CHEM 3719L - Organic Chemistry 1 Laboratory
Summer 2026 Syllabus, Section 01, CRN 30862,
Credit hours: 1
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
Shiva Moaven
Professional Qualifications:
Postdoctoral Scholar, The Ohio State University
Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Oregon
Ph.D., Chemistry, Texas Tech University
Assistant Professor
Email: smoaven@ysu.edu
Office: Ward Beecher Science Hall, Room 6014
Office Phone: 330-941-1425
Preferred Contact Method: email
Communication Expectations:
Typical respond to emails is within 48 hours.
How to Refer to me:
Dr. Moaven
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Course Description
As in General Chemistry, you will be studying the physical characteristics of compounds and their reactions to form new materials, however in Organic Chemistry we focus on compounds containing carbon. Your lab section will meet twice a week (for more details see the schedule please) in Room 5037 Ward Beecher Hall with your instructor.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optional | https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Organic_Chemistry/Organic_Chemistry_Lab_Techniques_(Nichols) |
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Links to important resources will be available on BlackBoard.
These are the crucial items students must have during their meetings in class/lab:
- A knee-length (non-paper) lab coat, OSHA approved eye protection. Gear must be worn at all times in the lab. Lab gloves will be provided.
- You must have a YSU email address to have access to BlackBoard and Office365 for writing reports.
- A reliable computer to install different programs (e.g. ChemDraw; Microsoft Office Suit), and access online resources.
- A lab notebook in which to record data for each chemical and reaction encountered during the course; this could be a simple bound English composition book. The book must be hardbound, i.e. no spiralbound books.
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Schedule of Topics and Assignments
| Day | Date | Reading(s) | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 5/11 | No meeting | ||
| Wed | 5/13 | Introduction, Safety, Orientation | Meet your instructor; Learn about Room 5037 Organic Lab environment; Review course expectations | Online Safety Quiz (10 pts) |
| Fri | 5/15 | Finding Chemical Data and Molecular Modeling | Use of Molview and ChemSpider for finding reliable chemical data and compound properties from online databases | Blackboard upload as PDF (10 pts) |
| Mon | 5/18 | No meeting | ||
| Wed | 5/20 | Measurement (Prelab Reading) | Safe transfer of organic liquids and solids, the use of balances, glassware, pipettes, vacuum filtration | Blackboard upload as PDF (10 pts) |
| Fri | 5/22 | Solubility & Miscibility (Prelab Reading) | Water bath for heating/evaporation of liquids, gravity filtration for removing impurities from organic solutions | Blackboard upload as PDF (10 pts) |
| Mon | 5/25 | Memorial Day | ||
| Wed | 5/27 | Recrystallization (Prelab Reading) | Choosing an appropriate solvent for recrystallizing, purifying solids from hot solvent; filtration & melting point | Blackboard upload as PDF (10 pts) |
| Fri | 5/29 | Stereochemistry (Prelab Reading) | Drawing and comparison of stereoisomers in ChemDraw/3D; conformational analysis of isomeric molecules using Chem3D | Blackboard upload as PDF (10 pts) |
| Mon | 6/1 | No meeting | ||
| Wed | 6/3 | Extraction & TLC (Prelab Reading) | Use of separatory funnel, washing and drying of organic solutions, evaporation, Thin Layer Chromatography | Blackboard upload as PDF (10 pts) |
| Fri | 6/5 | Distillation (Prelab Reading) | Separation and purification of organic liquids by their boiling point; identification of unknowns in a mixture | Blackboard upload as PDF (10 pts) |
| Mon | 6/8 | No meeting | ||
| Wed | 6/10 | Substitution 1 (Prelab Reading) | Preparation of an organic halide from an alcohol through a substitution pathway; reaction is run twice to improve yield | Blackboard upload as PDF (10 pts) |
| Fri | 6/12 | Substitution 2 (Prelab Reading) | Use of distillation to purify liquid substitution product from the previous session; repeated on both samples to improve yield | Blackboard + Full report upload (5 + 10 pts) |
| Mon | 6/15 | Elimination 1 (Prelab Reading) | Conversion of an alcohol into alkene through acid-catalyzed elimination; application of Le Chatelier’s principle in synthesis | Blackboard upload as PDF (10 pts) |
| Wed | 6/17 | Elimination 2 (Prelab Reading) | The use of distillation to purify the liquid substitution product from previous week; tests on product sample to prove an alkene formed | Blackboard + Full report upload (5 + 10 pts) |
| Fri | 6/19 | Juneteenth Holiday | ||
| Mon | 6/22 | Addition (Prelab Reading) | Preparation of a solid halogenated organic product through electrophilic addition of bromine to an electron-deficient alkene | Blackboard upload as PDF (10 pts) |
| Wed | 6/24 | Lab Final | Short online test on lab basics covered during the semester | Blackboard (10 pts) |
| Fri | 6/26 | No meeting |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.