Proposal to Reform CHEM 1211K in Fall 2005
Sharmistha Basu-Dutt, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry encompasses a wide array of phenomena. Diverse chemical phenomena are
systematically studied using the concepts of structure, energetics, kinetics and equilibria.
While the first two concepts are a central theme in Principles of Chemistry I (CHEM 1211 K),
the last two concepts are of greater importance in Principles of Chemistry II (CHEM 1212K).
Topics covered in CHEM 1211K include atomic structure, stiochiometry, thermochemistry
and gas laws. Topics covered in CHEM 1212K include intermolecular forces, properties of
solutions, chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, chemical thermodynamics and
electrochemistry. During the sequence, the students also learn to apply the scientific method
in laboratory activities, collect and analyze scientific data and formulate appropriate
conclusions from data analyses and communicate their findings.
Several sections of CHEM 1211K and 1212K are offered every semester in an
integrated lecture-lab Studio setting with 64 students in each section. Students attend class
two days a week for 2 ¼ hours per class meeting. Outside the classroom, the students attend a
mandatory 2 hour peer-led workshop per week. Although course evaluations show that most
students are happy with the content of the course and agree that the lectures, laboratory
activities and workshops help them understand the basic principles of chemistry, two issues
that keep reappearing every semester include: (i) non-chemistry majors (such as Physics,
Computer Science, pre-engineering) finding the course useless and irrelevant to their careers
and lives, (ii) laboratories not being synchronized with the lectures.
This proposal is aimed at reforming CHEM 1211K to overcome the current problems
in the general chemistry sequence. The reform will include incorporating an inquiry based
laboratory experience involving real life situations based on experiments in the book
“Working with Chemistry: A Laboratory Inquiry Program” by Donald Wink, Sharon Fetzer
and Julie Kuehn (W.H. Freeman Publishers). The PI had attended a NSF sponsored workshop
at the University of Illinois at Chicago in July 2004 and has performed most of the
experiments that will be used in this course. Some of the inquiry based experiments from the
book will be used in CHEM 1212K in Spring 2005.
In order to keep uniformity between this reformed course and the other sections,
content of the course will not be modified. The topics and shorter lab activities will be the
same in all sections of CHEM 1211K taught in Fall 2005. These will help students to build
skills and concepts that will be used in four inquiry based experiments.
The inquiry based laboratories chosen for CHEM 1211K will be:
1)
Measurements of Chemical Ratios: Float an egg
In this experiment, students will determine the density of a salt solution needed to
just float an egg. They will use different types of volume measuring apparatus
such as a volumetric flask, Mohr pipet, volumetric pipet or buret to compare the
value of density and predict the accuracy of the measuring device. The density of
the salt solution will allow students to indirectly determine the density of eggs that
are used in the food industry to measure the freshness of eggs.
2)
Mass Stoichiometry: Gravimetric analysis of phosphorous
In this experiment, students will determine the amount of phosphorous present in a
fertilizer. They will compare their results with the ingredients listed on the
fertilizer bottle label to determine if the chemical manufacturer has overformulated their products. Since fertilizers are water soluble salts, the phosphorous
will need to be separated from the salt using a chemical reaction. The students
will use concepts in stiochiometry to predict the limiting reactant, the excess
reactant and the yield of the reaction. They will also use separation techniques
such as filtration in this experiment.
3)
Thermochemistry: Designing a fireproof safe
In this experiment, students will learn how to determine the heat capacity of a
metal and several filler materials such as cork, concrete and glass beads. They will
then use this physical property and concepts in thermodynamics to build an
optimally designed and cost effective fire-proof safe. They will then predict the
types of materials used by architects and civil engineers in building construction
and will predict any structural problems that the World Trade Center may have had
that led to the tower’s collapse.
4)
Gas laws and Kinetics: Hydrogen gas for potential use in a fuel cell.
In this experiment students will design an apparatus for the collection of hydrogen
gas by electrolyzing water using a solar panel and its potential use in fuel cells.
Gas laws will be investigated and the kinetics of decomposition of water will be
studied as a function of the angle of incident radiation for the solar panel. The
experiment will allow students to analyze the cost and efficiency of fuel cells as a
clean energy source in the near future.
It is hoped that the diverse nature of these four inquiry based laboratories will be appealing to
students from any SMET major and help them realize the importance of chemistry in the real
world and in their professions. Also, these four experiments will supplement all the major
topics discussed during the semester and will eliminate the problem of discon tinuity between
lecture and the laboratory. The inquiry based learning approach will also help the students to
develop advanced analytical skills that will be very helpful for all SMET majors.
Inquiry based laboratories are time intensive and require students to assume a lot of
responsibility for their learning. In order to ensure success in inquiry based learning, a
balance will need to be struck between the information provided to students and fostering of
independent thinking.
Three weeks in summer will be used to test all the experiments
proposed and to develop strategies to successfully complete the experiments. I am hoping to
have a freshmen student (who has recently completed the sequence) perform the experiments
in summer as part of an Independent Study.
At least four sections of CHEM 1211K will be offered in Fall 2005. The chair of the
Chemistry department has agreed to let me teach a reformed section of CHEM 1211K in
Spring 2005. (Please see attached schedule with chair’s initials)
Stipend from this proposal will be used 100% as summer salary.