General Information
Course Syllabus
Chem 1b, Winter 2010-2011
Updated 12/7/10
Ch1b General Information and Course Syllabus
Course Instructors: James R. Heath 16A Noyes, x6079, heath@caltech
Sarah E. Reisman 301B Schlinger, x6044, reisman@caltech
Profs. Heath and Reisman plan the curriculum and deliver lectures. Any feedback regarding the
overall nature, content and pace of the course should be directed to them.
Course Coordinators: Mike Grodick (mgrodick@caltech.edu)
Matthew Griffin (mgriffin@caltech.edu)
The course coordinators (head TAs) are responsible for the general course administration and
website maintenance. Please see Mike with questions about adding/dropping, changing sections and
other administrative issues.
Head Grader: Yiyang Liu (yliu3@caltech.edu)
The head grader is responsible for coordinating the grading for the course. Please see Yiyang with
questions regarding extensions and grading errors.
Meeting Times
Lectures: MTR: 11 – 11:55 AM (22 Gates)
Recitations: W: 2 – 3 PM, 4 – 5 PM, 7 – 8 PM (various locations; see REGIS)
Office Hours: Mainly Thursday evening/night (the Ch1 Resource Center, 20 Gates, see schedule
online)
Recommended Texts
Principles of Modern Chemistry, D.W. Oxtoby, H.P. Gillis & A. Campion, Brooks Cole,
6th edition. (OGC)
Basic Principles of Organic Chemistry, J.D. Roberts & M.C. Caserio, 2nd edition. (RC)
Free download: http://caltechbook.library.caltech.edu/122/
Keynotes in Organic Chemistry, A.F. Parsons, Blackwell Publishing. (P)
Other Course Resources
Website: http://chem1.che.caltech.edu/
Ch1 Resource Room: Room 20 Gates
Grades
Problem Sets 30%
Quizzes 10%
Midterm 30%
Final 30%
You must submit all work – even if it’s late and you receive no credit. If you do not submit all
problem sets, quizzes, and exams, you will not pass the course.
page 1 of 6
General Information
Course Syllabus
Chem 1b, Winter 2010-2011
Updated 12/7/10
Problem Sets, Quizzes & Exams
Problem Sets (same as Ch1a)
Weekly problem sets will be assigned and available for download from the Ch1b website every
Friday. Selected solutions will be posted approximately three days after the due date, except for
those scheduled during the midterm and the final. No material will be posted during those times so
as to assure that students taking the exam during the beginning of the exam periods will have the
same resources available to them as those who wait until the end of the exam periods. Problem sets
are due the following Friday at 4PM in the drop-box next to Lloyd. Some problems are designated
“no collaboration” which means just that! You must do these problems yourself and may not even
check answers with other Ch1 students.
All material, including problem sets, must be completed and submitted for grading; otherwise, you
will fail! Problem sets turned in late will receive reduced or no credit, but you must submit all
problem sets to pass. Unless you have permission from the head grader, points will be deducted
according to the ‘Late Work Schedule.’ (see below)
Quizzes and Exams (different than Ch1a: # of quizzes; Chemistry-in-Context)
Two quizzes will be administered during the course. These quizzes will be available sometime
before 4PM on Friday (21 Jan, 18 Feb) and are due on the following Tuesday at 8PM in the dropbox next to Lloyd House. The quizzes will NOT be available online but you will also find copies in
the bottom cabinet of the Ch1 drop box. Point deductions for late work will follow the ‘Late Work
Schedule.’ As with problem sets, all quizzes must be submitted; otherwise, you will fail the course.
One midterm and one final exam will be distributed for the course. The final is comprehensive,
although it will stress material presented after the midterm exam.
During Ch1b lectures Profs. Heath and Reisman will cover real-life applications of Chemistry and
these will be labeled ‘Chemistry-in-Context.’ Unlike Ch1a, there will be no quiz about these
topics; instead, the open-book sections of the two exams will each have a bonus problem related to
ONE of these Chemistry-in-Context questions. You will be able to use only your own class notes
for this bonus problem.
Late Work Schedule (same as Ch1a) .
Late work will be accepted, but your score will be reduced unless you have permission and a note
from the head grader. Brief extensions will be granted only for extenuating circumstances.
Oversleeping and forgetting the due date, time and location are not adequate excuses for extensions.
Without permission, point deductions for all work will follow the schedule:
How late? Score reduced by
5 minutes – 24 hours 40%
24 – 48 hours 70%
>48 hours 100%
If you submit your work > 48 hours after the due date, you must score at least as high as the
class average (before the 100 % deduction).
page 2 of 6
General Information
Course Syllabus
Chem 1b, Winter 2010-2011
Updated 12/7/10
Submitting Work (same as Ch1a)
Do not submit any work to your recitation-section teaching assistant. All problem sets, quizzes
and examinations should be turned in to the Ch1 Box, located next to Lloyd House near the
mailboxes. There are separate slots for problem sets and quizzes/exams. Please staple your papers
together – you’ll find a stapler in the bottom cabinet. You must put your name, section number
and the name of your recitation-section teaching assistant on all work that you submit. Please
write legibly, as the graders reserve the right to not grade illegible work. Also, please turn in
problem sets in numerical order – starting each problem on a fresh page and stapling at the end is an
excellent way to keep your work ordered and neat.
Resubmitting Work (same as Ch1a). If you feel a problem was graded incorrectly or unfairly, you
may write a note on that particular problem set/quiz/exam and resubmit it to the appropriate slot in
the dropbox or e-mail the head grader.
The Honor System
(The information in this section is the same as Ch1a)
You are encouraged to help each other understand the concepts of the homework material.
However, plagiarism of solutions from other students, textbooks or any other source is a violation
of the Honor Code. You must personally complete all work you submit under your name, and you
must be able to reconstruct this work on your own at the instructors’ discretion. Consulting
problem sets, quizzes or their respective solutions is prohibited. Some questions on problem sets
will be designated as “no collaboration.” These specific problems, as well as the quizzes and exams,
must be solved with no discussion whatsoever among students. This means that you may feel free
to consult library books or online material. You are not allowed to compare final answers or notes
regarding any aspect of the problem with fellow class members or any other undergraduates at the
university.
Exams may be separated into “open book” and “closed book” sections at the instructors’
discretion. Open book sections designate those questions for which the student is allowed to use
official course materials to answer questions. Official course materials are limited to the designated
course textbook(s), downloaded copies of lecture notes from the course website and student-taken
notes in class! Official course materials do not include student-taken notes outside of class or
material distributed by recitation section teaching assistants. Calculators may be used, but only for
computation and solving – not for storing information and recalling equations. Closed book sections
designate those questions for which the student may only consult the material included within the
quiz or exam itself. Again, calculators may be used, but only for computation and solving – not for
storing information or recalling equations.
page 3 of 6
General Information
Course Syllabus
Chem 1b, Winter 2010-2011
Updated 12/7/10
Recitation Sections, Reviews and Teaching Assistants
Recitations (first paragraph is same as Ch1a; no super-section; locations/TAs different)
The recitation sections are smaller, discussion-oriented sessions where you may ask your teaching
assistant questions about the subject material of the lectures or any other topics you may find
confusing. Each section will also address solving types of problems you will encounter on the
homework and examinations. It is suggested that you start the homework early—before the
recitation—so that the discussion can focus on the most relevant difficulties. Unlike Ch1a, all
recitation sections are equivalent. There is no super-section. Check REGIS and your course
schedule for the section that you selected during registration. If you want to switch sections, please
see the course coordinator for a signature.
Review Sessions (different than Ch1a). Faculty course instructors will lead review sessions before
exams are distributed.
Office Hours (same as Ch1a) . Each recitation-teaching assistant holds office hours just prior to the
due date for problem sets. During office hours, students may get informal, one-on-one help.
Students may attend the office hours of any teaching assistant, and office hours are arranged so that
a single student can attend the office hours of multiple teaching assistants. All office hours will be
held in 20 Gates unless stated otherwise.
Resources
The Ch1 Resource Room (same as Ch1a). Room 20 Gates is dedicated to Ch1. Here, students may
meet with teaching assistants during office hours, pick up graded work, get copies of the problem
sets, and review reading material in addition to the required texts. The room is always open for Ch1
use, although Gates building may be locked after 5PM. If you need access to the Ch1 resource
room after hours, contact security or obtain a South-master key.
Library Reserve Materials (same as Ch1a). Both library copies of OGC (6th edition) are available
on closed reserve on the 8th floor of Millikan library; you may use the text for three hours at a time
in the library and/or check them out overnight after 10PM.
Ch1 Online (different times for posting lecture notes). The webpage for the class is at
http://chem1.che.caltech.edu/, which allows students to access useful information pertaining to the
course. The syllabus, recitation section list, lecture notes and problem sets are available online.
Lecture notes will be posted after each lecture for Ch1b. Unlike Ch1a, the entire set of lecture notes
will not be posted at the beginning of the term. Additional supplemental materials are also available.
Selected solutions to problem sets, quizzes and exams will be posted, except when this interferes
with the midterm and final exam period. All downloadable materials will be in .pdf format.
page 4 of 6
General Information
Course Syllabus
Wk 1
Monday
3
Chem 1b, Winter 2010-2011
Updated 12/7/10
SR
Molecular Structure,
Intro to Organic
Compounds
RC: Ch. 2-3
Wk 2
10
Tuesday
4
SR
Conjugate, Aromaticity,
Functional Groups
RC: Ch 4.1-4.3, Ch. 7,
Ch. 21.3, 21.9
JH 11
Spectroscopy Intro
Wed
5
JH
12
Spectroscopy: Rotation
Thursday
6
Friday
SR 7
Isomers, Dipoles, Polar
Interactions
OGC: Ch. 3.7, 3.9
RC: Ch. 5, Ch. 19.1-19.5
PS1 due
13
14
JH
PS2 due
Spectroscopy: Vibe
References for entire week of spectroscopy:
OGC: 4.5-4.7; 20.1-20.3; Gray 4.8; P:10.2-10.4; RC: 9-4 to 9-7; 9-9
Wk 3
Wk 4
Wk 5
17
18
MLK Day
(no class)
Spectroscopy (NMR)
OGC: 20.4
RC: 9-10; P: 10.5
Spectroscopy (Mass
Spec); RC: 9-11; P:10.1
25
27
24
JH
JH 19
Ideal & Real Gases
OGC: 9.3-9.4; 9.7
Quiz 1 Due (8PM)
31
1
JH
Irreversible/ Reversible
Processes OGC 13.4
JH
nd
JH
21 Last day
to add; Quiz 1
out (4 PM)
PS3 due
JH 26
Kinetic Theory
OGC: 9.1-9.2; 9.5-9.6
20
JH
st
2
2 Law of Thermo
Entropy
OGC: 13.1-13.3
28
PS4 due
1 Law of Thermo,
Thermochemistry
OGC: Chapter 12
3
JH
4
Spontaneous Processes &
Thermo Equilib OGC:
13.5-13.7 midterm out
10PM
Wk 6
Wk 7
Wk 8
7
8
No lecture
Midterm due 8 PM
Chemical Equilib
OGC: 14.1-14.7
14
15
JH
JH
9
SR
Kinetics
OGC: Chapter 18
Intro to Organic
Reactions, Arrow
Pushing
21
22
President’s Day
(no class)
Acidity and Basicity in
Organic Reactions
P: 1.7
28
SR
1
16
SR 23
SR
Nucleophilic Subs. at
the Carbonyl
P: Ch.8.9, RC: Ch. 16.1,
16.4, 18.3
Acetals
Wk
10
7
8
Biopolymers, Amide
Bond formation
RC: Ch. 25
Chem. and
Applications of
Polymers RC: Ch. 29
Wk
11
14 Last day to
15
SR
JH
SR
2
11
PS5 due
Equilibrium
Quiz 2 Due (8PM)
Wk 9
10
17
SR
18
Nucleophiles,
Electrophiles, and the
Carbonyl
RC: 16.1, 16.2, P: Ch. 4,
PS6 due
24
25
SR
Quiz 2 out (4
PM)
Organometallic Addition to
the Carbonyl
RC: Ch. 14.9-14.11
P: p. 127-8
PS7 due
3
4
SR
Imines and Enamines
PS8 due
9
10
11
PS9
due
Study Period
Final Exam
Out
16
17
18
submit late work
(4PM)
Final Due
page 5 of 6
General Information
Course Syllabus
Chem 1b, Winter 2010-2011
Updated 12/7/10
page 6 of 6