Chemistry 77
Department of
Chemistry
Earl Pearson, Chair
Davis Science Building 239
The Department of Chemistry offers a Master of Science
degree with a major in Chemistry and the Doctor of Arts
in Chemistry (admission closed). Also offered is a minor
in Chemistry at the graduate level.
The required test score for admission to the M.S. program
is a satisfactory Graduate Record Examination score.
Requirements for the Master of Science
(5000 and 6000 level)
Chemistry
Candidate must
1. have an undergraduate minor in chemistry or its equiv­
alent at time of admission.
2. complete a minimum of 30 semester hours with no more
than 30 percent of the total degree hours dually listed as
undergraduate/graduate hours.
3. complete the following core curriculum:
CHEM 6100
Intermediate Organic Chemistry, 3 hours
CHEM 6230
Intermediate Analytical Chemistry, 4 hours
(Quantitative Analysis is a prerequisite for this course; can be taken
for undergraduate credit after admission.)
CHEM 6300
Intermediate Physical Chemistry, 3 hours
CHEM 6400
Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry, 3 hours
(Exceptionally well-prepared students may substitute another ap­
proved graduate chemistry course in the same area for the core
course by successful performance on a proficiency examination in
that core curriculum area.)
4. complete and present an original thesis approved by the
student’s advisory committee:
CHEM 6640
Thesis Research (3-8 credit hours count toward
CHEM 6800
CHEM 6870
30 degree hours)
Chemistry Seminar, 1 hour
Chemistry Research, 3 hours
5. complete a minimum of 5 credit hours of additional ap­
proved chemistry graduate courses, or approved cognate
courses in biology, mathematics, computer science, or
physics.
6. file a degree plan with the Graduate Office prior to the
completion of 21 credit hours, and annually work out a
plan of study for the following twelve months with the
academic advisor.
7. successfully complete a comprehensive examination. The
exam may be taken no more than twice.
78 Chemistry
Requirements for the Doctor of Arts
(6000 and 7000 level)
(Admission closed Fall 2006.)
1. Full admission requires a master’s degree and at least
20 undergraduate and/or graduate hours of coursework
in chemistry including a course in quantitative chemical
analysis, demonstrated English proficiency, and familiarity
with basic computer applications. Students not meeting
requirements for full admission may seek conditional
admission.
2. The D.A. in Chemistry specifies 64 semester hours with
at least two-thirds of the program on the 7000 level;
however, this can be reduced to 52 semester hours for
students entering with a master’s in chemistry or educa­
tion. With the approval of the D.A. Program Committee,
students may transfer up to 12 credits for work done in a
master’s or a doctoral program in chemistry or education.
The D.A. coordinator should be consulted for details on
transfer credits.
3. The core requirement in chemistry constitutes 19 hours:
CHEM 6100, 6230/6231, 6300, 6400, 6500, and 7900.
With departmental approval, well-prepared students
with recent coursework in any of these areas may fulfill
this requirement by passing a proficiency exam in that
area; if the exam is passed, the student must substitute
an advanced chemistry course in the same area.
4. The advanced chemistry requirement constitutes 15
hours, including at least three of the following courses:
CHEM 7110, 7200, 7420, 7510, and 7720. The remain­
ing 6 hours may be chosen, with approval of the advisor
and the D.A. Program Committee, from the following:
CHEM 7210, 7220, 7700, 7710, 7820, 7910; SPSE 7010;
PSY 6280, 6290.
5. The education requirement constitutes 18 hours: CHEM
7800, 7810; FOED 7520, 7560; SPSE 7540, 7550. Con­
sult the D.A. coordinator for details regarding the two
chemistry teaching internships (CHEM 7800, 7810).
6. The research requirement constitutes 12 hours of CHEM
7640.
7. A plan of study for the following twelve months and a
provisional candidacy form (see no. 10 below) must be
worked out annually with the D.A. coordinator.
8. Students should interview prospective research advisors
early, and select an advisor by the end of the second
semester in residence. A doctoral committee will then
be appointed; consult the D.A. coordinator for details.
9. A dissertation proposal (prospectus) will be prepared and
submitted to the doctoral committee, then (at least one
week later) the proposal will be defended orally before
the committee. Consult the D.A. coordinator..
10. A degree plan must be filed with the Graduate Office
after completion of the core requirement in chemistry
and after approval of the dissertation proposal but prior
to the completion of 30 credit hours.
11. Preliminary exams must be completed during the last
semester of prescribed coursework other than disserta­
tion research but after advancement to candidacy is ap­
proved.
12. Guidelines and relevant deadlines for the preparation of
the dissertation are available from the D.A. coordinator
and should be carefully followed. The dissertation must
include both chemistry and chemical education compo­
nents.
13. At least two weeks after the dissertation has been written
and submitted to the doctoral committee, the student
must present an oral defense of the dissertation to the
committee in a seminar open to members of the public.
After the examination, the committee will discuss the
defense and vote on whether or not the student has
successfully defended the dissertation; approval of the
committee is required. Upon successful completion of the
defense, the candidate submits the corrected dissertation
to the Graduate Office.
Courses in Chemistry [CHEM]
Graduate standing and permission of department are prerequi­
sites for graduate courses in chemistry. The 5000-level courses
also have the same prerequisites as listed for the corresponding
4000-level courses in the undergraduate catalog.
5100 Organic Spectroscopy. Three credits. Prerequisite: CHEM 3020
or equivalent. Theory of and practice in the interpretation of
mass, infrared, Raman, ultraviolet-visible, and nuclear magnetic
resonance spectra. Offered every other spring.
5330/5340 Physical Chemistry Fundamentals. Four credits each. Mod­
ern physical chemistry including current theories of atomic and
molecular structures, chemical thermodynamics, electrochem­istry,
chemical kinetics, and related theoretical topics. Three lectures
and one three-hour laboratory period. Offered every year.
5331/5341 Physical Chemistry Fundamentals Lab. Zero credits. Of­
fered every year.
5350/5360 Physical Chemistry. Four credits each. Quantitative prin­
ciples of chemistry involving extensive use of calculus. Major topics
include thermodynamics, phase changes, chemical equilibria,
electrochemistry, reaction kinetics, quantum chemistry, molec­
ular structure, and statistical mechanics. Three lectures and one
three-hour laboratory period. Offered every year.
5351/5361 Physical Chemistry Lab. Zero credits. Offered every year.
5400 Inorganic Chemistry. Three credits. Basic concepts and theories
of inorganic chemistry and how these are used to predict and
understand the physical and chemical properties of compounds
of the elements other than carbon. Inorganic compounds in
the air, water, earth, and in the laboratory, and in biochemistry,
geochemistry, and industrial materials and processes. Offered on
sufficient demand.
5500 Biochemistry I. Three credits. Prerequisite: CHEM 3020 or con­
sent of instructor. The chemical properties of biological molecules
such as amino acids, proteins, enzymes, and carbohydrates.
Chemical basis of enzyme catalysis and reactions of carbohydrate
metabolism. Offered every fall.
5600 Introduction to Environmental Chemistry. Three credits. Qual­ity
of the environment and of chemical changes in the environment
through contamination or modification of the air, water, and soils
as affected by human, agricultural, industrial, and social activities.
Offered every fall.
5630 Detection of Chemical Pollutants. Four credits. Theory and
prac­tice of analytical chemistry methods used in pollution meas­
urement. Three lectures and one three-hour laboratory period.
Offered every other spring.
5631 Detection of Chemical Pollutants Lab. Zero credits. Offered
every other spring.
5700 Polymers, an Introduction. Three credits. Structure, properties,
and applications of polymers. Offered every other spring.
5730 Advanced Physical Chemistry. Four credits. Modern chemi­
cal concepts and computations applied to quantum chemistry,
molecular spectroscopy, and statistical thermodynamics. Three
lectures and one three-hour calculation laboratory period. Offered
on sufficient demand.
5731 Advanced Physical Chemistry Lab. Zero credits. Offered on
sufficient demand.
6100 Intermediate Organic Chemistry. Three credits. Prerequisite:
CHEM 3020/3021 or 2030/2031 or equivalent. Concepts and
modern theories of organic chemistry: stereochemistry of reac­
tions, mechanistic interpretation of organic reactions, and multi­
step synthesis. Offered every fall.
6110 Topics in Organic Chemistry. Three to six credits. Prerequisite:
CHEM 6100. A selection of modern topics. Offered every other
spring.
6200 Topics in Analytical Chemistry. Three to six credits. Prerequisite:
CHEM 4230/4231 or 6230/6231. Selected topics of major interest
in chemical analysis. Offered every other fall.
6230 Intermediate Analytical Chemistry. Four credits. Prerequisite:
CHEM 2230/2231 or equivalent. Selected instrumental methods of
analysis including but not limited to gas and liquid chromatography
methods; ultraviolet, visible, and infrared spectroscopic methods;
and flame emission and atomic absorption spectrometry. Three
lectures and one three-hour laboratory period. Offered every
spring.
6231 Intermediate Analytical Chemistry Lab. Zero credits. Offered
every spring.
6300 Intermediate Physical Chemistry. Three credits. Key concepts
from classical thermodynamics, quantum theory, and chemically
relevant spectroscopies. Statistical thermodynamics introduced.
Offered every spring.
6400 Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry. Three credits. Concepts
of inorganic chemistry needed for effective teaching of general
chemistry and for safe and effective use of inorganic chemicals and
materials in industrial and academic laboratories; atomic theory,
principles of inorganic reactivity in acid-base; precipitation, com­
plexation, and oxidation-reduction reactions; crystal and ligand
field theory; symmetry; molecular orbital theory; organometallic
chemistry. Offered every fall.
6410 Transition Metal and Theoretical Inorganic Chemistry. Three
credits. Prerequisite: CHEM 5400 or consent of instructor. The
chemistry of transition metal complexes, organometallic com­
pounds, and of related compounds, their practical applications,
and modern theoretical treatments of this chemistry. Offered on
sufficient demand.
6420 Topics in Inorganic Chemistry. Three to six credits. Prerequi­
site: CHEM 6400. Selected topics of current interest in inorganic
Chemistry 79
chemistry such as organo-metallic chemistry, inorganic materials
science, and kinetics and mechanisms of inorganic reactions.
Offered every other spring.
6480/6490 Laboratory in Inorganic Chemistry. One credit each.
Prerequisite or corequisite: CHEM 6400 (for 6480), CHEM 6420
or CHEM 5700 (for 6490), or consent of instructor. 6480 Inorganic Synthetic Methods. Offered every other fall.
6490 Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry Offered every
other fall.
6500 Intermediate Biochemistry. Three credits. The chemistry and
metabolism of biological compounds such as proteins, carbohy­
drates, lipids, and nucleic acids. Offered every other spring.
6510 Biochemistry II. Three credits. Prerequisite: CHEM 5500. The
structure of lipids, amino acids, nucleotides, and nucleic acids and
their metabolism at a molecular level. Emphasis on understand­
ing the chemical basis of biological phenomena. Offered every
spring.
6520 Topics in Biochemistry. Three to six credits. Prerequisite: CHEM
6500 or 6510 or consent of instructor. Selected topics of particular
interest in biochemistry. Offered every other fall.
6530 Biochemical Techniques. Two credits. Prerequisite/corequisite:
CHEM 6500 or 6510 or consent of instructor. Laboratory in
biochemical techniques with emphasis on protein purification,
enzyme kinetics, carbohydrate and lipid analysis, and manipula­
tion of DNA. Offered every spring.
6610 Environmental Soil Chemistry. Three credits. Prerequisite: Work­
ing knowledge of physical and organic chemistry. Fundamental
chemical principles applied to the fate and behavior of organic
and inorganic contaminants in the soil-water environment. Topics
include sorption and redox reactions of contaminants. Offered
every other spring.
6640 Thesis Research. One to six credits per semester. Selection of a
research problem, review of pertinent literature, collection and
analysis of data, and composition of thesis. Once enrolled, student
should register for at least one credit hour of master’s research each
semester until completion. S/U grading. Offered every term.
6720 Topics in Physical Chemistry. Three to six credits. Prerequisite:
CHEM 6300. Advanced theories of, latest literature in, and un­
solved problems of a particular research area in physical chemistry
selected by the professor. Offered every other fall.
6800 Chemistry Seminar. One credit. Required of graduate students
specializing in chemistry. Scientific articles reviewed and reports
on individual research projects presented. Offered every term.
6870 Chemistry Research. Three credits. Original laboratory problem
that will furnish material for a thesis. Offered every fall.
7110 Advanced Topics in Organic Chemistry. Three credits. Prerequi­
site: CHEM 6100. Applications and advanced concepts in physical
organic chemistry, including those used in teaching organic chem­
istry. Topics include classical and modern approaches in physical
organic chemistry including MO theory, conformational analysis,
stereochemistry, reaction mechanisms, structure and solvent ef­
fects, pericyclic reactions, and theories of acidity/basicity. Offered
every other spring.
7200 Advanced Chemical Separations and Chemical Equilibrium.
Three credits. Prerequisite: CHEM 6230 or equivalent including
a course in quantitative chemical analysis. Advances in theories
80 Chemistry
and applications of analytical chemistry for students familiar with
laboratory techniques and chemical instrumentation. Special at­
tention given to chemical equilibrium as it applies to the practice
and teaching of chemical separations. Offered every other fall.
7210 Problems in Modern Chemical Laboratory Procedures. Three
credits. Newly developed laboratory techniques and proce­dures
which the student had not previously had the opportunity to learn.
Offered on sufficient demand.
7220 Independent Study of Instrumental Analysis. Three credits.
Developing skill in using selected sophisticated instruments. Of­
fered on sufficient demand.
7420 Advanced Topics in Inorganic Chemistry. Three credits. Pre­
requisite: CHEM 6400. Applications and advanced concepts of
inorganic chemistry; methods of teaching these concepts. Inor­
ganic materials such as metals, superconductors, zeolites, and
fullerenes; organometallic compounds, halides, hydrides, and
oxides of elements; inorganic reaction mechanisms; bioinorganic
chemistry; electronic states and term symbols. Modern methods of
teaching inorganic content in general chemistry courses. Offered
every other spring.
7510 Advanced Biochemistry. Three credits. Prerequisite: CHEM
6500 or consent of instructor. Advanced subjects in biochemistry
including current techniques in structure/activity relationships
of biomolecules, regulation and control of metabolic pathways,
bioenergetics, enzymology, control of transcription and transla­
tion, regulation of gene expression, and biochemistry of inherited
disease. Offered every other fall.
7640 Dissertation Research. One to six credits. Selection of a research
problem, review of pertinent literature, collection and analysis
of data, and composition of dissertation. Once enrolled, student
should register for at least one credit hour of doctoral research each
semester until completion. S/U grading. Offered every term.
7700 Topics in Theoretical Chemistry. Three to six credits. Bonding,
stereochemistry, empirical and semi-empirical parameters, state
functions, spectroscopic interpretation, and reaction mechanisms.
Offered on sufficient demand.
7710 Topics in Applied Chemistry. Three to six credits. Some impor­tant
and current practical applications. Offered every other spring.
7720 Advanced Topics in Physical Chemistry. Three credits. Prerequi­
site: CHEM 6300. Theoretical basis and application of the principal
methods used for experimental molecular structure determination.
Computational methods of structure prediction and interpreta­
tion of data. Searching and retrieving structural information from
structural databases. Offered every other fall.
7800/7810 Chemistry Internship. Three credits each. Prerequisite:
Permission of department. Admission based on recommendations
and performance in teaching. Offered every term.
7820 Seminar in Chemical Education. One credit. Areas and ideas asso­
ciated with chemical education. Readings from current literature or
seminal texts on given topics which may include the role of laboratory
in chemical education, current research in science education, trends
in chemical education, research techniques in chemical education,
and the historical development of chemistry. Offered online. May be
taken up to three times for credit. Offered every fall.
7900 Teaching and Learning in Chemistry. Three credits. Areas and
ideas associated with chemical education. Readings from the cur­
rent literature or seminal texts on misconceptions in chemistry,
theories of learning, and theories of teaching. Offered summer
only.
7910 Instructional Technology in the Science Classroom. Three cred­
its. Explores concepts and applications associated with the use of
computer- and other technology-based instructional materials in
the science classroom. Readings from current literature or seminal
texts on theoretical issues; practical applications associated with
the use of technology in teaching scientific concepts. Offered
summer only.
Courses in Physical Science [PSCI]
Graduate standing and consent of instructor are prereq­uisites
for graduate courses in physical science.
5030 Experimental Physical Science. Four credits. Basic concepts,
laws, and principles of astronomy, chemistry, geology, and phys­ics
with particular emphasis on the utilization of equipment available
or easily improvised in actual school situations to illus­trate these
concepts, laws, and principles. Offered every term.
5080 Problems in Physical Science. Four credits. A problem from
chemistry, physics, or other physical science appropriate to the
student’s background and interest. Offered on sufficient demand.
May be repeated for a total of eight credits with departmental
approval.
6020 Investigations in Physical Science. One, two, or three credits.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. Topics
from astronomy to chemistry and physics, with special emphasis on
the development of hands-on activities, determination of content
cognitive demand, development of appropriate assessment instru­
ments/implementation plans, and implementation of these across
the pre-college curriculum. For practicing pre-college science
teachers and school administrators. Consult the listed instructor
for costs and specific credits. Does not apply toward chemistry
graduate degrees. Offered on sufficient demand. May be repeated
for a total of six credits with departmental approval.