University Bulletin
Undergraduate Degree Programs
CHEM 213B
Laboratory in Organic Chemistry--Bioscience (2) Basic laboratory operations; synthesis and chemical or instrumental analysis of materials of biological significance. Because of duplication of subject matter, students may not receive credit for both CHEM 203 and CHEM 213.
CHEM 213B Laboratory in Organic Chemistry - Bioscience (2)
A strong foundation in organic laboratory skills is provided by this intensive, 2-credit laboratory course. This course covers the same laboratory techniques as Chemistry 213 and fulfills the same course requirements for all science and science related majors. It is listed as a separate course because the organic content is focused on bioorganic chemistry and it also has a group project assignment. Students will attend two 3-hour labs per week in addition to extensive written work outside of the laboratory. The written work is divided into two parts that consist of pre-laboratory exercises that must be completed prior to attending each laboratory session and post-laboratory final reports due throughout the semester. The laboratory work during the first half of the semester involves learning the basic techniques of recrystallization/melting point determination, distillation, liquid/liquid extraction, thin layer chromatography, and column chromatography. In the second half of the semester, these techniques are applied to an instructor-assigned group research project that focuses on bioorganic transformations. Each student performs a literature search that is utilized to produce a group project proposal. The group then carries out their proposed experiments and produces a group final report and project poster that is presented at a departmental poster session. Students are provided with hands-on instruction to carry out characterization of their isolated reaction products using IR, NMR, UV/VIS, polarimetry, HPLC, GC, and or GC/MS. Students are also required to identify an unknown which provides additional training in instrument operation and structural interpretation. Chemistry 210 is a prerequisite and Chemistry 212 is a pre- or co-requisite for this course, because these lecture courses provide the theoretical background for the reaction chemistry as well as the molecular characterization of organic molecules.
Note : Class size, frequency of offering, and evaluation methods will vary by location and instructor. For these details check the specific course syllabus.