CHEM 2123 – Organic Chemistry I Lab
Fall 2023 Syllabus

Instructor: Dr. Debbie Sackett
e-mail address: dsackett@austincc.edu
office: RGC 1333.03 (building 1000, enter through 1333.00)
office phone number: 512-223-3314

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Emphasis is placed on techniques, properties and reactions, and reinforcing principles offered in the lecture portion of the course.

Prerequisites: CHEM 1312 and CHEM 1112 or the equivalent.
Co-requisite: CHEM 2323

Instructional Methodology: This lab is held on campus.

Course Rationale: This course covers the fundamental facts; laws, principles, theories and concepts of chemistry necessary for further work in science or science related subjects.

COURSE MATERIALS
Text: “Organic Chemistry Laboratory Techniques”, 2nd ed, by Lisa Nichols. This is an OER resource. You can download a copy from this website: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/369

PPE: ACC does not provide safety eyewear for the lab. You must buy goggles/glasses prior to performing the first experiment. ANSI-approved goggles/glasses are stamped with Z87.

Calculator: You will need a scientific or graphing calculator.

Internet and computer access: You will need to have internet access in order to watch recorded lecture videos (optional). You will need to print lecture outlines and perhaps homework assignments. Everything can be accomplished on campus.

You will need access to a laptop, tablet or computer in order to take quizzes and to upload requested materials.

For additional information on technology support for students, see the technology support statement on the last page of this syllabus.

LAB OUTLINE/CALENDAR

Other important dates include:
Last day to drop without receiving a ‘W’ on your transcript: Sept. 6th, 2023.
Last day to withdraw from the class: Nov. 16th, 2023.

COURSE PREPARATION AND GRADING

Graded Components

• Lab Safety (50 points). This is a one-time assignment (composed of a report and quiz) that you will complete and submit online after reviewing the materials in the safety folder and attending the in-person orientation the first week of classes. The classroom meeting and graded components are mandatory. The safety report is worth 40 points and the safety quiz is worth 10 points.

• IR Exercise (50 points). This is a one-time activity scheduled for the last week of Experiment 8. More details will be provided as the deadline approaches.

• Prelab Assignment (10 points). This is a test of student understanding of the lab, reading from the text and the lab lecture videos. Students will get two opportunities to complete this activity and the highest score is kept. This is due the same day the lab is scheduled, by the start of lab (8:00 a.m.).

• Lab Preparation (10 points). Full credit is based on three criteria: are you on time for lab, did you bring your written procedures, and did you bring you own safety eyewear.

• Lab Procedures and Data/Observations – PDO (15 points). You will write a procedure summary to be used in lab, and then collect data and observations while performing the experiment. You will show this to the instructor at the beginning of lab. You cannot perform an experiment without these written procedures. The instructor will sign off on your observations before you leave lab that day.

You will submit a paper copy (along with the report form) to the instructor. It is due in lab (by 10:50 a.m.) the following week.

• Report Form (35 points). This will involve analysis and interpretation of data provided for the experiment. In addition, there will be questions to answer regarding the techniques employed in the lab. You will submit a paper copy (along with the PDO) to the instructor. It is due in lab (by 10:50 a.m.) the following week.

• Quiz (20 points). This will be completed after submission of the report form/lab report. It is an online quiz, located in the appropriate lab folder in Blackboard. This will generally be timed, and only one attempt will be allowed. This is due one week after the scheduled lab day, EOD.

Compilation of grades for each experiment are as follows:

Grading

In addition to the mandatory activities, there are 11 scheduled labs. You will be allowed one drop lab, so only 10 labs will count toward your grade.  There is no extra credit.

A standard grading scale will be used.

Class time

I want to be efficient with the time we spend in lab. As a result, there will be significant preparation required before attending lab.

Before lab:

• Read: The experiment and the appropriate sections of the lab book.
• Watch: Prelab lecture video
• Write: A stepwise procedure for the experiment. Please bring a printed, paper copy to lab. 
• Complete: The online prelab.

All of these activities must be complete by 8:00 a.m. on the day the lab is scheduled

During lab: Complete the experiment and record relevant data and observations. Be sure the instructor initials your PDO before you leave.

After lab:

• Complete the report form. Be prepared to turn it in the next lab period, along with the PDO, by 10:50 a.m.
• Complete the online quiz which is due one week after the experiment is finished, EOD.

Due to ACC policies concerning the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), instructors cannot communicate by telephone or e-mail students with information about their grades. We can meet and discuss grades via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra.

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION AND POLICIES

Attendance:

• Students must complete the Lab Safety exercise, and perform a minimum of 7 experiments (the entire experiment for multi-week labs) in order to pass the lab. If you miss more than 4 experiments, you will automatically fail the lab.

• Being on time to lab is critical. Lab will begin with up to 10 minutes of Q and A. After that, I will begin the lab safety and demonstration lecture. If you are sufficiently late that you miss the safety discussion, you will not be permitted to perform the experiment. It is imperative you make every effort to be on time to lab; your safety and the safety of your classmates is very important to me.

Late assignments will result in deduction of 10% per day. I will not accept assignments that are more than one week late.

Incomplete Grade Policy: An instructor may award a grade of “I” (Incomplete) if a student was unable to complete all of the objectives for the passing grade in a course due to medical/emergency reasons. Incompletes can be given if you complete 75% (7 labs) of the course work with at least a 70% average. An incomplete grade cannot be carried beyond the established date in the following semester. The completion date is determined by the instructor but may not be later than the final deadline for withdrawal in the subsequent semester.

Withdrawal Policy: It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that his or her name is removed from the roll should he or she decides to withdraw from the class. The instructor will not drop students, except if the student:

• does not have the proper prerequisites for the class
• has not successfully completed lab orientation and safety before the census date

If a student decides to withdraw, he or she should also verify that the withdrawal is submitted before the Final Withdrawal Date. The student is also strongly encouraged to retain their copy of the withdrawal form for their records. Students who enroll for the third or subsequent time in a course taken since Fall 2002, may be charged a higher tuition rate, for that course. State law permits students to withdraw from no more than six courses during their entire undergraduate career at Texas public colleges or universities. With certain exceptions, all course withdrawals automatically count towards this limit. Details regarding this policy can be found in the ACC college catalog.

The drop deadline is November 16, 2023. The lecture and the lab are required in each chemistry course. If a student drops/withdraws from one section of the course, they must drop/withdraw from the corequisite.

If you stop attending class and do not withdraw yourself from the course, you will receive a grade of F for the semester. Reinstatement into a course after withdrawing is only possible if the student was withdrawn through college error. 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students will be able to perform the following skills:

1. Know and follow procedures for safe laboratory practice
2. Keep a detailed laboratory notebook as a record of experimental procedure and outcomes
3. Use knowledge of functional groups, electronic, and steric effects to predict/explain physical properties and reactivity of organic compounds
4. Learn and use common methods to isolate, purify, and identify organic compounds
5. Use GC method to identify organic compounds.
6. Carry out simple syntheses of organic compounds

GENERAL EDUCATION COMPETENCIES

Upon completion of this course, students will demonstrate competence in:

• Critical Thinking

Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information.

• Interpersonal Skills

Interacting collaboratively to achieve common goals.

• Quantitative and Empirical Reasoning

Applying mathematical, logical and scientific principles and methods.

• Technology Skills

Using appropriate technology to retrieve, manage, analyze, and present information.

• Written, Oral and Visual Communication
  Communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and media

The information for this section is listed in the syllabus above.

The information for this section is listed in the syllabus above.

The information for this section is listed in the syllabus above.