Welcome toMrs. Pruss'

Honors Chemistry ClassHonors Chemistry Class

Unit 00: Experimental Methods

I. Introduction to Course Syllabus

II. Introduction to the Laboratory

III. What is Chemistry...?

I. Course Syllabus

Refer to handout

Especially notice the Grading policy for Homework

Lab reports are very important!!! Classroom rules are basic rules for

general respect for others

Please talk to me about exceptions or any extenuating circumstances! :-)

II. Introduction to the Laboratory

A. Safety Rules Refer to Handout and Activity!

B. Equipment Refer to Handout and activity #2!

C. Basic Procedures Refer to demonstrations

III. What is Chemistry

A. The Central Science...

Applications of Pure Science...

Research or teaching not for you?

Chemistry is so deeply ingrained into so many areas of business, government, and environmental management that some background in the subject

can be useful (and able to give you a career edge as a team member having special skills) in fields as varied

as product development, marketing, management, computer science, technical writing, and even law.

Chemistry is...

Composition and structure define the substances that are results of chemical change. Structure refers specifically to the relative arrangements of the atoms in space. The extent to which a given structure can persist is itself determined by energetics and dynamics.

Synthesis, strictly speaking, refers to formation of new (and usually more complex) substances from simpler ones, but in the present context we use it in the more general sense to denote the operations required to bring about chemical change and to isolate the desired products.

Energetics refers to the thermodynamics of chemical change, relating to the uptake or release of heat. More importantly, this aspect of chemistry controls the direction in which change occurs, and the mixture of substances that results.

Dynamics refers to the details of that rearrangements of atoms that occur during chemical change, and that strongly affect the rate at which change occurs.

Chemistry is...

the study of substances, their properties,

their structures, and the changes they undergo.

IV. Experimental Procedures

A. Scientific Method

-Used to solve complex problems

-Steps include...

B. Data Collection

1. Units and Dimensions 2. Measuring 3. Metric System 4. Scientific Notation

All should be review from previous science and math courses...

5. Significant Figures

These numbers are a direct result of a measurement Rules:

1. All nonzero numbers are significant.

2. All zeros between nonzero numbers ARE significant.

3. Zeros at the end of a LARGE number are NOT significant, UNLESS a decimal is present!

ex.] 1,000,000 vs. 1,000,000.

Sig. Fig. Rules continued

4. For very small decimal values, zeros BEFORE the first nonzero digit DO NOT count.

Zeros AFTER the first nonzero digit DO count!

Ex.] 0.0001 vs. 0.0001000

6. Accuracy vs. Precision

Accuracy is...

how close a measured value is to the accepted value

Precision is...

how close several measurements are to each other; reproducibility; limited by the device

7. Basic Formulas

Percent Error Density

Volume Area

C. Dimensional Analysis

a/k/a “Factor Label Method” Start with the “given value and unit” as a fraction

over “1” List conversion factors necessary to change from

initial unit to the final units Arrange conversion factors as fractions to change

into final units Multiply all values on top and divide by all numbers

on bottom Final answer should have newly desired units!