Using a Lab Notebook

Course: AP CHEM 1

Name:

Contact information: email and phone

Background: Lab notebooks are used by scientists

and students to document their work All information must be in the

notebook Lab notebooks are dated and signed

to provide a timeline for patents, papers, and publications

Guidelines: Must use a pen (no pencils or erasable pens)

Only write on the front side of the paper – pages are numbered=NEVER remove pages!

Errors are corrected with single horizontal line, initialed and dated

Do not scribble or block out mistakes

Guidelines -2 Never skip or remove pages Note each page has a carbon copy that

may be removed for grading. Always place the P.T. divider after the carbon copy of the page you are working on.

Experiments are not required to be on sequential pages – the work for each page is documented in the table of contents

Sign and date at the bottom of each page

Guidelines -3 NEATNESS is important! If you have a question on how to

handle documentation of your work please ask.

Note: You do not need to have your work witnessed but in industry and on the graduate level this is a common practice

Page #

Exp. #1 Self-Directed Lab on Density Date: 9/?/2015

Name Lab Partner Name

Introduction:

1. Background – paragraph explaining the chemistry that will be required/investigated in the experiment and safety precautions – list any references used in that section

2. Equations (numbered list) – all equations that will be used in the calculations section; leave a little extra white space incase you forget any you have room to add them later

References: citation for procedure and any other published resources – title, web address

Purpose:Why and what…Materials: numbered listProcedure: (no need to rewrite if

given in full and citation placed in your Reference section)

Page #

Exp. # 1 cont. from page 1

Data and Observations:

* table form and including all units and the correct number of significant digits for measurements

*NEVER include calculated values!

Page #

Exp. # 1 cont. from page 2

Drawing of Apparatus: add to procedure section include if indicated by the lab or teacher

Calculations: Title and show all work for 1 example calculation of each type of calculation. Each calculation should be part of a numbered list of all calculations. If the same calculation is repeated you may list just the final answers after the first example.

Page #

Exp. # 1 cont. from page 3 Date

Error Analysis: Some labs require specific error analysis; in this experiment it should be a discussion of variables that could potentially result in error in your density determinations. Should NOT include human errors, better known as mistakes. Show percent error here.

Conclusion: Based on the objective of the lab. Included are results of the lab and the meaning of the final result. Don’t restate your entire procedure, calculations, etc. Discuss any pertinent chemistry learned like how density can be used for identification.

Post Lab Questions Write out question and then answer (none in this lab)

Lab Notebook as a resource

**REMEMBER** You can use your lab notebook on Lab Quizzes