CHEMISTRY 121: Introduction to Chemistry
Fall 2008
Instructor: Elizabeth Walsh
Email:
Website:
Office: IB 2423C
Phone :(206) 527-5665
Office hours: By appointment
Lecture: Tuesday 6:00 – 9:20 pm in AS1519
Lab: Thursday 6:00 – 9:20 pm AS1519
Text: “General, Organic, & Biological Chemistry– structures of life” (2nd ed.) by Timberlake. Available at the bookstore. We will cover chapters 1-10 during the quarter. I will let you know during lecture which sections will be the most important to study.
Required Supplies: You will need a lab notebook, available at the bookstore. Alternatively, you may use any bound, quad ruled notebook (no perforations and no spirals).
Prerequisite: High school algebra
Graded material: Exams:30%
Homeworks:25%
Lab Write-ups:25%
Participation:20%
*includes in-class assignments, overall lab and lecture participation, and lab safety:
Get out of jail free card: Your lowest score on either a lab write-up OR a homework assignment will be dropped.
Grade calculations – Below are the approximate grades you will receive for a given percentage of total points (total points from all exams, lab write-ups, homeworks and participation). Also considered in your final grade is improvement during the quarter.
PercentageGrade
95-1004.0
90-953.7
85-903.3
80-853.0
75-802.7
70-752.3
65-702.0
60-651.7
55-601.3
Miscellaneous:
In-class group assignments. At various times during the quarter you will break down into groups of 2, 3 or 4 to work on an assignment during class time. At the end of the class period your group will turn in the assignment and it will be graded. All students in the group will receive the same grade. We will not have set dates for these assignments but they will be given at times that correspond with the pace of the lecture.
If you miss an in-class group assignment you will have to complete it on your own and return it to me 48 hours after you receive it.
Homework/Study Problems. Homework assignments are designed to help practice solving problems and solidy concepts presented in lecture. Students are allowed and encouraged to help each other with assignments, however each student must turn in their own complete and legible homework assignment, even if s/he has worked with a group or collaborated with other students. Copying homework is not permitted. Please show all work. It is very hard to give partial credit when no work is shown.
In addition to the assigned problems, there are practice problems from each chapter of the text that I will recommend you study. These problems will not be graded, but will be indicative of the type of questions on the exams. The answers to selected questions are at the end of each chapter. There will also be a Study Guide for the text with solutions to selected problems on reserve at the library
Course attendance. I will not take roll during the quarter but you are responsible for obtaining notes from a fellow student if you miss a lecture. If you know that you will be missing a substantial amount of class time, please speak to me about making up material. Too many missed classes will detrimentally affect the participation grade.
You cannot miss an exam. If you have extenuating circumstances that prevent you from taking an exam at the assigned time, please let me know as soon as possible of your situation.
Academic Integrity. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be dealt with to the fullest extent permissible by the college. Cheating includes unauthorized inter-student collaboration, unauthorized aids (notes or electronic devices during exams) and plagiarism.
Cell Phone Policy Please either turn off the sound or completely shut down your cell phone during class times. Texting and talking on the phone during class are not permitted. If you have an urgent phone call, please leave class as unobtrusively as possible and take the call outside.
Chem 121
Fall 2008 Proposed Schedule
**This is a PROPOSED schedule and as such is liable to change at any point during the quarter. All changes will be announced in class and posted on the website**
Date / Lecture / Date / Lab9/23 / Lab Introduction and check-in
Ch 1: Measurements / 9/25 / Ch 1: Measurements, cont.
Ch 2: Atoms and Elements
9/30 / Lab #1: Measurements
Homework 1 due / 10/2 / Ch 2: Atoms and Elements
Ch 4: Compounds and Their Bonds
Lab 1 Write-up due
10/7 / Lab #2: Density
Homework 2 due / 10/9 / Ch 4: Compounds and their Bonds
Ch 5: Chemical Reactions and Quantities
Lab 2 Write-up due
10/14 / Lab #3: Molecular Models
Homework 3 due / 10/16 / Review Ch 1, 2 and 4
EXAM 1: 1, 2, 4
Lab 3 Write-up due
10/21 / Lab #4: Types of Reactions / 10/23 / Ch 5: Chemical Reactions and Quantities
Lab 4 Write-up due
10/28 / Lab #5: Molar Mass of CO2
Homework 4 due / 10/30 / Ch 8: Solutions
Lab 5 Write-up due
11/4 / Lab #6: Solution Stoichiometry
Homework 5 due / 11/6 / Ch 6: Energy and Matter
Lab 6 Write-up due
11/11 / Lab #7: %NaHCO3 in Alka Seltzer
Homework 6 due / 11/13 / Review Ch 5, 6, 8
EXAM 2: Ch 5, 6, 7
Lab 7 Write-up due
11/18 / Ch 7: Gases
Ch 9: Chemical Equilibrium
Homework 7 due / 11/20 / Ch 9: Chemical Equilibrium
Ch 10: Acids and Bases
11/25 / Lab #8: Titration of an Unknown Acid and Lab check-out
Homework 8 due / 11/27 / Thanksgiving
12/2 / Chapter 10: Acids and Bases
Homework 9 due / 12/4 / Review for Final: Ch 1-2, 4-10
Lab 8 Write-up due
12/9 / FINAL EXAM: Ch 1-2, 4-10