Group Project Reports for Instrumental Analysis Laboratory

Reports for group projects will consist of an oral presentation in class and an expanded, printed copy of your presentation. A PowerPoint presentation is the default. Plan your presentation to last 10 to 12 minutes, including time for questions. Bring your PowerPoint file on a USB flash drive or CD to Neil Weberg at least one-half day in advance to have it loaded on the PC. Each member of the group should participate in the presentation.

This report will serve two purposes: 1) a brief oral presentation to you classmate, and 2) a written record of your project. A printed copy of your presentation, with additional detail as indicated below, is due following your oral presentation.

Content and Organization

You can meet the requirements for the written report by expanding your PowerPoint presentation to include additional detail as indicated below. Alternatively, you may elect to prepare a separate written report using a word processor that is not based directly on your oral presentation.

Part I. Oral Presentation

Use the presentation skills that you have developed in the chemistry seminar course. Here are some of the key items you should include. (Suggestion: A chemistry talk without a discussion of chemical structures, properties and reactions is like a baseball game with no bat, no ball and no bases.)

• Project title and your names
• Project Description and Analytical Objective
  • Sample analyzed and the analyte(s) determined
  • Nature of the sample matrix and its typical composition; typical levels of the target analyte(s)
  • Citation of literature reference on which this method is based and the context of that publication.
• Experimental Work
  • Brief description of the experimental approach.
    • Sample preparation. Do include a discussion of any significant chemistry (e.g., reactions) that may be involved here.
    • Analytical method and calibration standards
  • Brief stepwise description of procedure (a flow chart can work well here)
• Results
  • Include your approach to data treatment and your major results
• Discussion
• Compare results expected results
• Limitations/strengths of this method as implemented in the laboratory
• Suggestions for improvements to method, if appropriate
• Summary
• References
• Include citations for at least one published reference on which your method is based.

Part II. Written Report

This is a suggested format based on your oral presentation using PowerPoint. Copy the slides from Part I and add/expand/delete slides as needed. The major sections are listed below, showing additional detail in bold italics beyond what it is included in your oral presentation.

• Project title and your names
• Project Description and Analytical Objective
• Materials needed. This should be a detailed list of materials that you will need to perform the analysis.
  • Equipment
  • Chemicals
  • Supplies
• Experimental Work.
  • Detailed description of the procedure.
  • Time required for sample preparation and analysis
• Results
  • Add any additional data here that you might normally include in a written report that was not in your oral presentation.
• Discussion
  • Expand on the major points in your discussion by putting your oral comments into words.
• Summary
• References
  • Please attach a copy of one key reference if it was not included with your proposal.