The lab reports are modeled after those found in professional journals such as Analytical Chemistry. Your goal is to be clear and concise, so that the reader knows what you did, the theory underlying the method, how you did it, what you found, and how good the results were. Common errors include very basic things like failure to identify the make and model of the instrument you used, and the sources and purity grade of the reagents. The only major differences between a 106 lab report and a professional paper will be in the level of the theory and the amount of the data presented.

Title and Abstract (5 points): Your cover sheet should include a clear title for the project, your name and the date. The abstract should be on a separate sheet, and should be a concise summary of what you did and what you found. See professional papers for examples of good abstracts. Remember, this abstract is not an "Introduction" where you say something inane like "All good chemists should understand Atomic Absorption because it is a neat method."

Theory (15 points): Professional papers assume all readers understand basic concepts, and limit their discussion to new material only, with many references to previous work. Your report should contain references also, but should go into more detail on the basic theory underlying your method. Be sure you direct your theory section toward the specific analysis you are doing; don't include unrelated material just because your sources did so. Be careful not to copy sections of texts or other literature. Read them, and once you understand what is going on, write the theory section in your own words, with specific reference to the analysis you have done.

Description of Procedure (15 points): Describe what you used to do your experiment. Include make and model of all instrumentation and/or significant pieces of apparatus. Describe the features of the instruments used. A diagram is often a good idea. Cite the grade and manufacturer of all chemicals used. Finally, describe your procedure in enough detail that others could replicate your work. Reference to standard methods in your text may be cited for detailed procedures if they were followed unchanged, but at least an outline should be provided.

Data and Results (25 points): Professional papers tend to present only a few graphs of the most important results. Your 106 lab report will include all relevant data in clear tables, charts and integrator outputs, and computer printouts, as well as computer processed data, graphed results, and statistical analysis. Organize your data such that the most important results are put together in the center of your report such that the critical evaluation follows right after them. Supporting raw data, charts, and other output can be put in an appendix for reference and checking of your processed data. Error estimates or computed statistics are expected on all measurements made. Working curves and other plotted data should use either linear least squares with the error about regression computed (see separate handout on how to do this), or make an estimate of the error about the least squares line by visual estimation. Replicated data should have 95% Confidence Limits computed. Be sure to calculate the real error between a standard or known value and your value when this is available. Compare this to the computed uncertainty of the measurement. (These numbers will be used to support your Critical Evaluation in the following section.) There will be deductions if you fail to do these statistical analyses.

Critical Evaluation (30 points): This is the most important part of your report. Having presented your data in an appropriate form, supported by statistical analyses in the Data and Results section, here you explain all these results, telling what you found, how reliable the results were, what worked well, and what could have been done better. No method is perfect, and some are just plain awful choices for the samples you had. You must tell your readers just how good or bad this method was, giving numerical statistics to back up your discussion.

Quality of Result (10 points): Some of the experiments will have an actual unknown, or a reference standard against which your work is measured. Back in Chem 102 your final number was 100% of your grade on many experiments. In Chem 106 we place 90% of the emphasis on what you did and how well you explained it, and only 10% on how close you came to the "right" answer. Of course, if you were far removed from the "right" answer, chances are you will lose points in other parts of your report because you did not have adequate control of your method.

Your report will be on HPLC, GLC, or the F- ion selective electrode (ISE). No matter which method you choose, your method must include both

There will be no "correct answer" for your final result on which a grade can be given. You must make your case that the value you are reporting should be believed within the error limits you have determined. Analysis of errors is vital for this report; major deductions will result if error analysis is omitted or poorly done.