Organic Chemistry I laboratory
Undergraduate · Chemistry
Syllabus focus
Topics typically covered
Standard syllabus
Organic lab safety and notebook culture
- Flammables, corrosives, and peroxide-forming solvents
- Fume hood practice and waste segregation for organics
- Carbon-copy or ELN notebook expectations
- Tracking theoretical yield, actual yield, and percent yield
- Pre-lab questions tied to mechanism and hazards
Core purification techniques
- Recrystallization and melting-point purity checks
- Simple and fractional distillation
- Extraction and drying of organic layers
- Rotary evaporation and solvent removal
- Choosing a purification method from impurity profile
Chromatography
- TLC for reaction monitoring and identity checks
- Column chromatography basics
- Rf interpretation and co-spotting
- Solvent polarity and elution order
- Isolating a product fraction and assessing purity
Synthesis labs (Orgo I scope)
- Substitution and elimination product studies (as scheduled)
- Alkene addition or related first-semester transformations
- Workup logic: quench, extract, dry, concentrate
- Stereochemistry observations where experiments allow
- Connecting mechanism lectures to observed outcomes
Structure evidence (intro spectroscopy)
- IR functional-group identification of products
- Melting point / mixed melting point for identity
- Intro ¹H NMR sample prep and simple assignments
- Reporting spectral evidence in lab reports
- Troubleshooting failed reactions with TLC/IR clues
Green and microscale practice
- Microscale apparatus and yield discipline
- Solvent choice and waste minimization
- Atom economy discussion for a course synthesis
- Safe scale-down of a published procedure
- Reflection: technique mastery vs one-off recipes
STEM / applied
Applied organic skills
- Multi-period synthesis with intermediate characterization
- Literature procedure adaptation for available reagents
- Formal organic lab report (ACS-style sections)
- Technique checklist for research-lab readiness
- Oral technique demo or notebook audit
Study units
Each unit includes a study guide, worksheets, review, practice test, and answer key. One unit is free; subscribe for the full class.
- Organic lab safety and notebook culture
Flammables, corrosives, and peroxide-forming solvents
Coming soon - Core purification techniques
Recrystallization and melting-point purity checks
Coming soon - Chromatography
TLC for reaction monitoring and identity checks
Coming soon - Synthesis labs (Orgo I scope)
Substitution and elimination product studies (as scheduled)
Coming soon - Structure evidence (intro spectroscopy)
IR functional-group identification of products
Coming soon - Green and microscale practice
Microscale apparatus and yield discipline
Coming soon
Notes
Companion lab to Organic Chemistry I lecture. Focuses on technique and purification that make Orgo II multistep work possible.