COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES, UIC
CHEM 421, Instrumental Analysis, 3&4 CREDIT HOURS
I. Instructor & Course Details
Instructor: Igor Bolotin
Email address: bolotin@uic.edu
Drop-In Office Hours (virtual): by appointment
Drop-In Hours location: 5224SES
Co-Instructor/TA names: Reyhaneh Shavandi (T), Sayandeb Mukherjee (W)
Email address: sshava2@uic.edu; smukhe35@uic.edu
Section designation(s): SEL, rooms 2009-2013, TW 8:00 AM - 10:50 AM
Drop-In Office Hours (in-person or virtual): TBA
Drop-In Hours location: TBA
Blackboard Course Site CHEM 421 Instrumental Analysis (43620, 43622) Fall 2023
This course is taught ON CAMPUS.
Lectures/discussions:
-
TR, 11:00-11:50 AM,
-
170 SES2
Labs/Independent projects:
-
TW, 8:00-10:50 AM,
-
2011/2013 SEL
II. Course Information
A survey of contemporary instrumentation for chemical analysis. Emphasis on fundamentals of
instrumental methods with actual experience on typical equipment. Includes a weekly three-hour
laboratory. To be properly registered, students must enroll in one Laboratory and one LectureDiscussion.
Prerequisite(s): Grade of C or better in CHEM222; or Grade of C or better in CHEM118.
At the conclusion of this course students should be able to understand the fundamental aspects of
instrumental construction and operation. Students should be able to identify the applicability of
major instrumental techniques at answering chemical questions.
Textbook: Undergraduate Instrumental Analysis, 8th Edition: T.J. Bruno, J.W. Robinson, G.M.
Frame II, and E.M.S. Frame (CRC Press, 2023), or 7th Edition: J.W. Robinson, E.M.S. Frame, and
G.M. Frame II (CRC Press, 2014)
In addition to the required text, handouts and the primary literature will be used. Supplemental
readings will be provided via Blackboard during the semester. A calculator should be available
for use at all times. Cellular phones are not permitted and may not be used as a calculator.
The Lab Notebook: Scientists keep careful records of their experiments. This includes
observations, data, and comments on what worked and what didn't work. For this course, you must
purchase and use a bound laboratory notebook (i.e., a composition book) and organize it in such a
way that anyone could easily follow your progress through the assigned experiments.
Respect for Copyright
Please protect the copyright integrity of all course materials and content. Please do not upload
course materials not created by you onto third-party websites or share content with anyone not
enrolled in our course.
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III. COURSE POLICIES & CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS
Grading Policy and Point Breakdown
The course grading scheme is described below. Exam dates and grading scheme are subject to
change, but any such changes will be discussed in class before implementation.
50 points – 11 Class Problem Sets/ Homework assignments
(late assignments not accepted)
50 points – 10 Blackboard Video assignments (no credit for late completion)
100 points – Midterm Exam, Thursday 10/12 (in class)
350 points – Laboratory (6 lab reports) & IEP
-
6 Experiments @ 25 pts/each
-
6 Pre-lab quizzes @ 5 pts/each
-
IEP Proposal @ 50 points
-
IEP Presentation @ 100 points
-
Student’s lab performance evaluation by TA @ 20 points
-
Written IEP Report for 4 credit hour students @ 50 points
150 points – Final Exam, 2 hours*
50 points – IEP Written Report (4 credit enrollees only)
10-15 points – Assignments with Bonus Points**
TOTAL 700 points (3 credit enrollee)/ 750 points (4 credit enrollee)
*You will not be excused from the final exam. Any rescheduling will use UIC rules for exam conflicts.
** Bonus Point is subject to change at any time for any reason. Correction in time and content will be announced at
the blackboard
There is no curve for this course. Your final letter grade is determined directly from your total
score for the semester. I may relax this grading standard with bonus assignments, but I will not
make it more difficult than cited below! Your final grade in this class is a simple average using
the following weights:
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Policy for Missed or Late Work:
Missed assignments, exams, and labs will be given zeros unless I excuse you personally. Lab
reports are due by the beginning of the lab period one week after your last scheduled rotation day.
Late lab reports will be subject to a 10-point deduction for each day that they are late. Furthermore,
all labs must be turned in by the last day of classes, or you will not receive a passing grade in the
course. There will be no exceptions to this late policy.
Attendance / Participation Policy:
Students are expected to attend all the lectures and labs and will receive a lower or failing course
grade for missing more than one lab and four lectures.
Please email me or TAs if you face an unexpected situation that may impede your attendance,
participation in required class and exam sessions, or timely completion of assignments.
Academic Integrity
As a student and member of the UIC community, you are expected to adhere to the Community
Standards of academic integrity, accountability, and respect. Please review the UIC Student
Disciplinary Policy for additional information.
Email Expectations
Students are responsible for all information instructors send to your UIC email and Blackboard
accounts. Faculty messages should be regularly monitored and read in a timely fashion.
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IV. COURSE SCHEDULE
Tentative Lectures/Assignments due Schedule:
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Lect.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Date
Topic/Book Chapter(a)
22 - Aug
24 - Aug
29 - Aug
31 - Aug
5 - Sept
7 - Sept
12 - Sept
14 - Sept
19 - Sept
21 - Sept
26 - Sept
28 - Sept
3 - Oct
5 - Oct
10 - Oct
12 - Oct
17 - Oct
19 - Oct
24 - Oct
26 - Oct
31 - Oct
2 - Nov
7 - Nov
9 - Nov
14 - Nov
16 - Nov
21 - Nov
23 - Nov
28 - Nov
30 - Nov
4 - Dec
Concepts of Instrumental Analysis, Chapter 1
HW
LabRep
Tests
Continued
Introduction to Spectroscopy, Chapter 2
Continued
#1, #2
HW1
Infrared Spectroscopy, Chapter 4
Continued
NMR Spectroscopy, Chapter 3
Continued
HW2
Visible and Ultraviolet Molecular Spectroscopy, Chapter 5
Continued
HW3
#1
#2
Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, Chapter 6
#5
Continued
HW4
Atomic Emission Spectrometry, Chapter 7
Continued
HW5
X-ray Spectrometry, Chapter 8
#3;
IEP (prop)
#4
Midterm Exam
Mass Spectrometry: Chapter 9
#6
Continued
HW6
Mass Spectrometry: Spectral Interpretation, Chapter 10
Continued
HW7
Principles of Chromatography, Chapter 11
Continued
#3, #4
HW8
#5
#6
#7
Gas Chromatography, Chapter 12
Chromatography with Liquid Mobile Phases, Chapter 13
HW9
Surface Analysis, Chapter 14
Continued
HW10
#8, #9
Electroanalytical Chemistry, Chapter 15
Thanksgiving Holiday. No Classes
Electroanalytical Chemistry, Chapter 15 (Continued)
Review for Final
FINAL EXAM
HW11
IEP
#10
(a)
This plan is subject to change at any time for any reason. Correction in the schedule, time and content of Quizzes
& Homeworks will be announced at the blackboard.
(b)
Content or cancellation will be announced at the blackboard.
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The lab portion of Chemistry 421 consists of a rotation session in which there are 6 labs and one
Independent project, for which students are paired into groups of two or three (one as exception).
Each experiment must be completed in the one period allotted for each rotation.
Lab Rotation Schedule
Gr#
10/3
10/10
10/17
10/24
10/31
11/711/21
1T
Intro
Sol’n
HPLC
AA
Sol’n
CV
GCMS
Sol’n
FTIR
FL
(IEP)
IEP
2T
Intro
Sol’n
AA
FL
Sol’n
HPLC
CV
Sol’n
GCMS
FTIR
(IEP)
IEP
3W
Intro
Sol’n
FL
AA
Sol’n
GCMS
CV
Sol’n
FTIR
HPLC
(IEP)
IEP
4W
Intro
Sol’n
FTIR
HPLC
Sol’n
AA
FL
Sol’n
CV
GCMS
(IEP)
IEP
5W
Intro
Sol’n
AA
FTIR
Sol’n
FL
HPLC
Sol’n
GCMS
CV
(IEP)
IEP
6W
Intro
Sol’n
HPLC
FL
Sol’n
CV
GCMS
Sol’n
AA
FTIR
(IEP)
IEP
IEP labs will start the week of October 31 and continue to the week of November 21 which will
also be checkout.
Codes for the individual experiments are:
Gr#
CV
FL
AA
HPLC
FTIR
GCMS
IEP
Sol’n
solution preparation
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V. ACCOMMODATIONS
Disability Accommodation Procedures
UIC is committed to full inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of
university life. If you face or anticipate disability-related barriers while at UIC, please connect
with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at drc.uic.edu, via email at drc@uic.edu, or call (312)
413-2183 to create a plan for reasonable accommodations. To receive accommodations, you will
need to disclose the disability to the DRC, complete an interactive registration process with the
DRC, and provide me with a Letter of Accommodation (LOA). Upon receipt of an LOA, I will
gladly work with you and the DRC to implement approved accommodations.
Religious Accommodations
Following campus policy, if you wish to observe religious holidays, you must notify me by the
tenth day of the semester. If the religious holiday is observed on or before the tenth day of the
semester, you must notify me at least five days before you will be absent. Please submit this
form by email with the subject heading: “YOUR NAME: Requesting Religious
Accommodation.”
VI. CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT
Inclusive Community
UIC values diversity and inclusion. Regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, race, gender, gender
identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geographic background, religion, political
ideology, language, or culture, we expect all members of this class to contribute to a respectful,
welcoming, and inclusive environment for every other member of our class. If aspects of this
course result in barriers to your inclusion, engagement, accurate assessment, or achievement,
please notify me as soon as possible.
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Community Agreement/Classroom Conduct Policy
Conduct:
Students are expected to abide by the UIC Standards and Conduct, academic dishonesty will not
be tolerated. As an academic community, UIC is committed to providing an environment in which
research, learning, and scholarship can flourish and in which all endeavors are guided by academic
and professional integrity. All members of the campus community—students, staff, faculty, and
administrators—share the responsibility of insuring that these standards are upheld so that such an
environment exists. Instances of academic misconduct by students will be handled pursuant to the
Student Disciplinary Policy.
UIC is committed to the most fundamental principles of academic freedom, equality of
opportunity, and human dignity involving students and employees. Students are encouraged to
study the University’s "Nondiscrimination Statement" Students are also urged to read the
document "Public Formal Grievance Procedures" Information on these policies and procedures is
available on the University web pages of the Office of Access and Equity: http://oae.uic.edu/
General Rules for Laboratory Work and Behavior:
You must provide and wear safety goggles at all times while in the lab as well as a laboratory coat.
There are no exceptions. Notify the TA immediately about problems with equipment and about
shortages of any materials relevant to your experiment. Many items used by this class must be
ordered. Running out of these supplies may cause experiments to be unavailable for up to one
week. Also, you must check out with the TA before going to the next experiment.
No cell phones are allowed in the laboratory area. Also, remove your gloves prior to computer
use. All glassware must be washed at the end of each class. It may be then left on the drying racks
to dry. It is the responsibility of each section to put away all dry glassware to their proper
storage areas at the beginning of each class. You should never leave dirty glassware by the sinks.
If you find any please wash it and place on the rack.
Never eat, drink, or bring food into the lab. Once samples are brought into the lab they are
considered chemicals and will be treated accordingly.
Visitors are not allowed inside the classroom or laboratory without permission of the instructor.
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Plagiarism is against UIC's academic policy and will not be tolerated. A general definition of
plagiarism is the appropriation of passages, either word for word or in substance, from the writing
of another and the incorporation of those passages as one’s own in written work offered for credit.
This includes direct quotation of whole sections of textbooks or web pages and copying of lab
reports of other students. Downloading prewritten lab reports from the internet (either for free or
purchased) is plagiarism. Note that the TAs have access to old lab reports from students who
previously enrolled in Chem 421.
VII. RESOURCES: Academic Success, Wellness, and Safety
We all need the help and the support of our UIC community. Please visit my drop-in hours for
course consultation and other academic or research topics. For additional assistance, please
contact your assigned college advisor and visit the support services available to all UIC students.
Academic Success
UIC Tutoring Resources
UIC Library and UIC Library Research Guides.
Offices supporting the UIC Undergraduate Experience and Academic Programs.
Student Guide for Information Technology
First-at-LAS Academic Success Program, focusing on LAS first-generation students.
Wellness
Counseling Services: You may seek free and confidential services from the Counseling
Center at https://counseling.uic.edu/.
Access U&I Care Program for assistance with personal hardships.
Campus Advocacy Network: Under Title IX, you have the right to an education free
from any form of gender-based violence or discrimination. To make a report, email
TitleIX@uic.edu. For more information or confidential victim services and advocacy,
visit UIC’s Campus Advocacy Network at http://can.uic.edu/.
Safety
UIC Safe App—PLEASE DOWNLOAD FOR YOUR SAFETY!
UIC Safety Tips and Resources
Night Ride
Emergency Communications: By dialing 5-5555 from a campus phone, you can summon
the Police or Fire for any on-campus emergency. You may also set up the complete
number, (312) 355-5555, on speed dial on your cell phone.
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