Chemistry 235 is a laboratory course, which is designed to accompany the organic lecture course, Chem 233. You can take Chem 235 at the same time as you are taking Chem 233 or after you have completed Chem 233. Chem 233 is offered only during the fall term (and sometimes in summer session) whereas Chem 235 is usually offered both during the fall term and the winter term and periodically during the summer session. NOTE: if you take Chem 233, as long as you complete the Chem 233 course (that means writing the final exam in that course), but do not pass the course, you can still take Chem 235 during the next term.
A laboratory course in organic chemistry is designed to illustrate material that has been discussed in the classroom. But in addition to that, it is hoped that the laboratory will bring a more realistic approach to the many structural formulas you will encounter. For instance, diethyl ether is more than just a compound with the formula C2H5OC2H5 - it is a low-boiling, colourless liquid with a characteristic odour, which due to its excellent solvent properties and immiscibility with water, is often used in extraction processes. This lab course should teach you good synthetic methods and help you develop an analytical approach to problem solving in the laboratory. At the beginning of the course you will be introduced to simple techniques such as separation, purification and identification by instrumental analysis and be given many opportunities to "fine tune" your skills.
Information about various aspects of the Chem 235 course is available online at: http://groups.chem.ubc.ca/chem235
It is also our intention in this laboratory course to make the students more environmentally aware of the safety hazards associated with the chemicals they will be handling and the proper methods of disposal of all wastes generated in these experiments.
You can purchase the Chem 235 lab manual from the UBC Bookstore (starting near the end of August, although students taking the course starting in January are advised to wait until at least December before purchasing this lab manual) and you should bring it with you to the first week of labs when you will be going through a checkin and orientation session. There are videos that illustrate the various techniques you will be taught in this course and you can access these videos either through the Chem 235 website under the designation of CD1 and CD2 (http://groups.chem.ubc.ca/chem235) or through the following streaming system (https://vimeopro.com/haydenmcneil/chemistry235ubc using the password chem235. It is a good idea to read the “Introduction” portion of the lab manual and watch the three “Intro” videos, prior to coming to the orientation session! Appropriate eye protection and a knee-length 100% cotton lab coat are mandatory for this course and can also be purchased from the UBC Bookstore. For the 2018-19 academic session, the Chem 235 course starts on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 and Tuesday, January 8, 2019. The summer session will start on Tuesday, May 14, 2019.