The student will be able to:

1. Safely handle and dispose of hazardous chemicals
2. Execute techniques common to chemical researchers in order to synthesize, isolate, purify, and characterize organic compounds
3. Provide a rationale for each step in an experimental design
4. Analyze data to draw conclusions about chemical system
5. Communicate effectively using the language of organic chemistry
6. Work constructively and collaboratively in groups

1. Safely handle and dispose of hazardous chemicals
   1. Interpret published SDS (Safety Data Sheets) to identify primary hazards of chemicals
   2. Categorize and segregate hazardous waste according to compatibility
   3. Apply care and skill in the safe handling of hazardous compounds
2. Practice common laboratory techniques through guided inquiry labs that include the following or equivalent alternative:
   1. Acid-base extraction of a mixture containing two unknowns (carboxylic acid and neutral solids)
      1. Recrystallization from single and mixed solvents
      2. Identification of organic compounds by melting point and mixed melting point analysis
   2. Simple and fractional distillation of ethanol produced from fermentation of sucrose
   3. Steam distillation of limonene extracted from orange peel
   4. Polarimetry of limonene extract and/or prepared solutions
      1. Use of manual polarimeter to determine optical rotation
      2. Interpretation of optical purity/enantiomeric excess
   5. Thin-layer chromatography
      1. For determination of analgesics composition
      2. For evaluation of purity of extracted solids
      3. For evaluation of separation using column chromatography
   6. Column chromatography of fluorene/fluorenone mixture
   7. Acid catalyzed rearrangement of an alcohol
      1. Microscale distillation and extraction
      2. Gas chromatography
   8. Pinacol rearrangement
   9. Infrared spectroscopy
      1. Introduction to vibrational states and absorption of IR radiation
      2. Operation of IR instrument
      3. Interpretation of IR spectra to identify functional groups of an organic unknown and/or to confirm the identity of an organic target
3. Analysis of experimental design
   1. Hypothesis and isolation of variables
   2. Justification of procedural steps
4. Data analysis
   1. Deduce whether or not data supports a hypothesis
   2. Comparison of experimental data to data published in primary literature
   3. Relate graphical displays to current theoretical models
5. Communicate effectively using the language of organic chemistry
   1. Prepare laboratory notebook entries including the purpose and procedural outline
   2. Describe verbally and in writing how an experimental results support or refute  a hypothesis
6. Work constructively and collaboratively in groups

Writing laboratory reports or post-lab summaries
Demonstrating skill in safe handling of organic chemicals
Written short-answer examinations on course content
Recording data and observations
Critical evaluation of procedural steps in prelab exercises and/or quizzes

Students will prepare, isolate, purify, and characterize organic compounds
Students will formulate hypotheses and critically evaluate the experiment designed to test it
Students will work with partner(s) to analyze experimental data
Students will draw conclusions based on first-hand experience
Students will discover the connection between experiment and real-world applications
Students will actively participate in instructor-led discussion of experimental design

Mohrig, Jerry, David Alberg, Gretchen Hofmeister, Paul Schatz, and Christina Noring Hammond. Laboratory Techniques in Organic Chemistry. 2014.

Although this text is more than 5 years old, it is still in print and is a seminal text that describes laboratory methodology and techniques rather than providing prescriptive activities and is still therefore up to date.

1. Students will conduct a preliminary analysis of experimental procedures with the application of prior knowledge.
2. Students will evaluate and reflect on experimental results and summarize their findings in a post-lab report.
3. Students will draw their own conclusions based on first-hand observations and discuss them verbally and in writing.