69077 - Chemistry Laboratory (A-L)

Learning outcomes

The students acquire the basic knowledge of laboratory tools and techniques. In particular they learn how to: safely handle chemical substances, use IUPAC nomenclature and IS units, perform stoichiometric calculations and prepare solutions, collect and process experimental data, correlate experimental data with theory

Course contents

The course progressively introduces students to experimental work in a chemistry laboratory, integrating safety, laboratory techniques, chemical calculations, data collection and interpretation of results.

The following topics will be covered:

Safety and organisation of work in the chemistry laboratory
Rules of conduct in the laboratory, use of personal protective equipment, safe handling of chemicals, glassware, equipment and waste. Reading and application of experimental procedures.

Laboratory equipment and basic techniques
Use of volumetric and non-volumetric glassware, weighing, preparation of solutions, filtration, heating, observation and recording of experimental phenomena. Introduction to the design of laboratory experiments.

Preparation for laboratory experiments
Discussion of experimental procedures, underlying theoretical principles, preliminary calculations and methods for collecting and processing data. Verification of students’ preparation through quizzes before access to the laboratory sessions.

Laboratory experiments

1. Chemical reactions: precipitation, acid-base, complexation and redox reactions.
2. Determination of the solubility constant of a silver salt.
3. Synthesis of inorganic double salts: Mohr’s salt, cobalt double salt and rock alum; application of stoichiometric calculations.
4. Reactions of copper: stoichiometric verification; redox, precipitation, acid-base and complexation reactions.
5. Determination of an equilibrium constant by spectroscopic method.
6. pH indicators.
7. Acid-base titrations.
8. Buffer systems.
9. Redox titrations.
10. Determination of equilibrium constants by electrochemical measurements.

Readings/Bibliography

Teaching material provided by the instructor
The laboratory manual, containing the description of the experiments and experimental procedures, is provided by the instructor.

Teaching resources, any supplementary materials, exercises, operational instructions and course-related communications will be made available on the Virtuale platform.

Reference textbooks
For the theoretical treatment of the topics addressed in the laboratory experiments, students may refer to the textbooks indicated for the General Chemistry course.

Teaching methods

The course includes 72 hours of in-person teaching activities, of which 48 hours are devoted to laboratory sessions. Attendance is compulsory. A maximum of 2 days of absence from laboratory activities and 6 hours of absence from lectures are allowed.

Students must also have completed the compulsory Health and Safety at Work training course.

Considering the types of activities and teaching methods adopted, attendance in this course unit requires all students to complete Modules 1 and 2 in e-learning mode and to attend Module 3 on specific training in health and safety in study environments. Information on dates and attendance procedures for Module 3 is available in the dedicated section of the degree programme website.

The course combines lectures, preparation activities for the laboratory experiments, preliminary quizzes and individual laboratory sessions.

The teaching approach is based on Inquiry-Based Learning, with the aim of making students active participants in the experimental process. Laboratory activities are not intended as the mere execution of procedures, but as activities in which students observe phenomena, formulate hypotheses, apply theoretical knowledge, collect data, interpret them critically and draw reasoned conclusions.

For this reason, active participation and regular study during the course are essential in order to approach the laboratory experiments with awareness and responsibility. Continuous preparation enables students to understand the chemical meaning of the operations performed, identify possible experimental issues and connect the results obtained with the principles of general chemistry.

Lectures are designed to prepare students for the laboratory sessions. During lectures, the experimental procedures, preliminary demonstrations of the activities, required stoichiometric calculations, data collection methods and criteria for writing laboratory reports will be presented.

Preliminary quizzes assess students’ understanding of the procedures, risks, calculations and theoretical aspects required to carry out the scheduled experiment safely and consciously.

Laboratory sessions are individual and aim to develop basic practical skills, autonomy in carrying out procedures and the ability to connect experimental work with the principles of general chemistry. The sessions are planned so that students can experimentally verify problems and concepts discussed in class.

For each laboratory experiment, students must write a laboratory report including the aim of the experiment, essential theoretical principles, procedure, experimental data, data processing, critical discussion and possible sources of error.

Assessment methods

Assessment verifies the achievement of the course learning outcomes, with particular attention to the ability to work safely in the laboratory, apply experimental procedures, carry out chemical calculations and interpret results.

Students’ understanding of the procedures to be followed during each experiment will be assessed through online quizzes to be completed before the experiment itself.

Students must submit a written report for each laboratory experiment, even in case of absence. Reports must be submitted by the deadlines indicated by the instructor during the course; late reports will not be assessed. Each report is marked on a scale from 0 to 10. Assessment takes into account completeness of data, correctness of calculations, clarity of presentation, use of chemical language and ability to interpret results.

The final assessment consists of a practical laboratory test and a theoretical question. The practical test assesses the student’s ability to design and carry out a laboratory experiment aimed at solving a chemical problem similar to those addressed during the course. The theoretical question, corresponding to 10% of the final test, assesses understanding of the chemical principles, experimental procedures and safety aspects connected with the proposed activity.

The final mark is expressed out of 30 and is calculated as a weighted average of:

• average mark of quizzes and laboratory reports: 25%;
• mark of the final test: 75%.

With regard to assessment, the use of AI is prohibited. Any use of AI constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Assessment criteria are as follows:

• 30 cum laude-30: full mastery of laboratory procedures, safety rules and the chemical principles involved; autonomous, accurate and conscious execution of the experiment; complete, well-structured and critically discussed reports; practical test carried out rigorously and theoretical question answered using appropriate scientific language.
• 27-29: solid knowledge and good operational autonomy; correct application of procedures and calculations; clear and generally complete reports; good ability to interpret data and results, with minor inaccuracies.
• 24-26: generally adequate knowledge; correct execution of the main laboratory operations, although with some uncertainties; sufficiently structured reports; interpretation skills present but not always fully developed.
• 18-23: achievement of minimum learning outcomes; essential knowledge of procedures and safety; execution of activities requiring guidance or containing non-serious errors; partial reports or reports with limited critical discussion.
• Fail: failure to achieve the minimum learning outcomes; significant weaknesses in safety, understanding of procedures, experimental execution, calculations or data interpretation; incomplete or inadequate reports.

Students with disabilities or temporary/permanent specific learning disorders are encouraged to contact the relevant University office in good time (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it ). The office will propose any necessary adaptations to the students concerned; these adaptations must in any case be submitted, at least 15 days in advance, to the instructor for approval, who will assess their appropriateness in relation to the course learning outcomes.

Teaching tools

Lectures will make use of the blackboard, PowerPoint presentations, multimedia material, online quizzes and classroom interaction tools, such as Wooclap.

Teaching resources, the laboratory manual, any supplementary materials, operational instructions, exercises and course-related communications will be made available on the Virtuale platform.

Laboratory sessions will take place in the Graphite P2 UE5 - Navile teaching laboratory. Access to the laboratory requires students to wear a laboratory coat, which each student must obtain independently.

Access to the laboratories takes place in compliance with the protocols approved by the Department and with the instructions provided by the instructor during the course.

Office hours

See the website of Lucia Maini