General Chemistry IDepartment of Chemistry and BiochemistrySeton Hall UniversitySummer, 2003

Course Name / General Chemistry / Professor / Dr. Nicholas H. Snow
Course Number / CHEM 1103 / Office Location / McNulty 113
Credit Hours / 3 / Office Hours / By Appointment
Other Hours to be posted
Meeting Times / MTR 0815-1130 / Phone Number / 761-9035
Lecture Location / CH 65 / E-Mail Address /
Prerequisites / MATH 1015 or higher / Teaching Assistants / Matthew Mongelli
Rafael Acosta

Required Texts

Chemistry - The Molecular Science, 3rd edition, Olmsted and Williams
Lab Notebook

Software Available on the Network

ChemOffice, useful for drawing chemical structures and molecular modeling
Molecules 3D, an introductory level molecular modeling package

Both of these packages are accessed through the Novell-delivered applications window. To set up ChemOffice, do the following:

To install the necessary files to run the program type click on Setup: Chemoffice Client icon in Seton Hall Network Applications. In the first screen that says "Destination Directory" click on Browse and type file://shu1/apps/chemoff. The rest of the setup is self explanatory. To run the applications you must click on the ChemDraw or Chem3D shortcut in the Seton Hall Network Applications window.

For further information, contact the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department.

Texts on Reserve

A number of texts and articles will be placed on reserve in the library.

Course Objectives

This course will develop the empirical and theoretical foundations of Chemistry. The topics to be developed include atomic and molecular structure; molecular shape; gas, liquid and solid structures; acid-base theory and macromolecules. A molecule centered approach will be used.

Calculators

You must purchase a calculator for this course. The calculator must be able to do the following: scientific notation (EXP or EE). logarithms (log and ln), inverse functions (INV or 10x or yx), square roots.

Reading Assignments

You are expected to read the chapter assignments before coming to class. You will find the class more interesting and be able to participate in the class discussions if you come with some familiarity with the material discussed in class.

Topics to be covered for First Quiz / Chapters 1 and 2
Topics to be covered for Second Quiz / Chapters 1-4
Topics to be covered for Third Quiz / Chapters 1-6
Topics to be covered for fourth Quiz / Chapters 1-9
Topics to be covered on final exam / Chapters 1-10

Course Policies

Class Attendance

You are expected to attend all of the lecture, recitation and laboratory sessions.

Quiz and Examination Formats

The quizzes will cover all of the material from the beginning of the course, but emphasis will be given to the material covered since the previous test. The final examination will be cumulative. The testing format will be short answer problems and one or two major problems (20% of the test value). These problems will consist largely of word problems similar (but not identical) to those in the problem assignments. The quizzes and the final examination will include additional problems for extra credit. Partial credit will be given only when the answer to the problem is substantially correct and only has minor errors. The final examination will be multiple choice and based on the American Chemical Society's General Chemistry Examination. The date of the tests will be announced at least seven days in advance. No make up examinations will be given. Instead, if a student misses an examination, the value of the final examination is increases. Graded quizzes will be returned within seven days, but I will try to return them by the next class meeting. I will not consider a quiz for regrading for any reason the same day they are returned. Please go over your exam at home after it is handed back. If you believe there has been an error in grading, I must be notified before the next exam is taken. Only exams showing no evidence of tampering will be regraded. Quizzes will not be regraded during finals week. The grading scale to be used is shown below.

If school is cancelled due to inclement weather, the exam will be retaken at a later date.

Cheating

Cheating is strictly forbidden. Cheating is defined as representing someone else's work as your own. Since all of you are beginning the pursuit of a professional career, any lapse in ethics will not be tolerated. If you are caught cheating, you will receive a zero as a grade for the assignment and a letter will be placed in your departmental file describing the transgression. The Health Professions Committee considers such information in their recommendations for medical and other graduate schools, and these schools have made it clear to us that they will generally not admit students with a record of cheating.

Incompletes

A grade of incomplete will be given only with prior arrangement with the instructor and only under extenuating circumstances. An incomplete will only be given when the previous work has been deemed satisfactory by me. Requests for an "incomplete" grade will not be considered the day of or after the final exam and will not be used to help you avoid a grade of F.

Course Withdrawal

Please feel free to see me if you are having any difficulties.

Problem Assignments

See Course Homepage (http://pirate.shu.edu/~murphywy//1107/Problems1107.htm)

Evaluation of Student Performance

There will be four intrasemester quizzes (100 points each), a laboratory grade (400 points) and a final examination (200 points). This yields a possible total of 1000 points.

For each examination you are responsible for bringing pencils and a calculator with a fresh battery. I will not provide either of these items. Scratch paper will be provided. All examinations will be counted toward the final grade.

Anticipated Grading Scale
A / 90% and above
B+ / 86% - 89%
B / 78% - 85%
C+ / 74% - 77%
C / 66% - 73%
D+ / 62% - 65%
D / 56% - 61%
F / less than 56%

I am generally on campus from 0800-1500 M-Th, but I do travel somewhat extensively on business. Feel free to make an appointment with me or just talk after class. I would like to encourage all of you to talk to me outside of class for two reasons. The best way to learn descriptive methods is to ask me "dumb" questions. Remember, I am paid to teach and answer questions. If you don't ask, you won't learn. Also, the questions you ask me will show me how well I am getting the material across. The other reason for you to talk to me outside of class is I am frequently called on by students who take this class to write letters of recommendation to medical school and graduate school. I am happy to do this, but I can write a much more effective letter if I can say something more specific than "Well, he/she got a B+ in my course, so I guess he/she is okay".


Course Schedule

Date / Lecture / Laboratory
Jun 2 / Chapter 1 – The Science of Chemistry / Check-in
Jun 3 / Chapter 2 – The Atomic Nature of Matter / Density
Jun 5 / Quiz 1
Chapter 3 – The Composition of Molecules / Fractional Crystallization
Jun 9 / Chapter 3 continued
Chapter 4 – Chemical Reactions and Stoichiometry / Determination of a Chemical Formula
Jun 10 / Chapter 4 continued / Identification of a Compound by Mass Relationships
Jun 12 / Quiz 2
Chapter 5 – The Behavior of Gases / Analysis of an Unknown Chloride
Jun 16 / Chapter 6 – Atoms and Light / Properties of Hydrates
Jun 17 / Chapter 7 – Atomic Energies and Periodicity / Atomic Spectrum of Hydrogen
Jun 19 / Quiz 3
Chapter 8 – Fundamentals of Chemical Bonding / Evaluation of the Gas Constant
Jun 23 / Chapter 9 – Chemical Bonding: Multiple Bonds / Calorimetry
Jun 24 / Chapter 9 continued / Synthesis of Aspirin
Jun 26 / Quiz 4
Chapter 10 – Effects of Intermolecular Forces / Structures of Molecules and Check-out
Jun 30 / Review and summary / No lab
Jul 1 / Final Exam

Lecture slides available at: http://pirate.shu.edu/~murphywy/downloads.htm.