CHEMISTRY PREPROOM- Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories

Individual Research Projects
General Information

This page explains:

    Considerations For Your Initial Request
    Chemical Waste Disposal Procedures
    Making a "Post-Proposal" Request

Individual research projects occur toward the end of the semester and ask students to draw on what they have learned in order to solve a problem.  To make this a good learning experience, it is important that the Preproom, instructors, and students work together and communicate openly about what is needed for each experiment.

A lot has to happen in order for you to have the chemicals, supplies, and equipment you need when you come to lab.  We must collect and organize requests from hundreds of students.  Then, we must set everything out in the correct lab rooms so it is available for your use.  This can be a challenging operation, and so we ask that you help us by following these procedures.

Initial Request for Chemicals & Equipment

At some point in the semester, before you actually begin your project, you will be required to submit a proposal to your instructor for approval.  It is important to be thorough in your requests.  You should think about what equipment you'll need (pH meters, spectrometers, etc.) and what chemicals you'll need.  When requesting reagents, you must specify a quantity and a concentration, where applicable.  In most cases, you will be required to prepare your own solutions.  In other words, if you request six different pH buffers, you should be prepared to make them yourself, given instruction.  If you wish to request something out of the ordinary, please do so early, as it may not be possible to provide it to you, and you may have to choose something else.

On the course pages (links are at the bottom of this page), you will find descriptions of specific techniques and what is provided for that technique.  If you require something that is not listed for that specific technique, you must request it additionally.

Chemical Waste

Each week, you will check out a waste bottle.  With it, you will receive a waste "tag."  This tag provides space for you to record the details about your liquid waste, including the chemical name, molarity, and amount.  You should fill this out as you proceed in your lab work.  Don't wait until the end of the lab period to try to remember exactly what you put in your waste bottle.  It is imperative that this form is filled out completely when you return your waste bottle because the Preproom staff will decide how to dispose of it based upon your description of the contents.

Post-Proposal Requests

If you discover you have forgotten to request something, click on "Post-Proposal Requests" above or on "Special Requests" on your course page.  Please understand that we need at least 24 hours to fill a request for something we have in stock, longer for something that we don't have.  Furthermore, we are not adequately staffed to respond to requests "on demand."  In other words, if you request something during your lab period, there are no guarantees that you will receive it that day.  The lesson here is PLAN AHEAD.