You will need to know many things, understand many concepts, and be able to do many things. Let’s discuss what you need to know in terms of facts and understanding later. Right now, in the context of the lab, let’s think about the skills you should have when you leave this program. You should be able to do the following with agility and confidence:

• Use computers for a vast array of tasks such as
• Draw chemical structures and model energies and conformations
• Use a data base and spreadsheet program for scientific purposes
• Use a work processor to write reports and papers
• Prepare slides using a presentation software program
• Collect date from various analytical instruments and spectrometers
• Work up, archive and incorporate this data into reports and talks
• Use a web browser to learn and search the web
• Implement a web page of your own and for a class project
• Use Mathcad to model and manipulate equations and functions
• Learn to apply a number of lab skills that you should already have learned in general, organic or physical chemistry labs such as
• Weighing a sample
• Using volumetric glassware to prepare standard solutions
• Doing simple and vacuum distillation
• Carrying out a recrystallization
• Using thin layer chromatography to check purity
• Use a variety of spectrometers and analytical instruments such as
• FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectrometer
• NMR (nuclear magnetic spectrometer)
• UV (ultraviolet spectrometer)
• DSC (differential scanning calorimeter)
• TGA (thermogravimetric analysis instrument)
• SEC (size-exclusion chromatograph) or GPC (gel-permeation chromatograph)
• GC (also GLC, gas chromatography or gas-liquid chromatography)
• Melting point apparatus (two kinds)
• Light microscope with hot stage and polarizer
• X-ray diffraction instrument
• Dilute solution viscometer
• Gardner viscometer
• Cone-and-plate viscometer
• Pycnometer evaluation of density changes on polymerization
• Tensile testing of solid polymers
• Do a variety of synthetic procedures including
• Free radical homopolymerization
• Free radical copolymerization
• Kinetics of free radical polymerization
• Cationic polymerization of vinyl monomers
• Anionic polymerization of vinyl monomers
• Ring-opening polymerization of epoxides via cationic mechanisms
• Ring-opening polymerization of lactams via anionic reactions
• Cyclopolymerization of divinyl monomers
• Condensation polymerization of esters and nylons
• Polyurethanes and polyureas via isocyanate reactions
• Chain-extension and amine cure of epoxy resins

In addition to the above lab and instrumental skills, you will also learn how to combine groups of skills together to carry out targeted evaluations including

• Viscometric estimation of molecular weight
• Synthesis of nylon 6 and nylon 12 and their copolymers: effect of composition on thermal properties and crystallinity
• Comparison of polyureas and polyurethanes:
• Chromatographic evaluation of Mn, Mw and PDI (or MWD) by SEC
• Estimation of relative MW by TLC
• Kinetics of vinyl polymerization
• Effect of ion content on viscosity (polyelectrolyte behavior)
• Modification of polymer properties through pendent group reactions
• Effect of amine-epoxide ratio on properties of epoxy resins
• Evaluation of polymer tacticity by NMR
• Effect of monomer structure on copolymer reactivity ratios
• Correlation of copolymer composition with glass transition temperatures
• Theoretical evaluation of monomer structure on oligomer conformation
• Searching the literature: library and internet sources of monomer and polymer properties and applications

Take a moment to go over these lists. Check the ones you think you already have or know how to do. Make an x next to those you have some familiarity with but aren’t sure you can use well. Circle all those you don’t have a clue about. Bring this list to class on Monday: we’ll go over this and some other stuff.