Organic chemistry is a very challenging course. For our very first lab we had to compose a report of the relationship between molecular weight and boiling point in order to determine the compounds functional group. My main weakness in writing this report was figuring out how they were actually affected since there are so many different factors contributing to it. I could not simply just state a fact, I had to back it up with information. For example I could not simply just state that for each functional group the relationship between molecular weight and boiling point differed. I had to go into detail about why that functional group behaves the way it does. I had to explain that “branched molecules limit the amount of intermolecular forces to take place with their neighbors giving them less of an ability to interact therefor requiring less energy and lowering the boiling point”. After being able to understand the material and concepts it was easier for me to make these claims and explain them making the rest of the report come along much smoother. Interpreting these behaviors and relationships became a strength for me. I was able to properly tell which functional groups were similar and which ones differed based off their weight, boiling point, intermolecular forces (dipole moments), and surface area.

Experiment 1: POST LAB REPORT