Quantum Mechanics (CH312) Fall 2011
Instructor: Daniel A. Smith, office Sci 316, Phone 7315 (535-7315)
Texts: Engel, Thomas Quantum Chemistry & Spectroscopy 2 nd
Ed .; Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River,
NJ, 2010 .
Nash, Leonard K.
Elements of Statistical Thermodynamics, 2 nd
Ed.
; Dover Publications, Inc,
Mineola, NY, 2006 .
Reserved Text: McQuarrie, Donald A.; Simon, John D. Physical Chemistry: A molecular
Approach , University Science Books, Sansalito, CA, 1997 .
Barrow, Gordon M. Physical Chemistry, 6 th
Ed.
;The McGraw-Hill Companies,
Inc., New York, NY, 1996 .
Date
Chapter
Day Engel McQuarrie Topic ( subject to change ) .
Aug 31 W
Sept 2 F 17
5
7
M
W
9
12
14
16
F
M
W
F
16
14
12 syllabus/lab intros
NMR
Introduction/Group Theory/ Symmetry
19 M 31 Solids/X-Ray Diffraction
21 W Celebrate Service Day (only for 100 and 200 level courses)
23 F
26 M 1 1 Classical vs Quantum
The Schrodinger Equation 28 W 2
30 F
Oct 3 M 3
5 W 4
2,3
4
3
Quantum Mechanical Postulates
Particle in a Box
Particle in a Box – Real World
7 F
10 M 5
12 W
14 F
17-19
21 F 6
24 M
26 W 7
28 F
31 M
Midterm recess begins at 5 pm mid term recess
4
5
Commuting and Noncommuting Operators
Vibration and Rotation
8/23/2011

8/23/2011
Nov 2 W 8
4 F
7
9
M
W
9
11
14
16
17
F
M
W
R
10
12
5,13
6
7,8
9
Spectroscopy of Diatomic Molecules
Hydrogen
Many electron atoms
The Chemical Bond in diatomics
18 F 13
21 M
23 W
28 M 15
10
11
30 W Nash 1,2 17/18
Dec 1 R
Boltzmann/ Partition Functions
Final Exam/lab clean up
2 F
3 S
3
Presentations
Statistical Thermodynamics
5 M 4
6 T
Dec 8 R 8:00 a.m.
Reading Days
“How to give a good talk”
Polyatomic Molecules
Thanksgiving Recess begins 5pm
Computational Chemistry
Statistical Thermodynamics
Final Exam
GRADING
Quizzes : There will be a 10 minute quiz each day during class. The content of the quizzes will be cumulative, that is, it may cover any material which has been discussed or assigned prior to that quiz. Each student will drop the lowest three
(3) scores for quizzes.
Final Exam: You will be given two opportunities for the final exam. The first will be a standardized American
Chemical Society exam given during the lab time on Nov 30. The ACS exam will cover quantum Mechanics only – no
NMR, X-ray or Statistical Mechanics. The second exam will be a cumulative professor written exam covering the entire semester. If a passing grade is received on both exams (ACS - 50 percentile, professor exam – 60%) I will choose the better of these two scores to calculate your final grade. Otherwise I will average the scores of the two exams for the final score.
Grading: An approximate break down of possible points follows for your convenience:
Item number and value of each
Possible Points Percent of total grade
Quizzes
Final
30 x 10
1 x 200
300
200
31 %
21 %
Lab 475 48%
______________________________________________________________ total 975 100%

8/23/2011
Grades will be based on a straight percentage scale with minimum cutoffs being A - 93%, A
-
- 90%,
+
B - 87%,
B – 83%,
-
B – 80%,
+
C – 77%, C-73%,
-
C – 70%,
+
D – 67%, D-60%. I reserve the privilege to lower the grading scale at the end of the semester. To assure a particular letter grade use the above scale. For each laboratory not completed, in addition to the 0 for the assignment, a 5% reduction will be assessed to your semester grade. The course grade is not intended to be a wage, neither is the grade intended to reflect how hard you have worked. They are intended to be a measure of your ability to collect, process and discuss data as a mature scientist relative to other members of your class and previous classes.
Academic Support
Goshen College wants to help all students be as academically successful as possible. If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor or Director of the Academic Resource and Writing Center, Lois
Martin, early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. In order to receive accommodations, documentation concerning your disability must be on file with the Academic Resource and Writing
Center, GL113, x7576, lmartin@goshen.edu. All information will be held in the strictest confidence. The Academic
Resource and Writing Center offers tutoring and writing assistance for all students. For further information please see www.goshen.edu/studentlife/arwc/ .
Academic Dishonesty: Academic dishonesty (cheating, data falsification, etc) will be treated as a serious offense. In most cases it will result in a minimum of the assignment not counting (0 points on the assignment) and it will be reported to the Associate Academic Dean. Other consequences may result directly or indirectly and may include failing the course and expulsion from the college. See the “Student Handbook” posted under “campus life - Student Life” on the Goshen College web page.
Reading Room
You have access to the Chemistry Reading Room using your Goshen College ID. You may either swipe your ID card or type in your ID number to gain access to this room whenever the building is open. You are not to allow any other person to enter the room unless they are a Goshen College student. Do not prop the door open – it is to remain locked.