DATA ANALYSIS RESEARCH PAPER
PURPOSE:
You are a researcher trying to determine the identity of an unknown volatile liquid. During the semester, you conducted experiments to find pieces of physical data about the unknown volatile liquid. You found its density in the “Graphical Analysis of Data, Density of and Unknown and Water” experiment. You found the molecular weight using the ideal gas law in the “Molecular Weight of an Unknown Volatile Liquid” experiment. You were provided the boiling point in the “Boiling Point and Infrared Analysis of an Unknown
Liquid” experiment and analyzed in infrared spectrum to find possible structural characteristics of the liquid.
Finally, you were provided with information in the “Combustion Analysis of and Unknown Liquid” experiment
that allowed you to determine first empirical and then molecular formula.
TASK:
You will write a 6-paragraph research paper outlining the research you conducted using experimental data you collected about your unknown volatile liquid. Research the physical properties collected to match them with chemical identities. Consolidate your findings and propose a chemical identity for the liquid. Detailed information about each paragraph is described below and in the rubric. This paper is written in YOUR OWN WORDS, as an independent effort. Papers are checked for originality when they are submitted, and duplicate
papers will receive no credit.
AUDIENCE & GENRE:
You should write the paper as if you were presenting it to a class of science students informing them of your experimental findings, research, and conclusions.
SECTIONS OF THE PAPER:
A. Introductory paragraph.
Introduce your research paper by summarizing what the rest of the paper discusses. This is similar to a very short abstract of the body of the paper. You must include your unknown number in the introduction. Explain where you started your research.
B. Body paragraphs.
The body of the paper should contain 6 paragraphs.
1. Possible names (identities) of the unknown liquid. You will research, using the molecular formula you found in the Combustion Analysis, possible identities of your unknown liquid. Include the ACD/IUPAC name of each compound (up to 5) that could be the identity of your unknown.
Depending on your individual unknown, you may find more than 20 different compounds to analyze and eliminate. If your research yields more than 5 possibilities, analyze the top 5 hits from chemspider.com. See your lab instructor if you have questions. You must include a citation for each name.
DATA ANALYSIS RESEARCH PAPER
Use ACS formatting (superscripted or italics number) to cite your quote.
2. Density paragraph. Locate a density value (in g/mL or g/cm3) for each name you found in paragraph 1.
You must include a citation for each literature density value. You may list the values in a table and, if you obtained all the densities from the same literature source, you may place the citation in the density column title. You should discuss each density value and its relationship to your experimental density value. Is each value close enough (within ±0.05g/mL) to your experimental density to support a possible identification?
BE SPECIFIC in your discussion/comparison. If an identity does not have a reported density, state that in the paragraph discussion.
3. Boiling point paragraph.
Locate a boiling point value (in °C) for each name you found in paragraph 1.
You must include a citation for each literature boiling point value. You may list the values in a table and, if you obtained all the boiling points from the same literature source, you may place the citation in the BP column title. You should discuss each boiling point value and its relationship to your experimental boiling point value. Is each value close enough (within ±3°C) to your experimental boiling
point to support a possible identification?
BE SPECIFIC in your discussion/comparison. If an identity does not have a reported boiling point, state that in the paragraph discussion.
4. Infrared-Spectrum paragraph.
Locate infrared spectra for each name you found in paragraph 1. Look at the structural formulas that are given with the names. You may either (1) match each peak from your unknown with peaks on each literature IR or you can (2) talk about the structure implied by your IR, which peaks support that structure, and whether there are matching structural peaks on the literature IRs.
When you analyze an IR, which peaks from your unknown are different from your choices and which are the same? A couple of questions that might help you with a structural discussion: what is an isomer?
Are the numbers in the name important, and if they are, what do they tell us about compounds? What is a functional group in organic chemistry? What functional group does your unknown have? If an identity does not have a reported IR, state that in the paragraph discussion. You must include a citation for each literature IR spectrum.
You may list the IR peaks in a table and place the citation in the “Peaks” column title, or use the name, cite, and list the peaks associated with that name.
5. Consolidate and propose the identity of your unknown liquid.
Consolidate your analyses from the density, boiling point, and IR paragraphs and explain how each piece of experimental data and their match to literature data lead you to the identification of your unknown liquid. In this paragraph, you should discuss your rationale for including and rejecting each substance using each property (density,boiling point, IR). At the end, you should review your analyses to see which compound is left.
Summarize your analysis of each physical property and its match to your unknown properties to support your identity selection. 6. Experimental vs. Literature Molecular Weight. Compare your experimental molecular weight to the actual molecular weight value calculated from molecular formula. Are they the same number? Discuss
DATA ANALYSIS RESEARCH PAPER
The errors that occurred while you were conducting the molecular weight experiments. You will need to watch the Molecular Weight Video to write this paragraph. Also, in this paragraph, discuss why
C. Conclusion.
This is a summary of the results of your research. It is not the consolidation and proposal. You should restate the proposed identity of your unknown, including ACD/IUPAC name, physical properties of your unknown, and their literature matches from your research. Finally, discuss what you learned from the lab and the research.
D. Reference list.
A numbered reference list with all literature sources used in the experiment and your research; sources you quoted from as well as others you might have visited and read. Follow ACS formatting for the citations and your reference list. Your reference numbering should match your superscript/italics numbering.
DOCUMENT FORMATTING:
• Arial or Times New Roman font, size 12
• Double spaced (check the layout for spacing!)
• 1-inch margins
• No title page
• Name on report in header
• American Chemical Society (ACS) formatting for in-text citations. Please use either superscript or
italic numbers (NOT author name and year of publication). Go to http://libguides.williams.edu/citing/acs for information on this citation method.
• Reference list at the end of the paper
• Accepted file extensions are .doc, .docx, or .rtf.
• No pictures or diagrams
• Tables are acceptable to list data in an organized manner. You must discuss the information
contained in the table; just listing information is not the same as actually discussing it. Upload your report by the published deadline to the Assignments folder in your lab section. Your report is
automatically checked for originality.
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