The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Chemistry 315 Instrumentation for Chemical

Systems Laboratory
Spring 2017 Course Information
Overview
This course will involve the analysis of organic, inorganic, and biomolecular systems. Using instruments
typically employed in a research lab, you will acquire experimental data, draw conclusions, and
communicate these in written reports. Chemistry 315 is intended for Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering majors and is required for chemical engineers and for the specialized curriculum in
chemistry. You should have already taken CHEM 237 OR both CHEM 223 and CHEM 233. Ideally
this course would be taken after or concurrent with CHEM 420. CHEM 315 is a 2-credit class.

Instructor and Teaching Assistants

You are encouraged to contact the teaching staff if you have any questions. Professor Gewirth is
available for office hours by appointment. Questions concerning a specific experiment can be addressed
to the TA grading the work.

Staff Lab Period Email Address

Prof. Andrew Gewirth - agewirth@illinois.edu
Greg Pawel Wednesday PM, Friday PM gpawel2@illinois.edu
Peter Andersen Tuesday AM, Thursday AM petera2@illinois.edu
Junfeng Chen Tuesday AM, Thursday AM jchen260@illinois.edu
Stephanie Chen Thursday PM xinyic2@illinois.edu
Tyler Haddock Tuesday PM, Wednesday PM tylernh2@illinois.edu
Maria Philip Thursday PM mariaap2@illinois.edu
Aastha Sharma Tuesday PM aasthas3@illinois.edu
Ruixian Zhang Friday PM ruixian2@illinois.edu

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Materials
Before the first day of lab period (week of January 16) you must have:
A UIUC Laboratory Research Pad (Numbered duplicate pages, press-on carbon, top bound): in
which to complete your pre-lab assignments and document your laboratory work.
Safety GOGGLES (not glasses) and lab coats are required.

You may need:

Some additional sources are on reserve in the chemistry library. Other recommended or required articles
may be placed on reserve in the chemistry library (170 NOYES) during the course of the semester or
will be uploaded to the Compass2g website.

Atwood, J. D., Inorganic and Organometallic Reaction Mechanisms

Bevington, Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences
Carrington/McLachlan, Introduction to Magnetic Resonance
Drago, Physical Methods for Chemists
Kellner et al. Analytical Chemistry
Kissinger/Heineman, Laboratory Techniques in Electroanalytical Chemistry
Rubinson, K./Rubinson, J. Contemporary Instrumental Analysis
Sawyer, Experimental Electrochemistry for Chemists
Sawyer et al. Chemistry Experiments for Instrumental Methods
Skoog et al. Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 5th Ed.
Willard et al. Instrumental Methods of Analysis, 6th Ed.

What is involved
Each teaching week you must attend:
Lecture broken into two sections: Mon 4:00-4:20 pm and 4:30-4:50 pm
o 20-minute lecture section for the experiment you will be performing that week (See
Experiments section for time and location).
o 20-minute lecture section on current topics of interest in analytical chemistry (100
NOYES)
Assigned lab section (463 NOYES):
o Tue 8:00 am 11:50 pm (ABA)
o Tue 1:00 pm 4:50 pm (ABD)
o Wed 1:00 pm 4:50 pm (ABB)
o Thu 8:00 am 11:50 pm (ABG and ABF)
o Thu 1:00 pm 4:50 pm (ABC)
o Fri 1:00 pm 4:50 pm (ABE)

The lectures, presented by the course TAs and Professor Gewirth, will address the chemical principles
behind instrumental analysis and illustrate how these techniques are used in research. Each week, you
will attend one of the experimental lectures and the lecture provided by Prof. Gewirth. Lecture notes will
be posted on Compass and should be studied thoroughly in order to pass the Practical Exam and write
adequate research papers.

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 Experiments
Lab Report
Grading Mini-lab Lecture
Title Format
TA Room Time Long Short
1 Fluorescence Measurements Tyler Haddock 304 NL 4:00 X
Unknown DNA Mapping by
2 Restriction Enzyme Digestion and Gel Greg Pawel 301 NL 4:30 X
Electrophoresis
Kinetics of Mo(CO)6 Substitution
3 Aastha Sharma 301 NL 4:00 X
Monitored by FTIR Spectroscopy
Kinetics of the cis-trans Isomerization
4 Stephanie Chen 164 NL 4:30 X
of 4-Anilio-4'-nitroazobenzene
Determination of Acetaminophen
5 Concentration in an Elixir using Cyclic Ruixian Zhang 162 NL 4:00 X
Voltammetry
6 NMR Relaxation Times* Junfeng Chen 162 NL 4:30 X
Determination of Caffeine and
7 Vitamin B6 in an Energy Drink using Maria Philip 303 NL 4:00 X
HPLC
Kinetics of the Reaction Between
8 Stephanie Chen 164 NL 4:00 X
Crystal Violet and Hydroxide Ion
9 Mass Spectrometry of Biomolecules Peter Andersen 304 NL 4:30 X

* this experiment is done in the NMR lab check Compass2g for details

Compass2g
The web-based course software, Compass2g (https://www.compass2g.illinois.edu/), will be used for all
course communications. The Online Safety Quiz will be administered on Compass2g. Experiment notes
(which you need to perform your work) and other helpful material (e.g. template report, URLs of helpful
websites) will be available.

Grades for your work will be posted in the Grade Book section of the Compass2g site; if you suspect
one of your grades is erroneous/missing, contact the TA in charge of the relevant experiment (please
allow up to 1 week for grading). Compass2g is available on any computer connected to the campus
network and running a web browser. Access can be found at the Chemistry Learning Center located in
212 Chemistry Annex. Opening hours are: Monday-Thursday 8:30 am - 9:00 pm , Friday 8:30 am - 5:00
pm, Sunday 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm.

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Grading
The majority of your grade will come from nine experiments that you will perform. Each involves:
Prelab assignment: this short assignment, due at the beginning of the Monday experimental lecture
the week you are performing the experiment, is to prepare you for the experiment. You must answer
a few questions in your lab notebook and review the safety aspects of the experiment. Turn in the
original copy of your work (keep the carbon copy for reference). You must show all of your work
and write with a black or blue ball-point pen.
Performing the experiment: you will attend your allotted lab section (be punctual!) and do the
practical work in pairs. Be sure to begin cleaning up at least 15 min before the end of the section.
Failure to clean up or disruptive behavior will be penalized!
Writing a lab report: Two copies of your lab report are due. First, a hardcopy of the lab report is
due at the beginning of the following weeks lab section (5 point penalty per late day). Second, your
lab report must be submitted to Safe Assign by the same due date, the submission site for which is
located in the Blackboard folder for each experiment (5 point penalty per late day). You are only
allowed to submit to Safe Assign once and this submission must match the hardcopy you also turn
in. You are expected to perform a literature search for every experiment and cite your references
according to the ACS citation style. Searching for papers can only be performed on the campus
network. This work is to be performed individually. Any student deemed to be involved in
plagiarism will receive a zero grade for the assignment, in accordance with the Code of Student
Conduct, Section 4. Further disciplinary action may also be taken in such a case.

In addition to the work you do for each of the experiments you are given credit for:
Online Safety Quiz: this can be taken on Compass until 4:00 pm, Monday, January 23, and will
make you familiar with the typical hazards and safety protocols in a research lab. The safety quiz
must be completed before students can participate in the preliminary experimentno exceptions!
Although the safety quiz must be finished before you perform your preliminary experiments, no
credit will be received for quizzes completed after 4 PM on January 23.
Preliminary experiments: you will conduct these short exercises in your lab section during the week
of January 23.
Preliminary Assignment: this involves using the chemical structure drawing software ChemDoodle
(see: http://www.chem.uiuc.edu/clcwebsite/ChemDoodle.html for free download), learning how to
use Microsoft Equation Editor, and using the lab report template. A hardcopy of your work is due
at the beginning of your lab section during the week of January 30.
Practical Exam: You will perform two, 25 minute experiments that test your knowledge of specific
instrumentation and data analysis. No external resources will be allowed. The practical exam will be
administered during the week of April 24 in 463 Noyes Lab. It will test your ability to independently
take measurements and interpret data, reflecting your familiarity with the techniques/instruments
utilized during the semester. You are encouraged to come to your lab section during the week of
April 18 to practice using the instruments and receive help from TAs.
Take-Home Lecture Quiz: this cumulative quiz will test your understanding of important topics in
analytical chemistry as they relate to the experiments you performed in the laboratory. It will be
largely based upon the papers discussed during Prof. Gewirths 20 minute lectures on Mondays. The
quiz will be distributed on Monday, April 24 and due the following Monday, May 1 in 100 NOYES
at 4:00 PM.

ChBE students taking this course will be required to answer an additional question when writing their lab reports. This
question will be marked in each experimental procedure.
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 There is no Final Exam. The last day of instruction for the Spring 2017 semester is Wednesday,
May 3.

Credit for your work will be given according to the following point breakdown:

Assessment Quantity Total Points

Safety Quiz 1 10
Preliminary Experiments 1 20
Preliminary Assignment 1 20
Prelab Assignment 9 135
Long Lab Reports 5 250
Short Lab Reports 4 120
Practical Exam 2 70
Take-Home Lecture Quiz 1 25
650

Your point total will be converted to a letter grade. The course will be curved after final scores are
computed.

Graded Pre-lab assignments and Lab Reports will be returned with written feedback. Please contact the
grading TA if you require further clarification.

Re-grades: Any request for a re-grade must be turned in to Prof. Gewirth within 1 week of return of
graded report and accompanied by a brief cover letter justifying the reason for the re-grade. Reports
submitted for this reason are subject to a complete re-evaluation of the report, which might result in
additional point deductions. If any manipulations to the original submission are detected, the lab reports
will be assigned a score of 0. Such an action is a violation of professional ethics and may be subject to
additional punitive actions at the Departmental or University level.

Safety
In addition to the safety quiz, you will become familiar with the safety features of the Chemistry 315
laboratory in the introductory lab session. Also, each pre-lab assignment requires you to be conversant
with aspects of laboratory safety. Specifically, you must be familiar with the chemicals you use and their
associated hazards; such information can be found in Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). In the
interest of safety, you will not be allowed to commence laboratory work until your pre-lab assignment
has been completed.

Safety GOGGLES and lab coats must be worn at all times in the laboratory. Even if you are not
handling chemicals, others may be! Failure on more than one occasion to adhere to this policy will result
in ejection from the lab section. Additionally, closed footwear must be worn sandals and flip flops are
unacceptable. Pants must cover the full length of the leg and must not have any large holes. Wearing a
lab coat is required and disposable gloves are highly recommended, the latter being necessary for
handling some chemicals. Clothes that are skin-tight (including leggings) are not allowed, in the case of
a spill, they hold chemicals in close proximity to the skin and can be difficult to remove.

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Tardiness and Absences
Pre-labs are due at the beginning of the mini-lab lecture. Any pre-lab turned in during the mini-
lab lecture will only be worth half credit. A student may not turn in another students pre-lab
without permission.
Pre-labs must be complete before beginning the lab. However, if they are turned in after the
mini-lab lecture they will be given no credit.
You must be punctual to your lab section. If you are more than 15 minutes late to a lab class you
will not be allowed to participate in the experiment or submit a lab report for that experiment. If
you have a justifiable reason that you may be late to a given lab, this must be pre-approved by
the instructor, Head TA, or specific period TA.
Lab reports are due at the beginning of the following lab period. Reports turned in more than 15
minutes late will be treated as one day late (-5 points).
Each additional day that reports are turned in late will result in an additional 5 points off per day.
These dates include Saturday and Sunday. Electronic reports e-mailed directly to the grading TA
are acceptable to establish the date of submission; however, an identical hard copy of the report
must be turned in during the next lab period. Any changes made between electronic and hard
copy submission will result in a score of 0.
During the week of April 17, students who have an excused absence can make-up one missed
lab. In the case of illness, an absence will only be excused if accompanied by a note from the
Emergency Dean submitted within 2 weeks of the missed lab period. All other absences (job
interviews, research conference, grad school visits, etc.) must be approved in advance of the
missed lab period by the instructor and/or head TA.

Professionalism and Ethics

This course is designed to train you to be conversant with practical techniques as well as with written
communication and general chemistry theory. It is expected that you act in a professional and ethical
manner:
You must be aware of all aspects of safety. Behavior that compromises the safety of you or
others in the lab will not be tolerated. Violators of safety provisions will be asked to leave the lab
and will receive a 0 for the experiment.
You are training to be a professional chemical scientist and therefore you must document all
your lab activities in your lab notebook. Neatly write down your procedure, quantities measured
and observations. This will be important when later writing your reports and explaining your
results (especially in the case of anomalous findings!). The carbon copies of all lab notes must be
submitted with your lab report, one week following the performed experiment.
Academic integrity is vital in a professional setting. Any and all forms of cheating, copying,
plagiarism, manipulating data, or any other unethical behavior is expressly prohibited. Any
suspicion of unethical behavior will be thoroughly investigated and those proven to have violated
rules of the course will not only receive a 0 for the assignment at hand, but also be subject to
additional action in accordance with Part 4 of the Universitys Student Code. BASICALLY,
DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT CHEATING!!!!!! This year we are using Safe Assign software
to screen your lab report for plagiarism.

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Schedule

Week Dates Lecture Lab Assignments due

1 1/17-1/20 NA Lab tour, introduction Breakage cards, safety goggles, notebook
Introductory preliminary safety quiz on Compass2g
2 1/23-1/27
Lecture experiments by 4pm Monday 1/23;
Preliminary Assignment due in lab; Prelab
3 1/30-2/3 No Lecture*
due Monday 1/30
4 2/6-2/10 Lecture Prelab, lab report
5 2/13-2/17 Lecture Prelab, lab report
6 2/20-2/24 No Lecture* Labs (see rotation Prelab, lab report
7 2/27-3/3 Lecture schedule) Prelab, lab report
8 3/6-3/10 Lecture Prelab, lab report
9 3/13-3/17 No Lecture* Prelab, lab report
10 3/19-3/24 No Lecture No labs (Spring Break)
11 3/27-3/31 Lecture Prelab, lab report
12 4/3-4/7 No Lecture* Prelab, lab report
13 4/10-4/14 Lecture Labs Prelab, lab report
14 4/17-4/21 Lecture Makeup Lab, Practice Lab report
TA question
15 4/24-4/28 session Practical exams -
(100 NL)
Quizzes due
16 5/1-5/5 @ 4PM in Take-Home Lecture quiz
100 NL

* Even on weeks where there is no formal lecture given by Prof. Gewirth, you still must attend
the experiment-specific mini-lab lecture given by the grading TA.