Organic Chemistry Help - Tips for Writing a Good Lab Report

So when I was teaching, the one thing that I always heard was: "O-chem lab is a waste. It is a ton of work for only one credit." I am not going to lie to anyone about this; yes, it is a lot of work for that minuscule credit that (frankly) few people are going to care about. I have been told, however, that medical schools DO care about o-chem lab. So if you are one of those aspiring students who hopes one day to be abused as a resident at a busy hospital working 100 hour work weeks but not having quite as much fun as those crazy kids on the hit TV show "Scrubs", you care about organic chemistry lab.

Now here is the way to an easier time in organic chemistry lab:

Organic

1) Pre-lab preparation:

Organic Chemistry Help - Tips for Writing a Good Lab Report

this is the most underrated portion of what goes on. Go to my favorite site http://www.chemfinder.com and print out information on every chemical you are going to use and bring it to lab with you that day. It will be a great resource to refer to when you need it and will keep you from saying to your already cranky TA, whose English is iffy at best: "Does this look right?"

2) Post-lab write up:

The biggest mistakes here are bad calculations and spending too much time writing things that your TA is never going to read. When calculating things like % yield/recovery of your product, remember that you CAN have a yield over 100%. This is usually due to impurity in your final product and is most likely that you did not remove all of the solvent sued, which makes your product heavier. The key is to be concise, and make sure that the process of your calculations is correct.

While this quickie blog post is NOT going to turn that guy who is a lab disaster into a Nobel prize winner, they are the most commonly made mistakes. Keep it all in mind next time you head into the great unknown which is o-chem lab.

Organic Chemistry Help - Tips for Writing a Good Lab Report

Michael Pintero, PhD, obtained his degree in organic chemistry from a major US university and now works in the private sector.

For more information on organic chemistry labs, and to get organic chemistry help and tutoring, I strongly recommend visiting Organic Chemistry

Organized Writing - The Five Boxes Method

An organized structure (along with a good writing software) leads to an easier time during the writing process.  Problem is, some of us just don't have the chops to work in an orderly and efficient manner.  For many writers I know, flying by the seat of the pants is a default - one, in which, they struggle like a fish caught in a net to ever get over.

Ever heard of the Five Boxes approach for writing organization?  It's one that I encourage everyone who are less-than-stellar at structured writing to embrace.  While it probably won't be as effective as outlining every piece, it's a one-size-fits-all approach to organized writing that can work for a good many of the materials you try to put together.

Organics

In the Five Boxes method, you arrange each piece into five linear boxes.

• The first box will contain the lead, which paints the image or detail that draws people into the story.  Notice how this isn't meant to introduce the subject; instead, it's geared towards pulling attention.
• The second box contains a "nut graph," a second lead of sorts, that sums up the details of the write-up, along with letting the readers know why it is a story.
• The third box now goes right into the subject.  Begin it with a new detail (as opposed to transitioning from the lead and nut graph), particularly one that will fire off the rest of the discussion.
• The fourth box rounds out the rest of the story.
• The fifth box is the last of the document, containing the paper's ending.  Whether you close it out with an impactful "kicker" or with a quiet conclusion, the last part should offer a satisfactory ending.

Organized Writing - The Five Boxes Method

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