While every effort has been made to make sure this electronic syllabus is error-free, it is not official.
The definitive source of course information remains the original (paper) syllabus distributed in class.

Spring 2005                       Brief Organic Chemistry 115                                             Lycoming College

Course description - This course is designed to introduce the student to the chemistry of organic compounds and survey various classes of biomolecules with regard to their structure and biological activity.  The laboratory component of this course is designed to reinforce topics discussed in the lecture as well as examine some basic techniques of the two disciplines.

Faculty
Dr. Chriss McDonald lectures, lab, recitations office HBC 233
*321-4186 (work), or e-mail (mcdonald@lycoming.edu)

Texts etc.
a. General, Organic and Biological Chemistry  by McMurry and Castelion, 4th Ed^#
b. Chemistry 115 Lab Manual, by McDonald^#
c. Bound laboratory notebook by Freeman^#
d. Lab safety glasses^
e. Calculator (add, subtract, multiply, divide, logs)^&

^#available at the bookstore

^sold by Chemistry Club

^& Please note that programmable calculators may not be used on quizzes and tests.

 

Course format
Lectures - MWF, 11:30 - 12:20, HBC 220, Attendance required.

Recitations - Tuesday, 1:15 - 2:00 PM, HBC G40.  The primary method for evaluating chemistry students in testing situations is to have them work problems.  In recitation we will practice the same sort of problems you will see in testing situations.  Attendance expected.  I will not take attendance but I might use some of the examples discussed in recitation as exam and quiz questions.  I have found, that on the average, students who attend recitation in my courses get an average of one full letter grade higher than those who don’t attend.

Assigned homework - Problems designed to enhance your understanding and prepare you for testing situations.  A key will be posted outside the lab.  Homework will not be collected.  A large chunk of recitation will be devoted to working these problems.

Laboratory - T, 2:00 – 4:50  pm Tuesday, HBC G40, 239.  Attendance required.  Here you will experience what chemists actually do.  Your labwork will be evaluated as described in the lab syllabus as well as on the lecture exams.  Approximately 5% of each exam will be drawn from the labwork.  A lab syllabus will be distributed at the first lab session.  Make sure and show up with your $10 lab deposit (cash only) that first week.

Grading scheme
a. The final grade is based on the number of points obtained out of a possible 600 points.  The points will be distributed as follows:
 

note:  If you score higher on the cumulative final exam this score will also be used to replace your lowest hourly exam score.

b. Assignment of letter grades is based on the following scale:  549 - 610 A, 488 - 548 B,  427 - 487 C, 366 - 426 D, < 366 F.

c. A word about learning chemistry.  Studying chemistry is hard work for most people  (this is certainly true for me).  I would recommend that you work on the lecture  material one hour per day outside of class for starters.  Once you see how things are going this amount can be adjusted as needed (I suggest a significant increase in study time prior to an exam).  If you are having trouble make sure and come and see me.  I’m easy to talk to and will do whatever I can to help you. You will be responsible for all of the material listed on the following schedule for the indicated exams and quizzes.  It is not sufficient to learn the material from the lecture alone.  You are expected to read and think about the material prior to the lecture.  We must necessarily cover a large amount of material so our pace must be geared towards those who are ready to learn.  A major key to success is consistency of effort.  The hour exams will be somewhat cumulative in the sense that we need to know the earlier material to comprehend the latter.  For an idea of what my exams are like in Chem 115 see Appendix C in the Lab Manual.

Policy on attendance
Attendance at quizzes and exams is mandatory.  Makeups will not be administered.  If I deem the reason for absence to be legitimate and I am made aware of the absence beforehand, I will average subsequent quizzes or tests to account for the absence.  Each documented, unexcused lecture absence beyond the first two will cost you one point from your total.
   

Schedule 11505

Chem 11505  Lab Schedule

 
GRADING:  The lab component of  your grade is 140 points out of the 600 for the course.  There will be 9 grades for writeups (14 points each).  Makeups for missed labs are often not possible.  A typical grade for a writeup  can be broken down into three parts:  content of the writeup (60%), yield of the product (20%), purity of the product (20%).  Late lab writeups will cost you 5% per school day.  The remaining 14 points of the lab grade will be based on an assessment done by the instructor and TA of your performance in the lab.  Three areas will be evaluated:  1.  preparation - have you read the lab and do you have a fair idea of what should transpire?  2. lab etiquette - do you clean up after yourself (including the common areas of the lab such as balances, melting point apparati...) and treat your labmates with respect?; 3. safety - are safety rules followed?
 

USEFUL SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCES:  One part of your  lab writeup requires you to list several physical properties for the compounds involved in that particular experiment.  This information can be obtained most conveniently from one of the following:
1) The Merck Index - located in the lab, the reading room, and the library reference collection (RS.51);
2) The CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics - located in the lab, the reading room, and the library reference collection (QD.65);
3) The Aldrich Catalog - located in the lab and the reading room;
4) Chemfinder.com

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