Notebook observations

Fig. 2.1 Original laboratory notebook observation recorded by Reginald Oswald Gibson at ICI laboratories describing the waxy solid (PE) found in the reactor tube [8]...

Actually, the first observation was probably made by Sir Humphry Davy some 55 years earlier an unpublished observation in his Notebook for November 1807 reads When 8 grains of potassium were heated in ammoniacal gas it assumed a beautiful metallic appearance and gradually became of a pure blue colour . 

Your teacher demonstrated the effect of heating steel wool, and it proved to be a spectacular exception to the generalization about melting. An inexperienced observer might note this special behavior in his notebook, cross reference it under Sparklers, and proceed to the next substance. A curious person, however, cannot resist wondering, Why does steel wool behave in this special manner ... 

Record in your notebook at the moment of observation. Prepare tables in advance. 

In your experimentation, be alert and ready for unexpected developments. Record in your notebook at the moment of observation a description of everything you see. The time of the observation frequently has importance. Completeness is, by far, the most important property of a good notebook. Next in importance, legibility, neatness, and organization make your notebook a more valuable record. Whenever possible, prepare tables in advance for the results of measurements you can anticipate. This guarantees that you won t forget to note important information, and it frees you from clerical work during an experiment. 

A stiff covered notebook of A4 size must be provided for recording experimental observations as they are made. A double page should be devoted... 

Laboratory notebooks—It may be debatable to consider laboratory notebooks as text documents, but they should be mentioned here because of their importance in preclinical development. Laboratory notebooks are used to record experimental procedures, observations, raw data, and other important information. Although laboratory notebooks are rarely used for submission to regulatory agencies directly, they are available for inspection by the authorities in the Preapproval Inspection (PAI) and other GMP/GLP-related inspections. Currently, most of the major pharmaceutical companies still use paper-based laboratory notebooks. Electronic-based notebook systems are being developed and commercialized, which are discussed in Chapter 9. 

The professor provided you with a list of notes and observations based on data from the damaged notebook. Figure A is a periodic table with the unknown elements omitted. 

Forensic analysis is usually required for the collection of data in the course of determining whether legislation has been infringed. The customer requires that, above all, there is an unbroken chain of evidence from the time the samples were taken to the presentation of evidence in courts of law. In the laboratory this will include documentation and authorization for sample receipt, sample transfer, sub-sampling, laboratory notebooks, analytical procedures, calculations and observations, witness statements and sample disposal. All of these aspects can be called as evidence in court. 

Notebooks/worksheets or other records show the date of analysis, analyst, analyte, sample details, experimental observations, quality control, all rough calculations, any relevant instrument traces and relevant calibration data. 

There are no large blank areas in your notebook. Draw sloping lines through them. Going back to enter observations after the experiment is over is not professional. Initial and date pages anytime you write anything in your notebook. 

Add small amounts of each liquid indicated in step 2 to the water in the test tubes with the corresponding label. Stopper, shake, and observe the miscibility. Record the miscibility (miscible or immiscible) and polarity (polar or nonpolar) in a table such as the following in the data section of your notebook. 

Observe how the voltage output of the regulated power supply can be controlled. To do this, touch the red multimeter lead to the output of the regulated power supply, either P42 or P43, and rotate the knobs of the potentiometers, first the coarse, then the fine. You should observe that this output can vary between -5 and +5 V. Record your observations and your comments in your notebook. 

In your notebook, make a drawing of the observed banding pattern, labeling both the hemoglobin and cytchrome C. Explain, in relevant detail, what you can determine about the isoelectric points of these proteins and what might happen in the gel if the buffer pH were changed from 7.9 to 3.9. 

On the mixture chromatograms, identify each peak (as well as possible) based on retention time data from the individual chromatograms. Note these identities on the mixture chromatograms. The chromatograms should be placed in the data section of your notebook. Also in your notebook indicate which column provides the best separation and explain this observation. Also explain how the resolution might be improved. 

From the outset the student should accustom himself to keep a notebook in which all records of experiments and all observations are entered. Never rely on the memory in scientific work. 

When his studies on carbohydrate oxidation restarted in Sheffield, Krebs experiments included studies on the anaerobic dismutation of pyruvate by bacteria and various animal tissues. Assuming the role for the dicarboxylic acids postulated by Szent-Gyorgi, the main question was the route by which the carbon atoms of pyruvate were converted to succinate. In May 1936 Krebs had observed that if 2-oxoglutarate was added to pyruvate, the yield of succinate was enormously increased. In his notebook written that year (Holmes, 1993) Krebs postulated ... 

Copy the following table into your notebook, to record your observations. 

Copy the table below into your notebook, to record your observations. Leave plenty of space. You will collect 15 to 30 sets of data, depending on the concentration of the acid. 

Although every experimentalist develops her/his own habits for recording research observations, maintenance of adequate and timely documentation is still insufficiently stressed. Exceptions to this statement may be cited, especially in industry where laboratory notebooks are read and endorsed on a regular schedule for proprietary motives. Next to the writing of monthly or quarterly progress reports, nothing seems at first glance more inef-... 

Note any unusual occurrences, even if they indicate some laziness or inattentiveness on your part. Despite aU earnest attempts to keep an experiment from going awry, the complexity of most experiments conspires to introduce error or accidents into all observations. (It s far better to acknowledge an erroneous or suspicious measurement than to send later readers (including yourself) off on a series of experiments to follow up on a misleading observation that appears in your notebook without comment.)... 

Enter all your observations of the experimental work and conclusions in a laboratory notebook that is a document reflecting all your work. Write your surname, initials, class number and the name of the course on the cover or first page of the notebook. Make all entries only in ink, concisely, accurately, and legibly, directly after performing an experiment. The writeup must contain the following information ... 

Repeat the experiment (any quantitative determination must be repeated at least twice until similar results are obtained) as indicated above. Enter the results of your observations and calculations in your laboratory notebook, using Form 1,... 

Calculate the equivalent of zinc. Determine the magnitude of the error in computing it in per cent. Enter the results of your calculations and observations into your laboratory notebook as in the preceding experiment, using Form 5. Proceeding from the known valence of magnesium and zinc and your results, calculate the atomic masses of these elements. Compare the values obtained with tabulated data. 

Dissolution of Ethanol in Water. Pour 4 ml of water into a 10-mI measuring cylinder. Put a thin glass rod into it and note the level of the liquid in the cylinder. Add 4 ml of water and again note the level. Pour out the water. Again pour 4 ml of water and 4 ml of absolute ethanol into the cylinder and thoroughly mix the liquid with the rod. What is observed Enter the data of all the experiments iu your laboratory notebook using Form 12. 

Pour 2-3 ml each of 1 iV solutions of hydrochloric and acetic acids, sodium hydroxide, and an aqueous ammonia solution into test tubes. Pour one or two drops of a phenolphthalein solution into each of the tubes and see whether the colour of the solution changes. Perform similar experiments with other indicators, namely, methyl red, litmus, methyl orange (see Appendix 1, Table 6). Enter your observations into your laboratory notebook using Form 14. 

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 critical functions of your lab notebook are to state what you did and what you observed, and it should be understandable by a stranger. The greatest error, made even by experienced scientists, is writing incomplete or unintelligible notebooks. Using complete sentences is an excellent way to prevent incomplete descriptions. 

The measure of scientific truth is the ability of different people to reproduce an experiment. A good lab notebook will state everything that was done and what you observed and will allow you or anyone else to repeat the experiment. 

Safety requires you to think in advance about what you will do never do anything that seems dangerous. Know how to use safety equipment such as goggles, fume hood, lab coat, gloves, emergency shower, eyewash, and fire extinguisher. Chemicals should be stored and used in a manner that minimizes contact of solids, liquids, and vapors with people. Environmentally acceptable disposal procedures should be established in advance for every chemical that you use. Your lab notebook tells what you did and what you observed it should be understandable to other people. It also should allow you to repeat an experiment in the same manner in the future. You should understand the principles of operation of electronic and mechanical balances and treat them as delicate equipment. Buoyancy corrections are required in accurate work. Burets should be read in a reproducible manner and drained slowly for best results. Always interpolate between markings to obtain accuracy one deci-... 

The lab notebook must (1) state what was done (2) state what was observed and (3) be understandable to a stranger. 

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. 

Write all observations regarding the preparation in your notebook. Record the color of each supernatant and pellet. 

Write all observations of your nucleic acid preparation in your notebook. Prepare a flowchart for the isolation procedure. Explain the purpose of each step and the role played by each reagent. Speculate on any damage that may have altered the molecular structure of the DNA. 

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