CHM 111 - General Chemistry I Lecture Fall 2014 Dr. Stuart T. Gentry Holroyd 329 215-951-1259 gentry@lasalle.edu Class Postings, Lecture Notes, and PowerPoint Slides Available on Canvas and at www.lasalle.edu/~gentry Lecture: MWF 12:00 12:50 Office Hours: MWF 1:00 2:00 or drop-in as available Credit: 4 credit hours (lecture + lab combined) COURSE DESCRIPTION: General Chemistry I provides a firm basis for understanding the fundamentals of chemistry. This course covers atomic and molecular structure, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, and the periodic table. The descriptive chemistry is principally concerned with the reactions of nonmetals and of ions in solution. The overall course is split into two components: 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of lab. While the two have separate course numbers and are taught by different instructors, the results will be combined for a single grade. It is necessary to pass both components to pass the course. On successful completion of the course the student will be able to demonstrate competency in the course material, as well as the ability to analyze and report laboratory observations. High school algebra is a prerequisite for this course. REQUIRED TEXT: Chemistry 6th ed, by McMurry and Fay, (Prentice Hall, 2012) ISBN-13: 9781256146575 (this is a custom edition for La Salle University which has deleted unneeded chapters) MasteringChemistry, (Prentice Hall, 2013). ATTENDANCE: Chemistry is a complex subject that requires an integrated understanding of math, physical phenomena, and abstract analysis. One goal of the lectures, therefore, will be to develop phenomenological insights behind the underlying theory. This means that attendance in class is critical. Please contact your instructor if you know you will miss a lecture. Attendance, homework participation, and class participation will be factored into the final grade.
HOMEWORK Spending time outside of class on the course material is an absolute requirement if the student hopes to grasp the entire scope of the material -- history has shown that it is not sufficient to rely solely on the classroom lectures if one wants to do well in the course. The best practice is to lightly read the appropriate sections in the textbook before the lecture, and then to spend a longer time reviewing the textbook within the next day after the lecture. Doing sample problems as part of the required homework assignments is also integral to learning. Homework assignments will be managed and conducted online using the Mastering Chemistry software. This package must be purchased by the student and comes bundled with the textbook in the bookstore. Late assignments will be marked down 2% per day (to a maximum of 20%) if turned in after the due date. To access the homework system, go to www.masteringchemistry.com. You will need to provide your access code the first time you go to the system. You can then select a user name and password. You will also need to select the course: GENTRY1112014. EXAMINATIONS AND COURSE GRADE: Tests (Best 3 of 4) 45% Final Exam (cumulative) 20% Homework 10% Laboratory 25% The final course grade will be based on: A 90-100% B 80-90% C 70-80% D 60-70% These ranges are approximate and will be further subdivided into and + grades. Test questions will be drawn from lecture material, assigned readings, and homework problems. Each of the tests will build off of concepts covered earlier in the course. Therefore, while tests will not be explicitly designed to comprehensively retest all earlier sections of the text, it will be important to remain knowledgeable and competent with previous concepts covered in the course. IF YOU ARE ABSENT FROM A TEST IT WILL COUNT AS A ZERO: Attendance at tests and the final exam is expected and no make-up tests will be given no matter what the reason. A missed test will be given a score of zero. However, all students will be able to drop their lowest test grade at the end of the semester, thus allowing for dropping a zero due to medical or family emergency. In no case will you be allowed to miss more than one exam without taking a zero as a contribution to your final grade. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY It is your responsibility to maintain a high degree of integrity in your work. Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated and can result in a failure in the course! The following are considered cheating: (a) Sharing of results and answers on lab reports, graded assignments, quizzes and exams; (b) Use of unauthorized materials during an exam; (c) Plagiarism, including copying a fellow student s lab report or homework.. When in doubt, both parties involved in plagiarism (both the copier and the copyee) will be held responsible for the integrity violation. Please refer to the school s official Academic Integrity Policy for further information as well as the Student Guide to Rights and Responsibilities.
AVAILABLE RESOURCES FOR CLASS HELP General chemistry is a concept-intensive course. You should plan on spending 5-10 hours per week out of class reading the text and working through the homework problems. The homework is an integral part of the learning process. It is one thing to sit in class and watch the professor do example problems. It is an entirely different matter doing the problems ones self. It is only through the latter process that you begin to own the material. It is easy for students to fall behind if they are not disciplined in how they use their time. Unfortunately, the topics all build on one another so once you begin to fall behind it becomes difficult to catch up. Supplemental Instruction This course is a historically difficult course and therefore the Learning Support Department is providing Supplemental Instruction (SI) to help you get the most out of your efforts. With SI, a trained student, who has already successfully taken this course, attends the class again and conducts weekly review sessions for the students in the class. The SI Leader knows the course content and can also share with you successful study techniques for this course. Additionally, the review sessions offer you an opportunity to work with other students to share notes and study strategies. Though attendance is voluntary, I strongly urge you to attend the review sessions as they are intended for everyone. University General Subject Tutoring Tutoring for various subject areas (70+ courses) is available for La Salle undergraduates. Subject tutors help students identify what as well as how to learn, clarify course content, and help students understand their strengths and weaknesses regarding the subject matter. Students should take advantage of tutoring at the first indication of difficulty in a course or whenever they wish to improve their performance or knowledge in a course, for example, to improve grades or to maintain high grades. Students can make tutoring appointments through GradesFirst located under Tools in the mylasalle portal. For students who have created their own study groups but would like a tutor to assist the group with the material, facilitated study groups can be arranged. For more information, contact Kitty Kaar at 215.951.1822 or kaar@lasalle.edu Appointments for tutoring and the Learning Instructor can be made through the GradesFirst online scheduling system. Students can find GradesFirst on the Academics page of the mylasalle portal under Learning Resources. The appointment process is easy, but should you need help, there are easy-to-follow directions in GradesFirst. If you have questions or concerns, call 215-951-1822 (subject tutoring) or 215-951-1299 (writing). See http://www.lasalle.edu/portal/learningsupport. Learning Instruction and Online Student Resources Academic Skills Workshops are offered face to face and online on a variety of topics such as study strategies, documentation styles, test taking, group study, and time management. A number of workshops are also archived online so students at www.lasalle.edu/portal/learningsupport. For more information, contact Mary Robertson at robertso@lasalle.edu or Jaime Longo at longoj@lasalle.edu. Students With Disabilities Students with disabilities should refer to the student handbook for resources that are available to them as well as compliance with the American Disabilities Act.
SYLLABUS CHANGE POLICY This syllabus is a guide and every attempt is made to provide an accurate overview of the course. However, circumstances and events may make it necessary for the instructor to modify the syllabus during the semester and may depend, in part, on the progress, needs, and experiences of the students. The instructor will give notice when changes to the syllabus are made. TOPICS TO BE COVERED 1. MEASUREMENTS IN CHEMISTRY (Weeks 1 & 2) a. Recognize standard measurement units for length, mass, and volume b. Understand how to use dimensional analysis to help solve problems c. Different temperature scales and ability to convert from one to another d. Scientific notation 2. ATOMS, MOLECULES, AND IONS (Weeks 2 & 3) a. Inter-relationship of atoms and molecules Conservation of matter and Laws of Definite and Changing Proportions b. Structure of the atom: electrons, protons, neutrons c. Ionic and Molecular compounds: structure, naming - - EXAM ON CHAPTERS 1 & 2 - - 3. FORMULAS, EQUATIONS, AND MOLES (Weeks 4-6) a. Balancing chemical reactions (stoichiometry) b. Avogadro s Number and moles c. Using chemical equations to relate amounts of reactants and products d. Describing solutions and concentrations - - EXAM ON CHAPTER 3 - - 4. REACTIONS IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION (Weeks 6-9) a. Electrolytes b. Ionic solubilities c. Redox reactions 5. PERIODICITY AND ATOMIC STRUCTURE (Weeks 9 & 10) a. Periodic table b. Atomic structure: Quantum mechanics, shape of orbitals, electron configurations c. Relationship between orbitals and periodic table - - EXAM ON CHAPTERS 4 & 5 - -
6. IONIC BONDS AND MAIN-GROUP CHEMISTRY (Week 11) a. Ions and their electronic configurations b. Ionization energy and electronegativity c. Chemistry of the various metallic groups on the periodic table 7. COVALEND BONDS AND MOLECULAR STRUCTURE (Weeks 12 & 13) a. Covalent bonds and molecular compounds b. Electron-dot structures c. Molecular Shapes - - EXAM ON CHAPTERS 6 & 7 - - 8. THERMOCHEMISTRY (Weeks 13-15) a. Energy changes during reactions b. Hess s Law c. Introduction to enthalpy, entropy, and free energy 9. GASES: THEIR PROPERTIES AND BEHAVIOR (Weeks 13-15) a. Ideal Gas Law b. Dalton s Law of Partial Pressures c. Introduction to real gases - - FINAL EXAM: CUMULATIVE + CHAPTERS 8 & 9 - -