Lab Notebooks:

You must use a bound notebook.  Spiral notebooks or the use of looseleaf paper will not be allowed.  The use of a duplicate page notebook (if possible) to record your lab work is convenient, but not required. Duplicate pages (or Xerox copies from a bound notebook) will be turned in for grading; do not tear other pages out! Record all of your observations in your notebook as you do the experiment; notes on loose pieces of paper may be thrown away. Write in pen. If you make an error, simply draw a line through it (do not obliterate it).

For each experiment, include:

• Your Name
• Experiment Number and Title
• Introduction
• Table of Chemicals or Materials Used
• Description of Experiment, Including Procedures, in 2-column format
  • first column is used to outline what you will be doing
  • second column is used to report your observations and make comments while doing the experiment
• Results and Discussion (recap what you observed and discuss your experiments)
• Conclusions (basically, this section includes what you learned by doing this experiment and what the purpose of this experiment was.)

Additional information for the appropriate class, describing how to fill out your lab notebook can be viewed here:

• Chem 100
• Chem 102
• Chem 110
• Chem210 & Chem211

Formal Written Lab Reports:

When you need to submit a formal written lab report, there is an additional information that you need to include in these reports.  The format for these lab reports is available here: Written Lab Report Format

Information that should be included in these reports are:

• Equations for reactions, including reaction mechanisms if appropriate
• Formulas of compounds used as reactants and products
• Data sheets from GC, IR or computer graphics
• Quantities of material used and recovered
• Percent yield, based on theoretical and actual values
• Error analysis, if appropriate
• References