Chemistry 121
Atomic and Molecular Chemistry
Instructor: W. Stephen McNeil, Room Fipke 352 s.mcneil@ubc.ca
Office Hours: by appointment
http://people.ok.ubc.ca/wsmcneil/
Required Text: “General Chemistry: Principles and Modern Applications” 10/e,
Petrucci, Herring, Madura, Bissonnette (2010)
Calendar Description: Stoichiometry, atomic and molecular structure, chemical periodicity, gases, liquids,
solids, and solutions. Required course for all students needing a first-year Chemistry course who have
Chemistry 12. [3-3-0]
Prerequisites: Chemistry 12 and one of Principles of Mathematics 12, Pre-Calculus 12
Learning Objectives: Students in Chemistry 121 consider a survey of modern theories of atomic structure
and molecular bonding, and use these models to explain the behaviour of matter in the gaseous, liquid, and
solid phases. The course also briefly reviews fundamental principles of chemical stoichiometry from
Chemistry 11 and 12. A student who completes both Chemistry 121 and 123 will be able to qualitatively
and quantitatively interpret physical and chemical properties and changes in terms of molecular properties
and behaviour, and will be well-prepared for further studies in science generally and chemistry specifically.
Lectures: Lectures will cover selected material from the text book, but will augment, abridge, wander from,
and rearrange that material, subject to the capricious whims of the instructor. The text provides detailed
reading, background material, and numerous problems, but the lecture notes and course objectives define
the course curriculum.
Class Readings: Assigned readings prior to class will maximize the benefits of attending lectures. Ideally,
class lectures will represent a second exposure to course material, and an opportunity to work through
conceptual challenges. In-class clicker questions will assess your understanding of the readings.
Handouts and Supplementary Materials: Extra copies of handouts, exam answer keys, and links to
potentially useful web pages are available at the instructor’s web site: http://people.ok.ubc.ca/wsmcneil/
Clickers: Lectures will make frequent use of a Personal Response System (“clickers”). While not assessed
for your course grade, participation in such in-class exercises is proven to improve student understanding
and exam performance. To register your clicker, login to WebCT Vista (https://www.vista.ubc.ca/), select
Registration, and input your i>clicker ID code (found under the barcode on the back of your clicker).
Quizzes: Weekly quizzes will be administered through Mastering Chemistry, an online course management
tool (http://masteringchemistry.com/ Course ID: MCNEILC121W2011). Students will have a time
window during which they may log in and complete each quiz. Results and answers will be posted after
each quiz is complete.
Marking Scheme:
Exams: There will be three term tests of one hour length (Sep 27, Oct 25,
Quizzes..................... 10%
Nov 16), and a cumulative final exam during the final examination period,
Term Tests (3) ........ 30%
Laboratory ............... 20%
December 4 – 19 (including Saturdays). It is the student’s responsibility to be
Final Exam............... 40%
available for all examinations. There will be no make-up term tests: students
Total........................ 100%
missing a term test for any reason will have that portion of their grade added
to their final exam. Calculators with programmable memories are not permitted during exams – a $10
calculator with scientific notation, exponents, and logarithms will be sufficient.
Laboratory: Laboratory instruction is an integral and important part of the course. Note that failure to
achieve independent passing grades (50%) in both the lecture and the lab results in a maximum possible
overall course grade of 48%. Failure to attend a scheduled lab session or to hand in a laboratory assignment
by the deadline results in a grade of zero for that experiment. Laboratories begin the week of Sept 16.
Students who have previously completed the laboratory portion with a grade of 70% or higher may apply
for a lab exemption. Exemption forms are available on the Chemistry Department webpage.
Expectations: To maximize your performance in this course, you should expect to spend an average of
between 4 to 6 hours a week studying and doing assignments, in addition to time spent in lecture and lab.
Learning Resources and Support Services: You have numerous resources from which to seek help with
your studies, including your professor, your lab TA, the Chemistry Course Union, tutors in the Math and
Science Centre, and Supplemental Learning sessions. In addition, a number of academic and non-academic
support services are at your disposal, including Disability Services and Health and Wellness. However, you
should be aware that your success in this course is first and foremost your own responsibility.
Academic Integrity: The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. At the most
basic level, adherence to the principles of academic integrity requires that you not cheat, copy, or mislead
others about what is your work. Any form of cheating or plagiarism constitutes a violation of academic
integrity, which may carry penalties as severe as a mark of zero for the assignment or course, or harsher
sanctions if the matter is referred to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. Students
are responsible for their own familiarity with the policies and procedures associated with academic
misconduct. For detailed descriptions, refer to the following web pages and Chapter V of the UBC
Okanagan Calendar.
http://www.library.ubc.ca/clc/airc.html
http://okanagan.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,0
Disability Assistance: If you require disability-related accommodations to meet the course objectives,
please contact the Coordinator of Disability Resources located in UNC 227. For more information about
Disability Resources or academic accommodations, please visit the website at:
http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan/students/disres/welcome.html
Equity, Human Rights, Discrimination and Harassment: UBC Okanagan is a place where every
student, staff and faculty member should be able to study and work in an environment that is free from
human-rights-based discrimination and harassment. If you require assistance related to an issue of equity,
discrimination or harassment, please contact the Equity Office or your head of department. See the Equity
Services website for more information: http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan/equity
Useful Contacts:
Sue McNerney, Chemistry Admin. Assistant
Sandra Mecklenburg, Chemistry Lab Coordinator
Patricia Lasserre, Associate Dean of Students
Chemistry Program Advisor
Ed Neeland
Environmental Chemistry Program Advisor
Karen Perry
Biochemistry Program Advisors
Students A to M: Joyce Boon
Students N to Z: Al Vasius
Academic Advising
Disability Resource Centre
Chemistry Course Union
Math and Science Centre
Language and Writing Centre
Health and Wellness
Equity Office
Safewalk
250.807.8769
250.807.9569
250.807.9338
FIP 343
SCI 212
ASC 403
250.807.9572
FIP 354
250.807.9570
SCI 207
250.807.9545
250.807.8748
250.807.9100
250.807.9263
SCI 316
SCI 215
UNC 207
UNC 227
SCI 233B
UNC 201
FIP 251
UNC 303
FIP 302
250.807.9270
250.807.9291
250.807.8076
Important Dates:
Sep 4
Last day for fee payment
Sep 17
Last day to withdraw without W standing
Oct 11
Last day to withdraw with W without Dean’s Approval
Oct 12
Thanksgiving
Nov 11/12
Remembrance Day / Midterm break
Nov 29
Last day of classes
Dec 4 – Dec 19 Final exam period
Course Schedule:
Sep 9 – 13 Labs begin
Sep 11
Quiz #1
Sep 18
Quiz #2
Sep 25
Quiz #3
Sep 27
Term Test #1
Oct 9
Quiz #4
Oct 16
Quiz #5
Oct 23
Quiz #6
Oct 25
Term Test #2
Nov 6
Quiz #7
Nov 13
Quiz #8
Nov 15
Term Test #3
Nov 27
Quiz #9
Somewhat Tentative Course Outline
Introduction (Chapters 1 to 3, ~0 hours: review material, will not be covered explicitly in lecture) • the scientific method, properties and classifications of matter (1-1 to 1-3)
• physical quantities: measurement, units, significant figures and uncertainty (1-4 to 1-7)
• Avogadro’s number and the mole (2-7, 2-8)
• molecular composition, empirical and molecular formulas, percent composition (3-1 to 3-3)
• nomenclature of simple inorganic and organic compounds (3-5 to 3-7)
Stoichiometry Review (Chapter 4, ~4 hrs) • chemical reactions and equations, stoichiometry (4-1 and 4-2)
• solution stoichiometry and concentrations, dilutions, limiting reactants, yields (4-3 to 4-5)
Atomic Structure and Periodicity (Chapters 2, 8 and 9, ~14 hrs) • simple atomic structure, subatomic particles, atomic mass
• light and matter: electromagnetic radiation, absorption and emission spectra
• quantum theory and the Bohr atom
• wave mechanics, orbitals: quantum numbers, s- p- and d-orbitals
• electronic configuration: electron spin, orbital energies, aufbau, periodic table
• periodic properties: atomic and ionic radii, ionization energy, electron affinity
Molecular Structure and Bonding (Chapters 10 and 11, ~13 hrs) • bonding types: metallic, covalent, ionic; polar vs non-polar; electronegativity
• Lewis structures: octet rule, formal charges, expanded octets, resonance
• bond energies: bond order, bond strengths and lengths, reaction energies
• VSEPR: electron pair repulsion, molecular geometry, dipole moments
• valence bond theory: orbital hybridization, σ and π bonds
• molecular orbital theory: diatomic molecules E2 (E = H to Ne), bond order
Gases, Liquids, Solids (Chapters 6, 12, 13, ~13 hrs) • ideal gas law, kinetic molecular theory, diffusion and effusion (6-1 to 6-4, 6-7 to 6-8)
• intermolecular forces: molecular polarity, hydrogen bonding, dispersion forces (12-1)
• non-ideal gases, Van der Waals equation (6-9)
• surface tension and viscosity, vapour pressure and boiling (12-1 and 12-2)
• classes of solids: ionic, metallic, network, molecular (12-5)
• phase changes and phase diagrams, Clausius-Clapeyron equation (12-2 to 12-4)
• solubility and miscibility (13-3)
• colligative properties: vapour pressure lowering, boiling point and freezing point changes, osmotic
pressure (13-6 to 13-8)