Crystallization - Organic Chem Lab

CRYSTALLIZATION


Objectives

• To show, by experimentation, the seven step process of crystallization by:

• Successfully determining the appropriate solvents for the solutes given

• Being able to dissolve the solute successfully in the chosen solvent

• Decolorizing the solution using Pelletized Norit

• Filtering Suspended Solids

• Crystallizing solute

• Collecting and Washing the Solute

• Drying the product

• To be able to use different compounds with precaution, especially when heating these compounds to a boil

• Understanding the method behind the 7 step process of crystallization and different experimental steps to obtain the same solution



Background Information: MSDS

Compounds Boiling Points (Celsius) MSDS Overview

Water 100 Flammability: 0 Health: 0, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: A – noncorrosive and non-irritant for skin. Nonirritant for lungs, eyes, indigestion, inhalation. When heated, it can become burn skin. When heated, must protect eyes and wear goggles.

Methanol 64.5 Flammability: 3, Health: 1, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: H, health hazard 2, and fire hazard 2. Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (permeator).Flash Point: Closed cup 12 Celsius degrees and open cup 16 Celsius degrees. Soluble in hot or cold water.

Ethanol 78.5 Flammability: 3, Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: H, health hazard 2, fire hazard 3. Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant). Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (permeator), of ingestion. Non-corrosive for skin, eyes and lungs. Flash point: closed up 18.5 Celsius degrees. Easily soluble in cold water, hot water, methanol, diethyl ether. Soluble in acetone.

Acetone 56.2 Flammability: 3, Health: 1, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: H, health hazard 2, fire hazard 3. Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (permeator). Flash point: closed up -20 Celsius degrees and open cup -9 Celsius degrees. Soluble in cold and hot water.

Acetic Acid 118.1 Flammability: 2, Health: 3, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: H, health hazard 3, fire hazard 2. Very hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Hazardous in case of skin contact (corrosive, permeator), of eye contact (corrosive). Liquid or spray mist may produce tissue damage particularly on mucous membranes of eyes, mouth and respiratory tract. Skin contact may produce burns. Inhalation of the spray mist may produce severe irritation of respiratory tract, characterized by coughing, choking, or shortness of breath. Inflammation of the eye is characterized by redness, watering, and itching. Skin inflammation is characterized by itching, scaling, reddening or blistering. Easily soluble in cold and hot water, diethyl ether, acetone. Miscible with Glycerol, alcohol, Benzene, Carbon Tetrachloride. Insoluble in Carbon Disulfide. Flash point: closed cup 39 Celsius degrees and open cup 43 Celsius degrees.

Phthalic Acid 295 Flammability: 1, Health: 3, Personal Protection: H, health hazard 3, reactivity 1, fire hazard 1. Considered not to be toxic to the environment so it can be washed down the drain. Very hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Hazardous in case of skin contact (corrosive, permeator), of eye contact (corrosive). The amount of tissue damage depends on length of contact. Eye contact can result in corneal damage or blindness. Skin contact can produce inflammation and blistering. Inhalation of dust will produce irritation to gastro-intestinal or respiratory tract, characterized by burning, sneezing and coughing. Severe overexposure can produce lung damage, choking, unconsciousness or death. Inflammation of the eye is characterized by redness, watering, and itching. Skin inflammation is characterized by itching, scaling, reddening, or, occasionally, blistering. Flash point: closed up 151.67 Celsius degrees and open cup 165 Celsius degrees. Very slightly soluble in cold water, diethyl ether.

Sucrose N/A Flammability: 1, Health: 1, Personal Protection: X, health hazard 1, reactivity 0, fire hazard 1. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Flash point: closed cup higher than 93.3 Celsius degrees. Easily soluble in cold water. Partially soluble in methanol. Insoluble in diethyl ether.

Acetanilide 304 Flammability: 1 (combustible at high temp), Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E. Hazardous in case of ingestion, inhalation, eye contact. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact. Flash point is open cup, 173 Celsius degrees.

Benzoic Acid 249.2 Flammability: 1 (combustible at high temp), Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E. Hazardous in case of ingestion, inhalation, eye contact. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact. Be sure to use under approved respirator. Flash point is closed cup, 121 Celsius degrees.

Salicylic Acid 211 (Dec) Flammability: 1 (combustible at high temp), Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E. Light and moisture sensitivity. Hazardous in case of ingestion, inhalation, eye contact. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact. Be sure to use under approved respirator. Severe exposure can result in death. Flash point is closed cup, 157 Celsius degrees.

Anthracene 342 Flammability: 1, Health: 0, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E, fire hazard 1. Very hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant, sensitizer), of eye contact (irritant), of inhalation. Hazardous in case of skin contact (permeator), of ingestion. Inflammation of the eye is characterized by redness, watering, and itching. Skin inflammation

is characterized by itching, scaling, reddening, or, occasionally, blistering. Flash point: closed up 121 Celsius Degrees. Insoluble in cold water.

Naphthalene 218 Flammability: 2 (combustible at high temp), Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E. Very hazardous in case of ingestion. Hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant), of inhalation. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant, permeator). Severe over-exposure can result in death. Flash point: closed up 88 Celsius degrees and open cup 79 Celsius degrees. Partially soluble in methanol, n-octanol. Very slightly soluble in cold water, hot water



Materials

• Stainless steel spatula

• Reaction tube or a 10x75 mm test tube

• Calibrated dropped or Pastuer pipette

• Stirring rod (4 mm)

• Wash bottle

• Hot plate

• Erlenmeyer flasks

• 10-mL graduated cylinder

• Boiling stick – a stick of wood

• Cork ring

• Beakers

• Filter paper

• Hirsch funnel

• Hazardous waste container

• Nonhazardous waste container

• Decolorizing Charcoal (norit)

• Thermometer

• Aspirator tube



Procedure

1) Gather all needed materials for this experiment

2) Immediately wear safety goggles and apron and make sure to put all books away.

• For experiment 1:

1) To perform the solubility test for crystallization, first transfer about 10mg using a stainless steel spatula into a reaction or test tube of 10X75 mm.

2) Add .025 mL of solvent using a pipette

3) Stir with stirring rod (4mm) to break any lumps

4) Test different solvents such as methanol, ethanol, acetone, or acetic acid at room temperature to see if solute dissolves.

5) Keep trying different solvents until it does not dissolve

6) Once it does not dissolve, then heat suspension and see if solution occurs. Use either bath water or hot plate. Follow instructions on machinery as written. Use a beaker to place the tube for heating. If solute dissolves, it is soluble

7) Cool solution by holding flash under tap and if needed, induce crystallization by rubbing walls of tube with stirring rod

8) Reheat to dissolve solid,

9) Let solution stand undisturbed

10) Inspect character of crystals formed

• For experiment 2:

1) To crystallize pure phthalic acid, first crystallize 1 g of phthalic acid from minimum amount of water using data in lab

2) Add solid to the smallest Erlenmeyer flask

3) Use pipette to add water drop wise from a full 10 ML graduated cylinder

4) Use boiling wooden stick to prevent bumping

5) After addition of portion of water, gently heat on hot plate

6) As soon as boiling occurs, add water until all solid dissolves

7) Place flash on cork ring and allow it to cool undisturbed to room temperature

8) Observe crystallization

9) Cool flask in ice bath and decant by pouring off the mother liquid which is the liquid remaining with the crystals

10) Remove last traces of liquid with pipette

11) Scrape crystals onto filter paper using stainless steel spatula

12) Squeeze crystals between sheets of filter paper to remove moisture

13) Let crystals dry

14) Compare calculated volume of water with volume of water actually used to dissolve the acid

15) Calculate percent recovery of dry, recrystallized acid

16) To clean up, dilute filtrate with water and flush solution down the drain

• For experiment 3:

1) For decolorization of sucrose, dissolve 15g of dark sugar in 30mL of water in a 50mL Erlenmeyer flask by heating and stirring with stirring rod

2) Pour half of the solution into another 50mL flask

3) Heat one of the solutions nearly to boiling point and let it cool slightly

4) Add 250mg of decolorizing charcoal (norit pellets)

5) Bring solution back to boiling point for 2 minutes and filter the hot solution into flask through fluted filter paper held in a previously heated funnel

6) You may heat the funnel by turning it upside down and placing it on the hotplate for a couple seconds and then drying it off

7) Treat the other half of the sugar solution same way using only 50mg of decolorizing charcoal

8) Try heating solutions for only 15 seconds after addition of charcoal with lab partner and compare results

9) Clean up by decanting aqueous layer and placing charcoal in hazardous waste container. Flush sugar down drain

• For experiment 4

1) To purify an unknown, purify 100mg or 2 grams of an unknown as instructed

2) Test for solubility as shown above and also test for ability to crystallize in different solvents

3) Conserve unknown by using small quantities

4) If only drops of solvents used, solvent can be evaporated by heating the test tube on steam bath or sand bath

5) Submit as much pure product as possible, and identify the unknown

6) Clean up by placing decolorizing charcoal and filter paper in nonhazardous waste container. Put the organic solvents in organic solvents disposal container

7) Record all data and observations during all experimentations



Data & Calculations

Note: Please also see original laboratory report sheet initially provided, attached to post-lab.

Experiment 1: Solubility Test for Crystallizations: NOT DONE DUE TO INEFFICIENT TIME

Experiment 2: Crystallization of Pure Phthalic Acid:

o Mass of impure Phthalic Acid: .5174 grams

o Calculated Volume of Water Needed:

18 grams of Phthalic Acid / 100mL of H2O solvent = .5174 grams of Phthalic Acid / X

18X / 18 = 51.74 / 18 where X = 2.87 mL

o Actual Volume of Water Used: 5.5 mL

o Recovered pure Phthalic Acid: .3574 grams

(Recrystallized Phthalic Acid)

o Percent Recovery:

Collected Mass / Initial Mass = .3574 grams / .5174 grams = .6908 X 100 = 69.08%

o Melting point of recrystallized Phthalic Acid: Range of 77 – 81 degrees Celsius

Experiment 3: Decolorization of Brown Sugar (Sucrose, C12H22O11)

Mass of brown sugar weighed: 15.1111 grams

Volume of water used as solvent: 30 mL

Mass of decolorizing charcoal (Norit pellets) weighed: .2506 grams

 Part I: Results of 250mg (.25 grams) of charcoal: Qualitative data shows that brown sugar solution changed in appearance slightly after addition of 250mg of charcoal. Dark brown color changed to a slightly lighter dark brown complexion.

(Brown Sugar Solution prior to Addition of Norit pellets)



(Norit Pellets)

(Brown Sugar Solution after Addition of Norit pellets)

 Part II: Results of 50mg of charcoal: NOT DONE DUE TO INEFFICIENT TIME

 Part III: Results of short heating cycle: NOT DONE DUE TO INEFFICIENT TIME



Observations

In experiment 2, after calculating the amount of water required for recrystallization of pure Phthalic Acid, about 5.5 mL of water was used instead. This was done by accidently during experimentation and not realized until during the forming of the crystals. At that point, further filtration method of a vacuum was used to isolate the crystals from the excess water. Also note the small size of the formed crystals, compared to the results of other lab students, which were much bigger in size (as shown in the picture). The crystals were thoroughly dried when weighed afterwards since they were left in the lab for 2 full days. This allowed the percent recovery to be more accurate.

In experiment 3, it is to be noted that only about .25 grams of decolorizing charcoal was used. This experiment required the brown sugar to be split into two different solutions, with one having .25 grams of the Norit pellets in it, and the other .50 grams. With only .25 grams being used for the whole solution (much more volume), the solution only slightly changed colors, from dark brown to a lighter dark brown (as shown in the pictures). Upon those who did have the time to try the experiment with .50 grams of Norit pellets, it was witnessed that color change was much more intense and noticeable, causing the brown sugar to become a lighter caramel complexion.



Conclusion with Mention of Possible Errors

Two experiments were performed in this lab write up involving the 7 steps of crystallization. Experiment one involved using these steps to crystallize pure Phthalic Acid and the other experiment focused on decolorizing a brown sugar solution using Norit Pellets. In experiment one; Phthalic Acid was made into a solution with water as a solvent. The acid only dissolved into the solvent once it was brought to a boil. A definition of a good solvent explains how a solvent that will dissolve the solute when the solution is hot but not when the solution is cold. This is because if the crystals dissolve instantly at room temperature, then it cannot be used for recrystallization of the solute since too much of the solute will be part of the solution at a lower temperature. Since too much of the solvent was used, when the solution came to a boil and it was time to cool it down for the crystals to begin forming, there was too much solvent present. Using a vacuum to eliminate the excess water helped filter out the solute. Activated charcoal has a large surface area and can absorb the impurities in a solution that needs to be decolorized. When using Norit pellets to decolorizing the brown sugar, it is important to note the amount of the pellets and also the volume of the solution targeted. The lesser the volume of the solution or the greater the amount of the activated charcoal, the more significant the changes in appearance (color) will be. In the experiment performed, since the solution was not split into two different flasks and only .25 grams of charcoal was used, the colors did not differ much. If the situation was ideal, a light caramel complexion should have been observed. Some of the errors in this lab involved using excess water in experimentation 1, when making a solution for the Phthalic Acid. This error resulted in having to use a vacuum to filtrate the forming crystals, which resulted in dramatic loss of product. When transferring the product from the Erlenmeyer flask to the Hirsch funnel, it became apparent that some of the product was stuck to the inside walls of the flask and could not be removed. Also, when taking out the product on the filter from the Hirsch funnel, some of the wet crystals fell on the table and were unable to be recovered. With 69.08% recovery of Phthalic Acid, about 30.92% of the Phthalic Acid was lost in the methods stated above. Another reason could be that water is such a good solvent that it removed impurities in the original compound as well.

Melting Point Lab - Organic Chemistry

Chapter 3:3 Melting Point


Objectives

To show, by experimentation, that pure substances have a narrower range of melting while impure substances have a broader range, where the beginning and final temperatures of melting are below the melting point of the pure substance

To successfully determine melting point of compounds by using meting point apparatus

To identify unknown substances by comparing observed melting points with previously known substances



Background Information: MSDS



Compounds Melting Points (celcius) MSDS Overview

Acetanilide 114.3 Flammability: 1 (combustible at high temp), Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E. Hazardous in case of ingestion, inhalation, eye contact. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact. Flash point is open cup, 173 Celsius degrees.

Adipic Acid 152.1 Flammability: 1 (combustible at high temp), Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E. Can cause skin irritation, eye irritation, respiratory tract if inhalation occurs. Flash point is closed cup, 196 Celsius degrees.

Benzamide 127-130 Flammability: 1 (combustible at high temp), Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E Can cause skin irritation, eye irritation, respiratory tract if inhalation occurs. Flash point not available.

Benzoic Acid 122.41 Flammability: 1 (combustible at high temp), Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E. Hazardous in case of ingestion, inhalation, eye contact. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact. Be sure to use under approved respirator. Flash point is closed cup, 121 Celsius degrees.

Salicylic Acid 159 Flammability: 1 (combustible at high temp), Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E. Light and moisture sensitivity. Hazardous in case of ingestion, inhalation, eye contact. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact. Be sure to use under approved respirator. Severe exposure can result in death. Flash point is closed cup, 157 Celsius degrees.

Succinic Acid 184 Flammability: 1 (combustible at high temp), Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E. Hazardous in case of skin contact, ingestion, inhalation, eye contact. Flashpoint is closed cup, 160 Celsius degrees.

Trans-Cinnamic Acid 133 Flammability: 1 (combustible at high temp), Health: 1, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E. Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact, ingestion, inhalation, eye contact. Flash point is closed cup, more than 100 Celsius degrees.

Urea 133-135 Flammability: 1 (combustible at high temp), Health: 2, Reactivity: 0 (normally stable), Personal Protection: E. May be combustible at high temperatures. In case of fire, for small samples, use dry powder and big fires use water spray and fog or foam. Hazardous in case of ingestion, inhalation, eye contact. Flash point is not available.



Materials Needed

One-end open capillary tubes

Long class column

Thermometer

Melting point apparatus

Spatula for moving substances

Pulverizing tools for powder samples

Goggles

Apron

Clamp

Disposal system: beaker

Procedures

Gather all needed materials for this experiment

Immediately wear safety goggles and apron and make sure to put all books away.

For Experiment 1: To find the melting point (MP) of one of the assigned compounds (Adipic Acid, Benzoic Acid, Succinic Acid), choose one compound

Make sure to use the spatula to pulverize the sample taken into powder form

Transfer the pulverized compound into a one-end open capillary tube and pack the tube until 2-3 mm high by dropping the closed end of the capillary tube down a long glass column, 2-3 times.

Obtain the melting point apparatus, switch on the power, and follow the machinery instructions for setting

As the temperature of the substance is close to the literature MP, start heating it slowly because a thermometer might fall behind and not capture the accurate temperature of the heating compound.

Acknowledge the first tiny droplet of liquids that form because this is the beginning value for the melting range

Acknowledge the last bit of solid that melts because this is the end value for the melting range

Note: Remember that the change of temperature (Celsius) can be .5, 1, or 2 away

If discoloration occurs with or without gas evolution, this means that the compound is decomposed so write “dec” for the MP temperature range

Use the first MP range as an idea of the actual temperature range the compound of the mixture melts

Cool the instrument about 10-15 Celsius below the first MP range before doing another trial. Remember to heat the other trials 2 Celsius degrees per minute.

Do steps 3-10 two more times to make total of 3 trials.

For Experiment 2: Choose one of the unknown compounds (B1, B6, or B8) and perform steps 3-10 to perform three trials to gather three data entries for the MP ranges

For Experiment 3A: Choose two known compounds with different MP and make a mixture by taking 10-15% of one of the compound and mixing it with the 85-90% of the other compound.

Perform steps 3-10 three times to gather 3 MP ranges. Average the values.

For Experiment 3B: Choose two compounds having about the same MP and prepare a 50/50 mixture of the two knowns.

Perform steps 3-10 three times to gather 3 MP ranges. Average the values.

Make sure to record all data and observations

Clean up the area appropriately and put away all equipment where they should be.

Write conclusion/possible errors and finish post lab



Data/Observations



Compound Literature MP (celcius) Trial #1 MP Range Observed Trial #2 MP Range Observed Trial #3 MP Range Observed

1st sight of droplet Melting of last bit of solid 1st sight of droplet Melting of last bit of solid 1st sight of droplet Melting of last bit of solid

Benzoic Acid 122.41 121 124 121 123 121 123

Unknown ____ N/A* N/A* N/A* N/A* N/A* N/A* N/A*

Mixture of known impure compound _____ (10-15%) into known compound ______ (85-90%) N/A* N/A* N/A* N/A* N/A* N/A* N/A*

Mixture of known compound Urea (50%) and known compound Transinnic Acid (50%) Should be less than 133-135 117 120 116 121 115 120

Urea 133-135 132 134 133 135 N/A* N/A*

Transinnic Acid 133 132 135 133 134 N/A* N/A*

*N/A = NOT AVAILABLE: NOT ENOUGH TIME; RESULTS WERE NOT EXPERIMENTED AND OBTAINED



Observations

When determining the melting point for Benzoic Acid, it is to be noted that the melting ranges were of 2-3 Celsius degrees. When compared to the literature melting point, the melting ranges obtained in lab were precise and also accurate. Determining melting points for an unknown compound did not take place due to not enough time in lab and as per instructed. Determining melting points for an impurity of a compound by approx. 15% of another compound also did not take place due to same reason. When determining the melting ranges for Urea and Transinnic Acid, it is to be noted that the melting ranges were of 2-3 Celsius degrees. When determining the melting points of Urea and Transinnic Acid individually, the melting ranges existed from 1 Celsius degree to 2 Celsius degrees. Afterwards, when a mixture of Urea and Transinnic Acid took place (approx. 50/50 mixture), the melting ranges differed by a larger gap, from 3 Celsius degrees to 5 Celsius degrees. The final melting points were also much lower than the final melting points of these two substances individually, resulting in a total difference of 15-16 Celsius degrees between the two different types of trials.

Conclusions W/ Mention of Possible Errors

In conclusion, when calculating melting points for pure substances, in an ideal situation, the most pure substance should not have a melting range but realistically, they can have a melting range that exists from .5 Celsius degrees to 2 Celsius degrees. Trials done in this lab showed a difference of 2-3 Celsius degrees on average. The multiple trials showed precision and were accurate to a large extent, considering the multiple errors that could have altered the results. When a mixture of Urea and Transinnic Acid took place, it was expected to observe lower final melting points and the ranges for the melting points were expected to be bigger in value. This is due to the fact that more impure a sample is, it displays a broad melting point range in which the beginning and final temperatures are both below the melting point of the individual samples themselves. The melting point of a substance decreases by the amount of impurity present in it. In this experiment, Transinnic acid and Urea had similar melting point ranges but when combined in one sample together, the impure sample melted at a much lower temperature, exhibiting a broader melting range as well. Some errors could have occurred during observation of the first sight of droplet and also the melting of the last bit of solid. This observation may be subjective since it depends on the observer’s perspective and eye vision accuracy. What one scientist can witness as the beginning melting point can differ from another’s due to these variables. Bias can also be a factor since the literature melting points for some of these trials were available beforehand. At least three trials should be done lab experiments of each sample, and due to not enough time, this was not done. More trials can lead to more observable data and greater accuracy and precision.

POST LAB



Given that an unknown solid was found to have a melting point range of 160-161.5, an experiment could be designed to determine whether it is Benzoic Acid, Transinnic Acid, or Urea, or perhaps not any of these substances at all. If a melting apparatus has been provided, specific steps can be taken in order to determine the answer.

Procedure:

Gather all needed materials for this experiment including the MSDS sheets on the three compounds being used in this lab

Immediately wear safety goggles and apron and make sure to put all books away.

For Experiment 1: Use spatula to pulverize the powder sample of Benzoic Acid and transfer the compound into a one-end open capillary tube. Pack the tube by dropping the closed end of the tube on a hard surface, such as the lab desk 2-3 times. Make sure to have it about 2-3 mm high.

Obtain the melting point apparatus, switch on the power, and follow the machinery instructions for setting

As the temperature of the substance is close to the literature MP, start heating it slowly because a thermometer might fall behind and not capture the accurate temperature of the heating compound.

Acknowledge the first tiny droplet of liquids that form because this is the beginning value for the melting range

Acknowledge the last bit of solid that melts because this is the end value for the melting range

Note: If discoloration occurs with or without gas evolution, this means that the compound is decomposed so write “dec” for the MP temperature range

Use the first MP range as an idea of the actual temperature range the compound of the mixture melts

Cool the instrument about 10-15 Celsius below the first MP range before doing another trial. Remember to heat the other trials 2 Celsius degrees per minute.

Do steps 3-9 two more times to make total of 3 trials.

For Experiment 2: Perform steps 3-10 for Transinnic Acid

For Experiment 3: Perform steps 3-10 for Urea.

Make sure to record all data and make observations whether any of the three compounds have similar melting point ranges to the unknown solid. From Experimentation done in our lab, it is expected that none of the 3 compounds will be identified as the unknown due to their low literature melting points.

Clean up the area appropriately and put away all equipment where they should be.

Write conclusion/possible errors and finish post lab

Let's just focus.

We become sick of getting sick and we get sick by becoming sick. We are cause and effect of the same cycle we try to avoid. We think if we can remain standing, no one will step on us, but the truth is we are the ones stepping on someone. We can become good, if we just focus on the good, not what the good can bring. Why? Because we become greedy for what it has to offer and we get lost. Let's stop the planning, the looking, the seeking, the analyzing, the searching. Let's just do good because that's what is right and we will feel good because that's good does to you.

Eminem - Without Me

Eminem: Marshall Mathers LP

Probably one of the best albums out there. MMLP: Marshall Mathers LP. If you disagree, I don't know what to say to you other than that I probably don't care for what else you have to say anyways. If you don't have enough sense to recognize the talent and skills this man possesses, despite whether you agree with what he says or not, then I have nothing else to say to you. All I'm going to reiterate is that this is an album I can listen to, nonstop, for hours. The intensity, the depth behind every track, the focus and the details, I don't know how someone can get themselves to not appreciate it. Eminem is a genius. That's that.

Disorder.

I kid you not. I have accumulated so much that I am crashing. I no longer can prioritize what is important and what is not. Just when I think I have got it, bits and pieces scatter like ants. I have this unstable mind and this lethargic way of living. I do hope that I can start organizing my thoughts. I find difficult what once was too simple. I was risky and quick. I didn't doubt myself. I acted because I believed I knew. Now, I rethink it. I stop. I pause. I stutter. I shake my head and I get it all wrong. I become all wrong. So wrong.

                           I have to change.

Small details.

When we begin to concentrate on the smallest things in life, we don't notice the main picture. We tend to ignore the whole. We are so embedded in every corner, we don't look at the path we're taking. Maybe it's time to stop and look around. It can't set us back. We're not even moving forward. So let's stop. Let's see it as a whole, not as pieces. Maybe we can understand this world a bit better.

Industrial Organizational Psychology in Employee of the Month

Industrial Organizational

Psychology in
Employee of the Month

Laayla M. Tariq

November 18, 2011

Psych 3310

University of Houston

I.                   Introduction

Industrial organizational psychology is demonstrated throughout the media in variety of ways in television series, cartoons, and movies. Employee of the Month is a comedy film that reveals the underlying complications between employees of a retail store, “Super Club.”  The main character, Zach, is a slacker who has no ambition to accomplish any goals at work. Zach is constantly annoyed by his over-achieving co-worker, Vince, who is always stealing attention from upper management. One day Zach learns that an attractive female, Amy, has been newly employed and she only dates ambition men who become employee of the month. While Zach suddenly finds himself wanting to improve his working habits, he realizes that he will be challenged at every step by Vince, who has been known as the employee of the month for the last 17 consecutive months and who also plans to win Amy. Zach’s friendly co-workers become his words of encouragement as they point out, “Wow, that's gotta hurt. I mean, he's always doin' that to you. Stealing your thunder” – Lon. The two find themselves fighting for golden stars, which are rewarded on a weekly basis for the best employee. Eventually, Zach’s friends estrange him as they complain that he has changed from a kind hearted man to a rude and selfish man who would do anything to win, like Vince. Zach accidently gets his friend Iqbal fired and upsets Amy as he discovers that she actually transferred jobs because her ex-boyfriend was an employee of the month and was rude and egotistical. Therefore, Zach ends up taking the blame for Iqbal getting fired, resigning, and apologizing to Amy. His resignation was found not legit and he competed against Vince for the fastest check-out cashier title. As he loses, it was discovered, on camera, that Vince cheated as he would not scan all the items, causing the company great loss. Vince is fired and Zach wins the title for employee of the month along with Amy’s heart and his friends. This movie is composed of many industrial organization constructs but this paper will reveal constructs of motivation, bullying, counter work behavior, and stress.

II.                Application of Industrial Organization

Motivation

Motivation is a construct related to industrial organization and was explained as one of the three direct determinants of job performance by Campbell in Campbell’s hierarchical model of job performance (Campbell, 1990a; Campbell, McHenry, and Wise, 1990; Campbell & Zook, 1990). Motivation is defined as the “conditions responsible for variations in intensity, persistence, quality, and direction of ongoing behavior.” (Landy & Conte, 2010) A worker’s effectiveness and productivity is directly dependent on how motivated the worker feels at work. Being motivated to produce the best results will also produce quality work and help the employee stay persistent. Most work places will set goals for employees to accomplish and reward them once they do.  What motivates the employee can vary from different situations and can become responsible for any ongoing behavior, such as causing the employee to become content and satisfied or unhappy and unpleasant to be around.

Zach’s lazy behavior is directly related to his lack of motivation to achieve any goals at work. Obviously, receiving golden stars and becoming employee of the month did not matter to him since he did not see any rewards that he could potentially care for. This all changed when he found something to fight for: Amy’s affection.  Clearly in this case, Zach felt motivated to work harder by changing his working habits such as arriving on time and helping customers find their items. As he won stars on a weekly basis, he became more encouraged that he could actually win the title after all. Zach’s date with Amy motivated him not to give up and keep fighting for the title so he can win Amy’s heart and stop Vince from stealing Amy. Appraisal from upper management also played as great motivation for Zach to do better at work. He was eventually awarded with the key to the “cashier lounge.” This lounge, embellished with TV, free food, recliners, poker table, and air conditioning, motivated Zach stay as a cashier and take breaks in this lounge, rather than with his friends on one of the upper shelves in the store aisles. Being awarded a car for becoming employee of the month also motivated Zach to win since he lives with his grandmother and has to ride his bike everywhere.

Counterproductive Work Behavior

Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB) is also one of the constructs related to industrial organization that is displayed throughout Employee of the Month. Counterproductive Work Behavior is defined as “voluntary behavior that violates important organizational norms and threatens the well-being of the organization, its members, or even both.” (Landy & Conte, 2010). According to Robinson and Bennett, there are two types of CWB: “deviance directed toward the organization” and “deviance directed toward other individuals.” (Landy & Conte, 2010). Compared to OCB, which is organizational citizenship behavior that reflects behavior that goes beyond what is expected, CWB is exactly the opposite. CWB is composed of negative behaviors that may risk the company profit, co-workers harm, and cause management to become troubled with the individual behaving in the negative way. Vardi and Weiner distinguished three types of CWB behavior: “self gain such as theft, organizational gain such as misstating profit, and destructive such as assault or sabotage.” (Landy & Conte, 2010). According to Sackett and Devore’s hierarchical model of deviance, the two main CWB are interpersonal deviance and organizational deviance. Interpersonal relates to harassment, gossip, verbal abuse, and fighting.  Organizational deviance splits into two lower level categories of CWB, property deviance and production deviance. Property deviance relates to theft, property damage and sabotage as the latter relates to absence, tardiness, long breaks, and sloppy work. (Landy & Conte, 2010).

Zach’s actions at the start of the movie can be labeled as counterproductive work behavior. Zach would constantly arrive to work late, skate around the aisles, take long breaks with his friends on the shelves and treat the place as his secret hanging out place.  He would not clean up after himself and he wouldn’t work harder to accomplish any goals. Instead, he would lie to management about working hard and would end up convincing other co workers to do the work for him. He would verbally abuse Vince at any given point and would tease him such as scribbling on Vince’s employee of the month’s picture. Since Zach would not work hard, neither would his friends, and this negative behavior would continue on. Zach and his friends would booby trap the stores at times in attempts to hurt Vince, who would always find a way to get back at them. This game of taking revenge would take up Zach’s time where he could be using that same time to achieve goals at work. Zach would play games with his friends all the time and also discourage them from working hard as well. Zach would also bribe the lady in records every time he needed some information that he wouldn’t be able to obtain, legally. For example, he was able to obtain Amy’s file by bribing the lady in records with some broken butter fingers. Lying and cheating in such a manner directly relates to the CWB in organizational psychology.

Stressors

Employees always face all sorts of stressors at their work place and respond to them in many different ways. Stressors are defined as, “physical or psychological demands to which an individual responds.” (Landy & Conte, 2010)  Reactions to these stressors are known as strains, such as someone crying, panicking, or shouting. (Copper et al., 2001; Quick, Quick, Nelson, & Hurrell, 1997) Common stressors at work can be extreme temperatures, the amount of workload, situational constraints, emotional labor, difficult work schedule, perceived control, and interpersonal demands and conflicts. (Landy & Conte, 2010). The more stress an employee experiences, depends on the amount of stressors involving in that employee’s every day shift. For example, someone’s workload might make them feel exhausted and discouraged from wanting to take on a “do more attitude.” Someone who might be content with the work load but might be in an uncomfortable work environment either due to extreme temperatures or excessive noise might not be able to concentrate thoroughly and might produce lesser quality work. There are many determinants of the kind of stressors employees face at work, resulting in different consequences. Physical consequences such as arthritis and headaches or psychological consequences such as depression and anxiety will eventually become apparent. (Cooper et al., 2011; De Jonge &  Dormann, 2006). 

            In the movie, Zach’s boss shows great strains such as panicking, shouting, and suddenly hiring Zach as the back-up cashier when he finds out that his brother, also his regional manager, is coming to evaluate him at the very last minute. Zach’s boss fears that he would not pass the evaluation since he is confident that his brother will do anything to dramatize any faults, Zach’s boss starts hyperventilating and holds an emergency meeting with his employees. He demands that everyone acts in the best manner as possible and he state show his blood pressure is increasing. Zach’s boss’s blood pressure rising shows the physical and medical consequence of stress. Vince also shows sign of stress as he notices that Zach is finally becoming better at his job and is obtaining weekly golden stars for being the better employee. Vince starts to become angry and viewers are led to view Vince’s emotional breakdown as he begins to daydream that he will lose all the respect from his co-workers and will eventually get fired.

Bullying

Bullying is displayed throughout many movies, as most people are familiar with the term from personal experience as well. Bullying can be defined as, “harassing, offending, socially excluding, or assigning embarrassing tasks to someone of subordinate status repeatedly and over a long period of time.” (Landy & Conte, 2010). Bullying is widespread and can be seen as the escalation of a conflict in an organizational setting. (Leymann, 1996; Zapf & Gross, 2001) Interestingly, the United States is known as an individualistic country where each person is left to fend for himself and throughout the decades, bullying in a work place was ignored to a large extent (Landy & Conte, 2010). Bullying behaviors increase violence in a work place and cause individuals to react in counterproductive work behavior.

In the movie, Zach is bullied by Vince’s friend who tries to make Zach look like a bad individual in front of Amy. Vince himself insults Zach on a daily basis, emphasizing how inferior he is to him since Vince has won the employee of the month title so often. Vince also belittles Zach because Zach is not a lead cashier like Vince, but instead a simply stock boy. As long as Zach isn’t promoted to cashier status, Vince is content with bullying him and harassing him for being a “loser.” Vince makes fun of the fact that Zach lives with his grandmother, doesn’t have enough money, and is surprised at the fact that Amy went out on a date with Zach and actually liked it. Zach also bullies Vince once the competition between the two intensifies. Zach starts to booby trap Vince’s equipments such as breaking his scanner gun. Zach also insults Vince for not having any friends and being too obsessed with the title of employee of the month. This bullying increases the violence in the work place, where other co workers become emotionally hurt, such as Amy.

III      Movie Opinion

            The director did a great job with examining the issues at hand. The director did portray the constructs of organizational psychology in Employee of the Month at every step. Every character’s personality was created in a way to display how the employee responds to stressors and how each employee may be responsible for bullying, counterproductive work behavior, or being motivated to accomplish certain goals. The director does understand the subjective experience of work since the four constructs used are so common in every day work place. The director did a great job displaying, from different perspectives, the constructs of I/O psychology in a comical way. The movie can be improved in a way by perhaps going more into details of each character’s background, such as their childhood. What motivates an individual has a lot to do with what they grew up having or not having, such as money, friends, comfort, success, etc. The movie did not go into details about childhoods of Amy, Vince, or any of Zach’s friends. I would definitely recommend this movie to other people since it is composed of educational material relating to not only I/O psychology, but also your everyday common behavior that people from all cultures can relate to. It is a great comedy film that can lead people to not just laugh it off, but also think about the underlying concepts of complications in a simple work place.

References

Landy, F.J., & Conte, J.M. (2010). Work in the 21st century: An introduction to industrial

organizational psychology (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Cell Biology

Take Home Essay Questions - Set 1             Name:_Laayla Muhammad

Download this MS-Word document.  Fill in your name at the top and type your answers below.  Save the questions and your answers as an MS Word document with the .doc file extension (not .docx).  This assignment is due in the D2L Dropbox on Sunday, 02-28-10 at 11:59pm.

A.  For 5 points, correctly answer only one of the questions below (use as much space as needed):

Pts

1. Consider the reaction 7 of glycolysis:

                                                                                DG₀

1,3diPG     3PG                                 -4.5 Kcal/mole

Below are the steady state concentrations of 1,3 diphosphoglyceric acid (1,3diPG) and 3-phosphoglyceric acid (3PG) assayed in the tissues of a hospital patient. 

[1,3diPG]  = 6.5 X 10^-6 M

      [3PG]  = 8 X 10^-4 M

2.5      a)  Determine the DG’ for this reaction as it occurs in the cell. Show all

                calculations.

2.5       b) What tissue was biopsied for these assays?  What can we say about the patient?

      2.   A ribosomal cell fraction was centrifuged on a sucrose density gradient and the gradient was then separated into test tube fractions.  Graph below shows the distribution of polysomes in fraction tubes. 

 5.0      Explain the graph.

       The distribution of polysomes in fraction tubes is represented by this graph. Polysomal content is measured in absorbencies, which in this graph is the absorbance at 280nm. The graph shows that the bottom of the tube, there is more content of the polysomes, therefore, its absorbance at 280nm being higher. Therefore, on the top, after being centrifuged, less content remains and therefore, the absorbency of the sucrose density gradient has is lower than the bottom. In the middle though, as the content is the highest, shows that during the centrifuge, the polysomes are denser in the middle, meaning more concentrated and therefore, the absorbency is the highest.
B.  For 5 points, correctly answer only one of the questions below (use as much space as needed):

1.   You are trying to isolate a Golgi vesicle fraction from cultured pancreatic “Islet of Langerhans” cells by differential centrifugation.  As you perform the steps of the fractionation, you monitor the cell fractions by electron microscopy.  A sample electron micrograph is seen at the right.  In addition to this electron microscope image, what more would you do to prove that this fraction contains pancreatic cell Golgi vesicles?  Be brief but be precise and specific.

  Something we can do to prove that this particular fraction contains pancreatic cell Golgi vesicles is by first noticing that these vesicles look intact like they should be. We should also realize that RERs exist in these vesicles because the proteins synthesized and packaged in them usually travel down to these vesicles for “further processing before reaching their final destination” (VOP: Cell Tour Pt 1). In order to confirm that these are Golgi vesicles, we can “destroy the membranes and then release these proteins” (VOP: Cell Tour Pt 2). This disruption will show the packaged proteins such as secretory or peroxisomal ones. We can also methods such as “cytochemistry (staining parts with chemicals), immunocytochemistry (staining with “tagged” antibodies), and autoradiology (radioactive detection)” (VOP Cell Tour Pt 2) which will darken and reveal the packaged proteins just to confirm the earlier statements about the existence of RERs packaged proteins in the Golgi vesicles for processing.

2.   Overall, eukaryotes and prokaryotes share the same central pathways for getting energy out of nutrients (fermentation, respiration, fatty acid oxidation.  When there is no carbohydrate available, bacteria can survive on amino acids or fatty acids as a sole source of carbon for growth.  In contrast, humans deprived of carbohydrates can survive on amino acids, but they cannot live on fatty acids as a sole carbon source.  What do the bacteria have that we don’t?