A lab notebook provides an accurate record of the experiment performed. This is important to ensure reproducibility. A lab notebook is also a legal document that proves originality and ownership of research.
A lab notebook must be bound with no loose pages. For lab classes, a notebook with self-duplicating pages is preferred so that a copy can be removed and given to the instructor.
For every experiment performed, a pre-lab report, all observations and results, and a post-lab report must be generated.
The pre-lab report should contain the objective of the experiment, any necessary background information, all balanced chemical reactions, the relevant physical properties and hazards of all reagents, any calculated theoretical yields, and a step-by-step procedure summarizing the experiment.
All relevant observations, such as temperature, pH, and changes in color, should be recorded. All data must be recorded in the lab notebook unless the data was collected electronically. The exact mass of the reactants and products, as well as the names of any computer files generated, should also be recorded. Any modifications to the procedure must be noted.
Source: Lara Al Hariri at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA, USA
Here, we show the laboratory preparation for 10 students working in pairs, with some excess. Please adjust quantities as needed.
| 2 Lab stands |
| 3 Small 2-prong clamps |
| 2 100-mL beakers |
| 1 250-mL beaker |
| 1 400-mL beaker |
| 1 600-mL beaker |
| 3 10-mL graduated cylinder |
| 1 50-mL graduated cylinder |
| 1 25-mL Erlenmeyer flask |
| 1 250-mL filter flask |
| 1 20-mL test tube |
| 1 Glass stirring rod |
| 1 Large Büchner funnel |
| 1 Rubber filter adapter |
| 1 Thermometer |
| 2 Pipette bulbs |
| 1 Roll of lab tape |
| 1 Marker/pen |
| 3 Small beakers |
