Lab to accompany CHEM 1210. A minimum grade of “C” (2.0 or above) must be earned in this course before it can be counted in a physical science major or minor or as a prerequisite for any other course.

Required Materials

• Experiments for Chemical Principles I Lab – Chem 1215
• Your own pair of OSHA-approved chemical safety/splash goggles, which you will bring to every lab
• A real calculator – Your phone, tablet, smart watch, etc. is not an acceptable option for use on quizzes and exams

Students without eye protection will be required to leave the lab and will receive a zero for that lab

• Reinforce principles and critical thinking skills established in CHEM 1210 through experimental means.
• Recall, interpret, compare, explain, and apply chemistry terminology and theory.
• Use chemical equations, graphs, and tables to interpret and communicate chemical information.

Grading

• Pre-lab Assignments (11 pre-labs x 10 pts) 110 pts
• Lab Reports (13 reports x 30 pts) 390 pts
• TSCU (6 pts/lab week) 66 pts (maximum)
• Office Visit 25 pts
• Final Exam 200 pts (maximum)

A letter grade will be assigned according to the following grade scale:
A 93—100% B+ 87—89% C+ 77—79% D+ 67—69% F < 60%
A– 90—92% B 83—86% C 73—76% D 63—66%
B– 80—82% C– 70—72% D– 60—62%

Pre-Lab Assignments

You are responsible for reading the lab description and background, in addition to any assigned reading, and completing the pre-lab assignment for each week’s experiment before coming to class. The pre-lab is due at the beginning of class every week. You will find each experiment’s pre-lab assignment in the lab manual after the experiment that it goes along with. You will be turning in the hard copy of the pre-lab assignment.

Lab Reports

Completed lab reports are due at the beginning of the next class meeting after each experiment. You will be turning in the hard copy of the lab report. If you need more space to write your answers, you may add in additional pages as needed. Each report/ needs to be turned in separately. Please have your report stapled, with pages in order, when you turn it in. I am not responsible for any lost or missing pages/parts.

TSCU

TSCU stands for Technique, Safety, and Clean-Up. These are participation points, and you start every lab with 6 points. You will lose part or all of these points if you are not participating, if you break or lose equipment, if you are not following the safety rules, or if you do not clean up your assigned work area.

Clean-Up: You are responsible for cleaning up the equipment that you use and the lab bench area that you work at every week. Additionally, I will rotate through the lab benches weekly to also clean the supply worktables and any other shared areas/equipment used during that week’s lab experiment.

Office Visit

You are to complete an office visit at least once throughout the semester. The visit will count beginning the week of the second lab experiment through the last week of classes.

Final Exam

There will be a comprehensive final exam worth up to 200 pts.

Laboratory Schedule — Spring 2026

Late Work

I will accept late pre-labs and lab reports up to one week after the original due-date (or one week after your scheduled makeup time due-date) at 80% of the original graded score. Pre-labs and lab reports more than one week late will not be graded and receive a score of zero.

Additional Information

You have one week from the date an assignment score is posted on Canvas to discuss the score with me, or it will stand as is.

I do not provide translation services for your assignments, exams, etc. If I cannot read/understand what you have written, I cannot accurately assess your work, and as such it may consequently affect the score you receive. This includes using legible penmanship, proper grammar, and full sentences and paragraphs when necessary. (This also applies to a TA/grader that is grading your assignments.)

Canvas/Email

Please make sure you check Canvas regularly for announcements and updates regarding class. Also please make sure your email address is up to date, as these are the main ways in which I will communicate with you outside of class time. When emailing/messaging me, I expect you to use proper email etiquette and format. This includes having a pertinent subject line, appropriate greeting, and signing your name at the end. (An email/Canvas message is different from a text message/DM/chat etc. you send to a friend, so please be professional and do not use it as such.)

Laboratory Risk

Chemical exposure is a constant risk in a chemistry lab. By taking this course, you understand you are voluntarily exposing yourself to a variety of potentially irritating/hazardous chemicals. To minimize the risk to yourself and those around you, the rules outlined in the lab manual/first experiment, as well as those in the Safety Contract (see below), must be followed:

If you cannot follow these rules, you will be asked to leave the laboratory and you will not receive a grade on the assignment or any participation points for that class period.

Safety Contract

You are required to read and sign a safety contract for this lab course. It includes additional rules and policies (along with the above) that must be followed to participate in this course. If I do not have a Safety Contract on file for you, you will not be allowed to participate in the course until I do.

Extra Credit

If you have reached this point in reading the syllabus, for 15 points of extra credit, email me (using the proper format; see above) your favorite meme or gif (nothing inappropriate or obscene, please) before the day of the chemical formulas experiment.

Attendance

You must be in the lab and participating to receive full credit each week. You are expected to attend the section you registered for. Make-up labs may be allowed on an individual basis at my discretion, but only in appropriate circumstances (such as university excused absences), and only if you contact me about it ahead of time so that suitable arrangements can be made for you to make up the work.

If you choose to miss class, you are accepting the consequences that come with it. This includes missing such things as discussion items, alterations to assignments, participation points, etc.

A drawer stocked with glassware and equipment, along with a key for the drawer, will be checked out to you and your lab partner on the first day of class (via a signed contract). You are responsible for maintaining the glassware and equipment throughout the semester, and returning it clean and in good condition at the end of the semester. You are also responsible for keeping track of, and maintaining in working order, the key for the drawer that is checked out to you.

The fee for this course only covers chemicals and general lab maintenance; you will be charged for any loss or breakage of the glassware/equipment/key that you incur. All fees must be paid before you will receive a grade for this class.

This course is required for beginning Chemistry majors and all other majors requiring more than one year of chemistry.

Along with the co-requisite lecture course, other students can also take this course to fulfill the General Education (GE) requirement for “Knowledge Area: Physical Science (P).”

The principles of chemistry underlie much of modern society. Students will explore the basic principles of chemistry, allowing them to better understand the world around them at a basic, atomic level. This will prepare students to be informed citizens in the modern world in topics such as climate change, medicine, pollution, etc.