Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Class is MWF 8:00-8:45 in CSA 240. Lab is in CSA 221 or 229, depending on which lab section you are in. The labs are Mon., Tues., Wed., or Thurs. at 1:00-3:50. I have the Tues, and one of the Wed. afternoon labs in CSA 221. Dr. Mark Chrisman has the Mon., other Wed., and Thurs.afternoon labs in CSA 229. Your class grade will be determined by whomever you have for lecture, as given in the lecture syllabus (which you are looking at right now) although individual labs will be graded by whomever you have for lab, and those grades passed on to whomever you have for lecture, which for you will be me. We have been doing things this way, with possibly different people responsible for lab and lecture, for a long time.
The text is/was, when we still had a book, Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity by Kotz, Treichel, & Townsend, 7th ed. We will cover chaps. 1-5, part of 20, 6-9, in that order in Kotz, Treichel, & Townsend. The text is not required, and would be very out of date by now, although it was used originally to organize the topics. These topics include:
Matter and Measurement Atoms and Elements
Molecules, Ions, and Compounds Reactions in Aqueous Solutions
Redox reactions Energy and Reactions
Atomic Structure Electron Configurations and Chemical Periodicity
Bonding and Molecular Structure
Spring semester, CH 231, will pick up where we leave off, which will be in Lewis dot strucutres. (All three of us, Mike, Mark, and I will stop and end at about the same place.) Kotz, et.al. is not required for this class anymore, although if you find it helpful to have a text to read, any used copy of any standard text would probably be fine. We will provide the lab manual to you in Blackboard. Please print it out.
Although attendance will be taken, it will not be part of your grade. However, your presence is expected. Consistent absence from class can be expected to have a potentially negative effect on any borderline grade situations at the end of the semester. Being more than 15 min. late to my lab will be treated as a safety violation, and will result in a loss of points on that lab. If you need to miss lab , and wish to do the lab on a different day than you are registered for in the same week, that is fine if there is room in that section. If possible, please let us know early enough--the week before is good--to be able to do so. There will be also a lab make-up week at the end of the semester.
Contact Information
Upon successful completion of this course…
1. The student will be able to compute mathematical equations to solve problems in a great variety of
fields of study, problems involving ratios, percentages, approximation and estimation, measures of central
tendency, standard deviation, statistical inference, reading and interpreting graphs, charts and tables.
2. The student will be able to manipulate calculators as tools for solving problems encountered in
everyday life.
3. The student will be able to perform algebraic formulas to solve mathematical exercises.
4. The student will be able to explain science as a way of knowing about the physical world.
5. The student will be able to analyze and perform experimentation as a way of asking and answering
questions about science.
6. The student will be able to recognize the types of questions that science, by its nature, can and cannot
answer.
7. The student will be able to generalize concepts of natural science to convey its complexity and to
comprehend that asking a science question requires prior knowledge.
8. The student will be able to discuss some of the practical and ethical human implications of scientifically
derived knowledge.
9. The student will be able to compose a theory and demonstrate that theory in practice.
10. The student will be able to explain the principles of chemistry in relation to chemical and physical
properties, chemical nomenclature, and chemical reactions.
11. The student will be able to perform calculations and solve problems (using computer technology when
appropriate) in relation to items in the previous objective above.
12. The student will be able to analyze, collect and record scientific data.
13. The student will be able to demonstrate the operation of appropriate equipment and instrumentation
relating to the chemistry discipline.
14. The student will be able to analyze and interpret instrumental/experimental data.
Textbook There is no text book. The lab manual will be available in Blackboard. Please print it out.
Name:
Edition:
ISBN:
Author:
Publisher:
Catalog Course Description: An introductory course for those majoring in the sciences. Atomic structure and bonding, balancing equations, mole relationship, and basic concepts of physical and descriptive chemistry. Laboratories teach basic chemical techniques, data analysis, laboratory safety, and preparation of laboratory reports. Four credit hours (semester basis).
Overview: Principles of Chemistry I is a two part course: lecture and lab. The course is a science-major’s introductory chemistry course designed to teach the basic theories of chemical structures and reactions, laboratory skills and practices, and problem-solving logic as it is applied to chemical problems. It also serves to satisfy requirements for General Education in the natural sciences.
Course Goals and Objectives: This course addresses the following goals/objectives in the General Education program: “Use mathematics to solve problems in a great variety of fields of study, problems involving ratios, percentages, approximation and estimation, measures of central tendency, standard deviation, statistical inference, reading and interpreting graphs, charts and tables. Use calculators as tools for solving problems encountered in everyday life. Solve mathematical exercises that require the use of algebraic formulae. Demonstrate an understanding of science as a way of knowing about the physical world; ask and answer questions using observation and /or experimentation; and recognize the types of questions that science, by its nature, can and can not answer. Demonstrate an understanding of a natural science in a depth sufficient to convey its complexity and to understand that to ask a question requires prior knowledge. Demonstrate an understanding of some of the practical and ethical human implications of scientifically-derived knowledge. Apply theory to practice.” (from the General Education Goals and Objectives) This course addresses the following goals/objectives in the Chemistry program (which may be relevant to other programs requiring this course): “Have an understanding of the principles of chemistry in relation to chemical and physical properties, chemical nomenclature, and chemical reactions. Be able to make calculations and solve problems (using computer technology when appropriate) in relation to items in the previous objective above. Be able to properly collect and record scientific data. Be able to setup and operate appropriate equipment and instrumentation relating to the chemistry discipline. Be able to appropriately analyze and interpret instrumental/experimental data.” (from the Chemistry Program Major/Minor Assessment Report).
Tentative Schedule
Subject to change during the semester. Adequate notice of changes will be given.
See above for lab date information, and below for the assignment schedule.
Assignment dates and point values are
Lab 200 pts. Most will be one week, and 20 pts. each.
Quizes 240 pts. Best 8 out of 10, at 30 pts. each, given on Sept. 4, 11, 25, Oct 2, 9, 23, 30,
Nov. 13, 20, Dec. 4.
Tests 330 pts. Three at 110 pts. each, given on Sept. 18, Oct. 16, and Nov. 6.
Final 210 pts. Mon., Dec. 14th at 8:00 AM
Lab drawer 20 pts. Awarded at the end of the semester
1000 pts. altogether
The grading scale will be as follows:
I will use plus/minus grading this semester. My cutoffs will be as follows:
A- 88-89% A 90% and above
B- 78-79% B 80-86% B+ 87%
C- 60-65% C 66-76% C+ 77%
D 50-59%
F below 50%
Instructor Course Policies
See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges. See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Attendance policy especially as it pertains to excused absences.
Although attendance will be taken, it will not be part of your grade. However, your presence is expected. Consistent absence from class can be expected to have a potentially negative effect on any borderline grade situations at the end of the semester. Being more than 15 min. late to my lab will be treated as a safety violation, and will result in a loss of points on that lab. If you need to miss lab , and wish to do the lab on a different day than you are registered for in the same week, that is fine if there is room in that section. If possible, please let us know early enough--the week before is good--to be able to do so. There will be also a lab make-up week at the end of the semester.
Labs in my sections will have a late penalty of 10% per weekday, so that any lab which is two or more weeks late will receive no credit. (If you have someone else for lab, they may have a different policy.)
If we followed a usual schedule for lab, there is no lab. the first week of class, the week of Labor day, the week of ins-service day (Oct 13th), Fall Break (Oct.19th), or the week of Thanksgiving. The last full week of class, the week after Thanksgiving, will be for make-up labs only, so if you have no excused labs to make up, you will have no lab that week either.
If you are counting weeks, you will find that you are counting 9 lab weeks (plus one for make-ups) instead of 10. We will use the weeks of in-service and Fall Break together as one lab week. One of them, everyone will do lab except for the section which can’t that week and which will do it the other week. We will let you know later whether the Monday people are the only ones doing lab on the week of the 13th, or the Tuesday people the only ones doing lab on the week of the 19th. (It will be fine, I promise.)
There are intended to be 10 labs, with an additional 20 pts. awarded for having a reasonably clean lab drawer at the end of the semester.
Please note that all the labs count, and they add up to 20% of your overall grade, which is approximately two letter grades. You are not expected to be able to do all the calculations for all the labs on your own – we are not that nice. You are expected to get as much help as you want or need with the lab write-ups. You can talk to us, and/or there will be lab SI. (They are the part of the grade in this class over which you have the most control.) To receive a grade for the lab, you must turn in a lab write-up.
Please note that there is a quiz or test every Friday except for the first week of class, the week of Labor Day, the week of Fall Break, the week of Thanksgiving, and the last partial week of class. (There is no quiz at all the first week or Thanksgiving week..) There will be no quiz make-ups, but your two lowest quiz grades will drop, so you effectively have the two quizzes of your choice which can be missed without penalty. Test make-ups require an excused absence, and will require convincing me of the validity of your excuse for missing the test, and if you fail to convince me you may receive a zero on the test. If you miss a quiz or test at 8 AM for any reason, and contact me that day by noon, I will usually let you take the quiz or test that day. Within reason. If your alarm fails to go off, or your car doesn’t start, more than a few times, I reserve the right to consider it unreasonable. The final exam will be cumulative, with roughly half the pts. over material covered on the three tests, and half the pts. over material covered after th
See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges. See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Attendance policy especially as it pertains to excused absences.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: FA26 Final Exam Schedule
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery Definition of Courses |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. Academic Integrity Policy |
Class Attendance Policy Institutional Class Attendance Policy |