CHM 217H1 Introduction to Analytical Chemistry – Preparation

This page provides essential background information for all students considering or enrolled in CHM 217H1. Students must review the following information thoroughly before the course commences.

Quick Checklist:

• Obtain the course text and study guide (see below for details)
• Obtain the required lab materials
• Review the course curriculum and background topics (see below)
• Attempt the self-assessment test on prior knowledge (available through the U of T portal course site)
• Download the first handout and complete the assigned reading before the first lecture (available through the U of T portal course site)
• View the video presentation for the first lab experiment
• This course makes extensive use of spread-sheet software such as Excel™ for calculations and graphing. If you are not familiar with the use of Excel™ for such purposes and wish to start preparing early, you should consult the on-line statistics tutorial

Note: Lecture handouts include suggested review problems from the text, some of which may be taken up in tutorials. Such material may be included on tests, quizzes, and exams.

Lap Preparation:

You must obtain the following prior to the first lab session:

• The laboratory manual (available only from the Chem Club, LM203)
  Note: experiments, procedures, and questions are changed or updated each year; previous years’ lab manuals should not be used.
• A hard-cover letter-sized laboratory notebook
• A pair of good quality gloves that are not thin disposable ones and not latex. These are available at most hardware stores, often labelled as "chemically resistant", and are typically nitrile, neoprene, or similar.
• 100% pure cotton lab coat and safety goggles (conforming to CSA Z94.3-02)
• Permanent marker (for glassware) e.g. Sharpie™ etc.
• Scientific calculator with statistics functions – make sure you know how to use the stats functions!
• A printed copy of the reporting form for the first experiment

Make sure you read the introduction, safety information, procedures, and the first experiment. There will be a quiz on safety and procedures during the first lab in addition to the pre-lab questions. A multimedia presentation on pipetting and diluting is available.

Check the schedule for your demo group to see which experiment you will be performing the following week; some experiments require you to do some preparatory work the week before. You will find the necessary instructions in the "Before the lab" section for each experiment.

Course Materials and Curriculum:

It is assumed that all students are familiar with the concepts and calculations found in the prerequisite courses (CHM138/136 & CHM139/135 in combination or CHM151). A detailed list of topics can be found here. Very little lecture time will be spent reviewing this prior material; it is therefore essential that you have a firm understanding of these topics, and are able to correctly perform all relevant calculations.

Full course details, along with the current course text, lab manual, can be found on the course information page, under "Documents"