CHM 113: Fundamentals of Chemistry
Tentative Berea College Spring 2009 Syllabus
Professor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Contacts:
Dr. Matthew Saderholm
303 Science Building
See hours posted on my door
CPO 1996
phone:
ext. 3322 (office)
e-mail:
matthew_saderholm@berea.edu
Website:
http://blackboard.berea.edu
Textbooks:
Essentials of General, Organic, and Biochemistry, 1st ed., by Guinn & Brewer, AND
CHM 113 Lab Manual purchased at Berea College Bookstore
Lecture Schedule: MWF 11:00-11:50 a.m.
Lab Schedule:
F 1:00-2:50 p.m.
Prereqs:
MAT 012, fulfilled or concurrently enrolled
Class Overview
Chemistry is the study of matter, energy, and the interaction between them. Chemistry has been called
the central science, and in many ways this is correct. In this class we will cover the fundamentals of
chemistry and see how these fundamentals can lead to a greater understanding of the structure and
properties of matter. We will also see how these molecules come together to generate living systems.
A tentative schedule of the concepts and chapters covered follows. We will cover all of this book. I will
cover different sections of the book in varying detail—you need to revisit the textbook after class and
complete the required homework in order to succeed. This class will require significant maturity on
your part because I will treat you like the adults that you are. This class will move fast, and you must
keep up. I am relying on you to see me if you have problems! Good lecture notes are essential!!!
Class Aims and Goals
1) Understand the chemical basis of our world by
a) Understanding the basic structure of matter, molecules, and atoms,
b) Appreciating how chemicals react,
c) Learning the simple structures for common types of molecules, and
d) Connecting chemistry to living systems.
2) See how to connect chemistry concepts and calculations through
a) Learning how to convert between different measurements,
b) Learning how to quantify energy, chemicals, and solutions,
c) Learning how to work with gas law calculations, and
d) Learning how to work with acid and buffer calculations.
3) Connect science to your life by
a) Appreciating how everyday processes proceed through chemical reactions,
b) Seeing how many different careers rely on chemistry,
c) Learning the ways in which chemistry is critical for health maintenance, and
d) Seeing how labs can teach you to see the world with a more analytical, scientific approach.
4) Preparing yourself for future endeavors by
a) Improving your ability to take science examinations,
b) Learning to work in collaborative groups,
c) Improving your ability to take standardized multiple choice exams, and
d) Getting a good grade so I am happy to write recommendation letters.
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Attendance Policy
I will stop taking attendance at 11AM. If you are late and wish to be counted present, you will have to
request to be counted present after class. I reserve the write to decline your request if you are
chronically tardy or extremely late. Every unexcused absence more than three will result in a 1/3 letter
grade drop of your final grade. In other words, if you miss one week of class, you will not be penalized.
If you miss two weeks of class, you will lose one letter grade. I rarely excuse absences so don’t miss! I
do not automatically excuse absences for college events or minor sickness. Allowing you to miss one
whole week of classes should accommodate these occurrences.
Grades
There will be weekly labs, chapter quizzes, five exams, and a standardized final.
Grade Scale:
A (100-92%)
A- (91-90%)
B+ (89-88%)
B (87-82%)
B- (82-80%)
C+ (79-78%)
C (77-72%)
C- (71-70%)
Grade Means:
ExcellentVery Good
Very GoodGood
SatisfactoryDeficient
Breakdown of Grades:
Four hour-long exams (12% each)
Quizzes
Group Assignments
Lab notebook
Final exam
D+
D
DF
(69-68%)
(67-62%)
(61-60%)
(59-0%)
DeficientUnacceptable
48%
10%
15%
15%
12%
100%
Hour-long Exams
You will be given a 50-minute-long, in-class exam every four chapters. Exams will have the following
content: ~1/3 multiple choice, ~1/3 calculations, and ~1/3 concept questions. All multiple choice
questions will come from the textbook. Calculation questions will come almost exclusively from end-ofthe-chapter questions. Concepts on exams are drawn almost exclusively from lecture notes. One
sample exam will be posted on Blackboard in order for you to see the format—no more sample exams
will be provided for exams 2-4. There are no makeup tests, but your final exam grade will replace your
lowest exam grade if it will improve your average.
Final Exam
The final exam will be comprised of questions from the ACS (American Chemical Society) standardized
final for General, Organic and Biochemistry. This test is cumulative and good practice for future
standardized exam you will have to take soon.
Quizzes
I will begin each class with a very quick two-question quiz. One question will cover the material from
the previous lecture, and one will cover material from that day’s required readings. Often quiz
questions will be directly from the questions at the end of the chapter. These are to encourage daily
work and not meant to cause undue stress. Assuming we have a quiz on every class day other than the
first day, we should have 30 two-point quizzes. I will normalize the points out of 50, so if you could end
up with 120% if you get all the points on all the quizzes. There are no makeup quizzes for absent or
tardy students.
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Group Work
A class like this can be challenging if you don’t have the right approach. It is difficult to learn how to
study chemistry on your own. Therefore, I am requiring a weekly group assignment. Your study groups
will be self-selected or assigned by the end of the first lab period on February 13th. The group
assignments will be posted to Blackboard every Monday and due in class the following Monday. Your
group must find a common time to meet and work on the assignment together. The assignments are
designed to take less than an hour to complete and emphasize the concepts covered during the week.
One grade will be given per group. Each group member needs to sign the final assignment to certify that
they were present and contributed to the submitted assignment.
Lab Notebook
This is a lab class. Most chemistry classes (including this one) require students to utilize a lab notebook.
Only work recorded correctly in your lab notebook will be graded. There are no makeup labs on the
schedule. If you miss a lab and want to receive credit for it, you must arrange to make it up with the
T.A.s within one week. All labs except the first one must start with the Pre-lab exercise. T.A.s will check
for it before unlocking your drawer. Labs run from 1-3 and can all be completed in less than two hours.
There are no “open” labs for this class. If you take more than two hours, you will either need to
schedule additional time to complete the lab or accept a penalty for failing to complete it within the
allotted time.
Weekly Suggested Work
At the beginning of each chapter, I will suggest homework problems. The tutors will have answer keys.
The questions will be most valuable if you try to work them out before looking at the answers. Do not
assume you have successfully worked the homework unless you can determine the correct answer
without looking at the book or notes. Please seriously consider reviewing your notes within 24 hours of
taking them to help commit the information to memory more effectively.
Comments about Lectures: I try to maintain an interactive classroom. If at any point you feel
unclear about a topic, please let me know. In all likelihood, you are not the only one who could benefit
from clarification. I will use a variety of classroom pedagogical strategies, but will anchor the class on
handouts & chalkboard-delivered lecture notes.
Technology Policy
Unless you obtain prior consent, laptop usage will not be permitted during lectures. Please turn off cell
phone ringers and pagers before entering class. I reserve the right to count you absent from class if you
disrupt lecture with inappropriate technology use or poor behavior. This is a blackboard course. You
should all be enrolled at the beginning of the semester.
Disability Statement
Any student who has a disability that may prevent him/her from fully demonstrating his/her abilities
should contact Carol Barnett, PhD, LCSW, the Disability Services Coordinator at (859) 985-3212 to
discuss accommodations necessary to ensure his/her full participation in this course.
College-wide Instructor Evaluation Questionnaire Statement
Students in all classes will be asked to complete the campus-wide Instructor Evaluation Questionnaire at
the end of the semester. I request /ncourage/expect that you participate in this evaluation process.
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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF MATERIAL
Class #
1
2
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
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Date
2/11/2009
2/13/2009
2/16/2009
2/18/2009
2/20/2009
2/23/2009
2/25/2009
2/27/2009
3/2/2009
3/4/2009
3/6/2009
3/9/2009
3/11/2009
3/13/2009
3/16/2009
3/18/2009
3/20/2009
3/23/2009
3/25/2009
3/27/2009
4/6/2009
4/8/2009
4/13/2009
4/15/2009
4/17/2009
4/20/2009
4/22/2009
4/24/2009
4/27/2009
4/29/2009
5/1/2009
5/4/2009
5/6/2009
5/8/2009
5/11/2009
5/13/2009
5/19/2009
Topic
Measurements
Atoms and the Periodic Table
Atoms and the Periodic Table
Ionic & Covalent Compounds
Molecular Mass
Shapes of Molecules
Molecular Interactions
States of Matter
Gases & Pressure
Test 1
Mixtures & Solutions
Osmosis & Dialysis
Saturated Hydrocarbons
Unsaturated Hydrocarbons
Oxygen Functional Groups
Nitrogen & Phosphorus Functional Groups
Chemical Reactions & Energy
Kinetics
Test 2
Acids & Bases
pH & Buffers
Biochemical Reactions Part I
Biochemical Reactions Part II
Amino Acids & Peptides
Proteins
Carbohydrate Structure
Carbohydrate Function
Test 3
Lipids
Membranes
Metabolism: Glycolysis & TCA
Metabolism: Electron Transport & Ox Phos
Nucleic Acids & Replication
Transcription & Translation
Nuclear Chemistry & Medicine
Test 4
1-3PM: CHM 113 Final Exam
Readings
1.1
1.2-1.4
1.2-1.4
2.1-2.2
2.3-2.5
3.1
3.2-3.3
4.1-4.2
4.3-4.4
5.1-5.2
5.3-5.4
6.1-6.3
6.4-6.6
7.1-7.2
7.3-7.4
8.1-8.2
8.3
9.1
9.2-9.3
10.1-10.2
10.3-10.5
11.1-11.3
11.3-11.5
12.1-12.2
12.3-12.4
13.1-13.3
13.3-13.5
14.1-14.2
14.3-14.4
15.1-15.2
15.2-15.3
16
Cumulative
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A Few Notes about CHM 113 Lab
The Schedule:
Date
2/13/2009
2/20/2009
2/27/2009
3/6/2009
3/13/2009
3/20/2009
3/27/2009
4/17/2009
4/24/2009
5/1/2009
5/8/2009
Lab Topic
Check In, Density
Check In, Density
Molecular Structure
Gas Laws
Dialysis & Filtration
Ester Synthesis
Rates of Reactions
Acids & Bases
Enzymes
Soap
Checkout, Review for Final
SPECIFIC LAB COMMENTS:





You need to purchase a lab manual from the book store. The manual is produced by me to
minimize your costs—please bring it to each lab.
Other than for the first lab, there will be no prelab lectures. We will still always gather in room
306 before beginning.
You are required to prepare a prelab for each lab. These prelab assignments must be
completed before you can begin the experiment. Once your notebook has been checked, you
may come straight to lab and get started. This does mean you will need to rely on your own
reading abilities to navigate labs. The TAs and I will be glad to help you as long as you have
clearly made an effort to understand the instructions before coming to lab.
You may work with a partner of your choosing for labs. Some labs may require larger groups of
students to work together.
For the labs marked with a  symbol, you or your partner will need to bring a laptop loaded
with the LoggerPro software. We will collect experimental data directly on your laptops. Be
sure to load the software in advance!
ITEMS ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED FOR EACH LAB:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
YOUR LAB NOTEBOOK (BOUND COMPOSITION BOOK)
COMPLETED PRE-LAB ASSIGNMENT IN LAB NOTEBOOK
YOUR LAB MANUAL
WATERPROOF (BALLPOINT WORKS FINE) PEN
SAFETY GLASSES/GOGGLES*
SAFETY APRON*
CLOSED SHOES (E.I., NO SANDALS)
LONG PANTS/SKIRT (I’m no prude, but no skin above the knees, please)
*We do have used goggles & aprons you can borrow if you forget yours.
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