Laboratory notebook preparative experiments

Writing is the most important method chemists use to communicate their work. It begins with the record kept in a laboratory notebook. An experiment originally recorded in the laboratory notebook can become the source of information used to prepare scientific papers published in journals or presented at meetings. For the industrial chemist, these written records are critical in obtaining patent coverage for new discoveries. 

Researchers are often uncertain about the scope of descripdon of their experiments to be included when preparing a lab notebook. First of all, it is important to realize that the laboratory notebook serves not only for corroboradon of the reduc-... 

Laboratory records are kept very carefully in order to follow the progress of any study and to be able to repeat any steps that are necessary. Detailed records include all the information about samples, preparation methods, analysis results, and storage. These records provide the documentation necessary to prove that the research was done and how it was completed. All of this information together is data and there are two major places these data are kept a notebook and computer database. The Laboratory Notebook is an essential part of lab activities and the first record of all information. A laboratory notebook is needed to explain lab procediues, write down all lab data, show how calculations are made, and discuss the results of an experiment. A record of lab work is an important document, which will show the quantity and quality of the lab work that you have done. The laboratory database is the digital archive of information from the activities, experiments, and measurements of the laboratory. 

This textbook is divided into two major sections (see Table of Contents). The first section, which includes Part One through Part Five, contains all of the experiments in this book. The second major section includes only Part Six, which contains all of the important techniques you will use in performing the experiments in this book. Interspersed among the experiments in Part One through Part Three is a series of essays. The essays provide a context for many of the experiments and often relate the experiment to real world applications. When your instructor assigns an experiment, he or she will often assign an essay and/or several techniques chapters along with the experiment. Before you come to lab, you should read all of these. In addition, it is likely that you will need to prepare some sections in your laboratory notebook (see Technique 2) before you come to the lab. 

You undoubtedly will be required to maintain a laboratory notebook, which will serve as a complete, accurate, and neat record of the experimental work that you do. Once more, your instructor will provide an outline of what specific information should appear in this notebook, but part of what is prescribed will probably necessitate advance preparation, which will further enhance your ability to complete the experiments successfully. The laboratory notebook is a permanent record of your accomplishments in the course, and you should take pride in the quality and completeness of its contents ... 

Before taking chemistry in high school he had, while in junior high school, set up a laboratory for himself in the basement of his parents home. Here he experimented, keeping a notebook in which he meticulously recorded his observations and deductions. One day, he prepared sulfur dioxide, and the gas drove his mother s bridge-party out of the house. After a stern lecture by his parents concerning his chemical experimentation, he built a sort of fume-hood, to lead the noxious gases out of the basement into the open. 

The first entries for an experiment represent the student s preparation and are made before coming to the laboratory. The descriptive paragraphs and Erections of the manual should be studied, with particular attention to the cautions for handling dangerous materials. The lecture notes and textbook should be consulted about the topic covered by the experiment. The following information is then entered in the notebook ... 

When you begin the actual experiment, keep your notebook nearby so you will be able to record those operations you perform. When you are working in the laboratory, the notebook serves as a place in which to record a rough transcript of your experimental method. Data from actual weighings, volume measurements, and determinations of physical consfants are also noted. This section of your notebook should not be prepared in advance. The purpose is not to write a recipe but rather to record what you did and what you observed. These observations will help you write reports without resorting to memory. They will also help you or other workers repeat the experiment in as nearly as possible the same way. The sample notebook pages found in Figures 2.2 and 2.3 illustrate the type of data and observations that should be written in your notebook. 

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