Instructor: Erik Menke CHEMISTRY 2H Honors General Chemistry I Fall 2013 Course Syllabus Meeting Times and Location: MWF 9:30 to 10:20, COB 263 Office Hours: Drop by my office any time if you have questions or concerns. If I don t have time to talk, we can schedule a time. In addition, I will be available for the hour immediately following class at the Lantern Café in the library. Alternatively, all of the lab instructors have office hours, and would love for you visit. Please contact them for the specific times they are available Course Description: CHEM 2H is the honors first semester general chemistry course. This class is similar to CHEM 2, focusing on stoichiometric calculations, types of chemical reactions, properties of gases, chemical equilibrium, atomic and molecular structure, and chemical bonding, but in more depth than CHEM 2. Prerequisites: Combined score of 45 or above on chemistry and math placement exams OR complete CHEM 1 with B or better OR score 4 or better on chemistry AP exam. MATH 21 (can be taken concurrently). Course Purpose and Goals: CHEM 2H is the first semester of a two-semester lower division honors general chemistry sequence, which exposes the student to a lecture and laboratory experience. The focus of this course is twofold: conceptual and mathematical. The mathematical tools used in general chemistry are stressed with particular emphasis placed on stoichiometric calculations and gas phase equilibriums. The study of basic thermochemistry is an integral part of the course leading to additional insight of chemical reactivity. A conceptual approach is used to study the trends observed in the chemical and physical properties of the elements within the periodic table. The concepts of atomic structure and basic atomic orbital theory is examined and expanded to basic molecular orbital theory leading to a greater understanding of covalent bond formation. The conceptual and mathematical approaches emphasized in this course are supported by a laboratory section; the experimental procedures conducted in the laboratory are designed to reinforce the material covered in lecture. Course Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Derive the names and formulas of compounds based upon the IUPAC system of inorganic nomenclature for binary compounds and oxyacids; Determine molecular formulas from data, balance chemical equations, predict the formation of precipitates, and use stoichiometric relationships to calculate product and reactant amounts with applications to limiting reagent and % yield concepts; Analyze the energy associated with chemical reactions, perform simple chemical thermodynamic calculations, and be able to apply these concepts to the first law of thermodynamics, stoichiometric relationships, calorimetry and Hess s law; Explain the basic concepts of quantum theory and the basic theories of chemical
Determine whether a reaction is at equilibrium, calculate equilibrium constants and equilibrium concentrations, and apply the principles of equilibrium and reaction kinetics to gaseous phase systems; Perform basic chemistry laboratory techniques, use common laboratory instruments, record data and observations accurately, and describe sources of error and uncertainty in experimental data. Accomplishment of these outcomes will be assessed through homework, exams, and graded laboratory reports. Relationship to Program Learning Outcomes and Program Requirements: The primary focus of CHEM 2H is on fundamental knowledge and skills. This course introduces major concepts and principles necessary for understanding chemistry. In addition, although to a lesser extent, this course explores scientific methodology, i.e. how a scientist integrates fundamental knowledge and skills into scientific inquire, improves scientific communication skills via written lab reports, and helps you gain an appreciation for scientific ethics and the role of chemistry in society by showing you how to handle data in the laboratory and providing real world examples of the importance of chemistry. Course structure and expectations: Critical thinking is the cornerstone for all modern science and technology fields, and is a skill that will serve you well in life. Due to the importance of critical thinking, this class will focus primarily on improving your critical thinking, although with an emphasis on applying critical thinking skills to chemistry problems. Unfortunately, very few students, or adults in general, have well developed critical thinking skills. So what does this mean for you? It means that this class will be extremely difficult. This course is likely to be among the hardest classes you have had in your career as students. You will almost certainly need to read the book outside of class, work extra problems, and spend time studying and thinking about chemistry. A secondary reason for focusing on critical thinking skills in this class is the limited time. There is a lot of information that we need to get through, so rather than discuss the minutia in each chapter, we will only cover broad topics. However, you will be expected to know everything in each chapter, and I will ask questions, both on homework, in class, and on tests, of stuff we don't explicitly cover. Again, this means that you will almost certainly need to read the book outside of class, work extra problems, and spend time studying and thinking about chemistry. Laboratory structure and expectations: The lab/discussion sections will be used to complete the 11 assigned experiments. Some will be done individually while others will be done in pairs. The lab descriptions, procedures, and write-ups can be found on the CROPS website, under the Resources section. You are responsible for bringing a copy of the lab handout for each experiment to the lab. The lab write-up is due at the beginning of the next lab period. There will be no make-up labs, and lab write-ups will not be accepted late. The first 30 minutes of each lab will be treated as a discussion section during which time the lab instructor will provide background for the experiment as well as answer questions regarding the lecture. Please come to each lab section prepared to work (i.e. having read and understood the experiment), and you will be expected to follow the safety rules at all times.
Grading System: Overall, there will be a total of 1000 points, distributed as follows: Laboratory reports (30 points each, with the highest 10 reports counting) = 300 points In-class participation = 100 points In-class exams (100 points each) = 200 points Homework = 200 points Final exam = 200 points The grades will be assigned according to the following scale: 1000-990 = A+ 989-940 = A 939-900 = A- 899-860 = B+ 859-820 = B 819-780 = B- 779-740 = C+ 739-700 = C 699-600 = D 590-0 = F Exams: There will be two 50-minute, in-class exams, worth 100 points each. The final will be a cumulative exam, worth 200 points. There will be no make-up s allowed for missed exams. If you miss an exam and have a legitimate excuse (i.e. doctor s note or equivalent) the second exam will be renormalized to make up the point difference (i.e. the other exam will be worth 200 points). Each in-class exam will consist of two parts, a 15 question multiple choice portion and a single multi-step question you will be given prior to the exam. Due to the nature of the questions, you will not be permitted to use a calculator. However, you will be allowed to have a single 4" x 6" index card with notes and formulas on it. The final exam will follow a similar format, only longer. Exam regrades: If you think that a mistake has been made on your exam, I will be happy to regrade it. However, please note that I will regrade the entire exam, so your score may go up, down, or not change as a result. In addition, I will only regrade exams that have not left my possession. Therefore, you should thoroughly go over the exam as soon as you pick it up, and bring any issues to my attention before you leave. Homework: Homework problems will be posted on WebAssign, which can be accessed by a link on the CHEM 2H CROPS page. Late homework will receive a zero, and no extensions will be granted. If you are unable to turn in your homework assignment on time, and have a legitimate excuse (i.e. doctor s note or equivalent), your overall homework score will be renormalized to make up the point difference. In-class participation: I will routinely be polling the class on various topics through the use of a "clicker" system. Your participation in these surveys and mini-quizzes will affect your grade. I will focus primarily on participation, rather than getting the correct answer, although correct answers will also play a role in your grade.
Required Materials: Text: "Chemical Principles" 7 th edition, by Steven S. Zumdahl and Donald J. DeCoste. ISBN 978-1-111-58065-0. Other Materials: - Basic scientific calculator - A clicker. - Laboratory notebook (must have bound and duplicate pages). - Laboratory safety goggles. - Access code for the WebAssign online homework system. Class Policies: The number one rule is to respect the time of everybody in the class, including the instructor. Ultimately, I believe that this is the only rule we should need, but it is rather vague. To help overcome the vagueness of said rule, here are some examples of what this covers: Refrain from using cell phones in class (this includes texting or having the ring volume above vibrate). Refrain from talking out of turn. Do not tease, taunt, or belittle others. Anything that someone else reads (e-mails, homework, message posts) should be legible, with (mostly) proper grammatical structure and spelling. Academic Integrity: This is a topic that I take very seriously. While I understand that shortcuts are attractive, they very rarely end up helping in the long run. Dishonest practices, like cheating and plagiarism, typically prevent you from understanding the material, which is ultimately why you are here in school. A full description of the University policy, as well as the judicial process and potential penalties, can be found on the student life website (studentlife.ucmerced.edu/what-we-do/student-judicialaffairs/academicy-honesty-policy). Students should be familiar with the University policy as anyone caught violating it will be dealt with harshly. Disability Services: A disability should not impede learning. To this end, UC Merced provides a number of options to help students with disabilities succeed in their academic career. If you have a disability, I encourage you to contact the University Disability Services Office to find out how they can help. You can find more information on their website (disability.ucmerced.edu), e-mailing them at disabilityservices@ucmerced.edu, or calling them at 209.228.6996. Schedule (subject to revision):
Chapter Subject Week Introduction and Course Intro. and 1 Ch. 2 Components of Matter Ch. 2 Components of 2 Matter Ch. 3 Stoichiometry of 3 Formulas and Eq. Ch. 3 and Ch. 4 Types of 4 Chemical Reactions Ch. 4 Types of Chemical 5 Ch. 5 and Midterm 1 Reactions Cont. Gases and Kinetic Molecular Theory Ch. 6 Thermochemistry 7 Ch. 17 Chemical 8 Equilibrium Ch. 7 Quantum Theory 9 Ch. 8 and Midterm 2 Electron Configurations 10 and periodicity - Spring Break 11 Ch. 8 and Ch. 9 Models of 12 Chemical Bonding Ch. 9 Models of 13 Chemical Bonding Cont. Ch. 10 Molecular Shapes 14 Ch. 11 Theories of 15 Covalent Bonding Ch. 11 and Midterm 3 16 Theories of Covalent Bonding Cont. 6