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The Formal Report
Every non-technique, synthetic experiment requires a formal report. It is a bit different from the
non-formal reports and the template is also different. Download the formal report template on
the course website, and please follow the guidelines below.
The following text has been adapted from: Callam, C. S; Paul, N. P. Organic Chemistry Lab
Manual, The Ohio State University, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2009.
Pre-lab, notebook and lab technique are all worth 5 points each.
Heading (5 points):
Each formal report should begin with a heading, which includes the title of the experiment
performed, your name, the name of your teaching assistant, and the submission date of the report.
Purpose (5 Points):
The purpose statement should include the names of reactants, reagents, and products and explain the
type of reaction that is being performed (for example: alkylation, acylation, condensation, amidation,
esterifica-tion, nitration, substitution). When appropriate, use the phrases “acid-catalyzed” or “base-
catalyzed” to speak more generally about conditions, but detailed descriptions of solvents or other
reaction conditions should be avoided. Overall, the purpose should contain enough information to
draw the reactants and product(s) but not give specific details of how the experiment was conducted.
Reaction Scheme (5 Points):
This graphical representation is the most clear and straightforward means to describe a chemical
reaction. The reactants (starting materials AKA substrates) are shown to the left of the arrow,
reagents in excess, catalysts, and solvents as well as temperature and reaction time are written above
and below the arrow, and the products and byproducts are shown to the right of the arrow. There is
only one accepted mean to present a reaction scheme: use of a chemical structure drawing program,
