Laboratory Report

Date

Lab #:

Topic:

Aim: The purpose of the experiment.

Materials and Apparatus: a list of essential glassware, chemicals and other items used to carry
out the experiment. Most can be identified from the method.

Diagram of Apparatus: 2D drawing of the apparatus setup used in the experiment.

NB: The drawing must be labeled in scripts on the right hand side of the
diagram. Each diagram should have a TITLE.

TITLE MUST BE SPECIFIC AND WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS AND

UNDERLINED.

Method:

1. Method must be listed and NOT written in prose (paragraph).form.

2. Written in past tense and NO use of personal pronouns (NO me, I, us, we, they etc.).
3. All essential steps must be present and written in chronological order.
4. Appropriate grammar according to Standard English must be used.

Observation/ Results:

Observation

Record what you SEE, HEAR, SMELL (No tasting is to be done in the lab. This is not
safe). We do not infer, explain or conclude or make assumptions here. We just record what
was OBSERVED using our senses.

DO NOT IDENTIFY OR NAME GASES OR SOLIDS OR PRODUCTS HERE. E.g. You

carried out a test for a gas given off with lime water. You cannot report specifically that
carbon dioxide was seen or produced. Instead, you should report that effervescence was
seen, and lime water became milky or cloudy. Later in your discussion you would infer from
the lime water going cloudy that it was carbon dioxide that was produce.
GUIDES TO WRITING OBSERVATION

Describe any changes in colour of solution, the colour of mixture formed, the colour of
filtrate and residue. If a solid is formed is it crystalline or powdery? Describe its colour.
Describe effervescence (bubbles) as vigorous, mild or slow. What is its colour?
(colourless, yellow, brown, etc). Does the gas have a smell ( pungent, odourless,
irritating) ?
Change in litmus paper (red to blue or blue to red or was the paper bleached).
Glowing splint- does it glow brighter or relight?
Lighted splint went out with a (loud or soft) pop?

RESULTS

TABLE:

Tables must have:

1. Four (4) connected sides.

2. Heading (with units where appropriate e.g. time/s, height/ cm mass/g). Therefore, there is
NO NEED TO WRITE UNITS AFTER EACH VALUE WITHIN THE TABLE.
3. TITLE MUST BE VERY SPECIFIC, WRITTEN IN ALL CAPS AND UNDERLINED.
4. If values are used in a column all must have the same number of decimal places.
5. Where values are large or extremely small, write them in standard form (e.g. 2.0 x 10-3).

NB: if the table cannot hold all the values, close the table and write the title, then re-draw
the complete table, with headings, on the next page with the remaining values and re-write
the title.

GRAPH:

Graphs must done using PENCIL and have:

1. A suitable scale which takes up more that 50 % of the graph paper.

2. The axes must be labelled and have units where appropriate.
3. The points must be accurately plotted.
4. APPROPRIATE TITLE WRITTEN AT THE TOP IN ALL CAPS AND
UNDERLINED.
5. Points must be connected using a line of best fit or curves of best fit. No double lines or
sketchy lines.
Discussion:

Provides an explanationz for the results or observations. E.g. if separating funnel was used,
explain why one of the liquid is floating on the other. Why the gas or solid was formed? Name
the filtrate and residue. Name the gases or solid formed.

Where limitation, precautions and errors are asked for, PLEASE PUT THOSE THAT ARE
SPECIFIC TO THE EXPERIMENT AND NOT GENERAL limitations, precautions and/or
errors.

Conclusion: ANSWER THE AIM. So, if your aim is to find the density of an object. Here DO
NOT say the density of the object was found. State the actual density determined during the
experiment.