In order for undergraduate laboratory experiments to reflect modern research practice, it is essential that they include a range of elements, and that synthetic tasks are accompanied by characterization and analysis. This intermediate general chemistry laboratory exercise runs over 2 weeks, and involves the preparation of a Schiff base ligand and its metal (Fe 3+ or Cu 2+ ) complex. Students are then able to determine the metal−ligand stoichiometry of one metal− ligand pair. This experiment demonstrates that varying the transition metal can give rise to different structures, and hence different properties.