Chemistry 110: Chemistry and Society
Spring 2010 section 01
Lecture MWThF, 9:00-9:50am, SAM 0401
Laboratory T, 9:00am-10:50am, SAM 0403
Instructor
Dr. Erin M. Gibbons
Office: SAM 421
Telephone: (206) 516-3129*
Email: egibbons@sccd.ctc.edu
Website: http://sites.google.com/site/chem110sccc/
Office Hours:
M 10 – 10:30 am
W 10:45 – 11:30 am; other times by appointment
Email is the most reliable way to contact me. Phone calls during office hours only:
* please do not leave a message; send an email instead.
Course Description
Stresses a humanistic approach to chemistry and de-emphasizes mathematical problem solving. Reveals
chemical principles, facts and theories through practical applications, computer graphic illustrations and
experiments. Includes lab.
Textbooks
 Tro, Nivaldo. (2009) Chemistry in Focus: A Molecular View of our World, 4th edition.
 CHE 110 Laboratory Manual, for sale at SCCC Copy Center (3rd floor, main building)
Note: The science & math tutor center (SAM 100), the SAM 4th floor study areas,
and the SCCC library have other textbooks for different perspectives on a given topic.
Other required materials
 A scientific calculator that does logarithms, exponents, and scientific notation.
 A bound composition book for laboratory work; page numbers required and may be written
by hand, in pen, in advance.
Evaluation and Grading
Report/Presentation
Exams (3 x 10%)
Labs
Quizzes (drop 1)
Participation
20%
30%
30%
15%
5%
Your final grade will depend on the percentage of total points earned during the quarter. 95% and above =
4.0; 90% = 3.5; 85% = 3.0; 80% = 2.5; 75% = 2.0; 70% = 1.5; 65% = 1.0; 59% = 0.7; <59% = 0.0.
Homework
Working through problems is the best way to understand chemistry. There will be one homework
assignment per week, which should generally be done within a week from the day assigned. Note that
answers to selected problems are in the back of the book. Answer keys will be available after the
homework is collected; it is your responsibility to check your answers against the key. The more problems
you do, the more likely you are to succeed in this course; working additional problems beyond those
assigned is highly recommended.
Labs
The laboratory is a mandatory part of the course. The class will be split into two groups that will alternate
weeks in the lab. You may spend your “off” week as you wish. No make-up labs will be allowed. Each
experiment requires a pre-lab assignment and a final report, in addition to the lab itself. Completed reports
will be due one week after the completion of the lab (Tuesday in class). More detailed guidelines are given
on page 3 of the syllabus.
Exams
Three 50-minute midterm exams will be given over the course of the quarter; see the schedule for tentative
dates. Bring your calculator; no other materials or notes will be permitted. A copy of the periodic table
will be provided as needed. Any student caught cheating will receive no credit for that exam. If you can’t
make an exam as scheduled, you must contact me before the exam takes place to arrange a make-up.
Make-ups will only be considered if documented reasons for the absence are presented.
Group Research Paper/Presentation
Students will work in groups of 2 or 3 students to prepare a short research paper and an accompanying inclass presentation on a chemistry topic of their choice. Topic selection and a presentation outline will be
due on the dates shown in the course outline. The paper should be 3-4 pages in length, and submitted on
the date of the 15-minute presentation. More detailed guidelines for each are given on page 4 of the
syllabus.
Participation
Your participation score is based on attendance and effort displayed during the class. Participation in
individual and group in-class exercises is expected.
Tentative Course Schedule (changes will be announced in class)
Week
Dates
Chapters
covered
1
Labs (Tuesday)
Introduction and lab safety
1
April 5 - 9
2
April 12 – 16
2
Lab 1: Density (Group A)
3
April 19 – 23
3
Lab 1: Density (Group B)
4
April 26 - 30
4
Lab 2: Covalent and Ionic Compounds (A)
5
May 3 - 7
4/5
Lab 2: Covalent and Ionic Compounds (B)
6
May 10 – 14
5
Lab 3: Preparation of Soap (A)
7
May 17 – 21
no class M,Th
May 24 - 28
12
Lab 3: Preparation of Soap (B)
12/13
Lab 4: pH Measurements (A)
13
No Lab
7
Lab 4: pH Measurements (B)
Group
Presentations
No Lab
8
10
June 1 – 4
(no class Mon)
June 7 - 11
11
June 14 – 17
9
Exam 1 Monday Apr. 26
Group Research topic due
Friday Apr. 30
Group Presentation
Outline due Friday May 7
Exam 2 Fri. May 14
Rough Draft Due Friday
Exam 3 Thurs. June 10
Presentations Friday
Course accommodation: If you have any special circumstances requiring course accommodation, please see
me as soon as possible so that we can make suitable arrangements in advance. In this course(as in all
courses at Seattle Central) all students will be granted an equal opportunity to learn and succeed, regardless
of race, class, gender, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, sexual orientation or physical disability. If you
have any concerns pertaining to these issues, please feel free to speak to the instructor or department dean.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is designed to ensure that students with disabilities have an
equal opportunity to access academic programs and successfully complete their studies. Any student
with special needs must bring documentation to the Disability Support Services office on the campus
before any academic adjustments will be made. Any contacts and/or information will remain strictly
confidential. The DSS office is in room BE 1112. The office phone number is 587-4183.
Academic Honesty: Do not cheat and/or plagiarize in this class! I take these offenses to academic
honesty very seriously. These offenses disrupt the learning environment, corrupt a perpetrator’s ability to
learn, and can lead to exclusion of a perpetrator from the academic community. If you feel the need to
cheat or plagiarize to get by “just this once”, it is not worth it. Please, seek me out should academic
dishonesty tempt you. Help is always there. Anyone observed or involved in cheating or plagiarizing or
anyone helping someone to cheat or plagiarize on an exam, quiz, pre-lab, lab report, post-lab, or homework
assignment will receive a zero for that assignment and risks failing the course and expulsion from the
college. I urge you to obtain a student handbook and review the school’s policy concerning academic
honesty. Click here to read a plagiarism article. Click here to see some plagiarism examples.
Conduct: By our presence here all of us have entered into a contract. I will, to the best of my ability, act to
facilitate a productive learning environment and I expect that you will, to the best of your ability, help me
to maintain this environment and master the principles of the discipline presented in this course. To this
end we will receive each other’s ideas with respect. Rudeness, tardiness, chatter during lecture, and
disrespect make learning difficult and will not be tolerated. This also applies to cellular phones and
beepers; turn these devices off during our class. Please ask questions by raising your hand and I will call on
you. If you must leave before class ends, please tell me prior to the start of class that you will be exiting
and take your seat towards the back of the lecture room. You are responsible for all announcements,
lecture notes, assignments, and handouts. No food may be eaten in the classrooms. Drinks with lids are
permitted.
Non-traditional grading options: "I" (incomplete); "N" (Audit), "NC" (No Credit), and "W" (Official
Withdrawal). Non-traditional grades might not be acceptable when evaluated by other institutions and
agencies, and may jeopardize future educational opportunities and/or your current or future visa or financial
aid status. For more details concerning these options refer to the latest district catalogue. I will not grant a
grade of "NC" after completing the 10th week of the quarter. A student who changes his/her grade to "N"
and wishes to receive that grade must maintain daily class attendance and participate.
Important dates: Last day to add/register: April 16.
Last day to withdraw without a "W" appearing on transcript and without instructor permission: April 23
Last day to withdraw (no refund) or change audit/credit status; instructor permission required: May 28
Laboratory Work
Before each lab session, read the experiment carefully and completely. You must prepare a pre-lab (title
and purpose) that will be checked for completion before the beginning of the experiment. This should be
done in pen, in your lab notebook. Your pre-lab must be initialed by the instructor prior to beginning lab
work.
Notebooks must be bound and page numbered. All Laboratory work and data must be written in the
notebook, in pen. Leave the first two pages blank, for the Table of Contents. The table of contents must
have a title, and a line for each experiment performed along with the page number on which it begins.
Write the Title, Date, Purpose, and all formal laboratory work on the right-hand side of the book. Save the
left hand side for notes and scratch work. All work must be done in the notebook, in pen. Before lab, copy
data tables from the lab manual you purchased into your lab notebook as part of your pre-lab work. The
notebook will be graded at the end of the quarter. Lab Reports will be turned in after each experiment.
Each experiment should include:






Title, Name, Date
Purpose - The purpose is a 2-3 sentence summary of what you hope to accomplish in lab (your
own words!).
Overview of procedure (options)
Data – Data Tables from lab manual, and other observations or notes from lab
Results and Discussion – Restate main results, answer questions from the lab manual
Conclusion -- A short paragraph summarizing the experiment, including a discussion of your
results and a conclusion. How successful was your experiment? Did you accomplish your
purpose? How? What problems or sources of error did you encounter during the experiment?
The completed laboratory reports, to be turned in one week after the completion of the lab (Tuesday in
class), should consist of the following four parts:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Title, purpose (from pre-lab)
Data sheet(s) from the lab manual
Answers to the questions in the lab manual
A short paragraph summarizing the experiment, including a discussion of your results and a
conclusion. How successful was your experiment? Did you accomplish your purpose?
How? What problems or sources of error did you encounter during the experiment?
Guidelines for Group Research Paper/Presentation
See Schedule for due dates throughout the quarter!
Topic:
Pick something that interests you. Almost everything relates to chemistry in some way. The textbook
abounds with snapshots of “Chemistry in the Real World;” if it’s touched on in the text, it’s fair game for a
topic. Possible ideas—pollution (of drinking water, air, soil, etc; focus in on one specific thing); food
additives (flavorings, trans fats, MSG, caffeine); drugs (pick one specific, or a specific class); biodiesel;
nuclear chemistry; alcohol (history, the making of, one particular type); batteries; snowflakes; gemstones;
photography; plastics; polymers; soap; chocolate. What are you interested in outside of chemistry? Start
with that, if you are having trouble finding a topic, and try to connect a part of it to chemistry.
Oral Presentation:
Your presentation should be about 15 minutes in length, including a few minutes for questions at the end.
Two visual aids (minimum) are required, which may include a transparency, demonstration, poster, picture,
brief in-class exercise, PowerPoint presentation (counts as both), etc., in addition to any notes written on
the chalkboard or overhead as you talk.
Research Paper Content and Specifications:
Length—3-4 pages, typed and double-spaced, 10-12 point font size and margins no greater than 1.25” on
any side.
Style—up to you, I’m not expecting a formal scientific paper! I do expect you to use proper English
spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Sources—a minimum of four sources are required, at least two of which must be
non-Internet sources. Newspapers and other sources that are published both on and off the Internet
may be considered non-Internet sources. The scientific journals Science, Nature, and Scientific
American may be helpful. Credit sources both within the body of the paper and at the paper’s end in a
Reference List.
A comprehensive web resource for writing, sponsored by the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) can be
found at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/sitemap.html.
Directly copying text from another source without proper reference is plagiarism and is
unacceptable. Any paper with plagiarized text will be given a zero. Present information in your own
words; use quotation marks for direct quotes. Paper is due at the time of your group’s presentation.
Chemistry 110 Schedule Spring 2010 (tentative; subject to change)
CHE 110: Chemistry and Society
Name
Name you’d like to be called (if different)
Why are you taking Chemistry 110? What do you hope to get out of the class (besides a
certain grade)?
What other math and science classes have you taken? Is this your first chemistry course?
What do you think will be the most difficult part of this course?
Is there anything else you think it is important that I know about you?