CHM 115: GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
(4.0 Credits)
COURSE SYLLABUS
Fall Semester 2009 / CRN 30457, 30459 & 30462
I. Primary Instructor
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Name: Alan K. Szeto, Ed.D.
Academic Title: Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Department: Chemistry and Physics
E-mail Address: alan.szeto@calumet.purdue.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, 2:00-4:00 p.m. & Friday, 9:00-11:00 a.m. (or by appointment)
Office hours are subject to change. I will make an announcement in class in advance if the
change is going to be substantial and is not considered temporary; for last-minute
changes that I am unable to announce in class ahead of time, I will do my best to leave a
note on my office door to let you know when or where to expect me. Note that you
may also contact me using the alternative phone number that I post on my office door
(near the top of the posted copy of my weekly class schedule), but please do not copy
down the number and use it on a regular basis. The alternative phone number is for
emergency use only. Please do not abuse it.
Office Location & Phone: Room 270, Gyte (Millard E.) Science Building, (219) 989-2327
Blackboard Vista Access: http://webs.calumet.purdue.edu/oit/ecourses/
II. Prerequisite
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The prerequisite for CHM 115 is the successful completion of MA 153 (Algebra and Trigonometry I) at Purdue University Calumet (PUC) or the equivalent. Essential mathematical skills
will be reviewed during Week 1 of the semester to acquaint you with the mathematics
prerequisite in CHM 115.
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In addition, completion of the equivalence of three years of high school science courses (biology,
chemistry, and physics) OR CHM 100 offered at PUC is strongly recommended prior to enrollment in CHM 115. Every student enrolled in CHM 115 will be required to declare all prior
science coursework completed at the university level (including CHM 100, if taken already).
III. Course Description
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CHM 115 is the first course in a two-course sequence (CHM 115 & CHM 116) in “first-year”
university chemistry for students studying toward a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry or
Biochemistry, in a Chemistry-related discipline (e.g., Chemical Biology), in Mathematics and
Computational Science, in other sciences or in an engineering discipline, or in a pre-professional
program that requires solid knowledge of chemistry. Please see Section X and XI of this syllabus
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CHM 115, Fall 2009
for further information on the list of major theoretical topics to be discussed during lectures
and the list of laboratory experiments to be completed, respectively, in CHM 115.
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If you intend to take CHM 115 solely to fulfill the general education requirement in physical
science, you should consider CHM 115 as a rigorous introduction to a “central science,” i.e., a
science course that equips you with “core” scientific knowledge (concerning the atomic,
molecular, nano, and macroscopic worlds) and skills that would enable you to explain natural
phenomena based on a thorough understanding of the structures, compositions, and properties
of matter. Indeed, you are encouraged to continue in CHM 116 if you would like to further
develop your knowledge and skills in the subject even though you are not required to do so.
IV. Course Objectives
There are several. First of all, this course aims at strengthening your ability to work safely and
efficiently in a chemistry laboratory, assuming that you have had some prior exposure to
working in a chemistry or physical science laboratory. This is consistent with the expectation
that you will spend a substantial part of CHM 115 engaging in planning, performing, and
reporting experiments. Secondly, you will be introduced to a number of fundamental concepts
in chemistry, such as chemical bonding and reactivity. You will then learn to apply these
concepts in various theoretical and practical (or laboratory) problem-solving contexts. Thirdly,
you will learn to apply mathematics rigorously in the study of chemistry and physical science.
Last, but not least, you will be familiarized with several principles and models that are
considered by many as critical to understanding the behaviors of physical objects at the atomic,
molecular, and nano-levels and how such behaviors relate to our understanding of the
behaviors of such objects at the macroscopic level. This last objective is, without a doubt in my
mind, the most difficult of the course objectives for you to understand right away. My hope is
that you will eventually understand it before the end of this semester.
V. Required Materials
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Textbook: Chemistry, 5th ed., by Silberberg
A CPS Response Pad
Laboratory Manual: Download from CHM 115 Laboratory Virtual Headquarter (on Blackboard
Vista, see Section I of this syllabus for the link to access Blackboard Vista)
A laboratory notebook
A scientific calculator
A pair of laboratory safety goggles approved for use at PUC
A padlock or combination lock (see Section VIII)
A Sharpie marker
VI. Policies on Class Meetings, Attendance, Participation & Assignments
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CHM 115 is scheduled to meet 9:30-10:50 a.m. every Monday and Wednesday in Room 132 of
the Classroom/Office (CLO) Building between Monday, August 31 and Wednesday, December 9
(i.e., for a total of 15 weeks).
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CHM 115, Fall 2009
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In addition, CHM 115 is scheduled to meet in Room 202 (a laboratory) of the Gyte (Millard E.)
Science Building at times according to your CRN:
CRN 30457
CRN 30459
CRN 30462
12:30-3:20 p.m. every Monday
8:00-10:50 a.m. every Friday
12:00-2:50 p.m. every Friday
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The Comprehensive Final Exam for CHM 115 in this semester will be administered on Monday,
December 14, 8:00-10:00 a.m. in Room 132 of the CLO Building. You must take the Final Exam
or else you will be assigned an “Incomplete” grade or a letter grade of “F.”
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Supplemental Instruction (SI) is available in this semester for CHM 115. The days and times are:
11:00 a.m.-12:20 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday (location to be announced) taught by
Mr. Francis Enane, enanefrancis@yahoo.com
Attendance in SI is optional, and participation in SI requires no additional registration (and at no
cost to you) except that, obviously, you are expected to enroll officially in CHM 115. Students
who had chosen to participate in SI in previous semesters had found SI to be an important factor
in students’ overall success in CHM 115. Additional sessions that meet at other days and times
may be scheduled by Mr. Enane (please discuss with him directly).
See also: http://webs.calumet.purdue.edu/skills/supplemental-instructors-si/
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All students in CHM 115 are expected to come prepared to every class (in both lecture and
laboratory). Attendance will be taken formally in every class so that credits can be given.
There is a “strictly no make-up” policy in completing any in-class activity (an experiment, an
exam, etc.) because of the difficulty in scheduling and limitation in resources. In general, you
should consider that missing a class, for any reason, will have very serious consequences.
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During class, you will be expected to participate actively. Course materials will be conveyed to
you from Week 1 to Week 14 according to the tentative Class Schedule (printed on a separate
handout). Time will be devoted to review materials when deemed appropriate by your
instructor(s). In particular, Week 15 has been designated as a “Review Week.” During Week 16,
only the Comprehensive Final Exam (i.e., no further instruction) will be given.
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Outside of class, you will be expected to devote sufficient time (less than 6 hours per week is
likely not enough) for reading (textbook, Laboratory Manual, etc.) and independent studies. The
reading assignments can be found on the Class Schedule. You should also allocate sufficient
time (at least 2 hours per week) to prepare laboratory reports (discussed below).
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Each student in CHM 115 is expected to submit ten (10) laboratory reports (pre-laboratory
assignments, worksheets, and full-length reports) and complete three (3) In-class Exams in this
semester prior to taking the mandatory Final Exam. The due date for each laboratory report is
at the beginning of the laboratory meeting one week after the completion of an experiment.
If you submit a laboratory report after its due date, a penalty will be assessed in the form of a
reduction of between 20% and 100% of the score you received on the laboratory report at the
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CHM 115, Fall 2009
discretion of your instructor. It is important to note that although you will often work in a group
to complete an assignment, you must not submit a photocopy of someone else’s work when an
individual grade is expected to be assigned (see Section XII).
VII. Textbook Exercises & Exams
There are numerous “theoretical” exercises that are included in your textbook. Some are
inserted among the main texts of each chapter but most of them are found at the end of each
chapter. I do not expect that you will have the time in this semester to attempt every one of
these exercises in the textbook. However, some of these exercises will be assigned to you to
complete for credits as a form of progress-check throughout the semester. Essentially, the
exams in this course are based on the objectives you are required to fulfill according to Section
IV of this syllabus, which means that solving certain “theoretical” exercises should only be a
component of and not your entire learning experience in this course. Hence, it will not be fair
for your exams to include only textbook-exercise-type of questions. It is impossible for me to
give detailed descriptions of your exams here, but I am confident that you will know better what
kinds of questions you will be expected to answer on an exam as you participate in the course
activities.
Sample exams may be available for downloading from Vista (see Section I for access to Vista).
VIII. Laboratory Policy
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As mentioned in Section VI of this syllabus, laboratory meetings (in Room 202 of the Gyte
Science Building) have been scheduled for CHM 115. In order to prepare for these special
meetings, you must download all relevant handouts from the CHM 115 Laboratory Virtual
Headquarter and review the handouts prior to a meeting. Furthermore, you must bring with
you a pair of approved safety goggles and a laboratory notebook to every laboratory meeting
(except the first one). Students who come to the laboratory meetings without these items will
not be permitted to participate. Safety goggles must be worn while inside the laboratory.
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You must participate in a discussion about laboratory safety during Week 2 at your scheduled
laboratory meeting. If you did not participate in this discussion, you will not be allowed to
participate in any further laboratory meetings in the semester. As you will learn during the
discussion, you must follow all instructions given to you by your instructor at all times while
working inside the laboratory. You must not carry out any activity that has been deemed to be
unsafe, and you should ask for help whenever you are in doubt. Performance of any
unauthorized experiment is strictly forbidden. Indeed, your presence inside the laboratory
without an instructor is already considered a violation.
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In reading the Laboratory Manual, you would quickly realize that you will be responsible for
designing certain experiments in this course. Often, the class will be asked to work in groups. It
is important to note that while you are encouraged to explore and investigate, you must
constantly remind yourself and your groupmates to work within the boundaries of a particular
laboratory experiment as laid out in the Laboratory Manual, mainly for safety reasons but also
to help you stay focused on the tasks at hand. You must obtain permission from your instructor
before carrying out any proposed laboratory investigations.
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CHM 115, Fall 2009
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The laboratory notebook exists mainly for the documentation of your thoughts, plans, events
that have taken place, data, and analysis of data as related to the laboratory experiments
scheduled as part of this course. Every entry in your notebook should be dated and every page
should be numbered, but otherwise you are free (at least in this course) to make your entries in
any style. Your instructor will explain and illustrate with examples, during Week 2, appropriate
and inappropriate notebook entries.
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During Week 2, your instructor will go over with you the guidelines for the preparation of a
successful laboratory report.
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Last, but not least, you will be required to perform check-in in our laboratory during Week 2 and
check-out during Week 15. Essentially, you will be provided with a set of laboratory items in a
drawer that you should keep secured (put a padlock or combination lock on the drawer, for
instance) throughout the semester. You will learn to use these laboratory items in different
experiments, and you should thoroughly clean the laboratory glassware before and after you
use them with soap and water. Disposable items (such as chemicals and litmus papers) should
be disposed of in proper waste containers. You will be required to acknowledge the assignment
of a complete set of clean laboratory items in a drawer to you during check-in and return the
items in the drawer in good condition to us at check-out. You will be assessed appropriate fees
for all missing and damaged items in your drawer at check-out. Any student who fails to checkout properly (especially if you drop the course before the end of the semester) will be charged
an additional fee. Check-in and check-out are handled by Miss Ashley Zinnamon who is our
stockroom assistant. Please contact her directly if you need to check-out before Week 15.
Miss Ashley Zinnamon, ashley_zinnamon@hotmail.com
IX. Grading
Your overall letter grade in this course will be assigned based on how well you achieved on the
laboratory reports, the In-class Exams, and the Final Exam in addition to the credits you received
for completing textbook exercises and your class participation. In my best judgment, the
following loadings have been placed on the various assignments and exams:
In-class Exams (12% each)
Final Exam
Laboratory Reports
Textbook Exercises
Participation
36%
25%
21%
10%
8%
In terms of percentage, the following scale shall give you an idea how well you need to achieve
cumulatively in order to earn a particular letter grade in the course:
Within 90% of the top scores in the class
Between 88 and 89%
Between 80 and 87%
Between 78 and 79%
Between 70 and 77%
Between 60 and 69%
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B+ or A–
B
C+ or B–
C
C–, D+, or D
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CHM 115, Fall 2009
Below 60%
Fail
Your instructor reserves the right to adjust your overall letter grade based on the quality of your
class participation in both lecture and laboratory.
X. List of Textbook Chapters to be covered in CHM 115
From Chemistry, 5th ed., by Silberberg
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 24
Keys to the Study of Chemistry
The Components of Matter
Stoichiometry of Formulas and Equations
Three Major Classes of Chemical Reactions
Gases and the Kinetic Molecular Theory
Thermochemistry: Energy Flow and Chemical Change
Quantum Theory and Atomic Structure
Electron Configuration and Chemical Periodicity
Models of Chemical Bonding
The Shapes of Molecules
Theories of Covalent Bonding
Nuclear Reactions and Their Applications
Also from Chemistry, 5th ed., by Silberberg, the following sections are covered as well:
Chapter 12
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 20
Chapter 23
Sec. 12.3 and 12.6 only
Sec. 15.1, 15.2, 15.5, and 15.6 only
Sec. 16.1 and 16.8 only
Sec. 20.4 only
Sec. 23.4 and 23.5 only
XI. List of Laboratory Sessions to be completed in CHM 115
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EXCEL Spreadsheet
Experimental Uncertainties (Penny Measurements)
Experimental Design / What’s Dissolved in the Water?
Separation of an Ocean Beach Mixture I
Separation of an Ocean Beach Mixture II
Synthesis of Alum
Experimental Design / Hess’s Law
Experimental Design / Gas Laws
Acid-base Titration
Molecular Modeling I
Molecular Modeling II
Molecular Absorption Spectroscopy
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XII. Academic Integrity
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Your official enrollment this semester at Purdue University Calumet obligates you to adhere to
the following, which is referred to as the honor code: “I understand that academic dishonesty
will not be tolerated at Purdue University Calumet. I am here to learn. Through learning, I will
strive to become a better person and a more valuable contributor to society. I understand that
dishonesty in the classroom through cheating, plagiarism or other dishonest acts defeats this
purpose and disgraces the mission and quality of a Purdue University Calumet education.”
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Hence, you are hereby required to make explicitly the following honor pledge at all times during
this semester: “In accordance with the honor code, I will not engage in dishonesty in my
academic activities, and I will not tolerate such dishonesty by other students.”
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Your instructor understands exactly what all of the above means.
XIII. Student Requiring Special Assistance
Students with disabilities must be registered with the Coordinator of Services for Students with
Disabilities in Student Support Services located in the Student Union and Library Building (SUL),
Room 343, before academic/classroom accommodations can be provided. The phone number
for Student Support Services is (219) 989-2455. For students who have already registered,
please inform your primary instructor, who will then make the proper arrangements with the
other instructors, no later than the first week of classes.
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CHM 115, Fall 2009