After the second week of work, there will be an oral report and discussion of the project with your instructor during week 7. A rough draft of your written report will be due at the time of your oral report in week 7. During weeks 8 and 9 you will be able to refine, revisit, and complete the experimental work. The project timeline is summarized in a table at the end of this handout. Time goes very rapidly in a research laboratory.
Careful planning is essential in order to use time efficiently.
Many researchers have found it useful to prepare written protocols before starting any experimental activity. It will usually be sufficient to get about 10 promising citations as a start. You need to choose experiments that are sophisticated enough to provide an opportunity for you to gain experience in experimental design and data analysis. The selected experiments should yield quantitative rate law parameters and provide mechanistic insights. Think about safety and the availability of equipment and reagents.