Chemistry 101
Dr. Susan Geldart
Course Details
Office: Pastore 215A
Email: sgeldart@chm.uri.edu
Section 1: MWF: 8-8:50am (Rm 124)
Section 2: MWF: 10-10:50am (Rm 124)
th
Text: Raymond Chang, General Chemistry: The Essential Concepts 6 edition: chapters 1-13 (skip ch. 11)
Chapter 1: Chemistry: Introduction
Chapter 2: Atoms, Molecules, and Ions
Chapter 3: Stoichiometry: Chemical Calculations
Chapter 4: Reactions in Aqueous Solutions
Chapter 5: Gases
Chapter 6: Energy Relationships in Chemical Reactions
Chapter 7: The Electronic Structure of Atoms
Chapter 8: The Periodic Table
Chapter 9: Chemical Bonding I: The Covalent Bond
Chapter 10: Chemical Bonding II: Geometry and Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals
Chapter 12: Intermolecular Forces and Liquids and Solids
Chapter 13: Physical Properties of Solutions
Course objectives:
The goal in this course is to lay the foundation for future chemistry, biochemistry pharmaceutical and material science
courses. The terminology, fundamental principles and theories presented in Chemistry 101 will be heavily used in
these other courses. In addition to factual material, the ability to apply these concepts to real-world problems is
essential to passing the course and many subsequent courses.
Studying:
I strongly suggest doing as many problems at the end of each chapter as possible until you are comfortable with the
material. The course is based on being able to solve word problems, so you will not pass if you just read the text and
follow the problems given either in the text or the lecture. YOU MUST BE ABLE TO DO THE PROBLEMS AT THE
END OF EACH CHAPTER OR IN CONNECT COMPLETELY ON YOUR OWN. If you need more practice, or are
having trouble with the problems, email me immediately before you get too far behind. I can often figure out why you
are having problems and suggest ideas that may help you get through the course. The course is not based on how
much time you put into it, but rather your ability to solve problems on your own, so there is no extra credit given in the
course.
This course moves extremely quickly. We will cover approximately 1 chapter per week, so it is important that you
keep up with the workload. I can’t go any slower, or we will not be able to get through all the required material. The
material learned in each chapter will be used in subsequent chapters, so if you fall behind in the first few weeks, it’s
nearly impossible to catch up again. The final is truly cumulative; a single question may require you to use techniques
and concepts learned in several different chapters.
Notes and Study Aids:
A textbook and a copy of the solutions manual are available through the library reserves for 2 hour use. You will need
your ID to have them released to you. Ask for these items at the front desk. You cannot take the materials out of the
library, but must use them in the library for up to 2 hours. Class notes, copies of old exams, this syllabus and grades
are available through the department website at www.chm.uri.edu. Look under “for current students” and then go to
“Course Descriptions and Web Pages” to find the link to this course.
Office Hours:
My scheduled office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 9:00-9:50. If these times are not convenient, please
email me to set up an appointment outside these hours.
Supplemental Instruction (SI):
SI is a program designed to review material in the more challenging courses on campus. An undergraduate is hired
to run 2 tutoring sessions a week for a particular professor’s course. Our SI leader this semester is Kara. Kara took
chem 101 and 112 at URI and was my SI leader last semester, so knows the material and my teaching style well. Her
sessions will be held Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5pm all semester. The location will be announced as
soon as it is available. I strongly advise going to SI if you are struggling in the course. Many students have reported
to me that SI really helped them pass the course, so please give it a try before you fall behind.
The Academic Enhancement Center (AEC)
This is a challenging course. Success requires that you keep pace with the work, understand course concepts, and
study effectively. At the AEC (www.uri.edu/aec) you can work alone or in groups, and tutors and professional learning
specialists are available to help you to learn, manage your time and work, and study well. They’re open Monday
through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Fridays until 1 p.m. All services are free (the coffee is free as well!), and
no appointment is needed. You can call them for complete information at 874-2367, or just stop by the center on the
fourth floor of Roosevelt Hall.
Disability Accommodations:
Any student with a documented disability is welcome to contact me as early in the semester as possible so that we
may arrange reasonable accommodations. As part of this process, please be in touch with Disability Services for
Students Office at 330 Memorial Union, 401-874-2098. I have no problem making any accommodations you may
need, so please ask. Note: you are not required to take the 6:30am alternate exam if you need extended time.
Sports or Other University Sponsored Events:
Please let me know the first week of classes if you need any accommodations made. Please let me know if you have
any lab conflicts as well.
Course Grades:
The course is graded strictly by the grades you achieve on the homework/quizzes, the 3 hour exams and the final.
There is no extra credit! Any errors in grading must be brought to my attention within 1 week of the material being
handed back. No changes in any grades will be made after that point. You cannot bring all your graded work to
me at the end of the semester in the hope that you will get extra points.
Scaling:
The scale for the course is given below. Remember, the grade is based on the exams and quizzes together. 80% of
the grade based on exams (the final is considered 1 of your exams) and 20% on the quizzes. Your lowest of the 3
hour exam grades will be dropped. All grades will be posted on Sakai with a letter grade as you proceed
Course Scale:
A
AB+
B
B-
100-90
89-86
85-82
81-78
77-74
C+
C
CD+
D
73-70
69-66
65-62
61-58
57-54
F below 54
Note: You need a C- to move on to any other Chemistry course in our department!
Exams: 50% of Grade
Format: 8 short answer questions, 3 parts per question. All work must be shown to get credit. Practice exams are
posted on the course website.
Tentative Exam Dates (In class exams):
Exam 1 : 10/10
Exam 2: 11/14
Exam 3: 12/5
Exam Rules: You will be assigned a seat in Pastore 124 during your regularly scheduled class time for taking all
exams. Be sure to bring an ID to all exams. The exam that is placed on that seat will be printed with your name.
You must take this exam. You will receive a zero for a grade if you are not in your assigned seat with the correct
exam. Once you have started the exam, you are not allowed to leave the room until it is finished. You have 50
minutes to complete the exam.
Alternate exam: An alternate exam will be offered from 6:30-7:50AM on the Thursday of the exam week in Pastore
124. If you prefer this time slot to your regular time slot, you must email me by 5pm the night before your
regularly scheduled exam. I need this much notification to print a different version of the exam. If I have not
received an email by 5pm, you may still show up for the alternate exam, but ten points will be deducted from your
exam grade as a penalty. Also, I cannot guarantee space if you just show up, as space in the alternate exam is on a
first-come, first-served basis. The alternate exam is not designed to be taken just because you waited too long to
study for the original exam, it is for planned absences only, such as another exam that day or a planned class
absence. If you miss both your regularly scheduled exam and the alternate exam for any reason, including illness,
your missed exam will be your dropped exam. No other make-ups will be given.
Homework/quizzes: 20% of Grade
You will be required to register for “Connect” which is an online homework site. The information needed to get your
code for the site and the link to “Connect” is given below. In addition, there will be several random open-note quizzes
given during class time that are primarily based on attendance. The quizzes are unannounced as you are expected
to attend class regularly. They cannot be made up for any reason. Each quiz and homework assignment is worth 10
points. Missed quizzes or homework assignments count as zeros and can significantly lower your grade.
Final: 30% of Grade
The final is cumulative and may cover any material in the notes, homework or mentioned in class for chapters 1-13.
There is an exemption clause. If you get >90% on EACH of the three exams and have an average of >90% on
quizzes you are exempt from the final. If you are exempt from the final, you receive an A in the course. There is no
other way to be exempt from the final. You MUST take the final on your assigned date unless you have 3 finals
scheduled on that day. If this occurs, you need to contact me before the last day of classes so we can get the
problem resolved. The following dates have been posted for your final. The link for seeing the final schedule is
http://www.uri.edu/es/calexams/FinalExamSchedule.html. Be sure to scroll down to see room/time changes for many
of the freshman courses. These will be held in the common exam times. Note that the snow day is December 22.
Scheduled Finals for Chem 101
th
Section 1: Tuesday, December 18 8-11am in room 124
th
Section 5: Friday, December 14 8-11am in room 124
Connect Homework:
Connect Homework Access codes
You will need the access codes to get into the homework site and there are several options for obtaining one. The
Connect access code is good for 2 years.
1. IN THE BOOKSTORE: Customized package version of the Chang General Chemistry: The Essential Concepts
6e with the access code for Chang 11e (as the 6e is not available in Connect yet) in the Bookstore - $120
(Connect access is valid for 2 years) this option also includes an ebook version of the Chang 11e
textbook.
2. ONLINE EBOOK PURCHASE: E-book version of the Chang 11e is $108.75 available for purchase off of the
course URL when you click to register for the class (use this option in lieu of getting a print textbook). This ebook
is searchable, printable, as well as allows you to annotate the ebook and create your own study guide. Connect is
included in this purchase. Please note, if you are considering purchasing the ebook version in lieu of the print
textbook you have the option of trying the ebook before you buy it by selecting the FREE TRIAL option in the
directions below.
3. ONLINE PURCHASE: CONNECT only option (no e-book) - $49.99 -- use this option if you purchase a used
book and/or a book outside of a package. Purchase off of the course URL when you click to register for the class.
Connect Homework Registration
Here is the procedure for registering for connect. If you already have an account from a previous semester, you will be
able to register without buying another code.
1. To register and/or purchase access to CONNECT you will need to go to the specific Connect Course URL for my
sections, http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/class/chem101-geldart.
2. Click on the Register Now button. (There is also a video on the left hand side to help answer any questions you may
have when registering if you have a code or if you would need to buy one).
3. Put in your email address. If you have registered with McGraw-Hill previously they will recognize you in their system
so you can use your old password that you had previously set up with them. If you have the access code you can
enter this on the left hand side to redeem this. This can only be redeemed once and must be the code for the required
book we are using.
If you have any questions regarding CONNECT please direct these to McGraw-Hill tech support, either by visiting
their website at: www.mhhe.com/support for helpful FAQ’s, or by calling 800-331-5094. They are open MondayThursday 9am- Midnight, Fridays 9am-7pm, as well as Sundays 7pm-Midnight, so if you have any questions you will
be responsible for following up with them to make sure that you complete the required homework assignment on time.
The following website may help with additional questions. http://mpss.mhhe.com/student_connect_resources.php