 

Example A lab schedule states that 5 g of a compound of Mr 220 g mol-1 are dissolved in 400 mL of solvent. For writing up your Experimental section, you wish to express this as mol L 1. 

An Introduction to Data Acqnisition and Control Using Turbochrom and an Introdnction to EOgh-Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC) Evaluating Those Experimental Parameters Which Influence Instrument Performance Qualitative Analysis emphasis on learning to operate the HPLC and the Turbochrom software no write-up required answer questions in lab notebook... 

Students routinely record experimental data and plot graphs in laboratory notebooks, and in this instance the completed flow net handouts are also glued in. The experimental work and most of the data analysis and flow net sketching are completed within the three hour laboratory class. Students are then asked to draw brief conclusions and to present their notebooks for marking three days later. If resourees permitted, this group of exercises would be very suitable for writing up as a fuller report or technieal note, an activity that would help to develop the student s writing skills. 

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