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Laboratory skills for chemistry
An OpenSTEM laboratory school providing you with 24 hours of ‘hands on’ experience with several widely used techniques in chemistry. Techniques include pipetting, titration, solvent extraction, heating under reflux, crystallisation, filtration, melting point determination, TLC, UV-Vis analysis and IR spectroscopy. The laboratory protocols are designed to develop good laboratory practice (GLP).
To gain this badge, you must have successfully participated in all aspects of practical training/techniques at the OpenSTEM ‘Laboratory skills for chemistry’ Laboratory School (SS002/SS021), and demonstrated awareness of and working to relevant health and safety guidance, including completion of the pre-laboratory test and the associated guide Chemistry: a practical subject.
For more information go to http://www.open.ac.uk/choose/openplus/node/384, and contact OpenPlus@open.ac.uk with any further queries.
Earn this Open University digital badge if you complete this course! The badge can be displayed, shared and downloaded as a marker of your achievement. The badge is awarded for successfully completing the laboratory school.
Earn this free Open University digital badge if you complete this course! The badge can be displayed, shared and downloaded as a marker of your achievement. The badge is awarded for completing the course and passing the quizzes.
Course learning outcomes
After studying this course, you should be able to:
- Follow prescribed safety procedures when working in the laboratory
- Work with other students or by yourself, in conducting experiments and recording observations and measurements related to laboratory activities.
- Analyse and interpret scientific information and data using appropriate methods.
- Communicate the outcomes of a laboratory activity by means of a written report.
In terms of practical skills you will have the opportunity in the School to:
- Appreciate how to handle liquids and solids in the laboratory and prepare solutions
- Calculate the molarity of a standard solution performing a titration.
- Carry out a synthesis by heating under reflux.
- Recover a product by crystallisation and filtration under reduced pressure.
- Assess the purity of a crystalline solid by melting range determination.
- Improve the purity of a solid using recrystallization.
- Extract organic pigments using a solvent extraction.
- Carry out a TLC analysis.
- Measure the absorption spectra using UV/visible analysis.
- Carry out Infra-red analysis of products.
- Monitor and record observations from a series of qualitative test-tube tests.
First Published: 05/04/2019
Updated: 05/04/2019
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