Type the temperature recorded for each drop in the fractional distillation ...
Choose an XY (Scatter) plot and the subtype that has no curve at all drawn
through ...
Instructions for Plotting Fractional Distillation Data Using Microsoft Excel Organic Chemistry laboratory, CHEM 2230L 1.
Open Microsoft Excel. A work sheet with no data in it will appear. (If Excel is already open, click on "File" and then on "New".)
2.
Type the headings “Drop Number” in cell B1 and “Fractional” in C1. (We skip column A so that, when you print your data, the first column won't begin in the extreme upper left hand corner of the page.)
3.
Type your data in the appropriate column. Type the drop number (1, 2, 3, etc.) in column B. Type the temperature recorded for each drop in the fractional distillation experiment in column C.
4.
Save your data. (It is wise to do this frequently.) The first time click on “File”, then “Save As”, and then specify a name. After that simply click on click on “File” and then on “Save”. If you are using somebody else's computer, be sure to save the file on a diskette (A: for PC users).
5.
Highlight all data, including the headings "Drop Number" and "Fractional". An easy way to do this is to click and drag from B to C at the top to highlight the columns. (If you don't highlight the headings, the legend on the right side of your graph will read "Series 1".) With all of your data and headings highlighted, click on "Format" and then "Cells". Click on the “Alignment” tab, and change the "Text alignment" under "Horizontal" to "Center".
6.
With the data and headings still highlighted, click on "Chart Wizard". The Chart Wizard window will appear. (If you can't find the Chart Wizard button, click on "Insert" and then "Chart".)
7.
Choose an XY (Scatter) plot and the subtype that has no curve at all drawn through the points.
8.
Click on NEXT.
9.
Click on NEXT again.
10.
Type labels for the title and the axes. (A title might be "Fractional Distillation". The axis labels might be "Drop Number" and "Temperature, degrees C". It is necessary to include the units when there are any.)
11.
Click on the “Gridlines” tab. Add a check mark to include major gridlines for the X axis. (There should already be a check mark to include major gridlines for the Y axis.)
12.
Click on NEXT again.
13.
Click to place the chart as a new sheet.
14.
Click on "Finish". Your graph will appear as a full page. (You aren't actually finished yet.)
15.
Double click on the Y axis (the line itself). The "Format Axis" window will appear. Click on "Scale" (a tab near the top of the window). Set "Minimum" equal to the multiple of 5 just below the lowest temperature you recorded during either distillation. (If you leave the minimum set at 0, there will be a lot of wasted space on your graph.) Set "Maximum" equal to the multiple of 5 just above the highest temperature you recorded during either distillation. (Often the number that the program enters automatically will be satisfactory.) Set "Major unit" equal to 5 and "minor unit" equal to 1. Finally, click "OK". (The X axis usually needs no changes, but you can use the same method to change it if you want. You can make other changes by double-clicking on various parts of your graph. To remove the original gray background from the graph printed at the end of these instructions, for instance, a square of the background was double-clicked to give a "Format Plot Area" window.)
16.
Save your data and graph. (Click “File” and then “Save”).
17.
Print your graph for inclusion in your final report. If you decide to insert it into the body of your report rather than including it as a separate page, make sure that it takes up more than half a page.
18.
Draw a best fit curve BY HAND for both sets of data. The data will almost certainly have some irregularities. Some points will have obvious problems, and the fact that the temperatures are read to the nearest whole degree means that there will be occasional jumps from one level to another. In drawing your best fit curve, try to smooth out these irregularities. DO NOT just connect the dots. You will find an example at the end of these notes.
19.
In the lower left hand corner of your screen, click "Sheet1".
20.
Print your data, or insert it into the body of your lab report. (See the next page for a sample data set.)
Here is the data that was used to produce the graph on the next page, which shows two distillations, one simple and the other fractional. This is an idealized, artificially produced data set. The data you get from your experiment may not be as close to the ideal as these are. Drops 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Fractional 79 80 80 80 80 81 81 81 81 81 82 82 82 82 83 84 85 87 92 98 101 104 105 107 108 109 110 110 110 110 111 111 111 111 112 112
The Organic Chemistry lab instructors are indebted to the Quantitative Analysis laboratory instructors, especially Dr. Cheryl Klein Stevens, for the template used to develop these instructions.
Fractional Distillation 120
110
100
Fractional
90
80
70 0
5
10
15
20 Drop Number
25
30
35
40
