CHEMISTRY 1A
Green Sheet
5 units
GENERAL CHEMISTRY
Prerequisites: (Chem. 25 or passing on the Chem. Placement Exam) and Math 105
Instructor: Mr. Jimmy Li
Lij@SMCCD.edu lijimmy@fhda.edu
Office:
Office Hours:T1130-1200pm
Th 930- 1000am.
Course Description:
Fundamental chemical principles; the components of matter; quantitative chemical
analysis and stoichiometry; chemical reaction types and solution chemistry; gas laws;
thermochemistry; quantum theory; electron configurations; chemical bonding models.
The lab is an introduction to the basic methods of chemical experimentation with a
strong emphasis on quantitative chemistry.
Required Materials:
1. Brown, LeMay and Bursten, Chemistry: The Central Science 11th ed., Prentice
Hall (Includes Media Package Option 1, Math Review Toolkit, Student Lecture
Notebook and Student’s Guide). Available at the bookstore. To be used for
three quarters.
2. Laboratory Packet of Experiments and Exercises for Chemistry 1A. Available
Online Only www. Foothill.edu/psme/daley
3. Scientific Calculator.
4. SAFETY GLASSES or GOGGLES are REQUIRED in LAB at ALL TIMES!
Available at the bookstore.
Optional Materials:
1. Roxy Wilson, Chemistry: The Central Science Solutions to Red Exercises.,
Prentice Hall. Available at the bookstore.
2. Old clothes for lab.
Grading:
Grading will be based upon two midterm exams, a comprehensive final, and
laboratory work. When computing course grades, each student’s overall percentage
will be determined from the following:
Two Exams
Lab
Final Exam
40% (20% fro each midterm)
30%
25%
Letter grades will be assigned on a percentage scale:
A: ≥ 90 %
C+: ≥ 70%
A–: ≥ 88 %
C: ≥ 65 %
B+: ≥ 84 %
D+: ≥ 61 %
B: ≥ 80 %
D: ≥ 55 %
B–: ≥ 75%
D–: ≥ 52 %
Plus/minus grades will be assigned as part of a study at Foothill to determine the impact
of +/– grading on student GPA's.
If you fail the either the lecture or laboratory section of the course you
cannot receive a passing grade.
LECTURE CONTENT:
Text Coverage
chapter 1
all sections
chapter 2
all sections
chapter 3
all sections
chapter 4
all sections
chapter 5
all sections except
pages 183-184
chapter 6
all sections
chapter 7
all sections
chapter 8
all sections
chapter 9
all sections except 9.7
and 9.8
Key Concepts
classification of matter
significant figures
dimensional analysis
atomic structure
atomic mass
nomenclature
the mole
stoichiometry
limiting reactant
classification of reactions
net-ionic equations
molarity
enthalpy
calorimetry
Hess’s law
quantum mechanics
orbitals
electron configurations
effective nuclear charge
periodic trends
main-group chemistry
ionic and covalent bonds
electronegativity
Lewis structures
molecular shapes
molecular polarity
hybrid orbitals
Recommended Text Problems
1, 4, 8, 17, 19, 29, 33, 35, 39, 43, 49, 53, 61,
64, 73, 81
4, 19, 21, 25, 27, 29b, 35a, 39abcd, 49, 51,
57, 65, 67, 69, 71, 102
1, 3, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 33, 37, 39, 43, 47,
49c, 51, 57, 61, 63c, 67, 71, 73, 77, 79, 81,
101, 103
1, 3, 5, 7, 19, 21, 25, 31, 37, 39, 41b, 49, 51,
55, 57, 59, 63, 67, 69, 73, 77, 83, 87, 92, 94,
104, 106, 109
6, 17, 23, 25, 27, 31, 35, 37, 39, 41, 45abd,
51, 53, 61, 63, 67ac, 73, 77, 83, 93, 96, 100,
117
5, 8, 15, 17, 19, 25, 27, 29ab, 31, 35, 49, 51,
53, 55ab, 59, 63abc, 65, 67abcd, 69, 71, 73,
90, 96, 99
7, 11, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31a, 35, 37, 39, 41,
45ab, 49, 53, 55, 63, 67, 71, 73ab, 79, 83, 96,
98
2, 5, 7, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 37bc, 39, 45,
53, 55, 63, 65, 69, 97, 103
1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 17, 19, 21, 25, 29, 31, 35, 37,
43, 45, 47, 49, 53, 55, 76, 99
Since there is a prerequisite for this course, I expect you to already be familiar
with some of the material. For example, you should be familiar with most of the
following topics:

Chapter 1-Elements, compounds, mixtures, physical and chemical properties, physical and
chemical changes, units of measurement, the metric system, significant figures and unit
conversions.

Chapter 2-Basic atomic structure and theory, the nuclear atom, atomic number, isotopes, the
periodic table, ions (cations and anions) and naming inorganic compounds.

Chapter 3-Balancing chemical equations, the mole (Avogadro’s number), molar mass,
converting between moles and grams.

Chapter 4-Acids and bases, solution concentration (molarity) and dilution.
Although only limited lecture time will be spent to review this material, you will
be tested on it.
Lecture Exam Dates
Two exams will be given during the quarter:
Th., Oct 22 (5th week) and Th. Nov 19 (9th week).
Final exam:
“Tuesday, Dec 08
10:00am
YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO BRING A PICTURE ID TO ALL EXAMS,
INCLUDING LAB EXAMS.
Make-up Exams
Make-up exams will NOT be given.
Academic Dishonesty
Any form of academic dishonesty will be grounds for dismissal from the course. Foothill College has
information regarding academic dishonesty in the schedule of classes. Please read it! Violations will
be reported.
 Plagiarism on lab exercises and reports constitutes academic dishonesty.
 During an exam, communicating or transferring information to another student, receiving
information from someone else, looking at another person’s exam, and/or using unauthorized
materials such as text books, notes, etc. are prohibited.
Class Rules and Regulations-Repeated disruptive or rude behavior will be cause for
dismissal from the class.
1. Arrive on time and be polite to your instructor and fellow students.
2. Talking to fellow students during lecture is disruptive. Remain quiet during lecture.
Raise your hand if you have a comment or question.
3. Turn off or turn to silent mode all cell phones and pagers while in lecture. DO NOT
talk on the phone during lecture. If you receive an urgent call or message, quietly
leave the classroom to respond to it.
4. Clean up your lab bench after lab is complete.
5. Follow all written and VERBAL instructions.
A few of the items that you must memorize for this course: (There will be
more added to this list as the quarter progresses.)
The following metric
prefixes:
mega
M
106
kilo
k
103
deci
d
10–1
centi
c
10–2
milli
m
10–3
micro
µ
10–6
nano
n
10–9
The following units:
mass: gram, g
pico
p
10–12
density: g/mL
1 ml = 1 cm3
length: meter, m
Solubility rules for ionic compounds.
Names of selected polyatomic ions. A list will be provided.
STP for gases: 0°C and 1 atm
Hess’ Law: ∆H˚rxn = ∑n∆H˚f (products) – ∑m∆H˚f (reactants)
Standard states for thermochemistry: 1 atm for gases, 1M for aqueous solutions, most stable form for
pure
substances.
time: second, s
FAQ-How do I get a good grade in general chemistry? Realize that you are
responsible, through your own hard work and efforts, for your success. NO EXCUSES! My role as your
instructor is to be your guide, to offer insights into the material and to help when you are having
difficulties. I cannot learn the material for you. Set high personal goals for lab work and examinations
and focus on learning, not just the grade. The following offers some more detailed suggestions:

Develop good study habits. To be successful in General Chemistry you must have good
study habits. For ANY CLASS, the recommended study time is AT LEAST 2 hours outside
time per hour of lecture. Including regular lecture and lab lecture, we have 5 hours of lecture per
week in General Chemistry. This means that you should study outside of class AT LEAST 10
hours per week. This is for every week of the quarter, not just the week or weekend before an
exam. Cramming does not generally work for chemistry! Be sure to make the study time count
by removing distractions-for instance, do not watch television or carry on conversations while
studying. Also, make sure that you are well rested and eat healthy so that your brain can function
at its best! Studies have shown that a person’s I.Q. temporarily declines when they are sleep
deprived.

Read the textbook regularly and carefully. Do not be surprised or alarmed
if you must read the material two or three times to gain a full understanding of it.
This is normal for a chemistry class! In fact, you should read the sections in the
textbook to be covered in lecture BEFOREHAND! This will make it much easier
for you to follow the lecture and take good notes.
Come to lecture prepared to learn. Prepare by reading the textbook ahead
of time and coming to lecture alert and ready to learn. Bring a pencil or pen,
paper and your calculator.
When you need help, come to office hours prepared. Keep a list of
questions to bring when you come in for help. Bring a pencil or pen, paper and
your calculator. If you have trouble solving a homework problem, bring the work
you have done on it so far.
The night before exams should be spent reviewing what you have
already learned. Pulling an “all nighter” (or cramming) just before an exam
will result in work that is not to the best of your ability. This type of studying can
also result in a lack of confidence and extreme nerves during the exam.




Do the suggested homework problems. A major key to a good grade in chemistry is to
practice problem solving. This tests you on your knowledge and prepares you for exams. The
problems at the back of each chapter are designed for this purpose. If you cannot do the
problems in the back of each chapter in a reasonable amount of time without referring to the
text or solutions manual, you may not pass the course. For assigned problems that do not have
answers in the back of the text, see the instructor to check your work. In addition to the assigned
problems from the text, there are eMedia Exercises at the back of each chapter that make use of
the Companion Website. These are not assigned, but you can use them to further test your
knowledge of the material and some of them are fun!
Resources
Mr. Jimmy Li-See me regularly during office hours for help. Do not wait until
the week or day of a test!

Other Students
Help each other to learn (not copy!)
Lab is a great time to get help

Tutoring Center: See the website www.foothill.edu/tut for hours and location.

Textbook
The companion website at www.prenhall.com/brown has chapter summaries,
practice questions, an eMedia Library, a math tutorial and more!
“Give it Some Thought” questions within each chapter are excellent!
Check your knowledge of the material by doing the assigned homework!

Copies of the textbook and solutions to the red exercises will be on reserve at the
library.

Videos on reserve at the MEDIA CENTER
The videos are subtitled: “The World of Chemistry” from the Annenberg/CPB Collection. Each is
about 30 minutes in length. There is only one copy of each, so return promptly when done.
Video Title
CAT#
World of Chemistry VC 1197.01
A Matter of State VC 1197.03
The Atom
VC 1197.03
The Mole
VC 1197.06
Signals from Within VC 1197.05
The Periodic Table VC 1197.04
Chemical Bonds VC 1197.04
Molecular Architecture
VC 1197.01
Textbook section coverage
Chapter
Notes
Chapter
1
All
2
All
5
3
4
All
All
6
7
Notes
See below
Chapter
8
9
Notes
All
Skip 9.7, 9.8
and MO theory
All
All
Chapter 5: We will skip Constant Volume Calorimetry: pages 186-187
Ch.
1
Problems
1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 23, 25, 29,
31, 33c, 35, 37, 39, 41, 45, 49, 51, 59, 60,
63, 64a-d, 70
Ch.
5
2
1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 25, 33, 35,
37, 41, 43, 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55, 57, 59,
61, 63, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73, 74, 89, 95, 97
6
3
1, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 19, 21efg, 23e, 25b,
27, 29, 35, 39, 41, 43, 47, 49b, 51b, 53,
57, 59, 61, 65, 68, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81,
83b, 92, 101
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27,
29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39ac, 43a, 45, 47, 49,
51abc, 53bd, 55, 57, 61, 63, 65b, 67,
69bc, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79ac, 81, 83, 85, 90,
103, 107
7
4, 5, 7, 9, 13, 19, 21, 23, 25, 26ab, 27,
29, 31, 33ad, 35, 37, 39, 41abc, 43acdf,
45a, 47, 49, 51, 53, 55abc, 57, 59,
63abc, 67, 69ad, 71, 91, 94
8
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8ab, 9, 11, 15abd,
17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 35,
37abd, 39, 43, 45, 47, 49ad,
51ac, 53, 57, 59, 61abe, 63, 65a,
67a, 69, 78, 94, 97
4
Problems
3, 4, 6, 11, 17, 19, 23, 25, 27, 29,
31, 33, 35, 37, 43, 45, 47, 51, 53,
59, 61, 65, 67ac, 69, 73, 75, 79,
83, 90, 93, 98,
2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 15, 19, 21, 25,
29, 31, 33, 35, 41ac, 47, 51, 53,
55ab, 57acd, 59, 61ac, 63, 65, 66,
67abcd, 71, 73, 89, 90, 99
ALERT! I will refer to the assigned homework problems when writing exams.
Ch 9: 2,3,4,5,6,8,9,14,15,16,17,18,19,21,23,25,27,29,31,33,35abde,37,43,44,47,49,50,51
53,55,57,76,79d,82,99,101.