How to be a Successful Organic Chemist

38 Section 7. Conclusions (or what was the primary result of your experiment) (1) General: The conclusion will be the final statement based on the success (or lack thereof ) in the experi- ment. It will pertain to the purpose of the experiment. It will draw on the interpretation under #6, and lead you to say something logical about the success of the experiment as a whole. Some points that often are relevant are: • Did you synthesize the suspected product (why, why not?) • What was the purity of the compound isolated, what was the identity of the compound? (2) Things to watch out for: Conclusions that are not anchored in the purpose of the experiment should be avoided. If you have recrystallized a product, concluding about how much you liked or did not like the lab, is not appropriate. Subjective opinions and learning outcomes, although important to us, are not things that should be placed in the conclusion. Also, avoid using statements about what you would have done differently. (3) Some examples: Bad (irrelevant): I really liked learning about melting point analysis and I can see that it will be valuable for me in the future, because I am becoming a melting point expert. Good (says something about the success of the experiment and its purpose): Benzoic acid was prepared in a moderate yield.The product isolated is likely benzoic acid, as it shows a similar IR spectrum that contains the key functional groups.