PROCEDURE FOR LABORATORY NOTEBOOK

PROF. MICHAEL HAUSER

The laboratory notebook is an important tool in preparing for an experiment,

recording data and observations during an experiment, and assessing results
after an experiment has been completed. The format given on this handout is
only one of several possible formats. This format consists of the three portions
below:
PRE-LAB: Title/Purpose/Advance Preparation/Materials
DURING LAB: Procedure and Observations/Calculations
POST-LAB: Questions and Problems/Conclusions

Lab notebooks are a tool. Don't be afraid if this tool gets dirty! Record all data on
these pages - never temporarily on paper towels, your lab partner's notebook, or
on your shirt sleeve! If your penmanship is not great, you need to cross out a
mistake, or you spill some water on the notebook, do not be concerned. This is a
working document. Your goal is to complete a lab notebook so that another
chemist could reproduce your work and get similar results. All notebooks MUST
be written in ink. Notebooks are normally written in bound books of sequentially
numbered pages where no pages can be removed for any reason. However, for
this assignment, loose-leaf paper will be allowed.
The format, along with some examples, is given below. Label each portion of
your lab report with the headings given in capital letters.
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TITLE: Give title of experiment.

PURPOSE: This is a single sentence that states what is being investigated and
what information the investigations should reveal.
Example: “A mixture of salt and sand are to be quantitatively separated
using water solubility properties in order to determine the percentage of salt and
sand in the mixture.”

ADVANCE PREPARATION: If the procedure involves a chemical reaction

known in advance, state this reaction here using chemical structures and
nomenclature. Make sure you understand WHY this reaction is expected to
occur. Formula weights that will be required for calculations should appear in this
section also. List any appropriate background and safety info.

MATERIALS: List only major items necessary for the experiment, omitting
supplies like matches, paper towels, etc.

PROCEDURE AND OBSERVATIONS: This section must be written while it is

being performed in the lab. - NEVER in advance, NEVER after the lab. The
procedure should be written in past tense and in third person singular. Keep it
simple. Note observations as they occur - these may seem insignificant at the
time, but may prove useful later. Paragraph style is acceptable, but a bulleted or
a numbered, stepwise format is preferable. (continued on next page)

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Example:
1) Weighed 3.57 g unknown #2 into a dry 100 mL beaker.
2) Added 10 mL distilled water to beaker.
3) Heated beaker over bunsen burner. Steam produced; mixture turned
black in color.
4) .....

CALCULATIONS: If calculations are required, use data recorded in the previous

section and show the mathematical procedure used. Be sure to include units.
Example: % sand = (weight of sand) / (weight of mixture) X 100%
% sand = ( 5.60 g ) / (9.87 g) X 100% = 56.7375 % rounded

QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS: If these are included at the end of the

experiment in the lab manual or are given by the instructor, recopy the questions
and answer them.

CONCLUSIONS: This portion of the report tells what you learned in the
experiment. It is probably the most important section and you should spend
sufficient time on this. Restate your results. If you were given an unknown, be
sure to include the unknown number and your findings. Consider the purpose of
the experiment. Did the investigation give you some pertinent information?
Discuss this in detail. How does it relate to what you already know? How reliable
is the data? What are some sources of error? Were these significant? Could
improvements or additional investigations be made? Discuss them.

BEFORE YOUR LAB SESSION MEETS:

Carefully study this “Procedure For Laboratory Notebook” handout, then follow
these additional hints in preparing for this lab.

· Only the colored paper issued by the instructor will be accepted for this
lab. No white paper. This is to insure that the required sections were carried out
in advance and that proper notebook procedures were followed. Do not include
any portion of this handout or the bookstore lab book. Your notebook must be a
stand-alone document that would allow reproduction of your scientific results.

· Are there any reactions and molecular weights you should include in your pre-
lab portion. Special safety issues?

· The pre-lab portion of your notebook will be checked immediately at the

start of lab. Failure to have these portions completed will result in a grade
deduction. Do not prepare any other notebook sections than those described in
the pre-lab section.

Your instructor will issue a colored sheet of paper prior to the day of this lab for
you to set up your Pre-lab work.

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