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CHEM272
General Chemistry and Energetics Laboratory
Fall 2017
Course Description: The course is designed to cover analytical laboratory techniques in the context of
biochemical concepts. It will focus on a variety of topics, including error analysis, visible spectroscopy,
equilibrium, acids and bases, oxidation/reduction and kinetics. You will also learn about data processing
and interpretation, as well as data presentation.

Prerequisites: CHEM241 and CHEM242; or CHEM247. A grade of C- or better in the prerequisites is

required for College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences majors and recommended for all
students.

Corequisite: CHEM271.

Class Times: Sections 8000: F 11:00 a.m. 11:50 a.m. in CHEM 1407
Sections 9000: F 3:00 p.m. 3:50 p.m. in CHEM 1407

Instructor: Dr. Amanda Schech

Office: Chemistry 1130A, ESJ 2303
Email: aschech@umd.edu

Office Hours: T 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. and W 2:00 4:00 p.m. (also by appointment) in Chemistry 1130A

Website: All course materials will be disseminated on ELMS and LabArchives (section specific links posted
on ELMS).

Required Materials:
LabArchives subscription (electronic laboratory notebook, ELN) www.labarchives.com
Lab manual (available online through LabArchives)
Safety goggles & Laboratory coat
Breakage cards (4)

Recommended Materials:
T.R. Gilbert, R.V. Kirss, N. Foster, and G. Davies (2014). Chemistry: The Science in Context. 4th edition. W.W.
Norton & Company, New York. The custom edition (ISBN 978-0-393-25026-8) containing only chapters 5,
6, 10, 11, 14 19, and 21 is available for purchase at the bookstore. The full version textbook may also be
used (ISBN 978-0-393-91937-0). You do not need access to SmartWork for this course.

Important Dates (see last page for complete schedule)

September 4 Labor Day
September 11 Last day for Schedule Adjustment
November 6 Last day to drop with a W
November 22-26 Thanksgiving break
December 11 Last day of classes
December 13 FINAL EXAM Time and location TBA
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TA Office Hours:
The laboratory teaching assistants hold office hours throughout the week in room CHM 2125 (see schedule
on ELMS). Any TA teaching this course, even though not assigned to your specific section, should be able
to help you during those office hours. Teaching assistants are not there to give you answers, nor are they
there to pre-screen what you plan to hand in. They are there to guide you and to help you.

Grading:
Lab Reports (including quizzes, notebook, report 65%
form)
Administrative Documents 5%
Exam 1 10%
Exam 2 10%
Final Exam 10%
Total 100%

CHEM 272 is a completely different course than CHEM271 and as a result you will receive a separate
grade for this lab.
The grade for each of the labs will be based upon the pre-lab quiz, written lab report, and the post-lab
questions. Each lab is worth 65 points and NO laboratory report will be dropped.
Any student who is absent from and/or leaves incomplete more than THREE of the scheduled
experiments, for any reason, will fail CHEM 272.
You should actively monitor the grades posted on Canvas throughout the semester to be sure that what
you earned is what is posted. Any discrepancies should be brought to the attention of your TA or Dr.
Schech as soon as possible. Errors in posted grades will not be addressed after the final exam is given.
Final grades will be calculated based on total points at the end of the semester.
+/- grades will be used in this course.

Pre-lab Assignment and Quiz

Prior to each laboratory exercise, you must come into the lab with a completed pre-lab assignment
(complete the Objectives section of the Lab Notebook) in your ELN. The time stamp must be prior to
the beginning of your laboratory period for credit.
You will be given a written pre-lab quiz at the beginning of each lab period.
You will have a maximum of five (5) minutes to work each pre-lab quiz.
The pre-lab quiz will consist of one of the questions from the Possible Prelab Quiz Questions sections
of the labs in the lab manual. The quiz will count towards 5 points of the total points for the lab, and
will be graded as 0, 2.5 or 5 points out of 5.
If you come to the lab when the pre-lab quiz is in progress, you will have only until the end of the five-
minute period to take the pre-lab quiz.
If you come to the lab after the pre-lab quiz has been given and is being collected or has been collected,
you will not be allowed to take it and will receive a grade of zero (0) for it. You will be allowed to do the
scheduled experiment that day, but will receive no pre-lab quiz points toward the overall lab score.
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Notebook Pages
Laboratory notebooks will be graded each week on a 0-5 point scale (see notebook grading rubric). No
edits should be made to the notebook entries after lab. If you wish to modify an entry, instead add a
new entry and indicate the changes.
One should never delete any data. If something was recorded in error, use a strikethrough so the
information can be recovered, if necessary.

Laboratory Reports
Only data and observations personally collected during lab and recorded in the ELN are to be used in
writing the final lab report.
All students are required to turn in a lab report for each of the scheduled labs. A report form is provided
for each lab on LabArchives. Please answer all questions and post-lab questions directly into this
document and upload as a pdf into LabArchives.
Lab reports are due to the TA as you enter the laboratory at the beginning of the next scheduled lab
period. Lab reports will not be accepted at any other time.
Once a lab report has been submitted to the teaching assistant, the report cannot be returned to the
student for further reconsideration, reevaluation, or any sort of alteration. If a student removes his or
her lab report after turning it in, the student will receive a grade of 0 and will be considered, and that
lab will count as one of the three missed/incomplete labs that a student is allowed and still pass the
course.
A graded lab report will be returned directly to the individual who submitted it. The TAs can only return
a lab report to the student to whom it belongs.
If a lab cannot meet for any reason beyond the students control [for example, the university closes due
to inclement weather], the lab report originally due that day must be turned in with the absentee lab
report policies. If the university closes after the scheduled start time of the lab, you are still required to
turn in your lab report due that day as you enter the lab.

Exam Schedule
There will be three exams during the semester, two lecture exams and a final on the following dates. If you
require DSS accommodations, you must make your request known well before the exams are given. The
exams will cover any or all experiments [pre-lab quizzes, lab reports, post-lab questions, calculations, data
interpretation, theory, techniques, equipment, etc.] completed up to that point in time.

EXAM 1 October 13
EXAM 2 December 1
FINAL EXAM December 13

The two exams will be given during lecture in the lecture hall and the final exam will be given at a time and
place TBA.

Rules for Exams

Exams are MAJOR GRADING EVENTS.
Only non-programmable calculators are allowed for use during each exam. All other electronic devices
are prohibited.
You must inform me of any known conflicts with exam dates (such as religious observance) prior to
schedule adjustment (September 11).
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If you are ill on the day of an exam you must contact me prior to the start of the exam to arrange an
alternative time. An email message prior to the start time of the exam is acceptable. Make up exams
will only be given with valid documented University excuses (see Course Policies for more
information).
You must bring your University ID card with you to exams and show it upon completion of your exam.

Email:
The use of email for communication is strongly preferred (do not use the ELMS messaging system or any
features in LabArchives).
I will try to answer all emails within two business days. If you do not receive a reply in that time frame
either send a polite reminder email or come by my office.
I only routinely check my email between the hours of 8am and 7pm. Keep in mind that I will not
respond to any emails after 7pm the night before an exam (this includes the morning of the exam itself).
I will not answer emails that ask questions that are clearly answered in this syllabus.

I will often email announcements to the class. It is important that you receive these emails. The class
master email list will be created in the first week of class, and a test email will be sent out. If you do not
receive this email you need to contact me ASAP.
While the University does not have rules and regulations for contacting faculty by email, I have a few
rules of etiquette that students need to follow if they expect to receive a response:
1. there should be a salutation, e.g. Dear Dr. Schech
2. Please explain your situation using complete sentences.
3. Please give your full name, section number, and TA at the end of the email.

Several topics that will NOT be discussed via email:

Your grade in the course. You must see me in my office.
Missing grades on ELMS. (See #1)
Issues and policies addressed in the syllabus. Check the syllabus first!
Other items previously announced in class, via email or ELMS announcements.

Lab Policies and Procedures:

Students are required to have the following items to be admitted to the lab for every lab session:
A pre-lab assignment completed in your ELN & directions for completing the experiment.
LabArchives Account
Acceptable safety goggles they must provide a seal around the eyes
A lab coat
Shoes, which cover the tops of the feet; sandals, open-toed shoes, flip flops, and ballet flats are
unacceptable; high heels are strongly discouraged
Four (4) Chemistry Department breakage cards, which are available at the cash registers at the
University Book Center
A calculator

Laboratory Preparation
To adequately prepare for each lab, you should read the background material from the lab manual
before coming to the lab, as well as the relevant sections of the Gilbert text. For some of the labs, links
to useful web pages are available.
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Review the procedure for the experiment from the lab manual. Complete the pre-lab assignment (title,
date, objectives, techniques, equations, and safety for the experiment) in your ELN. (See Notebook
Guidelines file on LabArchives.)
It is in your best interest to complete all of the Possible Prelab Quiz Questions prior to coming to the
lab. The questions are designed to prepare you for the lab and often contain calculations that will aid
you in data analysis or that will be used somewhere in the lab. A pre-lab quiz will be given to ensure
that you work on the Possible Prelab Quiz Questions.
Listen to the TAs brief pre-lab lecture at the beginning of each lab period after the pre-lab quiz has
been given.

Data Collection
You will work in teams to complete the experiment. Partners will be randomly assigned throughout
the semester.
All-in-one computers are available in the lab for recording notes and data. One notebook account will
be used and the page will be shared with the team before leaving the lab.
Should your partner be absent from lab, you will join another group.

Attendance
Your TA must be present in order for the students to enter the lab.
Be punctual for all scheduled lab meetings. All lab activities begin at the scheduled start time. Students
who arrive more than 20 minutes after the scheduled start time will not be allowed into the lab.
You are allowed to be absent from and/or leave uncompleted no more than three of the 10 scheduled
labs during this semester. Regardless of the reasons, if you are absent from and/or leave uncompleted
more than three of the scheduled experiments, you will fail CHEM 272.
If, after you arrive at the laboratory, a teaching assistant, faculty member, or laboratory coordinator
dismisses or excuses you because of a safety violation (see Three Strikes Policy below) and you arrive
back at the lab more than 20 minutes after the scheduled start time for your section, you will not be
allowed to do that days lab.
To complete an exercise, you must (a) attend your scheduled laboratory section; (b) perform the
assigned laboratory work; (c) fill out the lab worksheet and answer all post-lab questions; and (d) turn
in your lab report, which is based upon the lab work you performed this term as you enter the lab at the
next scheduled lab.
You are allowed to attend only the laboratory section in which you are registered. If you are absent
from one of the scheduled experiments, you are not allowed to make it up in another lab section for
which you are not registered.
A student who misses a lab for a University approved reason (illness; religious observance;
participation in another University-sanctioned activity; death in the family; court appearance or jury
duty; military duty) may obtain sample data for the lab by contacting the lab coordinator (See Absence
from lab below).
If the University closes for inclement weather, or the department cancels a lab, failure to perform that
lab will not count against a students absence limit and they will receive sample data to complete the
laboratory report.

Absence from Lab

When a laboratory is missed for an excused absence, you are allowed to apply for sample data for the
lab that you missed. For example, if you needed to be absent from lab due to illness, you would be
allowed to receive sample data from the lab coordinator. If you are unable to perform a lab because
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you forget your safety attire, you will not be able to take the make up quiz and will receive a strike. If
you receive a third strike, you will receive a 0 on the report (see below).
If you miss a lab, you need to apply to receive sample data. To apply to receive sample data, you need
to fill out the request form available on ELMS (on the Home page) and submit it to Dr. Schech in person.
Once you have the sample data, you will complete the lab report as if you had attended lab. This means
doing all calculations, error analysis and answering the discussion questions. This report is due when
the lab that you missed is due. For example, if you miss lab on a Monday and apply for sample data, the
sample data lab is due at your lab the next Monday (as if you had been there the previous Monday). It
is in your best interest to apply for sample data as soon as possible.
If you physically perform a lab, you are not eligible to apply for sample data, nor are you permitted to
ask your TA for another groups data, nor is your TA permitted to give you any data other than what
you collected. What you turn in must be based on what data you collect in lab, even if the experiment
didnt work or the data is bad. Your time in lab is your opportunity to make sure that you collect
and record the data that you need to complete the lab report. It is your responsibility to make sure your
equipment is working and to report issues to the TA in a timely manner.
If a student is absent from lab on the day that a lab report is due, that student will turn in the lab report
to Dr. Schech in CHM 1130A within 48 hours, or to their TA at the beginning of the next lab meeting.
Absentee reports will not be accepted at any other time.
Missing a lab means you will not be able to take the pre-lab quiz or complete notebook pages. The pre-
lab assignment & quiz and notebook pages usually comprise 15 points of the grade for a lab report. You
will take a lab make-up quiz on the scheduled Friday at 7:15 am.
To sign up to take a lab make-up quiz, go to the following link:
http://portal.chem.umd.edu/undergradoffice/ The link is also available on the ELMS homepage.
The lab make-up quizzes are given on Friday mornings in CHM 1402 from 7:15-7:30 am. You will have
a maximum of 15 minutes to work the quiz. Should you come to a lab makeup quiz after the 7:15 am
start time you will have until 7:30 am to complete the quiz. If you signed up to take a lab make-up quiz
and do not take it [i.e. you are a No Show], you will receive a grade of zero (0) for the 15-point quiz.
There are no make-ups for lab make-up quizzes.
Sign up for the make-up quiz is as follows: You have until 11:59 pm on the Monday of the week after
the week after the lab you miss to sign up for the make-up quiz for the missed lab. For example, if you
miss lab during the week of October 9-13, you have until 11:59 p.m. on October 23 to sign up for that
make-up quiz.
Each lab make-up quiz is closed-book. You are not permitted to use your laboratory manual, laboratory
notebook, text, notes, etc. to complete a lab make-up quiz. You are permitted and encouraged to bring
a calculator.
The content for the lab make-up exams will be similar to the content of the pre-lab quizzes. The three
questions can address any aspect of the lab you missed: the equipment used to perform the
experimental work, calculations you would have performed, the experimental techniques used in the
lab, underlying chemistry and theory; this is not an all-inclusive list.
You are strongly advised to bring a calculator to any and all lab make-up quizzes. If you do not bring a
calculator to a lab make-up exam, you will have to work any and all quantitative problems without one.
If you bring a calculator to a lab makeup exam and if it should become nonfunctional for any reason,
you will have to work any and all quantitative problems without one.
You are strongly advised to bring more than one functional writing instrument to the lab makeup quiz.
If you bring a writing instrument to a lab makeup exam and it becomes non-functional for any reason,
you will have to make do with the non-functional writing instruments.
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All cell phones must be turned off during a lab makeup exam. You may not use a cell phone as a
calculator during a lab makeup exam.
The proctor(s) are there to hand out the makeup quizzes and then collect the completed lab makeup
quizzes. The proctors will not provide calculators, writing instruments, erasers, scratch paper, etc. to
anyone taking a laboratory makeup quiz.
NOTE: All students who are have previously submitted DSS accommodations must make those needs
known at that time you apply to take a lab make-up examination, either during the sign-up procedure
or via e-mail to the lab coordinator.

Forgotten Lab Reports

Forgotten lab reports will not be accepted under any conditions.
Each forgotten lab report counts as one of the three missed or uncompleted labs that a student is
allowed this semester.

Lab Report Regrades

Graded lab reports will be returned at the next lab after they were submitted.
If you feel that your lab report was not properly graded or that there is a problem with your lab report
grade, consult your lab TA first. If your lab TA cannot resolve the problem to your satisfaction, you can
submit the report to Dr. Schech for a regrade. If you submit a lab report to Dr. Schech for a regrade, you
must follow and be aware of the following guidelines.
You must submit the original lab report within one week after having it returned to you. Any lab
reports submitted after this one week time period will not be re-graded.
Your original lab will be downloaded from LabArchives for the regrade.
You must attach a separate sheet of paper stating what you believe to be the problem with the
original grading of the lab report and why you want it regraded.
Dr. Schech will regrade the complete lab report, including the post-lab questions.
As the result of a regrade, the score on the lab report can remain unchanged from the original score,
or it can increase or decrease with respect to the original score.
If you submit a lab report for a regrade, you must accept the results of that one regrade as final,
whatever the result. There will be no regrades of a regraded lab report.

Exam Regrades
Exam re-grade requests must be made to myself (Dr. Schech) within one week of receipt of the graded
exam. First, make sure that you actually want a re-grade. If you request a re-grade, I will re-grade your
entire exam, not only the question(s) you would like. This may result in a loss of points if other mistakes
are discovered.
The following procedure regarding exam regrades must be followed:
Write clearly and briefly which question(s) you feel were unfairly graded and why, and then sign
the bottom of the page. DO NOT WRITE ON YOUR EXAM. Acceptable reasons to request a re-grade
are as follows:
grader missed your work
you are sure that you wrote the correct answer but that answer was marked incorrect
you took a different approach to the problem than what is posted in the answer key but feel that
your route is also correct
Staple this sheet to the front of your exam and hand deliver to Dr. Schech.

Note: I will not discuss with you whether or not you should submit a re-grade.
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Make-up Exams
Make-up exams will only be given with a valid documented University-allowed excuse. As stated earlier,
an email must be sent to me prior to the start time of the exam stating the reason for missing the exam.
Then, a formal request for a make-up exam must be made in person to myself (Dr. Schech) with a copy of
your documentation presented at the time of request within one week (7 days) of the missed exam. I will
then schedule an exam make-up time (usually 7am Friday one week after the originally scheduled exam).
Failure to meet these requirements will result in a zero for the exam missed.

NOTE: Falsification or fabrication of excuse documentation is a serious violation of the University Honor
Code. Any exam-related documentation that is suspected to be counterfeit will be referred to the Office of
Student Conduct.

NOTE: All students should carefully read the section of their Undergraduate Catalog dealing with Excused
Absences. The situations that fall under the definition of University Approved reasons for missing an
exam are significantly more restrictive than most students assume. For example, while certain religious
holidays are approved, travel time to and from a location for the purposes of a religious observance is NOT.
Family occasions (weddings, birthdays, reunions, etc.) are likewise not accepted as excuses, nor is any
travel time associated with such events. Finally, the excuse MUST be for the actual day of the missed exam.
If you miss school for several days prior to an exam for an approved reason, but have returned by the day
of the exam, you will not be excused.

Math Errors
If there is a discrepancy between the overall grade for a lab and the grades for the individual components
[the pre-lab, the report sheet, and the post-lab questions], bring this to the attention of your teaching
assistant. You are expected to bring these math errors to your teaching assistants attention within 48
hours after the graded lab report was returned to the student. In these cases, the report will not be
regraded, but the recorded grade will be corrected to reflect the actual score.

Lab Safety
During the check-in process, students are expected to electronically sign and submit a Safety Contract
indicating that they have read, understood, and agree to follow the safety rules defined in the laboratory
manual.
All students must wear safety goggles at all times after the pre-lab quiz and lecture, even while cleaning
up.
Wearing safety goggles means that the goggles are worn over the eyes or over glasses. Wearing goggles
does not mean on the forehead or on top of the head or dangling from the neck.
Students must wear their lab coat while in the laboratory.
Students must wear long pants that cover the entire leg shorts and capris are not acceptable.
Students must wear appropriate shoes in the laboratory. Sandals, flip flops, open-toed shoes and ballet
flats are unacceptable; high heels are strongly discouraged.
If a food or beverage container is found on your lab bench, the person responsible for putting it there
will be dismissed from the lab. In the event that no one from a table of four claims responsibility for
said item, everyone in the group will be dismissed form the lab. Dismissal from the lab, in accordance
with the syllabus, means you will receive a grade of zero for the lab and you will not be eligible for
sample data.
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Three Strikes Policy

Safety rules must be followed from the moment that your TA tells you that the lab activity is underway
until you exit the lab (not until you finish your experiment).
Any member of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (the lab coordinator, any TA, any faculty
member and stockroom personnel) are permitted to record violations relating to safety attire (goggles,
lab coat, pants, shoes), which will count as strikes.
The consequences for lab safety violations will be as follows:
1. Strike Number One A verbal warning will be given by your TA and will be recorded on a sheet
dedicated to recording lab safety violations. If the violation is corrected and sufficient time remains
to complete the experiment, you will be allowed to do so without further penalty. If you are unable
to correct the violation in time to complete the experiment, you will be dismissed from lab for the
day. You will be allowed to receive sample data. The dismissal will count as an excused absence.
2. Strike Number Two A safety violation will again be recorded. Again, if the violation is corrected
and sufficient time remains to complete the experiment, you will be allowed to do so without further
penalty. If you are unable to correct the violation in time to complete the experiment, you will be
dismissed from lab for the day. You will be allowed to receive sample data. The dismissal will count
as an excused absence.
3. Strike Number Three You will be dismissed from lab for the day and a safety violation will be
recorded. The dismissal will count as an unexcused absence, meaning you will not be eligible to
take the make-up exam or receive sample data and you will receive a zero for the lab that will count
towards your course grade.
Additional safety violations will repeat the consequences of the third safety violation.
Please note that in all lab courses offered by the department, more than three absences, for any reason
(including dismissal from lab), results in a grade of F for the course.

More on Lab Safety

The 272 lab will involve chemical reactions that, for the most part, are not exothermic, nor should they
pose any significant danger if a minor accident occurs. That said, any lab is potentially a dangerous
place if the equipment and chemicals are not treated with respect.
If any chemical contacts your skin, you should immediately wash the affected area with soap and water.
If a significant quantity of any chemical contacts your skin, or if you feel any type of burning, the affected
area should be flushed for at least 15 minutes under running water. For contact with the face, the
eyewash should be used for facial flushing. In the unlikely event that a chemical splashes behind your
goggles, you should keep your eye(s) open and attempt to look in different directions while the eyewash
flushes your eye(s) to make sure that running water contacts as much of your eye as possible.
In all cases, no matter how innocuous or minor, you should go to the University Health Center, in
Building 140 on Campus Drive, directly across from the Stamp Student Union, to follow up on your
injury and to get it examined by a medical professional. Accidents occurring in lab are covered by
University insurance policies, so do not avoid following up your injury for the sake of saving money.
In any circumstance, it is okay to contact campus police, who can then contact the proper authorities.
Campus police can be contacted by dialing 911.
While the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry does not have a policy requiring the wearing of
gloves in our undergraduate labs, I strongly suggest that you wear gloves in lab. Gloves can be
purchased fairly cheaply at the university book center, and are a small investment that can pay off in a
major way should something unfortunate happen.
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Conduct of the Course:

Electronics policy
Please silence your cell phone prior to class. I will do the same. You can have your laptop/tablet with you
in class for taking notes, but if your computer activities distract from the learning of your peers I will ask
you to power it down.

What you can expect of me

Though my area of expertise is in biochemistry, chemistry is what originally got me interested in science.
Many of the topics, equations, and theories we will cover in this class are vital for a through and deep
understanding of many branches of science. You can expect that I will be prepared for class and excited to
help you learn. You can expect that I will treat you and the ideas that you express with respect. While I hope
that you will enjoy the material presented in the course and find it relevant to your future career, I will try
to help you develop critical thinking and problem solving skills that will serve you in the future along
whatever career path you choose.

I am committed helping you succeed, and being available to you is a priority for me. Please do not hesitate
to come to office hours as frequently as necessary or to set up an appointment with me early in the
semester if you are having difficulty rather than allowing yourself to fall behind.

What I will expect of you

I expect that you will come to class prepared and ready to learn, to participate, and to work productively
with your fellow students. I will often email you when I add new content to ELMS, so please make sure that
you check your UMD email account regularly or have your messages forwarded.

Inclusivity and Diversity Statement

I support an inclusive learning environment where diversity and individual differences are understood,
respected, appreciated, and recognized as a source of strength. I expect that in my classroom students will
respect differences and demonstrate diligence in understanding how other peoples' perspectives,
behaviors, and worldviews may be different from their own.

Course Related Policies: Policies relevant to Undergraduate Courses can be found at the following link.
http://www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html
Topics that are addressed in these various policies include academic integrity, student and instructor
conduct, accessibility and accommodations, attendance and excused absences, grades and appeals,
copyright and intellectual property.

Below are extensions of selected policies pertinent to the course:

Disability Support (DSS) Accommodations

If any student needs DSS accommodation, please bring your written documentation to Dr. Schech in person
as early as possible in the semester.
Disability Support Services, 0126 Shoemaker Hall
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm
Phone: (301) 314-7682
http://www.counseling.umd.edu/DSS/
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Academic Integrity
The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity,
administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland
for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these
standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating,
fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the
Student Honor Council, please visit
http://osc.umd.edu/OSC/AcademicDishonesty.aspx.

Students are expected to sign the Honor Pledge, which appears on each lab report. Any evidence of
academic dishonesty found by a TA or grader and reported to the laboratory coordinator will be pursued
by the Department: examples include, but are not limited to (a) fabrication of data (defined by the Code of
Academic Integrity as intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any informationin an
academic exercise); (b) use of data other than that submitted to the TA; (c) unauthorized collusion with
others (specific examples are cited in the lab manual), including but not limited to, communal calculation
of experimental results and copying of pre-lab and post-lab exercises from another student; (d) plagiarism.
The instructional design of this laboratory course encourages student collaboration and cooperation while
in the lab. However, the policies and procedures specifically dictate that all lab reports are to be completed
by each individual student on his or her own.

To delineate what constitutes a violation of academic integrity, here is a specific list of what is permissible
and what is not permissible. Note that the below examples permit discussion of issues related to lab
reports, but that what you hand in must be composed solely by you.

What is permissible:
E-mailing of data sheets to group members. You will perform experiments in groups, and one (or more)
member(s) may enter data during the collection of the data to evaluate the experiment as it is
proceeding. Since you will all be using the same data for your analyses, it is okay to share the electronic
data file that contains only the collected data, usually an Excel document.
Discussing how you will do calculations. This includes only discussion, which means communication
via in-person conversations or via e-mail, but not working together (see below), and not comparing
numbers to make sure you have the same answer.
Discussing the issues involved in discussion questions. This includes discussing but not working
together.
Helping someone use Excel using the data collected in lab or seeking help from someone using the data
you need to process for your report.
If you need help with Excel, you can watch the Excel tutorial on the Canvas site, come to get help from
Dr. Schech, go to one of the TAs, or get help from a classmate using data that is made-up on the fly just
to have some numbers to manipulate.

What is NOT permissible:

Processing of data together This includes, but is not limited to, setting up Excel columns to do
numerical manipulations of collected data (either while working with each other or by e-mailing a
precalculated data sheet to each other), making plots, taking a plot made by someone else and changing
the title/axis titles/data points, printing someone elses graph since you were their partner so should
have the same results.
 12

The above bullet includes getting help processing your data if you are unfamiliar with Excel there are
many sources available for help with Excel (see above).
Doing calculations together.
Composing the answers to discussion questions together, or showing or e-mailing someone else your
answers with the intention of letting them copy. (This latter clause is facilitation and is a violation of
section 1(c) of the Code of Academic Integrity.)
Working together in any way on any documents that are submitted as part of your final lab report.
Using someone elses work as your own without proper citations.

The following will be considered violations of the Code of Academic Integrity, and will usually result in
referral of all students involved to the Office of Student Conduct:
Having identical spreadsheets in a lab report. Note: if you shared Excel sheets, then the raw data will
be the same, but calculated columns and plots should not be identical.
Lab reports in which the same exact plots are submitted by members of the same group. As listed above,
you should perform your own spreadsheet calculations, which will result in graphs with different
titles/axes/legends, etc.
Lab reports in which the same peculiar calculations are done incorrectly and give the same wrong
answer(s).
Having the same exact organization of thoughts in a discussion question or more than one discussion
question. This rarely occurs by chance, is usually an indication that students either worked together
and/or sent a document back and forth and changed some of the wording, and the TAs have a keen eye
for the wording in verbal explanations.
The use of identical phrases that are peculiar and/or unique. This is usually a hallmark for some kind of
academic dishonesty.
 13

Course Schedule:

Lecture/ Experiment
Experiment Text or LabArchives
Date
Week of 8-28 Library Assignment
9-1 Course policies, intro to course
Scavenger Hunt Activity (Monday labs will do
Week of 9-4
this 9/11)
Lecture error analysis Link on LabArchives
9-8
Week of 9-11 Experiment 1 Uncertainty and Error
9-15 Lecture Absorbance Spectroscopy Link on LabArchives
Experiment 2 Quantifying Protein
Week of 9-18
Concentration
9-22 Lecture Kinetics Pages 669-714
Week of 9-25 Experiment 3 Kinetics of Methylene Blue
Lecture Equilibrium & Determining Keq Pages 734-749
9-29
Pages 754-768
Week of 10-2 Experiment 4 Alcohol Dehydrogenase
10-6 Lecture Acid/Base Chemistry, Buffers Pages 801-806, 810-817
Week of 10-9 Experiment 5 Buffers & Salts
10-13 EXAM 1 Experiments 1-5
Week of 10-16 No Lab
10-20 Lecture pH titrations of acids Pages 818-822
Week of 10-23 Experiment 6 - Titrations
10-27 Lecture Titration of amino acids Pages 970-972
Week of 10-30 Experiment 7 Amino Acid Titrations (dry lab)
11-3 Lecture Electromotive Force Pages 928-930, 934-937
Week of 11-6 Experiment 8 Voltaic Cells

11-10 Lecture Oxidation/Reduction, back titrations Pages 167-172

Experiment 9 Thiosulfate and Vitamin C
Week of 11-13
Titrations
11-17 Lecture Analysis of Aspirin, Review
Week of 11-20 No Labs or Lecture Thanksgiving Break

Week of 11-27 Experiment 10 Analysis of Aspirin

12-1 EXAM 2 Experiments 6-10
Week of 12-4 Clean up
12-8 Exam review/administrative day
FINAL EXAM Location and time TBA Check ELMS
12-13 Announcements for
details