Analytical Chem istry - DePauw University

34 Analytical Chemistry 2.0lytical method is feasible, or to approximate the optimum conditions for ananalytical method without resorting to complex calculations. Why spendtime developing a complex spreadsheet or writing software code when a“back-of-the-envelope” estimate will do the trick? Once you know the generalsolution to your problem, you can spend time using spreadsheets andcomputational programs to work out the specifics. Throughout the text wewill introduce tools for developing your ability to think intuitively.2GThe Laboratory NotebookFinally, we can not end a chapter on the basic tools of analytical chemistrywithout mentioning the laboratory notebook. Your laboratory notebook isyour most important tool when working in the lab. If kept properly, youshould be able to look back at your laboratory notebook several years fromnow and reconstruct the experiments on which you worked.Your instructor will provide you with detailed instructions on how heor she wants you to maintain your notebook. Of course, you should expectto bring your notebook to the lab. Everything you do, measure, or observewhile working in the lab should be recorded in your notebook as it takesplace. Preparing data tables to organize your data will help ensure that yourecord the data you need, and that you can find the data when it is time tocalculate and analyze your results. Writing a narrative to accompany yourdata will help you remember what you did, why you did it, and why youthought it was significant. Reserve space for your calculations, for analyzingyour data, and for interpreting your results. Take your notebook with youwhen you do research in the library.Maintaining a laboratory notebook may seem like a great deal of effort,but if you do it well you will have a permanent record of your work.Scientists working in academic, industrial and governmental research labsrely on their notebooks to provide a written record of their work. Questionsabout research carried out at some time in the past can be answeredby finding the appropriate pages in the laboratory notebook. A laboratorynotebook is also a legal document that helps establish patent rights andproof of discovery.As you review this chapter, try to define akey term in your own words. Check youranswer by clicking on the key term, whichwill take you to the page where it was firstintroduced. Clicking on the key termthere, will bring you back to this page sothat you can continue with another keyterm.2H Key Termsanalytical balance concentration desiccantdesiccator dilution formalitymeniscus molality molaritynormality parts per million parts per billionp-function quantitative transfer scientific notationsignificant figures SI units stock solutionvolume percent volumetric flask volumetric pipetweight percentweight-to-volume percent