COPYING, DISPLAYING, TAKING

AND/OR SHARING PHOTOGRAPHS/

RECORDING/ PICTURES OF THIS
ENTIRE PPT OR IN PARTS, IN ANY
FORM OR PURPOSE, WILL BE
CONSIDERED ILLEGAL WITHOUT
PROPERLY DOCUMENTED AND
SIGNED CONSENT FROM THE
OWNER- Ms. SHALINI SHARMA
WELCOME ABOARD
 Kindly reserve your questions for the end of the
session.
 One participant- one question- at the start. Time
permitting, I can take more.
 Please ask questions specific to the topic only.
 Please listen to what the other person has to say/ask.
 Kindly keep your camera on (if possible) and mic off.
[And not the other way around]
 Please understand I may not be able to respond to all
the queries in the limited time. You can always reach
out through the email, WhatsApp and/or phone call.
 Please fill the feedback form shared at the end of
the session.
Marks Grade Boundaries
0-3 1
4-6 2
7 - 10 3
11 - 13 4
14 - 16 5
17 - 19 6
20 - 24 7
 Designing an experiment
 Laboratory Report Writing skills

a)How to ?
b) Criteria for writing a good laboratory
Report
 Research Skills

 Analytical Skills-Chapter 11- old

syllabus
 Evaluation Skills
 Hands-on practical laboratory work
 Fieldwork
 Use of a spreadsheet or analysis and
modelling
 Extraction and analysis of data from
a database
 Use of a simulation
 Even a hybrid
HOW TO WRITE
A GOOD LAB
REPORT?
 Main Components
[Link] Question
2. Introduction
3. Background information
4. Methodology
5. SEE
Let’s try
[This can be done while teaching the titration techniques]

Topic- Effect of Titration of NaOH with

HCl on end point
RQ- What is the effect on the end point
with the varying concentration of NaOH
when titrated with HCl?
Topic- Effect of varying conc. of NaOH on end
point of titration with HCl

RQ- What is the effect on the end point , measured

reading the volume of hydrochloric acid, HCl(aq)
on the change in the colour of phenolphthalein, the
indicator, when the concentration of sodium
hydroxide, NaOH(aq) [0.1 mol dm-3, 0.2 mol dm-3,
0.3 mol dm-3, 0.4 mol dm-3 and 0.5 mol dm-3] is
varied on its titration with 0.1 mol dm-3
hydrochloric acid, HCl(aq) at room temperature?
Topic- Effect of age of Bananas
on amount of sugar

RQ-How is the amount of reducing

sugar in bananas affected over
time?

Topic- Effect of ripeness of Bananas
on amount of reducing sugar

RQ-How does the % by mass of

reducing sugar (gm of reducing
sugar/ gm of banana flesh) in the
flesh of bananas change as it ripens
over time in a brown envelope, when
titrated with Fehling’s solution?
Topic- Iron (Fe2+) in spinach

RQ- What is the effect on iron

content, Fe2+ in spinach on redox
titration with KMnO4?
 Topic- Effect of time on Iron
(Fe2+)content in raw spinach
RQ- What is the effect of time( 3/6/9/11
days from the date of purchase) on iron
content, Fe2+(aq) in fixed mass of a
raw spinach determined on redox
titration with 0.02 mol dm -3 KMnO4?
 Introduction
 On colour in transition metal
[Link]
_Transition_Metal_Compounds_Part_1_Experimental_Quantitative_S
tudies_and_Ligand-
Field_Based_Predictions_for_d1_d4_d6_and_d9_Systems

 On Ea and catalysis
[Link]
8303051
 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1. Focus on the keywords in your research question i.e. the
independent variable, the dependent and the methodology.

[Link] with the independent variable- explain what it is; how is it

measured and/or calculated; units of measurement; factors affecting
it. Provide details on how each factor affects it.

3. Methodology- Explain the underlying principle used in the

methodology. Include the relevant equations, mechanisms, diag etc.
Show how these would be used to arrive at the final answer. Look for
different possible methodologies to answer the same research
question.

4. Sources- You should get information from at least 6 - 7 reliable

sources like books, eBooks, journals, science magazines, internet sites.
More the sources, better does your research look.

[Link] which information is taken from a particular website. Merely

writing a bibliography does not rule out plagiarism/ academic
dishonesty.
 METHODOLOGY
 From different methodologies comment -why you chose this one.
 Give a rationale for choosing the set of compounds. Say you are studying
the impact of functional groups on lipophilicity of drugs, justify which
functional groups and which compounds of the chosen functional groups,
you intend using in your work.
 You must carry out trial labs for they are the best indication of the
feasibility of the lab, the exact duration for each trial, the quantity of
chemicals to be used, the optimum concentrations required etc.
 If you made any changes to the procedure after the trials, include it in
your report.
 Number of repeats depends upon the length of the experiment.
Generally 5 repeats are good enough.
 Your methodology must include the details on how you control/ monitor
the controlled variables.
 A statement on when did you stop the reaction and take the readings
 Record all quantitative as well as the qualitative data.
 A well labelled diagram of set- up is always advised.
 The procedure must include the capacity of the apparatus used for
precision and the concentrations and amounts used, keeping the
environmental issues in mind. [REPRODUCIBLE]
 SAFETY, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ETHICAL
ISSUES
Must be addressed with a focus on basic safety
devices used; use of fume hood with toxic
substances if used; minimal usage of chemicals
and most importantly the discharge of the used
chemicals.

For the discharge there are ‘hazcards’ available in

the labs else just Google type MSDS and the name
of the compound.
 The student should implement a
method in a proper context, make a
good selection of a technique and
correctly implement it, uses
acceptable ranges, collects enough
data, the processing is correctly
done, and some use of critical
thinking is evidenced.
MAIN COMPONENTS
 Raw data

 Data Processing

 Communication of data [Data Presentation]

 Include all quantitative and qualitative data.
 As for the quantitative data, provide all the raw
data collected with uncertainties.
 Use average of a data set for final processing.
 Dispersed data cannot be averaged.
[Link]
 The decimal places in the data values should
coincide with the uncertainty in the apparatus.
 Outliers must be identified with reason and
explained.
 Show just one sample calculation that answers the
research question
 Show, through detailed calculations, how
uncertainty propagation was carried out.
[Link]
 i) must have appropriate titles and number
 ii) Use at least 75-80% of space on the graph.
 ii) Plot IV on the X –axis and DV on the Y axis.
 iv) Both the X and Y axes must have the labels(say time), unit (SI only)
and uncertainty of the IV and DV.
 v) Refer to the line equation in the report.
 v) Draw the line of Best fit. [Line of best fit must pass through the
maximum number of data points, not necessarily all.]
[Link]
 vi) Outliers must be identified.
 vii) Draw a valid conclusion from the graph/s.
2. Be consistent with sf and dp throughout in your report(as stated above)
3. Use subject specific terminology.
4. Be consistent with units throughout in your report (Only SI units to be
used)
5. Write balanced equations and correct formulae/ symbols. For e.g. Write
Sulphuric acid as H2SO4 and not H2So4 [Note the smaller o in the incorrect
formulae); use of superscript/ subscript.
6. The presentation of the report must be clear, precise and easy to follow
clearly following the lab structure.
 Uncertainties should be reported and
propagated in any of the accepted methods.
Lines of best fit, error bars and R2 are also
evidence to consider. However, some brief
comment on R2 is expected. Same for error
bars. These are not mandatory, but they must
be correctly done if used. A comment is
expected if a line does not go through
all/most error bars and/or they overlap.
 5 values are needed for standard deviation.
MAIN COMPONENTS
1. Conclusion backed by data

2. Explanation of the obtained trend in the light

of related, relevant theory
 State your conclusion referring to the research
question and hypothesis, if applicable. (Say if it
has been answered or not) ∙ Compare your
answer/ result with the literature value, if
available else give a proper, theoretical
justification to your answer.
 Find percentage difference using the formula

Percentage difference = (Theoretical value-

Experimental value)/ Theoretical value
Comment on systematic vs random errors
 Comment on the trends identified through the
graphs. (Include the outliers)
 A quantitative conclusion that answers the
research question/title in the proposed
context. Qualitative conclusions cannot
score highly. Hypotheses are not a
requirement and are not assessed if not
well formulated. However, if one is
presented must be addressed here. The
student can use R2 values (if correctly
done) for justification. Just stating a
correlation is high and gives a number is
not enough.
MAI N COMPONENTS
1. Methodological weaknesses/ limitations

2. Realistic Improvements
 Identify appropriate random and systematic
errors/ limitations (at least 5 good ones).
 Refer to the accuracy and precision of the
equipment/ apparatus.
 Include data size, data range, frequency
 Justify how the above errors affected your
result.
 Give relevant, realistic modifications to the
identified errors/ limitations.
 Suggest scope for further study.
 Methodological limitations (if only
procedural, even if many, the mark can’t
reach the 3-4 band). Realistic limitations
that should have been addressed during
the design are considered procedural.
 The improvements must be related to
the weaknesses that have been
identified, and they should be feasible
in the context of a school environment
or field course.
 Font Size- 11 to 12
 Font- Times New Roman/ Arial
 Line Space - 1.5
 No cover page required + No turnitin report required
 Footnotes - same format as the one used in the bibliography.
 Bibliography –MLA 8 format (refer to [Link]). And include
only the sources used in the body of the work.
 Every page must have a page number
 The report should not exceed 3000 words
 WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE 3000 words?
Equations, Tables, data, mechanisms, pictures/photographs, graphs
This is what I ask my students to do, at this stage-
 Pick up three to four topics of your interest from
your diploma book.
 Write down all the key concepts used in these
topics. For eg you choose ‘Kinetics’. The key terms
here are-
 Rate of reaction- Average and Instantaneous rates
 Order of Reaction
 Rate constant
 Arrhenius Equation
 Rate constant
 Activation Energy and so on…..
 How does changing the wavelength using
different colour glowsticks affect activation
energy of its reaction, measured using
Arrhenius Equation?
 To what extent does Activation energy of
decomposition of hydrogen peroxide,
H2O2(aq)measured using Arrhenius
equation, affected using different types of
catalysts (names of hetero and homo catalysts-
at least 5)?
 When to start the IA process?
 How to start the IA process?
 Can a SL student attempt an IA on a HL topic?
 Is there any difference in the marking of SL/HL IA?
 How much syllabus should be covered before initiating the IA
process?
 Should an IA topic be limited to the syllabus?
 What are the required skills a student must possess before s/he
starts the IA process?
 Are error bars mandatory in Chem EE?
 Is there any particular form of error propagation prescribed?
 What is not to included in the 3000 word limit?
 And most importantly-What makes a good RQ?
 Removing tarnish from silver objects (redox reactions)
 Aspirin: Syntheses using less common approaches like microwaves, purification by
melting point and TLC, kinetics of the hydrolysis of aspirin to salicylic acid under
various conditions
 Synthesis of the Sweetener Dulcin from the Analgesic Tylenol (allows using titration)
 Thermal denaturation of proteins using UV light
 Thermodynamics and kinetics of 'Heater Meals"
 Investigating the kinetics of the bleaching of a dye using a colorimeter probe
 Solidification techniques and materials
 distribution constant of iodine between aqueous and non-aqueous systems
 Investigating gases in water overheated in a microwave
 investigating EDTA contents in shower cleaners
 Investigating the dependence of overvoltage on the composition of a metal surface at
which hydrogen discharge occurs, bubbles' lifetime' and IMF
 Low rank coal swelling with different solvents
 Pharmaceuticals from plants
 Investigating fluorescence using turmeric, B complex vitamins, minerals, household
items.
 Iodine numbers of palm oil as compared to other cooking oils.
 An expansion of the determination of manganese in a paper clip.