how to write chemistry assignment

Student Guide to Writing a Chemistry Essay

• Essay Writing Guides

Everything around us consists of specific materials and substances. Even people consist of particular substances that originate, evolve, and disappear in the eternal cycle of life. The science dealing with these transformations and examining the composition of everything in the world is chemistry.

That’s why chemistry is one of the fundamental sciences that enjoys unending popularity among thousands of enthusiastic students. Some of them want to work in the medical sphere, creating new medications and saving humanity from chronic illnesses. Others want to develop new cosmetics to help women preserve their beauty and vitality. The food industry, automotive industry, aerospace companies – nobody can do without chemistry. Thus, learners studying this subject need to master many rules, formulas, and chemical processes to give value through their knowledge and skills.

Obviously, Chemistry is not everyone’s cup of tea. By looking at Human Resources school essay examples, for instance, you might get a false impression that writing an essay is simple and manageable. Still, Chemistry is an exact science that doesn’t stand guesswork and creativity. Thus, you should keep specific rules, theories, and formulas in mind when writing it.

If you feel confused and unsure about how your Chemistry assignment should be written, it’s not wise to submit a mediocre or off-topic paper to your professor. Your grades are too important to leave them to chance and risk your GPA.

So, you can always get in touch with an experienced Chemistry writer to get a top-notch assignment completed in hours. We have a large team of such experts on standby 24/7, ready to give a helping hand to all students seeking academic support from pros.

Chemistry Essay Format

Overall, the Chemistry format doesn’t differ that much from that of essays on any other subject. The critical point you need to remember is that exact sciences differ from the humanities. Thus, you cannot take a Human Resources school essay or Human Resources management essay and use them as templates for writing about Chemistry.

This subject has its specific requirements, while the structure is still pretty universal. Every essay should include the following parts.

An Introduction

This part of an essay traditionally explains the overall context of the research and gives the readers an initial idea of what the student wants to examine. It poses the research question or challenges the readers with a specific research problem, thus focusing their attention on the pursuit of solutions.

The body of a chemistry paper should introduce the readers to all relevant terminology and provide solid argumentation from the author’s standpoint. It should dedicate one paragraph to one argument, thus giving a clear, logical flow to enhance the readers’ comprehension.

A Conclusion

The final section of a Chemistry paper should be dedicated to a brief summary of the content and a broader inference to the study’s significance for the broader chemistry area.

Thus, by following this format, you can quickly complete any Chemistry work the way your professor wants it to be done.

Write Chemistry Essay in 5 Steps

Creating any assignment should follow a set of specific steps, so we recap each of them to give you a solid basis for your essay’s creation.

#1 Topic Choice

Once you get an assignment on Chemistry, the first step is choosing a topic that relates to your current course materials and at the same time represents interest to you. Otherwise, you may find the writing process too dull and time-consuming.

#2 Research

Now it’s time to study what people say on your topic and how they approach your subject. It’s much easier to build an argument with a couple of reliable, reputable sources at hand.

#3 Outlining

Create a roadmap for your writing process; in this way, you won’t waste time on additional checks of the prompt, having clear guidance in front of your eyes.

This part of your Chemistry homework won’t take too much time if you complete all the previous steps correctly. Please focus on the structure we’ve discussed above, and your paper will evolve hassle-free.

Now it’s time to revisit the essay and look at the parts requiring improvement. Polish it in terms of grammar, style, and syntax, and your professor will surely give you a high grade.

Chemistry Topics

Topic selection is one of the critical bottlenecks that students face at the very beginning of their work on home tasks. The academic area is so broad and diverse that one can hardly narrow down the scope of research and focus on something specific. But we have a great set of Chemistry topics fitting any occasion. Feel free to choose from this list, and you’re sure to get a high grade for the paper you’ll prepare.

• The chemical causes of food allergy.
• The impact of pheromones on human beings.
• The role of plastic packaging in the global warming processes.
• The chemical composition of acid rains.
• What causes human teeth to decay?
• The difference in composition of branded drugs versus generic drugs.
• The hidden mechanisms of avitaminosis.
• The chemical basis of mood alteration in the human brain.
• The legacy of women in chemistry studies and discoveries.
• The composition of atoms.
• The role of catalysts in chemical reactions.
• How did humans perceive the composition of things before the advent of chemistry as a science?
• Skills and knowledge required from a professional chemist.
• The principles and processes behind radioactive decay.
• The mechanism of photosynthesis.
• Organic waste processing methods.
• How can a layperson create a safe smoke bomb?
• The chemical basis of burning fire.
• How are the consumed nutrients reflected in the person’s hair composition?
• Chemical compounds of drugs.
• Chemical compounds causing the intoxicating effect of alcohol.
• How does the soap create foam?
• What are the chemical principles behind the conductivity of materials?
• The principle of spectroscopy.
• The contribution of nanoscience to advancements in chemistry.

How to Start a Chemistry Essay

Starting a Chemistry assignment is always a challenge, especially if you’re new to the topic or have some doubts about the content it should include. Unlike a Human Resources plan essay, it should be based on a specific chemical topic and feature some predetermined chemical reactions or properties of the examined substances. Thus, it’s impossible to treat this task light-heartedly, focusing on cold hard facts and formulas instead of subjective thoughts and ideas.

Our tips for Chemistry students are as follows:

• Try to find argumentative Chemistry topics so that the content may be composed with your individual tone and style, reflecting your personality.
• Research the subject extensively to find reliable evidence and avoid confusing the readers and the professor.
• Check more than one Chemistry example online to see how other students have approached this subject before you. They have already passed this test, so their takeaways – both right and wrong things – can serve as valuable educational material for you.

Once you follow these tips, Chemistry writing shouldn’t be much of a challenge to you. But anyway, if you experience issues with essay writing, Human Resources or Chemistry (or any other subject), you can get prompt and professional assistance from our experts.

Don’t hesitate to contact them in case of any academic trouble, and they will do an exemplary job researching, writing, and editing your assignments on any subject.

Example #1: Nickel manufacture, recycle and its Environmental Impacts

Nickel occurs naturally as oxides, silicates and sulphides. It is strong, lustrous and silvery white in color. Nickel sulfide processing is mainly used for treating nickel ores which involves concentration, smelting and refining (Environment Australia, 1999). First, Nickel from sulphide ore is separated using froth flotation and magnetic process. The product obtained is further processed using sherritـGordon process. The sulphide ore can also be treated with hydrogen where they are volatized in the kiln. It is then reacted with carbon monoxide at a temperature of about 60° C forming Nickel Carbonyl gas which decomposes on the surface of the Nickel pellet until they reach the desired size (Gold ore crusher, n.d.). Approximately four tonnes of nickel scraps are collected yearly and recycled. The scrap is stainless steel scrap from machinery, equipment and consumer goods. Most of the recycled Nickel is in the form of steel scrap, batteries, bronzes, chemical leachates, liquor, dust, catalyst and coinage. These scraps are separated from other parts, for example, assembled nickel which is then processed to materials of similar composition, therefore, used as new products. Nickel is released into the environment by waste incinerator and power plants. It can also penetrate into the surface water as part of waste water. When nickel compounds are released in the environment they are adsorbed to sediments thus becoming immobile. In acidic soil nickel is more mobile, therefore, it rinse out the ground water. High concentration of nickel in sandy soil damages plants and diminishes the growth rate of algae on surface water. It can also cause cancer in animal when it exceeds the set standard concentration. Therefore, there is need to regulate nickel uses, according to its physical and chemical characteristics. There should be regulations in order to protect workers and other members of the public on the possible effect on their health. Moreover, the environment should be protected by the introduction of the emission levels (Environment Australia, 1999).

What i learnt is Nickel has become very important recently, due to increasing industrial and commercial importance. Moreover, due to its excellent properties including strength at higher temperatures, ductility and corrosion resistance, it is used as a raw material to make products. This information was very important because I learned that nickel can be reused again, therefore, I should always preserve the old batteries and other nickel containing scraps for recycling. However, Nickel may cause environmental effect including health and safety effects. Therefore, I should take precautions when handling nickel product due to its toxicity. The problem encountered while working in a group was that there was argument about how the task would be performed. It took a lot of time to decide on how to perform the task. There were different ideas whether the members should perform the assignment together or individually. When we finally formalised the meeting, each member was assigned a task to perform. Hine (2000) suggests that sharing discussion helps in transforming how a person reflects. Group work helped us to have broader ideas since tasks were shared and also good leadership leads to excellent results. Being in team work facilitated learning and enhanced my understanding on the topic. In addition team work experience helped me to understand my strengths and weakness in a team.

Reference List

Environment Australia, 1999, Emission estimation technique manual for nickel concentrating, smelting, and refining: National Pollutant Inventory, 65 p. http://www.npi.gov.au/handbooks/approved_handbooks/pubs/fnickel. (Accessed May 20, 2014.) Hine, A. (2000). Mirroring effective education though mentoring, metacognition and self reflection. Paper presented to Australian Association for Research in Education Conference, Sydney. http://www.aare.edu.au/00pap/hin00017.html. (Retrieved May 21, 2014) How is nickel ore processed in Perth, Australia. (n.d.). – Gold Ore Crusher. http://www.goldorecrusher.com/mining-knowledge/how-is-nickel-ore-processed-in-perth-australia. (Retrieved May 21, 2014.)

Example #2: Microwave Organic Synthesis

Name: Institution: Microwave Organic Synthesis Abstract

For the past few decades, Electromagnetic microwave radiation has been widely used to provide heat for the synthesis of organics. The technology uses two main basic mechanisms; conduction and dipolar polarization. The technique provides a simple, fast, efficient and the most economical way of synthesizing organic molecules, which has seen chemists shift from the traditional heating methods. This article focuses on the generation of a microwave, as well as its importance in organic synthesis.

Introduction

A microwave is a form of electromagnetic energy. The use of microwave assisted organic synthesis technique has made the building of small molecules fast, making it a valuable tool that accelerates the discovery and development of drugs. Unlike other forms of radiation such as gamma and X-rays, microwave energy does not alter the compound’s molecular structure because of its non-ionizing thermal activation. The heating effect is as a result of dielectric polarization of the molecules. When the molecules are irradiated with microwaves, they get aligned with the applied electric field. The electric field keeps on changing rapidly, forcing the particles to realign constantly with the changing field, and in the process, energy is absorbed. The dielectric constant determines the ability of a compound to convert the microwave energy into heat energy. The higher the dielectric constant, the rapid the heating process (E.Karthikeyan, 2011).

Microwave Heating

Microwave heating uses the electromagnetic transformation ability of some solids and liquids that transform the radiation into heat that drives the chemical reactions. This technique is important for reactions that are not suitable for the conventional heating. Advantages of Microwave heating over the traditional heating:

• Increased speed
• High efficiency
• Reduced side reactions
• High purity in the final product
• Improved reproducibility
• Reduced heat loss to the environment
• Reduced wastage of the reaction vessel
• Green Technologies

Solvents that are used in chemical synthesis are environmentally unfriendly when they are disposed. The microwave irradiation technology has overcome this problem since the technique enables performing of reactions without the use of solvents. In conjunction with mineral-supported catalyzed reactions, the microwave irradiation has provided a clean chemical process with several advantages.

Dry media Reactions

There has been increased campaign for use of environmentally friendly reagents and procedures. The microwave heating completes various reactions under solvent-free conditions on solid supports.

Microwave Synthesis

Microwave heating of organic compounds ha s eliminated the use fire in synthetic chemistry that has led to ‘dry media’ reactions. The technology has also been exploited other related fields such as synthesis of polymers, biochemical processes, nanotechnology and material science.

Microwave Synthesis on Solid Supports

Microwave heating is used in carrying out ‘dry media’ reactions on solid supports. This is demonstrated in transformations such as condensation, protection, de-protection, oxidation and reduction reactions. A variety of industrial compounds and intermediates are prepared by this clean, solvent-free approach. The organic compounds in these reactions absorb microwaves, and the solid support restricts their transmission (E.Karthikeyan, 2011).

Other Applications

Industrial applications of microwave heating process include; drying of pharmaceutical powders, pasteurization of foods, preparation of hydrogen cyanide and chlorination plants. Other exploitations of the of microwave heating include creation of improved crystallinity in intercalation compounds, production of organometallic compounds and polymer curing (E.Karthikeyan, 2011).

Example #3: Summary of the Article “Preparation and Characterization of Ceria Nanospheres by Microwave-Hydrothermal Method”

Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation

Summary of the Article “Preparation and Characterization of Ceria Nanospheres by Microwave-Hydrothermal Method”

In their experimental research “Preparation and characterization of ceria nanospheres by microwave-hydrothermal method,” Santos and his colleagues (Santos et al., 2008) outline the microwave-hydrothermal method that enables the synthesis of cerium compounds at faster rates and at reduced temperatures. According to the authors, a nanocrystalline CeO2 powder is used as nanomaterial in catalysts, optical devices, polishing materials, and oxygen sensors, among other applications (Santos et al., 2008). In addition, they assert other methods have been developed for the synthesis of the ultra-fine CeO2 powder, and they include co-precipitation, organometallic decomposition, conventional hydrothermal, flow method, and their newly developed microwave-hydrothermal methods. In their method, they have used ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH), (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6, and a surfactant (PEG) to synthesize ultra-fine CeO2. CeO2 powder produced by microwave-hydrothermal method has narrow size distribution with a uniform spherical morphology.

Experimental

In this method, they dissolved (NH4)2Ce(NO3)6 and PEG in water, then added NH4OH until a pH 9 was obtained. The resultant solution transferred into an autoclave and heated in a domestic microwave at 130oC for 20 minutes. The CeO2 powder obtained was washed with deionized water and subsequently dried at 80oC. The dried powder was further treated by calcination at 500oC at different periods of 1, 2, and 4h. The fully treated particles were analyzed by X-ray powder for its characteristics. They used Scherrer equation (d=kλ/βcosθ) to determine the crystallite size of CeO2. The morphology of CeO2 particles was characterized by field-emission gun (FEG/STEM mode). A Netzsch-409 STA was used to analyze TG-DTA. They further used a Bruker Equinox-55 instrument to record the FT-IR spectra. In addition, Roman spectra were recorded with Bruker RFS-100/S Raman spectrometer. They also used YAG laser as to provide excitation for the experiment with its power maintains at 150 mW.

Results and discussions

The curves in Fig.1 show the TG-DTA analyses of ceria powder. TG curves show a weight loss of about 11 %, which shows hydration has taken place. The mass loss is as a result of decomposition of Ce(OH)3 (9.95%) or Ce(OH)4/CeO2.2H2O (17.3%), which leads to partial hydration of ceria phases. Only 90% of weight loss occurs at 500oC. However, 650oC may be needed for a complete dehydration. In addition, DTA curve indicates an endothermic weight loss at 86oC. The endothermic weight loss is because of water absorbed by ceria powder. An exothermic peak between 270-350oC correlates to weight loss due to the crystallization of an amorphous phase. Fig.2 shows the characteristics of calcined ceria powder. The patterns were uniform across all conditions in the experiment. The peaks in the figure are a pure cubicflourite structure of CeO2. Moreover, the intensive diffraction peak is at 2θ=28.660° originating from [111] lattice plane of fcc CeO2. The ceria powders are of smaller sizes as indicated by the broadening of the peaks. After the calcination, XRD peaks became sharper with time while FWHM reduced; an indication the calcination process accelerates the crystallinity of CeO2. According to them, the calcination temperature further affects crystalline sizes of ceria powder. The authors agreed that when all conditions for synthesis of CeO2 are met, particle agglomeration due to van der Waal’s forces leads to the formation of ultra-fine CeO2 particles.

Fig.4 provides Raman and FTIR spectral characteristics of CeO2 powder sample. According to the authors, the high intense band observed in the sample corresponds to the oxygen-hydrogen and hydrogen bonds in the water molecules within the crystals. The presence of residual water and the hydroxyl group do not depend on the synthesis method. As a result, they are present in any ceria powder and eliminated by heat treatment. Furthermore, the formation of hydrated ceria powder (CeO2.nH2O) involves the formation of complexes through the hydroxylation and deprotonation of metal ions.

Conclusions

In conclusions, the authors report a simple microwave-hydrothermal method to synthesize a pure CeO2 at 130oC for 20 minutes. They also concluded that the methods not only save time and apply low temperature, but it also enables the control of morphological and structural properties. They also confirmed the material can be used as nanomaterial in several fields such as catalyst and electrical materials.

Santos, M.L.D. et al. (2008). Preparation and characterization of ceria nanospheres by microwave-hydrothermal method. Materials Letters, 60, 4509-4511. doi:10.1016/j.matlet.2008.08.011

Example #4: Summary, Synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles for microwave-induced rapid catalytic decplorization of congo red dye.

Zuas, O. , Budiman H. and Hamin , N. originally published in Advanced Material Letters 2013 ( 4 (0) pp 662-667

This article is concerned with the problem of finding methods of rapidly removing dye from waste water on an industrial scale.

The article begins by describing the experiment set up by researchers in the Indonesian Institute of Science when seeking a solution to this global problem among industrialised nations, and in particular among companies who use dyes such as congo red in their industrial processes and who then need to remove this dye in the most suitable way possible, and taking into account that this needs to be done before the dye is released into the nearby water sources, where its presence is so harmful.

At the time of this experiment the removal of industrial dye from waste water was already possible using catalytic oxidation methods, as these researchers concede, citing six instances where this had been attempted. The thinking behind this particular research was that it seemed likely that by combining methods already in use with microwave technology the results could be improved.

An experiment was designed and then set up by these researchers in which the synthesis of nanoparticles was achieved using co-precipitation and then calcining for 4 hours at 500C. Resulting data showed well-formed crystals with a high degree of purity. The crystals were then tested for decolorization of the dye by using microwave irradiation. After a short contact time the results were that in 90.63 rate of efficiency the dye was decolorised under particular conditions as specified in the article .The researchers were concerned with the primary concentration of the particular dye, the amount of contact time and the dosage of the catalysts. It was felt by the researchers that because the catalytic effect was obvious it must be that when the ZnO nanoparticles met the microwave technology this produced a synergistic effect in decolorizing the dye with a high degradation rate achieved quite rapidly. This would mean that such technology is usable as an alternative method when trying to remove industrial dyes from waste water, and so dealing with relative ease with a world-wide problem, in that water is being polluted by the use of dyes in industry. This isn’t just about the coloring of water, but the fact that when these dyes are present this has a negative effect upon aquatic ecosystems, as well as the human populations which rely upon them. There is therefore a need to alleviate this problem, preferably in a way that is easy to set up, and which is both effective and cost efficient. There is also the fact that the industrial companies involved have a responsibility to the wider world , and in this case in particular to those who utilise the water into which their used dye materials are dispersed, whether as who rely on the water, but also to the many forms of life within the water which might be adversely affected if dyes are present in quantity.

For these reasons a number of attempts, cited by these authors, have attempted to find viable solutions to this global problem of the industrial age. The authors describe in detail such things as the reagents used ; the synthesis of ZnO nano-particles; the characterization of the synthesized ZnO nan-particles and the catalytic evaluation of the synthesized ZnO nano-particles. The article described a number of other methods which have been tried to achieve similar results. These include catalytic wet oxidation using modified Y zeolite as a catalyst, as described by Kondru et al in 2009. Also mentioned is photo catalysis, as described by Erdemoglu et al in 2008 and sonocatalysis as described by Wang et al (2008), as well as methods such as the biological ones, using fungi to eliminate these dyes in waste water. ( Battacharya et al, 2011). If left alone the dyes undergo biological changes when in a watery environment and this includes using up oxygen dissolved in the water, so decreasing the levels of dissolved oxygen and depriving creatures which would use this oxygen, so cutting down on numbers and types of biodiversity in particular environments. The fact that so many other attempts have been made to come up with a viable solution to the problem of dye polluting the water supply after industrial usage suggests not only the wide spread problems caused to the water systems , but also that those methods already tried were none of them completely effective.

The results of their particular experiment using microwaves are described in great detail, including such things as the diffraction peaks of the crystals created; the evaluation of the microwaves of the synthesized ZnO nano-particles; the effect of the initial concentration of the congo red dye used and the effect of the ZnO dosages used followed by the effects of various contact times tried, so this was a very complex experiment, or rather a series of similar experiments with a number of possible variables and so a series of results. So they were comparing the decolorization under a number of different treatment processes.

The authors concluded, having carried out all these experiments and having carefully evaluated the results, that the experiments showed that the use of microwave technology was linked to a process whereby the use of synthesized ZnO nano-particles was enhanced when used in aqueous solutions to remove congo red dye. They see this as a potentially possible method to ease the pollution caused by the present practice of releasing industrial dyes into the water supply as contaminated waste water. It also gives one more choice of possible treatment available to environmentalists as they seek to combat the adverse results of industrialisation upon aquatic environments in a variety of situations around the world.

Battacharya, S. Das, A., Mangai, G., Vignesh, K. and Sangeetha,J.,( 2011) Micoremediation of Congo Red Dye by Filamentous Fungi, Brazilian Journal of Microbiology , 42 (4) p 1526 Erdemoglu, S., Asku, S., Sayilkan, S., Izbi, B., Astilturk, M., Sayilkan, H., Frimmel, F. and Gucer, S.,(2008), Journal of Hazardous Material 155 (3) page 469 Kondru , A., Kumar , P., Chand, S, ( 2009) Catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of azo dye (Congo red) using modified Y zeolite as catalyst, Journal of Hazardous Material, 166 ( 1) 342 – 347 Wang, J., Jiang, Y., Zhang, Z., Zhao, S., Zhang .G., Ma, T. and Sun W., ( 2007) Investigation on the sonocatalytic degradation of congo red as catalysed by nanometer rutile TiO2 powder and various influencing factors, Desalination, 216 p 196- 208

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Chemistry Writing Guide

Introduction, writing assignments, discipline-specific strategies, watch out for..., professor's comments and websites.

Writing in chemistry is similar to writing in other disciplines in that your paper must have a clear purpose that explains why you are writing, a thesis statement or main idea that defines the problem to be addressed, and background information wherever necessary. In addition, you should include evidence in the form of figures, graphs, and tables to support your argument.

You will be asked to write an abstract -- a single-spaced paragraph summary that briefly states the purpose of the experiment, important results (and how the results were obtained), and conclusions. Ideally, the abstract can be thought of as one or two sentences from each section of the paper that form a cohesive paragraph that summarizes the entire paper. The abstract should be single spaced unless you receive other instructions from your professor.

When writing an abstract, you should avoid too much experimental detail (e.g. concentration of stock solutions used) or preliminary results (i.e. "raw" data). In addition, make certain that the purpose of the experiment is stated clearly and early in the abstract. Ideally, it should be stated in the first or second sentence.

Lab Reports

There are six main sections in a chemistry paper: introduction, experimental section, results section, discussion section, conclusion, and list of references. As with most disciplines, the introduction should include your background knowledge of the experiment, including theory and past research, the relevance of your research, and the thesis statement. You may also state in your introduction any general conclusions you discovered, but try to avoid making your introduction longer than a page. The purpose of the introduction in a chemical journal is to provide (1) a literature review of what has been published on the subject to justify the importance of your research, (2) an explanation of any unusual experimental approaches, and (3) any background information or explanations that will help the reader understand your experiment and your results. Ultimately, the introduction should explain how the experimental approach you chose allows you to find the numerical or qualitative results you are looking for. For example, if you're going to determine if the substance you synthesized is a particular compound by examining its UV-Vis spectrum, you should find in the literature or a reference book the maximum wavelength of the compound and present it in the introduction. The experimental section focuses on the details of the experiment. Be certain to include enough information so that the reader could repeat the experiment and obtain similar results within the limits of uncertainty. The following should be addressed in this section: treatment of data (e.g. calculations or computations used to generate graphs) and an identification of instruments and sources of materials used (e.g. synthesized within the lab or bought from Aldrich, Sigma, or Fluka). For commercially available equipment, the manufacturer and the model should be mentioned (e.g. JASCO UV-Vis Spectrophotometer). The results section should include any figures, graphs, and tables that summarize the data. The material in this section should be presented in the order that best defends the thesis and the order in which they will be addressed in the discussion section. The order in which the data was collected is rarely important. For example, just because the data for graph N was collected before that of graph M does not mean that M shouldn't be presented first if it makes the presentation of data more coherent. In the results section, graphs are usually listed as figures. Tables are numbered and given specific titles (must include concentrations, volumes, etc.), which are placed at the top of the table. Figures (graphs or any other visuals) are numbered and given a caption, not a title. The caption should be several sentences long and explain what the figure is, what result is found from the figure, and the importance of the result. Captions are placed below the figure. For a results section, the text, tables, and figures should mirror each other. That is, the text must include all of the important information given in the graphs and tables, but in written form. If a table or figure is included in the report, it must be specifically referenced in the text as at the end of this sentence (Table 1). It might also be worthwhile to note that figures and tables are usually submitted to a journal and also to a professor with the tables and figures attached to the end of the report, not interspersed throughout the text. Journals insert your figures and tables according to their page format. In the discussion section, you should explain your results and observations and illustrate how they support your thesis, discuss any possible sources of error, and suggest potential future research stemming from your results. You may also want to mention any past research in the field that may pertain to your experiment's results.

Something to think about: results and discussion sections are often combined in chemical journals. In that case, each result is presented and then its relevance is explained. If you are writing a results section alone, you should only present, not interpret, your results. For example, a statement like, "The UV-Vis spectrum of the complex showed a peak at 291 nm" is a statement of your numerical result and is appropriate for a results section. A statement like, "The peak at 291 nm indicates that the complex changed conformation" is interpretive and belongs in a discussion section. Your conclusion should contain a brief summary of the paper and must state important results (e.g. yield of product) and assess the research with respect to the purpose. This section may be combined with the discussion section; that is, the last paragraph of the discussion section may act as a conclusion. In the reference section you must list all non-original sources used in the paper in the order in which they appear with the appropriate number. Citations should be made according to the format of the journal to which you will submit your paper. For a Swarthmore class, the Journal of the American Chemical Society format is appropriate. Unlike other disciplines, citations in a chemistry paper are usually not in-text or parenthetical, but incorporated using superscripts as at the end of this sentence. 1 It is sometimes appropriate in a discussion section to refer to other researchers by name and end the sentence with a reference. For example, "Khmelnitksy, et al. found that trypsin denatures in 2-propanol." 2

• Chemistry papers should be written in passive voice (unless you receive other instructions from your professor).
• Abbreviations or acronyms must be explained the first time they are used.
• Figures, graphs, and tables must be titled and referenced in the text.
• References (including textbooks and lab manuals) must be cited and numbered consecutively with the superscript number corresponding to that reference in the reference section of the paper. The use of superscript suffices as the mode of reference because it eliminates the need for in-text citations and footnotes.

I. Organization: As for all lab reports, chemistry reports are very structured and must be highly organized in a logical way. Organization of results is especially important. Your results and discussion sections, as well as tables and figures, should be organized in a way that leads the reader to draw the same conclusion that you did based on your data. Don't just tack on a graph at the end of the paper or arbitrarily put your results into a table. Think about how you can use tables to make comparisons between your data and literature or reference values. Think about the format of your tables and the chronology of your results section. How can you present your results so that the reader is already convinced of your conclusion before you explicitly state it?

II. Repetition: If you've already said it once, or it's already been published somewhere else, don't say it again. You can refer to other parts of your paper instead of repeating explanations or facts. If you've already written an experimental methods section, you've already explained your procedure; there is no need to provide procedural details again when you talk about results. If the procedure you used came from a published article, provide a short summary, explain any alterations, and then give the citation. Also, if you explain someone else's experimental results in the introduction, it is acceptable to write statements like, "As discussed above, Khmelnitsky, et al. found contradictory results" in your results section. Journals have page limits. Repetitious or unnecessary words or figures are unwelcome.

III. Distraction: Remember that the whole point of writing a chemistry paper is to present results and prove your conclusion based on those results. There are a lot of numbers, facts, and procedure information that you can easily get bogged down by. Just remember that ultimately you have to convince the reader that your conclusion is accurate. If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you have to include, try making a flow chart that shows the logical progression of your procedure. Or create your figures and tables first, and then use them as an outline or guide to write your results section. Take a look at published articles to get a sense of how others organize papers and what kinds of phrases and sentence structure are useful and accepted.

Courses Taught: General Chemistry, Organic I and II laboratories

Particular stylistic issues you should keep in mind:

"Write as concisely as possible. Know the meanings of the words you use and choose the best word for your purpose."

Grammar/spelling and word choice pet peeves:

• Using "this" and "that' as undefined pronouns
• Using "so" without "that" or "as"
• Misspelling of terms that are presented in the manual

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Introduction

This guide to basic assignment research outlines a simple but effective approach to finding information for your assignment. It is based on the resources described elsewhere in this subject guide and on the UC Library web site. Depending on your topic and your level of study, you may need to rearrange or review these steps where necessary

Check the rest of this subject guide carefully for additional subject resources and, where available, appropriate topic guides

1. Define your topic

Make sure you understand the topic. Identify the main concepts or keywords in your question to help you develop a search strategy.

2. Gather background information

Use dictionaries and encyclopedias to find definitions and background information. Articles from specialised subject encyclopedias are authoritative and often substantial

Read more on

• Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and Handbooks for Chemistry

3. Think about what information you need

• How much information do you need? Lecturers often give guidelines on the number of sources you should use
• Do you need current information or is older material relevant? Sometimes you might need both, as you might have to give both the historic background and the current situation of a topic
• Do you need primary sources that give an original account of research, or secondary sources that are interpretations of someone else's work?

If you do not understand what you have to do for an assignment, ask your lecturer, your tutor or someone at the Academic Skills Centre

4. Find books

Search the library catalogue

• Check for books on High Demand .
• Use Title and Keyword anywhere searches to find additional material.
• When you find a useful title, click its subject headings to find books on similar subjects.

Read more on:

• Finding Chemistry Books and Ebooks

5. Find journal articles

6. Find information on the Internet

• a government department (.gov or .govt.nz)
• an academic (.edu or .ac.nz or published in a reputable journal)
• a business (what are they selling?)
• or a random non-expert?

Use Google Scholar to find reliable journal articles, or the Advanced Search features of Google to restrict your search to results from more reputable sources.

• Web searching

7. Evaluate your sources

• Critically Analyzing Information Sources (Cornell University)
• How to spot fake news .

8. Cite your sources

• Citing your sources

9. Write your assignment

See our writing guides page for books that have useful hints for writing on technical subjects.

Visit the  Academic Skills Centre  for workshops and/or personal help.

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Learning to write in chemistry

By Michael Seery 2016-03-14T00:00:00+00:00

Michael Seery highlights the importance of carefully-designed writing activities in enabling students to build their scientific writing skills

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Students pursuing a career in science need opportunities to develop their writing skills so they can communicate scientific results, procedures and arguments to a variety of audiences.

In chemistry education, a lot of writing effort is directed at laboratory reports, where students mimic a research article by providing an introduction, procedure, data obtained and an analysis of what that data means. Another common approach to expose students to the process of writing is to have them summarise journal articles or other scientific pieces, where they are asked to present the main findings of an article and the basis for these conclusions. However, many studies show that while these kinds of activities improve basic writing skills such as referencing, they do not improve the ability to explain context or develop an argument.

Both of these activities may suffer from confusion in the purpose of the activity. We can distinguish between writing to learn – writing activities where the purpose is to learn more about the science – and learning to write – activities designed to improve students’ ability to write. Activities such as summarising a journal article may be limited in developing students’ ability to write because students are diverting attention to understanding the chemistry involved instead of considering how best to convey the central arguments and ideas of the article. It follows that activities with the purpose of helping students to improve their writing should have as their subject chemistry that students are already familiar with.

Assignment design

We can continue the effort of focusing students on the writing activity itself by carefully considering the design of the assignment. Writing as a skill takes time to develop, and the progressive development of this skill can be mapped out over a term, a year or even a course. Jeffery Kovac and Donna Sherwood have developed a table that summarises a conceptual hierarchy of forms of writing for chemistry educators (see Table 1). 1

This hierarchy provides a useful list of command words in assignments and gives guidance on the kinds of activities we can assign over the course of an instructional period. It might be unfair, for example, to ask students to write a piece arguing how subsequent discoveries led to modification of the postulates of Dalton’s atomic theory if we haven’t first allowed them to develop the ability to summarise. We could envisage, then, a series of writing activities that lead to the development of students’ ability to write a scientific argument (see Table 2).

The use of this hierarchy means the requirements of the assignment are clearer to students. Instead of using a generic ‘write an essay on atomic theory’ prompt, the command words associated with the hierarchy make it much easier for students to focus on what the body of text they write should be. This means they are writing with a greater purpose, rather than aiming to fill a page with text associated with a particular topic, hoping they hit on the salient points required by the teacher. The latter is a problem often seen in student laboratory reports.

As well as making the assignment expectations clearer to students, the advantage of using such a hierarchy means we can be much more specific and targeted in our feedback. Assessment and feedback can focus on how students addressed the specific requirements of the assignment in terms of the conceptual hierarchy, and hence can be more pointed in providing suggestions for how the student can improve the next piece of work in the series. Some more discussion on feedback is given in  Reducing time spent on feedback .

Assignment purpose

Having considered the conceptual hierarchy, we can further clarify the assignment to students by giving more information on its purpose. Who is the assignment going to be read by? What is its rhetorical form? What type of writing is it? How long should it be?

A significant problem with a lot of writing activity we assign students is that it is seen as a one-off activity, only for the eyes of the teacher. This is endemic in laboratory reports. This results in students completing a body of writing for the purpose of that particular assignment, rather than considering the development of their writing ability. Feedback opportunities are lost, as students see that assignment as ‘done’, and move on to the next one. There is also evidence to suggest that students, in writing for their teachers, will often not explain concepts fully or be vague in certain parts they are unsure about, knowing the teacher has sufficient knowledge to fill in any gaps they leave in the text. Some studies have demonstrated that in writing for peers, students are much more likely to explain concepts more fully, and indeed, consider that assignment to have a greater purpose. This is one of the advantages of peer review as part of the assessment and feedback phase (see Reducing time spent on feedback ).

Examples of assignment types

• Historical paper
• Annotated bibliography
• Proposal summary and review
• Résumé/cover letter
• Popular article
• Personal journal
• Short in-class summary
• Concept paper

In order to provide greater meaning to the piece being written, assignments should clarify who the audience is. Who will be reading the piece? We typically ask students to write for someone who knows more than them (teaching staff) – an audience viewed as experts in the topic. While this has the advantage of setting expectations on the accuracy of the content, it can lead to the problems outlined above. However, setting clear goals and expectations of the assignment by using the conceptual hierarchy means this is still a worthy exercise. A second audience is one that is scientifically literate, but not an expert. These are conceptualised as classmates. A general audience, conceptualised as friends/family members, forms a third type of audience.

Writing as a skill takes time to develop, and the progressive development of this skill can be mapped out over a term, a year or even a course

Each audience type will trigger a different form of expression in writing, and experience in individual situations will offer insight as to the right balance between writing coherently and explaining the underlying chemistry. The choice in a particular assignment will depend on the purpose of the assignment; whether you wish to develop students’ ability to write about a topic in detail or whether you wish to develop their ability to explain to others. The examples so far have focused on the traditional essay, but of course there are many forms of assignment (see Examples of assignment types ). Indeed we are no longer restricted to students writing or typing an assignment to be viewed only by the teacher. Peter Banks wrote recently on the Education in Chemistry blog on the use of blogs in developing his own students’ writing. 3 Lowell Thomson has used student blogs extensively, inviting members of the chemistry community to give feedback and thoughts on student blogs. 4

The rhetorical form of an assignment is the final thing to consider. Are we asking students to explain a topic, or persuade us of a particular viewpoint, or express their own experiences? The explanatory rhetorical form is predominant in writing activities. In this case, the focus is on the subject, with the student being asked to explain a particular topic based on their knowledge and reading. These can suffer from being demotivating; students may wonder why they are being asked to summarise something that is already well documented. However, they have value, certainly in early stages of learning to write, in becoming familiar with different forms of conceptual hierarchy and in the basics of writing such as paragraph construction.

A second rhetorical form is persuasive. In this case, the focus is on the audience, with the student making a case for a particular position. This has the advantage of allowing the student to use their voice to argue for a particular point of view, and even if the content is as well-rehearsed as atomic theory, it adds an impetus in that they are aiming to convince the audience. The third rhetorical form is expressive, sadly almost absent from our curricula. Here the focus is on the writer and their own personal experience, typically seen in learning or reflective journals.

Preparing a writing activity – an example

Assignment sequence: two of three

Instructional objective

• Content: Atomic theory
• Conceptual hierarchy: Seriation, summary, compare and contrast
• Rhetorical form: Explanatory
• Length: 1 page
• Opportunity for feedback: Peer feedback loop included

Instructions to students

In a one page essay, summarise the main findings of the Rutherford experiment and compare and contrast the atomic structures described by Dalton and Rutherford. Your writing will be reviewed in the first instance by a peer who should provide you with feedback by the dates indicated. The final assignment is due by the date indicated.

It is possible to construct a series of writing activities that aim to develop students’ writing ability. A form such as the one shown in Preparing a writing activity can be used, so that the instructional objectives are made explicit in the design.

Progressive development of skills

In order for students’ writing skills to develop, they will need to develop other skills in tandem as their writing ability grows. To be able to address the lower end of the conceptual hierarchy such as listing and seriation, students will need to develop their reading skills; how to use textbooks and other sources of information. Activities such as one page summaries and reporting laboratory procedures can be useful in this regard.

As they progress through the hierarchy, they will need to develop their critical thinking, placing value on sources and judging their merit; an especially important feature when dealing with information from the internet. Compare and contrast activities and annotated bibliographies can be useful to develop these skills, which relate to the value of science.

At the upper end of the conceptual hierarchy, students will begin to develop skills such as creating a scientific argument and writing as a scientist, as they integrate a growing understanding of the nature of science.

If we can enthuse our students to develop this ability to write over the course of their time with us, we will be providing them with an education that will last a lifetime. 

Michael Seery is a reader in chemistry education at the University of Edinburgh, UK

Reducing time spent on feedback

A significant consideration in planning writing assignments is the time available for assessment and feedback. While there is no avoiding the fact this will take time, some useful tips and suggestions have been reported from those who have implemented writing assignment cycles.

Limit the length of the assessment. If you wish to develop students’ writing, they shouldn’t need to write much to identify where they can improve. Limit early assignments or those where you introduce a new stage of the conceptual hierarchy to 500 words or one page.

What are the key factors you are looking for in the piece of writing? List these out in a table and allocate them a weighting. When you are correcting, give each one a mark and pass that sheet to the student as feedback. This encourages students to reflect on their work using the rubric as a guide.

Peer feedback

Writing for peers has the advantage of giving the assignment greater purpose. Peer feedback can provide a first stage of feedback on overall comprehension and readability. A structure will need to be in place, such as a rubric, and you may need to ask peer reviewers specific questions and ask them to show evidence from the student’s writing to justify their statements. Some literature shows peers tend not to be critical, but using peer feedback can still add value to the assessment cycle.

Laboratory reports

Laboratory reports are already a place where student work is read regularly. Rethinking the structure of reports can create a means of developing student writing over time. This was the subject of a recent Education in Chemistry blogpost. 2

Further reading

J Kovac and D W Sherwood, Writing across the chemistry curriculum: an instructor’s handbook . Prentice Hall, 2001

• J Kovac and D W Sherwood, J. Chem. Educ. , 1999, 76 , 1399 (DOI: 10.1021/ed076p1399 )
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• How to Write Your Chemistry Assignment| Study and Reference Tips

How to Use Research and Good Referenceto Do Your Chemistry Assignment

Learn effective strategies for conducting research, evaluating sources, and referencing accurately for your chemistry assignments. Improve the quality and credibility of your work with the help of these helpful tips. We are also reliable and always available to do your chemistry assignment whenever you need our services. Contact us now.

Research and citation are crucial skills for completing your chemistry assignment . They enable you to assemble credible information, bolster your arguments, and properly credit the original authors. In this blog, we will discuss some helpful techniques for improving your research and citation skills, thereby ensuring the accuracy and credibility of your chemistry assignments.

Start with a Sound Strategy

When conducting research and citing sources for chemistry assignments, it is essential to develop a plan beforehand. Before beginning your investigation, take the time to create a detailed plan outlining the assignment's objectives and scope. This plan will serve as a guide, allowing you to remain organized and focused throughout your research journey.

Initially, you must define the topic or concept that must be explored in your assignment. To assure a systematic approach, divide it into distinct research questions or subtopics. Consider the main areas of chemistry that pertain to your assignment and determine the specific information you must collect.

Create a timeline or schedule to effectively manage your investigation. Assign due dates to the various phases of the research process, including locating sources, reading and analyzing them, and writing the assignment. A timeline will help you remain on track and prevent last-minute panic.

Additionally, consider the investigation resources available. Choose whether you will use books, scientific journals, online databases, or other sources. Consider the availability and dependability of these resources in your planning.

By beginning with a firm strategy, you position yourself for success. It enables you to approach your research with clarity and purpose, ensuring that you collect the necessary data to support your arguments and fulfil the requirements of your chemistry assignment.

Utilize Reliable Sources

When conducting chemistry-related investigations, it is essential to rely on reliable sources. The accuracy and dependability of the information provided by reputable sources enhance the credibility and calibre of your work. You can ensure that the information in your assignment is current, accurate, and supported by scientific evidence if you rely on credible sources.

Scientific periodicals are one of the most reliable resources for chemistry research. Before publication, the research in these journals is subjected to a rigorous peer-review process in which experts in the field evaluate its accuracy and validity. Accessing credible scientific journals enables you to remain current on the most recent discoveries, theories, and developments in chemistry.

Textbooks written by renowned authors and published by reputable academic publishing houses are also valuable information sources. Frequently, chemistry textbooks provide exhaustive coverage of a variety of topics, with in-depth explanations and examples that can enhance your understanding and support your arguments.

Academic databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ACS Publications contain scholarly articles, research papers, and conference proceedings. These databases provide access to a wide variety of peer-reviewed literature and enable you to search for specific keywords or topics related to your assignment.

The websites of prestigious scientific organizations and institutions, such as the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), are dependable resources for locating accurate and current information. These organizations frequently publish research articles, reports, and guidelines that can be extremely beneficial to your research process.

While the Internet provides access to a vast quantity of information, not all online sources are trustworthy. Websites and blogs may not be subjected to the same level of scrutiny as scientific journals and reputable organizations. Ensure that the online sources you use are from reputable institutions or subject matter experts.

You can ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information in your chemistry assignment by using credible sources. This not only increases the credibility of your work but also demonstrates your dedication to academic integrity and in-depth subject knowledge.

Utilize the Library Resources

When conducting research and citing sources for chemistry assignments, the library is an invaluable resource that should not be neglected. Academic libraries are information treasuries, offering a vast array of resources that can significantly enhance the research process.

Utilize the library's collection of chemistry-related books and textbooks first and foremost. In-depth explanations, examples, and theories can be found in these resources, allowing you to strengthen your understanding and arguments. Explore the library catalogue to locate pertinent books, and don't be afraid to ask the librarian for suggestions or assistance in locating specific materials.

Libraries provide access to online databases and journals in addition to literature. These databases comprise an abundance of chemistry-related scientific journal articles, research papers, and conference proceedings. Having access to these databases through the library enables you to explore a vast quantity of scholarly literature, ensuring that your research is based on credible and authoritative sources.

Additionally, libraries provide access to interlibrary loan services, allowing you to request materials that may not be in your institution's collection. Interlibrary loan services can assist you in obtaining a book or article that is pertinent to your research but unavailable at your library.

Librarians are invaluable research resources in and of themselves. They are trained to navigate the extensive information landscape and can offer expert advice on locating relevant sources, utilizing specialized databases, and conducting effective searches. Consult a librarian if you need assistance refining your research strategy or locating specific information.

In addition to peaceful study areas and access to computers, printers, and other research-facilitating equipment, libraries frequently provide quiet study areas. Utilize these amenities to create an environment conducive to focused and productive work.

Utilizing library resources enables you to gain access to a plethora of information and expertise that can significantly enhance your chemistry research. The library provides a variety of resources, including books and databases, as well as expert assistance, to help you locate credible sources, collect pertinent information, and conduct exhaustive research for your assignments.

Refine Your Search Queries

Refining your search queries is essential for conducting effective research for chemistry-related assignments. You can optimize your search results and locate the most pertinent and valuable information for your assignment by focusing on specific keywords and employing search techniques.

Utilizing Boolean operators is one strategy for refining search queries. Boolean operators such as "AND," "OR," and "NOT" enable you to restrict your search by combining or excluding specific terms. If you're researching the effect of temperature on a chemical reaction, for instance, you can use the "AND" operator to find articles that contain both "temperature" and "chemical reaction" in the text. On the other hand, you can use the "NOT" operator to exclude terms that may be extraneous to your research.

Using quotation marks is an additional method for refining search queries. By enclosing a phrase in quotation marks, you can ensure that your search results contain exactly that phrase. This is especially useful when searching for specific chemistry concepts, reactions, or theories. For instance, a search for "oxidation-reduction reaction" surrounded by quotation marks will return results that discuss this topic specifically, as opposed to general information about oxidation and reduction.

In addition, utilize the advanced search features provided by search engines and databases. These features enable you to filter your search results according to specific criteria, such as publication date, author, and publication type. By using these filters, you can focus on scholarly articles published in reputable journals or restrict your results to the most recent and relevant sources.

As you conduct research, give close attention to the search terms and keywords used in the most useful articles and resources. These terms can be used as ideas for further refining your search queries or uncovering other concepts that may help to deepen your understanding of the subject.

Remember to be adaptable and willing to modify your search queries as you acquire additional information and insights. Research is an iterative process, and refining your search queries can help you discover new perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of the topic.

You can save time and enhance the quality of your research by refining your search queries. The more specific and targeted your search, the more likely it is that you will find relevant and useful information to strengthen your chemistry assignments.

Evaluate the Quality of Information

It is essential to evaluate the quality of the information you discover when investigating your chemistry assignments. Due to the abundance of available resources, it is essential to evaluate the information's reliability, credibility, and relevance before incorporating it into your work.

An important consideration is the information's source. Assess the author's or organization's veracity. They are specialists in the discipline of chemistry. Do they possess pertinent credentials and affiliations with reputable institutions? Assessing the author's expertise and repute can aid in determining the veracity of the presented information.

Additionally, evaluate the source or medium from which the information is obtained. Is it a scientific journal with peer review, the website of a reputable academic institution, or a recognized chemistry publication? Sources with a rigorous evaluation procedure are more likely to provide accurate and reliable data.

The veracity and currency of the information should also be considered as key factors. Look for claims supported by evidence and supporting references. Check the publication date to ensure that the information is current and consistent with the current state of knowledge in the field. Since chemistry is an ever-changing field, it is essential to rely on current and accurate information.

Furthermore, evaluate the content itself critically. Consider logical coherence, consistency, and a well-balanced viewpoint. Consider whether the information is presented objectively or whether there are any biases or hidden agendas that could affect the interpretation of the data. Be wary of sensational or exaggerated claims that lack scientific evidence.

Cross-referencing the information with multiple sources is also advantageous. By contrasting information from multiple dependable sources, you can ensure its accuracy and consistency. Multiple sources that support the same findings or conclusions strengthen the reliability of the information.

Finally, contemplate the information's intended audience. Determine whether it meets your academic requirements and level of study. Some sources may be intended for the general public or contain information at a more introductory level, while others may be geared toward advanced researchers.

You can ensure that your research is based on reliable and credible sources by evaluating the content of the information. This will strengthen your arguments and conclusions and improve the validity and credibility of your chemistry assignments.

Maintain a Track of Your Sources

An essential aspect of effective research and referencing in chemistry assignments is keeping track of your sources. By organizing and documenting your sources, you can readily cite them in your work, avoid plagiarism, and uphold academic honesty.

Creating a bibliography or reference list as you conduct your research is a practical method for keeping track of your sources. Each time you discover a relevant source, record the pertinent details, including the author's name, the title of the article or book, the publication date, the journal or book title, and the page numbers. This information will be necessary for properly citing your sources in the future.

There are several tools and programs available to help you efficiently manage your references. Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote are examples of reference management software that can help you organize your sources, generate citations in a variety of formats, and create bibliographies. These tools facilitate the import and export of references, the annotation of sources, and the organization of research.

Be consistent with the citation style required by your instructor or academic institution when noting your sources. The American Chemical Society (ACS) style, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) style, and the Modern Language Association (MLA) style are common citation formats in chemistry. To ensure accurate and consistent referencing, familiarize yourself with the specific guidelines and formatting rules of the chosen style.

In addition to creating a bibliography, it is beneficial to annotate or take notes on each source consulted. Note key points, pertinent quotes, and summaries of the information to make retrieval and reference simpler in the future. These notes will help you synthesize information and effectively incorporate it into your chemistry assignments.

Remember to properly attribute ideas and information in your assignments to their respective sources. Include an in-text citation or footnote whenever you use or refer to information from a source, dependent on the citation style you are using. This gives proper acknowledgment to the original authors and allows readers to easily locate the source for further reading.

By keeping note of your sources, you can ensure that you give credit where credit is due and avoid plagiarizing unintentionally. Properly documenting and referencing your sources will increase the credibility and dependability of your chemistry assignments while demonstrating your dedication to academic integrity.

Final Statement

Research and citation are essential skills for completing successful chemistry assignments. By following these guidelines, you will be able to conduct exhaustive research, utilize credible sources, and properly cite your sources. Remember that proper research and citations not only bolster your arguments but also demonstrate your dedication to academic integrity and excellence in the field of chemistry.

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How to write your chemistry assignment| study and reference tips submit your assignment, attached files.

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Help with writing assignments

You can improve your skills at writing assignments for your subject area in a number of ways: 

• Read the guidance or view the online tutorial on this page.  They both go through the TIME model (Targeted, In-depth, Measured, Evidence-based) to explain what's required in academic writing.
• Come along to one of our Succeed@Tees workshops. We run a workshop on academic writing, as well as on other types of writing (including critical writing, reflective writing, report writing).  See Succeed@Tees Workshops  for more information, including a list of dates and times.
• Book a one-to-one tutorial with a learning advisor  at the Learning Hub. We can provide guidance on your structure and writing style.

Guidance on academic writing

Evidence-based.

• Bringing it all together
• Finally ...

• Writing an assignment takes time, more time than you may expect.  Just because you find yourself spending many weeks on an assignment doesn’t mean that you’re approaching it in the wrong way.
• It also takes time to develop the skills to write well, so don’t be discouraged if your early marks aren’t what you’d hoped for.  Use the feedback from your previous assignments to improve.
• Different types of assignments require different styles, so be prepared for the need to continue to develop your skills.

We’ve broken down TIME into 4 key elements of academic writing: Targeted, In-depth, Measured and Evidence-based.

• What is an academic piece of work

Your assignment needs to be targeted .  It should:

• Be focused on the questions and criteria
• Make a decision
• Follow an argument
• How to be targeted
• Academic keywords or clue words

Your assignment needs to be in-depth .  You should consider your questions and criteria thoroughly, thinking about all possible aspects, and including the argument both for and against different viewpoints.

You should:

• Identify topic areas
• Plan your assignment
• Think about your introduction and conclusion
• How to be in-depth
• How to read quickly

An academic writing style is measured. By this, we mean that it’s:

• Emotionally neutral
• Formal – written in the third person and in full sentences
• How to be measured

Your assignment needs to be evidence-based . You should:

• Reference all the ideas in your work
• Paraphrase your evidence
• Apply critical thinking to your evidence
• How to be evidence-based
• How to paraphrase

Once you’ve found all your evidence, and have decided what to say in each section, you need to write it up as paragraphs.  Each paragraph should be on a single topic, making a single point.  A paragraph is usually around a third of a page. 

We find Godwin’s (2014) WEED model very helpful for constructing paragraphs.

W is for What

You should begin your paragraph with the topic or point that you’re making, so that it’s clear to your lecturer.  Everything in the paragraph should fit in with this opening sentence.

E is for Evidence  

The middle of your paragraph should be full of evidence – this is where all your references should be incorporated.  Make sure that your evidence fits in with your topic.

E is for Examples

Sometimes it’s useful to expand on your evidence.  If you’re talking about a case study, the example might be how your point relates to the particular scenario being discussed.

D is for Do

You should conclude your paragraph with the implications of your discussion.  This gives you the opportunity to add your commentary, which is very important in assignments which require you to use critical analysis. 

So, in effect, each paragraph is like a mini-essay, with an introduction, main body and conclusion.

Allow yourself some TIME to proofread your assignment.  You’ll probably want to proofread it several times. 

You should read it through at least once for sense and structure, to see if your paragraphs flow.  Check that your introduction matches the content of your assignment.  You’ll also want to make sure that you’ve been concise in your writing style. 

You’ll then need to read it again to check for grammatical errors, typos and that your references are correct.

It’s best if you can create some distance from your assignment by coming back to it after a few days. It’s also often easier to pick out mistakes if you read your work aloud.

• How to proofread

Online tutorial for writing assignments

We have an online tutorial to support academic writing. Click on the image below or go to Academic Writing to view the tutorial.

Further Reading

School Guidelines for Academic Writing and Presentation of Assessed Written Work

• School of Health & Life Sciences Student Guidance for the Presentation of Assessed Written Work (2021)
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6: HOW TO WRITE A REPORT

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INTRODUCTION

You prepared for the lab, finished the experiment, and now you have to compile a report. This writing assignment can in many ways be equally as challenging as the actual experiment itself. In this chapter, we will cover the best way to write a sound, well-written and scientifically coherent report.

• 6.1: THE BASICS
• 6.2: THE WHY- THE REASONS FOR DOING THE EXPERIMENT.
• 6.3: THE HOW- HOW WAS THE EXPERIMENT PERFORMED?
• 6.4: THE WHAT- WHAT WERE THE MAJOR FINDINGS OF THE EXPERIMENT?

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• Creating Effective Poster Presentations , (2022) George Hess, Kathryn Tosney, and Leon Liegel 
• Designing Effective Poster Presentations , (2022) Fred Stoss, University Libraries, University at Buffalo
• Preparing a Research Report , (2015) Guidelines, ACS Committee on Professional Training 

• ACS Style Quick Guide - Open Access chapter Provides citation style examples for different source types (journals, books, websites, etc.). Chapter is from the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication which is available to ACS members and to organizational subscribers.
• Citing Electronic Information  (created by ipl2)

This site presents a collection of resources on citing electronic information. Note that although this site is now closed permanently (last updated in 2012), many of the links are still valid.

• Citing Medicine   (National Library of Medicine)

Citing medicine: the NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers provides instructions and examples for formatting bibliographic citations for different types of published and unpublished materials. These materials range from traditional journal articles and books to electronic formats such as online journals, Web pages, and blog posts. Citing Medicine does not provide in-text citation styles. ​ .

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If you have the DOI name (e.g., 10.1000/xyz123) of an article, type or paste it into the text box and click Go. Your browser will take you to a Web page (URL) associated with that DOI name.

• Source Index (CASSI) Search Tool   - free online resource from CAS

Intended to support researchers and librarians, this tool can be used to quickly identify or confirm journal titles and abbreviations for publications indexed by CAS since 1907, including serial and non-serial scientific and technical publications. Search by Title, Abbreviation, CODEN, ISBN, or ISSN. 

• ​ Periodical Title Abbreviations - Gale Research Co.

Print book covering periodical title abbreviations in science, the social sciences, the humanities, law, medicine, religion, library science, engineering, education, business, art and many other fields. Morris Library - Z6945 .A2 P47

Scientific Publication (ACS)

• Mastering the Art of Scientific Publication A Virtual Issue of Editor Tips for Authors Mastering the Art of Scientific Publication While the electronic age has made the publication process easier and quicker, optimizing the structure of a scientific paper requires a certain degree of skill and proficiency. ACS Publications has been actively engaged in disseminating the basics of publication through Publication 101 videos and editorials, and in continuation of this spirit we have assembled this virtual issue. This issue draws together in one place these editorials that summarize the key steps involved in writing an effective paper, journal submission, review processes, and post-publication efforts. — From the Editorial by Jillian M. Buriak, Prashant V. Kamat, George C. Schatz, and Paul S. Weiss
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• How to write a lab report

How To Write A Lab Report | Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Published on May 20, 2021 by Pritha Bhandari . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A lab report conveys the aim, methods, results, and conclusions of a scientific experiment. The main purpose of a lab report is to demonstrate your understanding of the scientific method by performing and evaluating a hands-on lab experiment. This type of assignment is usually shorter than a research paper .

Lab reports are commonly used in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This article focuses on how to structure and write a lab report.

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Table of contents

Structuring a lab report, introduction, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about lab reports.

The sections of a lab report can vary between scientific fields and course requirements, but they usually contain the purpose, methods, and findings of a lab experiment .

Each section of a lab report has its own purpose.

• Title: expresses the topic of your study
• Abstract : summarizes your research aims, methods, results, and conclusions
• Introduction: establishes the context needed to understand the topic
• Method: describes the materials and procedures used in the experiment
• Results: reports all descriptive and inferential statistical analyses
• Discussion: interprets and evaluates results and identifies limitations
• Conclusion: sums up the main findings of your experiment
• References: list of all sources cited using a specific style (e.g. APA )
• Appendices : contains lengthy materials, procedures, tables or figures

Although most lab reports contain these sections, some sections can be omitted or combined with others. For example, some lab reports contain a brief section on research aims instead of an introduction, and a separate conclusion is not always required.

If you’re not sure, it’s best to check your lab report requirements with your instructor.

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Your title provides the first impression of your lab report – effective titles communicate the topic and/or the findings of your study in specific terms.

Create a title that directly conveys the main focus or purpose of your study. It doesn’t need to be creative or thought-provoking, but it should be informative.

• The effects of varying nitrogen levels on tomato plant height.
• Testing the universality of the McGurk effect.
• Comparing the viscosity of common liquids found in kitchens.

An abstract condenses a lab report into a brief overview of about 150–300 words. It should provide readers with a compact version of the research aims, the methods and materials used, the main results, and the final conclusion.

Think of it as a way of giving readers a preview of your full lab report. Write the abstract last, in the past tense, after you’ve drafted all the other sections of your report, so you’ll be able to succinctly summarize each section.

To write a lab report abstract, use these guiding questions:

• What is the wider context of your study?
• What research question were you trying to answer?
• How did you perform the experiment?
• What did your results show?
• How did you interpret your results?
• What is the importance of your findings?

Nitrogen is a necessary nutrient for high quality plants. Tomatoes, one of the most consumed fruits worldwide, rely on nitrogen for healthy leaves and stems to grow fruit. This experiment tested whether nitrogen levels affected tomato plant height in a controlled setting. It was expected that higher levels of nitrogen fertilizer would yield taller tomato plants.

Levels of nitrogen fertilizer were varied between three groups of tomato plants. The control group did not receive any nitrogen fertilizer, while one experimental group received low levels of nitrogen fertilizer, and a second experimental group received high levels of nitrogen fertilizer. All plants were grown from seeds, and heights were measured 50 days into the experiment.

The effects of nitrogen levels on plant height were tested between groups using an ANOVA. The plants with the highest level of nitrogen fertilizer were the tallest, while the plants with low levels of nitrogen exceeded the control group plants in height. In line with expectations and previous findings, the effects of nitrogen levels on plant height were statistically significant. This study strengthens the importance of nitrogen for tomato plants.

Your lab report introduction should set the scene for your experiment. One way to write your introduction is with a funnel (an inverted triangle) structure:

• Start with the broad, general research topic
• Narrow your topic down your specific study focus
• End with a clear research question

Begin by providing background information on your research topic and explaining why it’s important in a broad real-world or theoretical context. Describe relevant previous research on your topic and note how your study may confirm it or expand it, or fill a gap in the research field.

This lab experiment builds on previous research from Haque, Paul, and Sarker (2011), who demonstrated that tomato plant yield increased at higher levels of nitrogen. However, the present research focuses on plant height as a growth indicator and uses a lab-controlled setting instead.

Next, go into detail on the theoretical basis for your study and describe any directly relevant laws or equations that you’ll be using. State your main research aims and expectations by outlining your hypotheses .

Based on the importance of nitrogen for tomato plants, the primary hypothesis was that the plants with the high levels of nitrogen would grow the tallest. The secondary hypothesis was that plants with low levels of nitrogen would grow taller than plants with no nitrogen.

Your introduction doesn’t need to be long, but you may need to organize it into a few paragraphs or with subheadings such as “Research Context” or “Research Aims.”

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A lab report Method section details the steps you took to gather and analyze data. Give enough detail so that others can follow or evaluate your procedures. Write this section in the past tense. If you need to include any long lists of procedural steps or materials, place them in the Appendices section but refer to them in the text here.

You should describe your experimental design, your subjects, materials, and specific procedures used for data collection and analysis.

Experimental design

Briefly note whether your experiment is a within-subjects  or between-subjects design, and describe how your sample units were assigned to conditions if relevant.

A between-subjects design with three groups of tomato plants was used. The control group did not receive any nitrogen fertilizer. The first experimental group received a low level of nitrogen fertilizer, while the second experimental group received a high level of nitrogen fertilizer.

Describe human subjects in terms of demographic characteristics, and animal or plant subjects in terms of genetic background. Note the total number of subjects as well as the number of subjects per condition or per group. You should also state how you recruited subjects for your study.

List the equipment or materials you used to gather data and state the model names for any specialized equipment.

List of materials

35 Tomato seeds

15 plant pots (15 cm tall)

Light lamps (50,000 lux)

Nitrogen fertilizer

Measuring tape

Describe your experimental settings and conditions in detail. You can provide labelled diagrams or images of the exact set-up necessary for experimental equipment. State how extraneous variables were controlled through restriction or by fixing them at a certain level (e.g., keeping the lab at room temperature).

Light levels were fixed throughout the experiment, and the plants were exposed to 12 hours of light a day. Temperature was restricted to between 23 and 25℃. The pH and carbon levels of the soil were also held constant throughout the experiment as these variables could influence plant height. The plants were grown in rooms free of insects or other pests, and they were spaced out adequately.

Your experimental procedure should describe the exact steps you took to gather data in chronological order. You’ll need to provide enough information so that someone else can replicate your procedure, but you should also be concise. Place detailed information in the appendices where appropriate.

In a lab experiment, you’ll often closely follow a lab manual to gather data. Some instructors will allow you to simply reference the manual and state whether you changed any steps based on practical considerations. Other instructors may want you to rewrite the lab manual procedures as complete sentences in coherent paragraphs, while noting any changes to the steps that you applied in practice.

If you’re performing extensive data analysis, be sure to state your planned analysis methods as well. This includes the types of tests you’ll perform and any programs or software you’ll use for calculations (if relevant).

First, tomato seeds were sown in wooden flats containing soil about 2 cm below the surface. Each seed was kept 3-5 cm apart. The flats were covered to keep the soil moist until germination. The seedlings were removed and transplanted to pots 8 days later, with a maximum of 2 plants to a pot. Each pot was watered once a day to keep the soil moist.

The nitrogen fertilizer treatment was applied to the plant pots 12 days after transplantation. The control group received no treatment, while the first experimental group received a low concentration, and the second experimental group received a high concentration. There were 5 pots in each group, and each plant pot was labelled to indicate the group the plants belonged to.

50 days after the start of the experiment, plant height was measured for all plants. A measuring tape was used to record the length of the plant from ground level to the top of the tallest leaf.

In your results section, you should report the results of any statistical analysis procedures that you undertook. You should clearly state how the results of statistical tests support or refute your initial hypotheses.

The main results to report include:

• any descriptive statistics
• statistical test results
• the significance of the test results
• estimates of standard error or confidence intervals

The mean heights of the plants in the control group, low nitrogen group, and high nitrogen groups were 20.3, 25.1, and 29.6 cm respectively. A one-way ANOVA was applied to calculate the effect of nitrogen fertilizer level on plant height. The results demonstrated statistically significant ( p = .03) height differences between groups.

Next, post-hoc tests were performed to assess the primary and secondary hypotheses. In support of the primary hypothesis, the high nitrogen group plants were significantly taller than the low nitrogen group and the control group plants. Similarly, the results supported the secondary hypothesis: the low nitrogen plants were taller than the control group plants.

These results can be reported in the text or in tables and figures. Use text for highlighting a few key results, but present large sets of numbers in tables, or show relationships between variables with graphs.

You should also include sample calculations in the Results section for complex experiments. For each sample calculation, provide a brief description of what it does and use clear symbols. Present your raw data in the Appendices section and refer to it to highlight any outliers or trends.

The Discussion section will help demonstrate your understanding of the experimental process and your critical thinking skills.

In this section, you can:

• Interpret your results
• Compare your findings with your expectations
• Identify any sources of experimental error
• Explain any unexpected results
• Suggest possible improvements for further studies

Interpreting your results involves clarifying how your results help you answer your main research question. Report whether your results support your hypotheses.

• Did you measure what you sought out to measure?
• Were your analysis procedures appropriate for this type of data?

Compare your findings with other research and explain any key differences in findings.

• Are your results in line with those from previous studies or your classmates’ results? Why or why not?

An effective Discussion section will also highlight the strengths and limitations of a study.

• Did you have high internal validity or reliability?
• How did you establish these aspects of your study?

When describing limitations, use specific examples. For example, if random error contributed substantially to the measurements in your study, state the particular sources of error (e.g., imprecise apparatus) and explain ways to improve them.

The results support the hypothesis that nitrogen levels affect plant height, with increasing levels producing taller plants. These statistically significant results are taken together with previous research to support the importance of nitrogen as a nutrient for tomato plant growth.

However, unlike previous studies, this study focused on plant height as an indicator of plant growth in the present experiment. Importantly, plant height may not always reflect plant health or fruit yield, so measuring other indicators would have strengthened the study findings.

Another limitation of the study is the plant height measurement technique, as the measuring tape was not suitable for plants with extreme curvature. Future studies may focus on measuring plant height in different ways.

The main strengths of this study were the controls for extraneous variables, such as pH and carbon levels of the soil. All other factors that could affect plant height were tightly controlled to isolate the effects of nitrogen levels, resulting in high internal validity for this study.

Your conclusion should be the final section of your lab report. Here, you’ll summarize the findings of your experiment, with a brief overview of the strengths and limitations, and implications of your study for further research.

Some lab reports may omit a Conclusion section because it overlaps with the Discussion section, but you should check with your instructor before doing so.

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A lab report conveys the aim, methods, results, and conclusions of a scientific experiment . Lab reports are commonly assigned in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

The purpose of a lab report is to demonstrate your understanding of the scientific method with a hands-on lab experiment. Course instructors will often provide you with an experimental design and procedure. Your task is to write up how you actually performed the experiment and evaluate the outcome.

In contrast, a research paper requires you to independently develop an original argument. It involves more in-depth research and interpretation of sources and data.

A lab report is usually shorter than a research paper.

The sections of a lab report can vary between scientific fields and course requirements, but it usually contains the following:

• Abstract: summarizes your research aims, methods, results, and conclusions
• References: list of all sources cited using a specific style (e.g. APA)
• Appendices: contains lengthy materials, procedures, tables or figures

The results chapter or section simply and objectively reports what you found, without speculating on why you found these results. The discussion interprets the meaning of the results, puts them in context, and explains why they matter.

In qualitative research , results and discussion are sometimes combined. But in quantitative research , it’s considered important to separate the objective results from your interpretation of them.

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321 Interesting Chemistry Topics & Writing Tips

Chemistry studies matter and what it’s made of. It tells us how substances change and what properties they have. Chemistry seeks to answer questions such as: What is the Universe made of? How do elements react with each other?

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Read our article to dive deeper into this intricate subject. What is more, we’ve prepared a list of 300 exciting chemistry-related topics. You can choose between organic, nuclear chemistry, biochemistry, and other branches. Our interesting topics in chemistry will make your studies more enjoyable!

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🔝 Top 10 Interesting Chemistry Topics

• ✅ Branches of Chemistry
• ✍️ Writing Tips

⭐ Top 10 Chemistry Essay Topics

• 🔬 General Chemistry Topics
• 🧑🥼 Chemistry Project Topics
• 🤔 Advanced Chemistry
• 🦠 Biochemistry
• 🧬 Organic Chemistry
• ♻️ Green Chemistry
• ⚗️ Inorganic Chemistry
• ⚛️ Nuclear Chemistry
• 🧮 Analytical Chemistry
• 🧪 Physical Chemistry

🔍 References

• Biochemistry in nursing
• Crystalloids vs. colloids
• The purpose of dilutions
• Principles of electrochemistry
• Why is stoichiometry so difficult?
• Are there alternative periodic tables?
• The polarity of bonds classification
• How is nuclear chemistry used?
• The importance of Lewis electron dot structure
• Endothermic reactions vs. exothermic reactions

✅ Main Branches of Chemistry

Chemistry is a broad subject that uses various methods of study. Because of this, scientists divide it into five main branches. These are organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, and biochemistry . Let’s investigate them:

• Organic chemistry examines life. It seeks to understand the molecular structure and behavior of living beings.
• Inorganic chemistry focuses on materials rather than living beings. Chemists of this field aim to advance technology.

• Physical chemists examine the atomic level of matter. This branch uses physics to study the processes in chemical systems.
• Analytical chemists investigate what matter consists of. They look for new analyzing procedures and ways to enhance existing ones.
• Biochemistry studies the fundamental biological systems. It improves our understanding of essential medical issues.

Now that we’ve sorted out chemistry basics, we can examine how to write about it. Whether you’re in high school or already in college, the following guide will help you compose an excellent chemistry paper!

✍️ Tips on How to Write a Chemistry Paper

Each subject has its own rules when it comes to writing papers. In chemistry, the organization is the key. That’s why the first step is to have your lab notes in order. Keep your notebook neat and tidy, and you will see that writing becomes much more manageable.

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On top of that, it’s good to have an idea of what an excellent paper should be like. There are three major points you should keep in mind: objectives, style, and structure.

• Objectives. Your goal is to identify and convey valuable information. If you want to share it with others, it should be presented as credible scientific work.
• Introduction. Say what your paper will be about.
• Methods. Present the methods and materials you use.
• Results. Describe what you observed during the experiment.
• Discussion. Analyze the results and summarize the relevance of your study.
• Style. Grammatically correct writing is a must. Your style should be formal, concise, and clear. Use the right tense: write your methods and results in the past. For general truths, you can switch to the present.

Finally, don’t forget that for any type of writing, the right topic is crucial. For inspiration, check out our excellent chemistry paper topics!

• The history of neurochemistry
• Astrochemistry vs. astrophysics
• Is radiochemistry a dying field?
• Pros and cons of being a biochemist
• New concepts of chemical engineering
• What makes quantum chemistry difficult?
• The importance of agricultural chemistry
• The impact of WW2 on computational chemistry
• Ernest Rutherford’s contribution to nuclear chemistry
• Computer chemistry vs. computational chemistry

🔬 General Chemistry Topics to Write About

Chemistry surrounds us in our everyday life. Have you ever seen moldy bread or boiling water? That’s chemistry in action. Have a look at these 30 easy topics for an introduction into chemistry:

• What happens to your body when it lacks vitamins ? 
• How does acid rain form? 
• Understanding pheromones: how do they affect humans? 
• Explain what atoms are made of. 
• Ionic and covalent compounds: a comparison. 
• How do you solve stoichiometry problems? 
• Give an overview of the states of matter. 
• A delicate balance: how do chemicals in our brains create moods? 
• Describe the noble gas configuration. 
• Marie Curie and her extraordinary legacy. 
• An introduction into acids and bases . 
• Write about hydrologic cycles.  
• What happens when a substance oxidizes? 
• Explain substitution reactions. 
• Compare the Bohr model with the plum-pudding and the Saturnian models. 
• How does a Geiger counter work? 
• Describe the significance of Rutherford’s gold foil experiment. 
• How Michael Faraday forever changed the scientific landscape. 
• What does Prout’s hypothesis state? 
• The history of european alchemy.  
• What are the periodic trends? 
• Explain how to analyze amino acids using protein hydrolysis. 
• What do catalysts do? 
• Everything about lab safety. 
• The radium craze of the early 20th century. 
• How does substance abuse impact your body? 
• Why is it essential to study chemistry in high school? 
• Reaction rates: how do we define them? 
• Before chemistry: ancient philosophy of things changing.  
• Examine how radioactive decay occurs. 

🧑🥼 Chemistry Projects Topics for Science Fair

Experiments are, without a doubt, the most fun part of chemistry. It’s exciting to watch colorful substances fizzle and bubble. If you need ideas for your next project, look no further. Just make sure to follow safety rules!

• Discover what determines the color changes when iodine and starch react.  
• Find out how to make photosynthesis visible. 
• Try to synthesize Aspirin. 
• Develop film and explain how you did it. 
• Fiddle a wire through an ice cube without drilling holes. 
• Assess the quality of water and find out what contaminates it.  

• Extract plant oil and study its properties.
• Observe what happens if you dye wool with different colors.
• Learn how to make a solution change color.
• Determine the amount of caffeine in various sorts of tea.
• How do you produce biogas or liquid from organic waste?
• Analyze the contents of your toothpaste . Can you find any health hazards?
• Make a water filter from scratch.
• Why does lemon juice stop apples from browning?
• Make a safe smoke bomb.
• Document the process of growing crystals .
• Identify the pollutants in the air around you.
• What makes a flame change color?
• Biometric technologies: how do they work?
• Study invisible ink. What makes it disappear?
• Wine: how do its chemical compounds relate to its taste?
• Emulsions: how to make and break them.
• Compare the effectiveness of different vegetable oils in biodiesel manufacturing.
• Assess the residue of pesticides in vegetables from various markets.
• Measure the density of soft drinks . How does sugar affect it?
• Conductivity: what types of solutions are the best electrical conduits?
• Food and science: how much energy do nuts and chips produce when burned?
• Analyze your hair and check for nutrients.
• Examine what soap needs to foam properly.
• Change a penny’s color to gold.

🤔 Advanced Chemistry Topics for an Essay

Once you’ve mastered chemistry’s fundamental concepts, you’re ready for the advanced part. Here, you will explore topics such as kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamics. Consult our list for 30 interesting advanced chemistry topics:

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• Polymers : what do we use them for? 
• How do spectroscopes work? 
• What chemical information can we find in meteorites? 
• Spectroscopy and its many applications. 
• Schrödinger’s Cat: what did it reveal about radioactive decay? 
• Examine the properties of imino-disaccharides. 
• The importance of carbohydrate-protein interactions in immunology. 
• CRISPR : how does it work? 
• Compare the types of noncovalent bonding. 
• Investigate how molecular recognition can be produced synthetically. 
• Describe the impact of nanotechnology.  
• How does nanoscience change our lives? 
• What does Le Châtelier’s principle state? 
• CBD: what advantages does it have? 
• What causes a chemical process to result in equilibrium? 
• Compare the types of equilibrium . 
• BPA : how toxic is it? 
• Behavior of ideal vs. non-ideal gases. 
• Magnetism and coordination compounds. 
• The principles of molecular orbital theory. 
• Why do certain compounds not exist? 
• How does water recycling work?  
• Cloud seeding: when is it useful? 
• What causes the weather to change? 
• Why do some plants rely on photosynthesis more than others? 
• Describe the properties of hydrogen. 
• Explain the connection between collision theory and concentration. 
• How do the ab initio methods work? 
• Chemistry and the brain: impact of neurotransmitters.  
• Examine the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia. 

🦠 Biochemistry Topics to Research

Have you ever wondered what chemical processes happen inside living organisms? Here’s an example: when we breathe, we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Biochemistry combines biology and chemistry to find out how life works on a molecular level. It’s a life science that deals with the cells, proteins, and lipids that form the core of every being. Clinical research highly benefits from biochemical knowledge.

• Explain enzyme inhibitors and their mechanisms.
• What are the benefits of epigenetics?
• Enzyme activity: how can you regulate it?

• Understanding the role of lipase in pathophysiological processes.
• The chemical processes behind metabolism .
• Amino acids: industrial applications.
• Consequences of a protein deficiency.
• Dietary supplements : help or hazard?
• How does the Citric Acid Cycle work?
• Glycolysis : how does it convert glucose?
• How do solutes move through biological membranes?
• Explain the sodium-potassium pump.
• Describe networks and alliances of the biotechnology industry.
• How does the body react to chlorine exposure?
• Cells gone rogue: the origins of cancer .
• Investigate the functions of hormones.
• How can we develop new vaccines?
• Discuss the ethics of stem cell research .
• The legacy of Dolly the sheep.
• SCNT: process and applications.
• What are the chemical compounds of blood ?
• How do you treat hemophilia ?
• The development of prokaryotes vs. eukaryotes .
• Discuss the cloning of a DNA fragment and Southern blotting.
• How does oxidative phosphorylation synthesize ATP?
• Compare the three types of crystallography.
• Copying DNA: the principles of PCR .
• How does recombination repair work?
• What causes redoximorphic features in various soils?
• Obtaining protein structures with x-ray crystallography.

🧬 Organic Chemistry Topics for Papers

Organic chemistry serves as the foundation for biochemistry. It is centered on carbon, which is essential to life. Carbon often bonds with other elements as well as itself. That’s what makes it the basis for all organic structures.

• Describe the properties of a chiral molecule.
• Atmospheric chemistry: methods and observations.
• Write about antioxidant potency of polyphenol-rich beverages.
• Enantiomers and the Fischer projection practice.
• Investigate possible relationships between stereoisomers.
• What are the benefits of chemoenzymatic synthesis?
• Explore the history of vitalism.
• The production of chemicals using carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions.
• Hydrocarbon : types and reactions.
• Examine the four essential types of organic compounds.
• How do free-radical reactions work?
• Pathogens: infection cycle and disinfection methods.
• Give examples of esters in everyday life.
• How do you turn alcohols into alkyl halides?
• Mechanisms of aerosol formation.
• Recent discoveries in molecular tuning.
• Chemical warfare: the dark side of organic chemistry.
• What makes a plant poisonous?
• What makes aromatic compounds unreactive?
• Phosgene: what makes it toxic?
• Explain the mechanism of the Diels-Alder Reaction.
• Alpha carbon reactions: when do aldol condensations occur?
• How do you identify organic compounds using infrared spectroscopy ?
• Bonds as springs: the mechanical molecular model.
• Antibiotic resistance: causes and effects.
• Identify factors that influence proton chemical shifts.
• What does the electron dot structure show?
• The properties and reactions of functional groups.
• What defines a compound as aromatic ?
• How do you name amines?

♻️ Green Chemistry Topics to Write About

If you’re concerned with sustainability, green chemistry is your area of choice. It finds ways to make chemical products less harmful to the environment. Research is done at every stage, from the product’s design to its disposal.

• How do you prevent pollution ?
• What do you do with toxic waste ?
• Discuss the twelve principles of green chemistry .
• Source reduction: what are the most effective ways?
• Biomimicry : is it the best way to sustainability?
• Eco-friendly packaging and its issues.
• Compare the effectiveness of various materials used in solar cells .
• What are the advantages of molar efficiency?
• Ionic liquids: are they the future of eco-friendly reagents?
• The U.S. acid rain program: pros and cons.
• How can the toxicity of paint be reduced?
• Innovative ways to avoid pesticides in agriculture.
• What are the types of bio-based renewable feedstocks?
• Are bioplastics beneficial for the environment?
• How do metathesis reactions help reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
• Computer chips: how do we make them more sustainable?
• Alternative energies: making fuel from chicken feathers.
• Is carbon capture effective?
• Will cultivated meat become a green alternative to traditional farming?
• How does the Plantrose process work?
• Discuss the petroleum products problem in the U.S.
• What are efficient ways to extract and use critical elements more
• How efficient is artificial photosynthesis?
• What are the best ways to remove carbon pollution?
• Electrocatalysis as a way to generate and consume fuels.
• Discuss the most pressing issues in green chemistry today.
• How does LCA work?
• What are efficient ways to extract and use critical elements more sustainably?
• Recycling and recovery of plastic.
• Describe the advantages of Levulinc Acid use.
• How can we make nuclear energy more viable?

⚗️ Inorganic Chemistry Topics for a Paper

Metals and minerals are parts of inorganic chemistry. Scientists in this field want to understand the behavior and properties of inorganic compounds. Practical uses include the manufacturing of fertilizers, adhesives, and coatings.

• What are the types of nucleosynthesis?
• In which ways are chemicals able to bond?
• How does molecular symmetry predict the chemical properties of a molecule?
• Vibrational spectroscopy: what is it used for?
• Discuss the importance of inorganic compounds in biochemistry.
• The history of atomic theory : an overview.
• Hematite: matter and mineral.
• The peculiarities of hydrogen bonds and polarity.
• What are the uses of point groups in inorganic chemistry?
• Determine the factors that impact Brønsted-Lowry acidity.
• How does HSAB explain reaction mechanisms ?
• What is lattice energy, and how can you measure it?
• How do you use coordination compounds as catalysts?
• Red Ferrosols: soil management issues.
• Examine the drawbacks of the crystal field theory.
• Define the selection rules for vibrational transitions.
• What is the most effective way to grow synthetic diamonds?
• How do you use the angular overlap model?
• Explain ligand effects.
• The magnetic properties of transition metal oxides.
• Gold: how does it serve medicine?
• The use of chemistry in jewelry manufacturing.
• How does the chemical structure of a gemstone determine its color?
• Alexandrite: what makes it so unique?
• How do ligand substitution reactions work?
• Determine the properties of the light types.
• What are the fundamental laws of photochemistry?
• What causes phosphorescence?
• Alloys: what are their benefits?
• The history of brass and its usage.

⚛️ Nuclear Chemistry Topics for an Essay

You’ve probably been x-rayed before. It means you’ve been exposed to radiation. Nuclear chemistry seeks to understand radioactivity-related processes. One of atomic science’s most critical problems is the disposal of radioactive waste.

Get an originally-written paper according to your instructions!

• How do you calculate an element’s half-life? 
• Compare the three different types of radiation. 
• What are the common uses of radioactive elements? 
• How do we know that a nucleus is stable? 
• Fukushima and Chernobyl disasters: a comparison.  
• How do elements transmute in the process of nuclear fission? 
• Cold fusion: will it ever be possible? 
• Radiation : how does it harm biological systems? 
• Describe the types of decay. 
• Nuclear waste: reprocessing, disposal, and transportation.  
• How is nuclear chemistry used in medicine? 
• Ways to destroy toxic organic compounds using irradiation. 
• Interactions between water and radioactive elements. 
• How are chemosensors used in radiation chemistry? 
• What are the biological applications of radiochemistry? 
• The nuclear fuel cycle: managing the disposal of nuclear fuel. 
• Discuss reactive hazards in the chemical industry.  
• Compare the efficiency of different extraction methods. 
• Fission products and surfaces: what happens when 9TcO2 gets in contact with steel? 
• Isotopic chemistry: what distinguishes it from nuclear chemistry? 
• Explore the history of NMR. 
• Henri Becquerel and the discovery of radioactivity. 
• The relevance of hydrogen in nuclear fusion. 
• What causes radioactivity? 
• The adverse effects of ionizing vs. non-ionizing radiation. 
• Why are some people skeptical about the term “ nuclear ?” 
• The Big Bang : how did it create the Universe as we know it? 
• Discuss the unsuccessful efforts in nuclear arms control.  
• How does radiocarbon dating work? 
• Mass spectrometry : ionization techniques. 

🧮 Analytical Chemistry Topics for Essays

The matter comes in all forms and shapes. It can be a compound or a single element. If you want to know how matter is structured, analytical chemistry has the answer. Scientists of this branch ensure that our food and other products are safe to consume.

• How does activation analysis work?
• Why is analytical chemistry important for the environment?
• How do you find iron in a mixture of metals?
• What are the ways to measure the amount of a specific substance in a compound?

• Identifying hazardous substances in cheese.
• A simple way to separate chemical compounds: gas chromatography .
• Aspirin vs. Ibuprofen: comparing the chemical mechanisms of pain relievers.
• Genetically modified foods and their impact on human health.
• Food allergies : where do they come from?
• The best techniques for quantitative chemical analysis.
• What are the standard techniques to measure the endpoint of a titration?
• Mass-based analysis: gravimetric analysis.
• How do you neutralize WVO?
• Drug safety approach in administration and nursing.
• Describe the three types of electroanalytical methods.
• How do you measure temperature using a calorimeter?
• Understanding thermodynamics : the Carnot cycle.
• The process of analyzing salt.
• How do you identify the shelf life of a medicine?
• Ways to find adulterants in drugs.
• Compare the healthiness of bottled water based on its chemical compounds.
• How can you test cholesterol in blood samples?
• Examine how analytical chemistry is used in forensic science .
• What are the advantages of spectrochemical methods?
• How do you detect pesticides using immunoassays?
• Miniaturization: how does it advance analytical chemistry?
• Capillary Liquid Chromatography: an overview.
• Immunochemistry: applications in environmental analysis .
• The development of analytical technology in the past 20 years.
• Explain how to determine PAH sources in soil.

🧪 Physical Chemistry Topics for Papers

Is chemistry not enough for you? Try combining it with physics! For physical chemists, it is crucial to understand how molecules and atoms act. They use various models to study the structure and behavior of these tiny particles.

• Explain how to determine an atom’s electron configuration.
• Describe the structure of an atom.
• Isotopes: why do they exist?
• What is the Time-of-Flight principle?
• How do you calculate the mass of an atom?
• Define successive ionization energies.
• What are the gas laws?
• Equation of state: ideal vs. real gases.
• Explain why the Earth is considered a closed thermodynamic system.
• What is the Avogadro constant?
• The difference between empirical and molecular formulae.
• Calculating percentage yields: balanced equations.
• How do intermolecular forces affect the melting point of a substance ?
• What are the four types of crystal structures?
• Define the types of forces that exist between molecules.
• Explain how to relate the melting point and conductivity of a substance to their type of structure.
• What is fire in terms of chemistry and thermodynamics?
• Reasons why molecules with polar bonds might not have a permanent dipole.
• How do internal combustion engines work?
• Endothermic or exothermic? Determining enthalpy change.
• What are the applications of Hess’s law?
• Explain the use of mean bond enthalpy.
• When does a collision not cause a reaction?
• How does temperature affect the reaction rate ?
• How do catalysts work?
• Describe what Born-Haber cycles are used for.
• Explore the history of thermochemistry .
• Give examples of quasi-static processes.
• The study of chaos: calculating entropy.
• When is a reaction reversible?

We hope that you found a topic you like. Now good luck with your essay!

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How To Write Chemistry Essay

Table of Contents

Chemistry Essay Writing Guide

• Outline example
• Tips on introduction writing
• Tips on body paragraph writing
• Tips on conclusion writing

Science has helped the world to decipher and answer some of the hardest questions about the universe and our bodies as well. Currently, researchers are conducting different studies on various scientific topics, and the expectation is that more knowledge will be generated. However, when asked to write analytical reports, research papers, or lab reports, some scientists find themselves struggling to express their ideas on paper. Chemistry students, for example, help to solve some of the most difficult problems that the world faces today. However, when asked to write a chemistry essay, some students find it difficult to express their thoughts and ideas clearly and in a coherent manner. Chemistry papers need to have a main point or argument or simply be specific in what it is trying to discuss or decipher. Students should hence ensure that their essay is specific and narrow, not as general as some of the others.

Chemistry papers are written for different reasons. Some are written to help explain or expound on a concept, others are written to communicate some results while there are some that are solely written for purposes of explaining the processes involved in research. If written as a research paper, a chemistry essay should articulate and make use of the basic scientific structures and formats of writing chemistry essays. Students should hence be conversant with different scientific formats like APA, MLA, and Harvard mainly for referencing purposes. Scientific papers such as chemistry essays follow specific formats and must be cited unless otherwise stated by the instructor.

Outline for a chemistry essay

Writing a chemistry essay outline is essential because it gifts one with a focused guide to completing the paper. In an outline, writers are expected to include their main point as well as some of the supporting arguments that they will include in the body of their essay. Chemistry essay outlining is similar to what is done in other essays and should hence be an easy task. If, for example, students have been asked to write an essay about the element silicon, the outline for such an essay would be as shown below:

Introduction

• Background information about silicon.
• Briefly, mention its importance in the mainstream world.
• The basic structure of silicon as an element. Some of its attributes should also be included.
• The role of silicon in construction and architecture.
• The use of silicon in the automobile industry.
• Reiterate the role of silicon in society today.
• Provide a summary of the main points, for example, the main uses of silicon.
• Finalize by mentioning how much silicon is a part of people’s lives today.

Writing an Introduction

Writing a chemistry essay introduction can be challenging regardless of how much research one has done.

Below are some introduction writing tips:

• Include factual information in the introduction.
• Provide background data regarding the topic under study. Include information that will make the essay comprehensible.
• Always look for an angle and be consistent in addressing it.
• Have a non-ambiguous thesis statement that is direct and clearly outlines the author’s stance.

Writing a Body

The body of a chemistry paper or essay needs to support the writer’s arguments or provide details of an experiment or an investigation.

Below are some tips to help writers deliver quality papers:

• Ensure that each paragraph has a topic sentence. A topic sentence bears the main point or argument presented in a paragraph.
• The other sentences should offer support to the topic sentence. Writers should not drift away from the main argument that a paragraph presents.
• Consistency throughout the paragraph should be enhanced.
• Writers should sufficiently reference their work. In-text citations should always be included throughout the article.
• Each paragraph should have five to six sentences like other essays and in these, students should ensure that they exhaustively explain their topic.
• Transition words, for example, firstly, secondly, additionally, subsequently, etc. should be used to indicate to the readers that the writer is on a different point.

Writing a Conclusion

How to conclude a chemistry essay is a challenge mainly because chemistry essays do not abide by the same rules for writing conclusions. On many occasions, students are expected to assess their hypothesis and determine its accuracy or draw any conclusions from the data that they gathered. However, if the essay did not involve any investigation or study, one can just include a summary of the main points and then relate the topic to what is happening in society today.

Sources for Essay Choice

Online sources are often preferred by students because they are easily accessible and offer simple and straightforward choices. While it is not against any law or rule to source essays online, teachers often advise students to situate what they learn in class to the activities in society. The latter offers one with choices that are audience friendly and that directly resonate with daily life. It also helps people to apply the knowledge they acquired from class to society’s day-to-day problems. However, if one wants to use online sources, below is a good example of a website that can offer one some credible essay choices.

Finalizing Essay

Students are often advised always to begin with a draft before they write a final copy. Having a draft is important and gifts one with the chance of making changes to their essay whenever they feel the need to. The chemistry essay draft will indeed come in handy and gift students with the chance of revising their work. Revisions are important. Once the essay is completed or the draft is completed, it is always necessary to review it and make any changes or corrections before submitting it. Revision and proofreading are necessary and help to ensure that an essay is consistent in focus and is free of any grammatical errors.

Chemistry Assistant

Ai-powered chemistry problem solver.

• Homework Help: Students can use the Chemistry Assistant to help understand and work through chemistry problems in their homework.
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• Research Assistance: Researchers can use this tool to help work through chemistry problems in their work.

Yes, the Chemistry Assistant is designed to handle a wide range of chemistry problems, from basic to advanced. However, it's always important to cross-verify the solutions provided by the AI with trusted resources or professionals in the field to ensure accuracy and understanding, especially with more complex problems and principles.

While the Chemistry Assistant is specifically designed for chemistry problems, HyperWrite offers other AI tools for different subjects and needs. You can explore more tools at app.hyperwriteai.com/tools .

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Writing Chemistry Assignments

‘ Do my chemistry assignment ’ is one of the most frequently asked requests online. Chemistry is not the easiest subject in the curriculum. It involves precise studying of chemical elements, reactions, formulas and other peculiarities that might cause a lot of trouble. Sometimes you simply don’t have enough time or specific knowledge in order to finish it on time. And sometimes it’s the teacher who demands too much and doesn’t assess tasks reasonably, which can cause stress and not the most pleasant experience at school.

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• Look for specialized services . If you have an assignment on chemistry or economy, etc. you should find a company whose website specifically underlines their proficiency in writing a certain type of work.
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