What a Schlenk line is used for
What are the main components of a Schlenk line
How to use the manifold taps to open and close the vacuum and nitrogen lines
Why grease should be applied to the taps and joints of the apparatus
What is the best type of tubing to use to connect the apparatus
How to correctly set up the oil bubbler
How to correctly position the vacuum trap in liquid nitrogen
How to degas the reaction flask
Why it is dangerous to close the outlet on the oil bubbler
What are the dangers of having a leak in the system
How to prevent the incomplete condensation of gases and build up of pressure
Why the taps on the manifold should be turned slowly
Where to position the flame in relation to the container to ensure efficient heating
Why placing a lid on the container improves the efficiency of heating
How the mass of the container can affect the transfer of heat
What is an appropriate amount of time to heat the water to achieve the temperature change
How the volume of water in the container affects the speed of heating
What makes a suitable material for the container
What equation is used to calculate enthalpy change
Why placing a lid on the container improves the efficiency of heating
What makes a suitable material for the container
How the volume of solutions used affects the amount of heat loss
What equation is used to calculate enthalpy change
Why the solvent should be kept topped up
Why a layer of sand should be included at the top and the base of the column
Why a cotton or glass wool plug should be included at the base of the column
Why it is advisable to use a small size of collection tube
How to ensure the band of sample is concentrated in the column
How the column height affects the separation of components
How normal and reverse phase HPLC differ
How HPLC compares to standard column chromatography
What key components make up the HPLC instrument
How column efficiency and selectivity relate to resolution
How column length and particle size affect column efficiency
How the polarity of the mobile and stationary phases affect column selectivity
What is meant by resolution
How bands in the column relate to chromatogram peaks
What is the purpose of size exclusion chromatography
How the design of the column facilitates the separation of molecules of different size
How to predict the order of elution based on molecule size
How to measure the distance to the solvent front
How to measure the distance to the spots
How to calculate the Rf value from the distance to the solvent front and spots
Where the solvent level should sit in relation to the sample spots
Why you should draw the line using pencil rather than pen
Why it is important to cover the container
How you should handle a TLC plate
How the size of the spots and the space between them can affect the clarity of the results
Why you shouldn’t let the solvent front reach the top of the plate
How to predict the relative polarity of compounds from their structures
What range of Rf values demonstrates good separation of compounds
How to select an appropriate stationary and mobile phase composition for a mixture of solutions
What equipment is required to perform a fractional distillation experiment
Why a flow of water through the condenser is required for effective cooling
How the direction of water flow affects the cooling process
Where the thermometer should be placed in order to measure the temperature of the condensing vapour
Why a packed vertical column works best for fractional distillation
Why the connections between components of the apparatus must be secured
Why plastic clips should only be used on cold apparatus
Why it is important to not overfill the reaction flask or overheat the solution
Why boiling chips are required
What equipment is required to perform a distillation experiment
Why a flow of water through the condenser is required for effective cooling
How the direction of water flow affects the cooling process
Where the thermometer should be placed in order to measure the temperature of the condensing vapour
Why the connections between components of the apparatus must be secured
Why plastic clips should only be used on cold apparatus
Why it is important to not overfill the reaction flask or overheat the solution
Why boiling chips are required
What are the main components of a standard electrochemical cell
Where current flows in the equipment and how potential is measured
How the measured current changes with potential
How changes in potential relate to the concentration gradient of reactive species at the electrode
How to set up the apparatus for a simple electrochemical cell
What solution should be used to immerse each electrode
What makes a suitable bridge between the two solutions
How to set up the gravity filtration apparatus
Why it is important to consider the size of the flask and filter paper
How pre-wetting the filter paper can help keep the paper in position
Why it is important to rinse the beaker to ensure all the sample is filtered
Why the funnel should be clamped prior to use
How to correctly set up the microscale pipette filtration equipment
Where to position the cotton filter
How to prevent the collection vial from toppling over
Where to position your eyes when filling the pipette
Why care must be taken when clamping the pipette so as it is secured but does not crack
What equipment is required to perform Buchner filtration
How to set up the Buchner filtration apparatus
Why it is important to consider the size of the flask and filter paper
How pre-wetting the filter paper can help keep the paper in position
Why it is important to rinse the beaker to ensure all the sample is filtered
Why the flask should be clamped prior to use
What equipment is required to perform Hirsch filtration
How to set up the Hirsch filtration apparatus
Why it is important to consider the size of the flask and filter paper
How pre-wetting the filter paper can help keep the paper in position
Why it is important to rinse the beaker to ensure all the sample is filtered
Why the flask should be clamped prior to use
Why it is important to ensure the hotplate is clean before use
Why it is important to inspect the safety of the electrical wires prior to use
How to position the flask to facilitate the heating and stirring of the solution
What settings should be used to effectively heat and mix the solution
What type of ice cools water most efficiently
What level of water should be used to effectively cool the solution
Why salt should be added to the water bath
Why the reaction vessel should be secured with a clamp in the ice bath
How a thermometer should be used to monitor the temperature of the water bath
How the flask should be positioned to effectively heat the solution
What level of water and heat should be used to effectively heat the sample
Why the flask should be secured with a clamp in the water bath
What are the main stages of mass spectrometry analysis
What is meant by the mass-to-charge ratio
How particles are separated according to their mass-to-charge ratio
Why it is vital the mass spectrometer is kept under high vacuum conditions
How the mass of an ion affects its velocity through the drift zone
How to interpret the relative abundance of particles from a mass spectrum
How to determine the value of graduations on a cylinder
How to take a reading from a graduated cylinder
Why eye level in relation to the meniscus can affect the accuracy of the reading
How to fill the pipette to the required level and draw up the correct amount of solution
How to rinse the pipette
How to transfer an accurate volume of solution to a reaction vessel
How to line up the bottom of the meniscus with the calibration mark
Why the solution to be measured and transferred should be first decanted into a beaker
Why it is important to rinse the pipette prior to transferring the solution
Why it is important to remove any hanging drops before and after transferring solution
How to identify the point at which the material starts and finishes melting
How the level of heat applied affects the accuracy of the readings
How to transfer solution to a volumetric flask
How to line up the bottom of the meniscus with the calibration mark
How to mix the solution thoroughly after it has been topped up to the calibration mark
Why it is important to rinse the beaker after transferring to the volumetric flask
Why you should recheck the level against the calibration mark after mixing
Why a funnel should be used to transfer the solution and prevent spillages
Why the flask must be stoppered before inverting to mix
How to apply the right amount of solvent and heat to fully dissolve the sample
How to cool the solution to crystallise the purified material
Why you should add solvent before applying heat to the glassware
What equipment is required to perform a reflux experiment
Why a flow of water through the condenser is required for effective cooling
How the direction of water flow affects the cooling process
Why the connections between components of the apparatus must be secured
Why it is important to not overfill the reaction flask or overheat the solution
Why the system must remain open
Why boiling chips are required
When to turn the vacuum pump on, shut the air inlet, lower the flask into the water bath and turn the motor on
How to correctly shut down the equipment to safely remove the flask and collect the sample
How to use a separating funnel to extract a product from one solvent to another
How to carefully operate the tap to release only the lower solvent layer
Why the separating funnel must be stoppered prior to inverting
How to tilt the funnel to safely shake the contents
Why and how the separating funnel should be vented after shaking
How to identify the number of carbon environments in a molecule
How to predict the number of signals a molecule will produce
How to assign the chemical shift for the different carbon environments
How to identify the number of carbon atoms contributing to each signal
How to identify the expected bond stretches of organic molecules
How to identify the appropriate spectrum for organic molecules
What are the main components of a NMR spectrometer
How to estimate the reading between the graduation marks to one fifth of a graduation
Why eye level in relation to the meniscus can affect the accuracy of the reading
How to correctly set up the titration equipment
What makes a suitable container for weighing sample in
How to tare the balance and transfer and weigh the desired amount of sample
How to reduce spillages when transferring the sample to be weighed
Why it is important to clean and tare the balance prior to use
What equipment is appropriate to rinse and dry the electrode
How to immerse the probe and measure the pH of a solution
How the level of probe immersion affects the accuracy of the reading