Tentative Syllabus as of 20-Aug-2020 – Subject to Change

CHEM E-17L
Principles of Organic Chemistry: Laboratory
Fall 2020
Instructor
David Rose davidrose@g.harvard.edu Office Hours TBD

Course Overview
This experimental laboratory course is intended to complement CHEM E-17. Practical
applications of the reactions learned in a lecture course—such as those of carbonyls, amines, and
aromatic structures—are expanded upon in a laboratory context. In addition to observing and
performing virtual experiments, students are introduced to purification techniques and
spectroscopic analysis. Laboratory procedures include acid-base extraction, chromatography,
reaction workup, and quantitative multi-step synthesis.

Meeting Times
All laboratory sections will meet biweekly via Zoom. Based on a preference survey, you
will be assigned to one of two time slots on your registered lab day. You must attend your
registered lab day and assigned time slot. Section times are listed below.

Saturday A: 9:00am – 11:00am Saturday B: 11:00am – 1:00pm

Tuesday A: 6:00pm – 8:00pm Tuesday B: 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Wednesday A: 1:30pm – 3:30pm Wednesday B: 3:30pm – 5:30pm

Required Course Materials

 The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual, James Zubrick (Any recent edition, digital or
physical, is acceptable. 8th edition or later is preferred.)
 Beyond Labz Virtual Laboratory, a simulation software available at beyondlabz.com
 A scanner, tablet, or other method of submitting digital assignments
 Stable internet connection for attendance of Zoom course meetings
 Webcam and microphone for participation during Zoom course meetings

Graded Assignments
You will perform five laboratory experiments over the course of the semester, each
consisting of a combination of Beyond Labz virtual experiments and/or photo and video
experiments conducted in the laboratory by course staff. Each experiment has an associated pre-
lab worksheet, procedure, participation, and post-lab worksheet.
The pre-lab worksheet is designed to facilitate practical understanding of the procedures,
safety considerations, and fundamental chemical concepts as explained in your lab protocols, your

Tentative Syllabus as of 20-Aug-2020 – Subject to Change

 Tentative Syllabus as of 20-Aug-2020 – Subject to Change

textbook/lecture notes, and in Zubrick. Pre-lab worksheets must be completed and submitted
prior to your registered lab section. The worksheets will require that you complete tasks such
as watching pre-lab videos, reading assigned documents or chapters, researching chemicals online,
and thinking about the lab in advance. Your TF is always available to help you with the worksheet
material. If you have any questions about the Lab 1 pre-lab, please email the course instructor.
The experimental procedure will vary significantly from lab to lab. As mentioned above,
each experiment will consist of some combination of different remote learning methods available
to us this semester. Detailed instructions about the expectations for each lab will be provided. For
some labs, you may need to do some outside research or watch a video series prior to coming to
class. For others, you may be asked to complete virtual experiments during your lab section.
Always be sure to carefully read through all of the assigned tasks for a given lab.
Part of your grade for this course depends on your in-class participation during your lab
section meeting. You and your lab partner(s) will be assigned certain questions or topics to prepare
ahead of time, and each member of your group must contribute to the section’s discussion of those
topics in order for you to receive participation credit. Participation will be scored flexibly and
generously, since we know that different students may find this aspect of the course more or less
intimidating than others.
The post-lab worksheet is an assessment of your understanding of laboratory topics after
completing your pre-lab worksheet and participating in your lab section. The post-lab worksheets
exist somewhere between a problem set, a lab report, and a collaborative learning experience.
Some questions will pertain directly to the experimental procedure, while others will require more
critical thinking or outside research to complete.
More detailed information about all of these assignments will be provided during your
course orientation meeting. If you have unanswered questions about any of the expectations
mentioned above, please contact the instructor.

Grading Information
You will be graded out of 200 points for the semester: 40 points per lab meeting. Your
grade is determined your attendance and engagement in class, as well as on the thoroughness and
accuracy of your pre- and post-lab assignments. The grade breakdown for each lab is below:

Pre-Lab Worksheet 10 points

Participation 10 points
Post-Lab Worksheet 20 points
40 points * 5 labs = 200 points total

This course is not graded on a curve; you will never be in competition with your
classmates. Collaboration is highly encouraged, as helping others is one of the best ways to further
solidify your own understanding of the material. We will assign letter grades using the scale below.
You must submit all assignments in order to receive a passing grade for the course.

200 – 175 175 – 150 150 – 125 125 – 100 100 or below
A-range B-range C-range D-range F

Tentative Syllabus as of 20-Aug-2020 – Subject to Change

 Tentative Syllabus as of 20-Aug-2020 – Subject to Change

Types of Experiments

This semester, you will complete five laboratory experiments developed from a
combination of two different distance-learning lab strategies:

● BeyondLabz Virtual Laboratory: BeyondLabz is an interactive virtual lab platform

which simulates a real lab experience using a complete visual lab interface and data
collected from real experiments. In the BeyondLabz virtual space, you are free to
experiment on your own, and that includes making mistakes! BeyondLabz experiments
are exploratory in nature, and the assignments will expect you to make mistakes and
document your problem-solving efforts.
● Media-Based Analysis: Members of the course staff have been in the laboratory (6
feet apart!) conducting experiments and documenting their successes and errors. Using
photos, videos, and data collected from these experiments, you will observe common
introductory organic chemistry lab techniques and answer questions about the process
and results.

Academic Integrity
You are responsible for understanding Harvard Extension School policies on academic
integrity (www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/student-conduct/academic-integrity)
and how to use sources responsibly. Not knowing the rules, misunderstanding the rules, running
out of time, submitting the wrong draft, or being overwhelmed with multiple demands are not
acceptable excuses. There are no excuses for failure to uphold academic integrity. To support your
learning about academic citation rules, please visit the Harvard Extension School Tips to Avoid
Plagiarism (www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources/tips-avoid-plagiarism),
where you'll find links to the Harvard Guide to Using Sources and two free online 15-minute
tutorials to test your knowledge of academic citation policy. The tutorials are anonymous open-
learning tools.

Accessibility Services
The Extension School is committed to providing an accessible academic community. The
Accessibility Office offers a variety of accommodations and services to students with documented
disabilities. Please visit the Accessibility and Student Services webpage
(http://www.extension.harvard.edu/accessibility-student-services) for more information.

Tentative Syllabus as of 20-Aug-2020 – Subject to Change

 Tentative Syllabus as of 20-Aug-2020 – Subject to Change

Laboratory Schedule and Assignment Calendar

Dates Experiment(s) Preparation (to be updated)

Read course syllabus

Sat 9/5
Complete Introductory quiz assignment
Tue 9/8 Lab 0: Introductions and Orientation
Complete section preference survey
Wed 9/9
Purchase a Beyond Labz license

Sat 9/19
Lab 1: Separation, Purification, and Purity
Tue 9/22 Assignments to be announced
Analysis
Wed 9/23

Sat 10/3
Tue 10/6 Lab 2: Quantitative Multistep Synthesis Assignments to be announced
Wed 10/7

Sat 10/17
Tue 10/20 Lab 3: Synthesis and Reactions of Alkenes Assignments to be announced
Wed 10/21

Sat 10/31
Tue 11/3 Lab 4: The Grignard Reaction Assignments to be announced
Wed 11/4

Sat 11/14
Tue 11/17 Lab 5: Carbonyls and Enolates Assignments to be announced
Wed 11/18

Wed 12/2 Reading Period (no class) Due date for Lab 5 assignments

Absences, medical or otherwise, will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the

circumstances, absences may lead to make-up attendance or lab exemption, and may result in
point deductions at the sole discretion of the instructor.

Tentative Syllabus as of 20-Aug-2020 – Subject to Change