Organic Chemistry Laboratory Survival Manual

Safety First, Last and Always (Laboratory Manual)

  By : James W Zubrick Email: j.zubrick@hvcc.edu The organic chemistry laboratory is potentially one of the most dangerous of undergraduate laboratories. That is why you must have a set of safety guidelines. It is a very good idea to pay close attention to these rules, for one very good reason: The penalties are only […]

Keeping a Notebook (Laboratory Manual)

  By : James W Zubrick Email: j.zubrick@hvcc.edu A research notebook is perhaps one of the most valuable pieces of equipment you can own. With it you can duplicate your work, find out what happened at leisure, and even figure out where you blew it. General guidelines for a notebook are: 1. The notebook must […]

Interpreting a Handbook Part 1 (Laboratory Manual)

  By : James W Zubrick Email: j.zubrick@hvcc.edu You should look up information concerning any organic chemical you’ll be working with so that you know what to expect in terms of molecular weight, density, solubility, crystalline form, melting or boiling point, color, and so on. This information is kept in handbooks that should be available […]

Interpreting a Handbook Part 2 (Laboratory Manual)

  By : James W Zubrick Email: j.zubrick@hvcc.edu ORGANIC CHEMISTRY   Table 7-4 PHYSICAL CONSTANTS OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS No. Crystalline Form and Color Specific Gravity Melting Point “C. Boiling Point °C. Solubility in 100 Parts Water Alcohol Ether 711 712 Benzophenone oxide 6451 Table 7-4 PHYSICAL CONSTANTS OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS No. Crystalline Foam and Color […]

Jointware Part 1 (Laboratory Manual)

  By : James W Zubrick Email: j.zubrick@hvcc.edu Using standard taper jointware you can connect glassware without rubber stoppers, corks, or tubing. Pieces are joined by glass connections built into the apparatus (Fig. 17). They are manufactured in standard sizes, and you’ll probably use T19/22. The symbol T means standard taper. The first number is […]

Jointware Part 2 (Laboratory Manual)

  By : James W Zubrick Email: j.zubrick@hvcc.edu Forgetting the Glass Look, the Corning people went to a lot of trouble to turn out a piece of glass (Fig. 24) that fits perfectly in both a glass joint and a rubber adapter, so use it! Fig. 23 Unusual, yet proper uses of the adapter with […]

Other Interesting Equipment (Laboratory Manual)

An early edition of this topic illustrated some equipment specific to the State University of New York at Buffalo, since that’s where I was when I wrote it. It’s now a few years later, and I realize that you can’t make a comprehensive list. Buffalo has an unusual "pear-shaped distilling flask" that I’ve not seen […]

Clean and Dry (Laboratory Manual)

  By : James W Zubrick Email: j.zubrick@hvcc.edu Once you’ve identified your apparatus, you may find you have to clean it. 1. Wash your glassware at the end of the lab day. That way you’ll have clean and dry glassware, ready to go for the next lab. This may be difficult to do if you […]

Drying Agents (Laboratory Manual)

  By : James W Zubrick Email: j.zubrick@hvcc.edu When you’ve prepared a liquid product, you must dry the liquid before you finally distill and package it, by treating the liquid with a drying agent. Drying agents are usually certain anhydrous salts that combine with the water in your product and hold it as a water […]

On Products (Laboratory Manual)

  By : James W Zubrick Email: j.zubrick@hvcc.edu The fastest way to lose points is to hand in messy samples. Lots of things can happen to foul up your product. The following are unforgiveable sins! SOLID PRODUCTS 1. Trash in the; sample. Redissolve the sample, gravity filter, then evaporate the solvent. 2. Wet solids. Press […]

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