Research & Development Methods Flashcards
7 cards from real CPC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Research & Development Methods flashcards as text
A chemist discovers an unexpected reaction product during R&D work. According to best practices for electronic laboratory notebooks (ELN), the appropriate response is to:
Answer: Record the observation with a date-stamped note explaining the discrepancy
Data integrity requires that unexpected results be recorded as observed, with annotations explaining the anomaly; entries should never be deleted or overwritten in a compliant ELN.
In the development of a new chemical process, 'atom economy' (as defined by Trost) is calculated as:
Answer: (Molecular weight of desired product / Sum of molecular weights of all reactants) × 100%
Atom economy uses molecular weights from the balanced equation to express what fraction of reactant atoms end up in the desired product, independent of actual experimental yield.
Which type of study design in R&D provides the strongest level of evidence for establishing a causal relationship between a variable and an outcome?
Answer: Randomized controlled experiment
Randomized controlled experiments (RCTs) control for confounding variables through random assignment, providing the highest level of evidence for causal inference.
In spectroscopic method development, 'selectivity' refers to a method's ability to:
Answer: Measure the analyte accurately in the presence of other components in the sample
Selectivity (or specificity) is the ability to measure the intended analyte unambiguously even when interferents, degradants, or matrix components are present.
During process development, a fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram is most useful for:
Answer: Systematically identifying potential root causes of a process problem
A fishbone diagram visually organizes potential causes of an effect (such as a quality failure) into categories such as method, machine, material, man, measurement, and environment.
In a kinetic study of a chemical reaction, a researcher plots ln[A] versus time and obtains a straight line. This indicates the reaction is:
Answer: First order with respect to A
A linear plot of ln[A] vs. time is diagnostic of first-order kinetics, where the rate equals k[A] and the integrated rate law gives ln[A] = ln[A]₀ − kt.
When applying the Stage-Gate process model in chemical R&D project management, 'gates' serve primarily as:
Answer: Decision points where projects are evaluated against defined criteria before proceeding
In the Stage-Gate model, gates are structured review checkpoints where cross-functional teams evaluate project data against predetermined go/kill criteria before authorizing the next development stage.