Joseph H. Dreisbach
304 St. Thomas Hall
941-7560
Email:dreisbachj1@scranton.edu
Office Hours:Normal office hours are Tuesday (4:30-5:15) and Monday and Tuesday and Thursday (7:30-8:15am).Other meeting times are available with advance arrangements. Please check with Dr. Dreisbach before or after class or make an appointment.
Textbook:Kotz, J.C. and P. Treichel.Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity, 4th edition. Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia, 1999.
Statistics Supplement:Skoog, D.A., D.M. West, F. J. Holler. Analytical Chemistry: An Introduction, 6th edition. Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia, 1994.This supplement is reprinted with the permission of the publisher and is available through the chemistry stockroom.
The Course:Topics covered in Chemistry 112 involve study of the laws and principles that govern chemical structure and chemical reactivity. The relationship of atomic and molecular structure to chemical and physical properties of matter is studied in some detail.Lecture and laboratory also stress analytical principles, including technique, in order to provide the student with theoretical foundation, and practical expertise in the area of quantitative analysis.Special emphasis is made to describe the types of questions that chemists address, and how they arrive at answers to these questions.
Grading Policy:Four 45-minute examinations, a two-hour final examination, and a series of short (5 minute) quizzes are scheduled.Each hourly examination counts 100 points and the final examination also counts 100 points toward the course grade.The average of the quiz scores (minus the lowest quiz score) will be used to replace the lowest hourly examination scores.Missed quizzes are scored as zeros and are included in calculating the quiz average.The final examination is cumulative over the entire semester and this grade cannot be replaced by the quiz average.Final letter grades are determined using a distribution process; however, a grade of 92 or above is guaranteed an “A”; 91-80, a “B”; 70-79, a “C”, and 60-69, a “D”.
Assignments:Kotz and Treichel (KT) is the primary textbook.Exercises at the end of the chapters must be completed in order to develop the ability to read, understand, and solve chemical problems.Progress and success in the course is assessed by determining how well each student can apply chemical concepts and solve problems.The Skoog, West, and Holler (SWH) statistics reprint is used to introduce the topic of fundamental statistical analysis.Problems are found at the end of each section.
Policy on Attendance:Students are expected to attend all classes and all students are responsible for assignments, announcements, tests, quizzes and all other course related material as these are scheduled and presented in class or on the syllabus. No more that four absences, for any reasons, are acceptable.Habitual late arrivals will count as absences.
Problem Sessions/Recitations:There will be a minimum of six recitations sessions scheduled throughout the semester.Generally these will be scheduled during the week of an examination but they can be offered at other times if the class requests a session.Attendance is not mandatory but it is expected that all students will attend at least two sessions.
Make-up Policy:No make up examinations or quizzes will be available.An absence during an examination will result in the quiz average being substituted for the missed hourly examination.Any additional examinations missed will be addressed according to the instructor’s discretion.
Academic Honesty:Violations of the code of academic honest are to be taken very seriously in this and other courses.Students who violate the code are subject to the full penalties for the violation.The policy is enforced to ensure that all students are being assessed fairly and that these assessments are based on their knowledge of the course material.This is a simple “rule of fairness” which is proper for all students.Students who violate the academic code of honesty fail the course.
Calculators:Unless specifically instructed otherwise, the use of calculators is encouraged for most quizzes and all examinations.There are restrictions on the type of calculators allowed.Programmable calculators are never to be used for quizzes or examinations.
Group Projects:There will be two or three group projects assigned during the semester.The purpose of the group projects is to begin developing a sense of partnership and cooperation when tackling problem solving.More information on the team projects will be forthcoming during the second week of class.
DATETOPIC
Chapter 1KT Matter and Measurement (also Chapter 4E1-3 SWH)
Elements and atoms; compounds and molecules; physical and chemical properties;
_____
Physical and chemical changes; units of measurement; using numerical information, significant figures; problem solving
atomic number; mass number; isotopes; atomic weight
_____
Periodic Table; the elements, chemistry, and the periodic table
compounds; atoms, molecules and the mole
_____
Compound formulas and their uses; hydrated compounds
Errors in Chemical Analysis (SWH 4A,B,C)
Mean; median; precision; accuracy; absolute and relative error, types of error
EXAMINATION #1(20 Sept, Chapters 1KT, 2KT, 3KT)
_____
Limiting reagents, percent yield, chemical equations and chemical analysis
_____
EXAMINATION #2(4 Oct, Chapters SWH 4A,B,C; 4 KT)
Week 8Oxidation/reduction; solution concentration; stoichiometry in aqueous solution
Oct 16-18_____
Chapter
5A-B SWH Evaluation of Analytical Data
Systematic errors; detection of error; rejection of outliers; Q Test
Week 9Chapter 6KT Energy and Chemical Reactions
Oct 23-25 Types of reactions; thermodynamics; energy: form and units; specific heat capacity and thermal energy transfer; changes of state
Week 10Chapter
7KT Atomic Structure
Oct 30 – Nov 1Electromagnetic radiation; energy and photons; Einstein and Plank; atomic line spectra: Bohr; wave properties of electrons; wave mechanical model of the atom; shapes of atomic orbitals
_____
EXAMINATION #3(1 Nov, Chapters 5A-B SWH;5KT, 6KT, 7KT)
_____
_____
Week 12Covalent bonds
Nov 13-15_____
Bond properties; charge distribution in covalent systems; molecular shapes
Molecular polarity
EXAMINATION #4(29 Nov8KT, 9KT, 10KT)
Dec 7STUDY DAY
Dec 8-13FINALS WEEK -FINAL EXAMINATION AS SCHEDULED BY THE OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR
1.Always come to class.Simply being in class helps every student be aware of the pace of the course and the topics covered to date.Sample problems are demonstrated and question-answer sessions allow student to learn from others.
2.Participate in class.By focusing on the instructor’s emphases and examples, students become more familiar with the concepts and their application to solve problems.Students should ask questions to clarify points or to extend concepts to relate them to other courses, topics, or interests.
3.Read ahead.The syllabus lists the topics as they will be covered.The actual coverage of the topics might be somewhat faster, or slower, than scheduled.By attending class and reading ahead, students will be aware of the main points for the next lecture and will have more opportunity to ask questions. Reading ahead with care and attention is an excellent approach to doing well in chemistry.But even a quick skim of the chapter sections will place the student at an advantage over those who do not prepare.
4.Do as many problems as you possibly can.If you do not intend to do problems and exercises, then it is a good idea to withdraw from the course now.The most successful students do many problems and they do a few each day throughout the week and on weekends.When you work on a problem, focus on how the concepts apply to the problem.Then apply the concepts and theories, appropriate equations and models, in the proper way to solve the problem.
Do not simply rely on knowing the mechanics of the problem solution!Many students inadvertently observe the problem-solving process by watching the instructor and classmates solve the exercise.Often, student “studies” the solution from the answer manual.This approach does not involve review of the concepts, or development of an understanding and application of the concepts.It is not a successful approach.
Approaching the problem in a systematic way, and applying the appropriate concepts to obtain a solution is, at first, somewhat more difficult than watching others solve the problems.But it is immensely more beneficial to students in the learning process.Provided below is a list of recommended steps in approaching the problems:
a.Read the problem carefully and with great attention to the detail.
b.Assess the nature of the information that the questions seek.What will the answer be like – a quantitative result, a model… ?
c.Determine the information that the questions supplies and also determine if you need to use other resources such as tables or charts from the text.
d.Try to determine which chemical concepts are involved with the topic of the question.Relate the information provided in the problem to the type of answer expected.
e.If you are just starting the problems, then you may need to refer back to your notes or to the text in order to review the appropriate concepts.Later, after doing a few problems and asking questions, you should be able to quickly relate a problem statement to the appropriate concept and then develop the approach for the solution.
f.If you cannot reach an answer after 15-20 minutes, then write a note about where and why you are stymied.Look for help from your instructor, classmates, tutor, or anyone else who might be able to EXPLAIN where your difficulty lies.Having someone simply SHOW you how to solve the problem is less valuable.
5.Realize that the problems and exercises are designed to have you focus and apply concepts.They are instruments to help you learn chemistry.The problems are not ends in themselves but they are provided to help students learn.If students could do all the problems without having to review concepts, then the problems would not be problems – they would be “easies” and would not serve their intended purpose.
6. Work continuously through the course.Read ahead.Select the sections to be covered during the next lecture, read those topics, and take a few notes.Do not delay doing the readings and the problems for topics covered in class.This way you can ask questions during the office hours and before and after class. Many students wait until a few days before the examinations.Almost always, this results in poor performance.
7.Ask questions.Never allow your questions to go unaddressed.Although the instructor is the best source for answers, there are other resources also.Use your peers, tutors, upperclasspeople or others.Realize that simply learning the mechanics of solving the problems is not sufficient to do well in the course.You must understand the concepts and the basis for the approach to the solution.
8.Realize that the material is different from that in most other courses.Chemistry involves an interesting mixture of descriptive and quantitative material and one needs to read carefully and be confident with algebra.Learning how to apply the concepts has wide-ranging advantages and many students later indicate that the learning, analytical and critical thinking skills which they develop in first-year chemistry are useful in many other courses and problem-solving situations.
9.Have fun.Enjoy the process of learning chemistry and try to reduce the pressure that so many students place on themselves.Do a modest amount of work on chemistry every night and do not fall behind.Realize that you are different from all other students.You have different strengths and challenges.What comes easy for some will not come as easy to others.Do you best and remain in control of your progress.Seek assistance promptly if you feel that the situation is beginning to get “out-of-control”.If you are concerned about your progress, or the course in general, meet with your instructor.Do not let these concerns take time from you other academic responsibilities.