Chemistry 121H
Professor Knapp
University of Massachusetts Amherst -- Fall, 2002
Chemistry 121 H – Section 3
Tue Thu 2:30- 3:45
LGRT 201
Course Information and Syllabus
Administration
Course Description: With lab. Basic principles of structure and reactivity. Microscopic nature of
atoms and molecules; the macroscopic properties of chemical systems. Topics include
stoichiometry, thermochemistry, atomic structure, molecular structure, properties of gases.
Prerequisite: secondary school chemistry; concurrent enrollment in MATH 135. Open to
chemistry majors and Commonwealth College students. Biochemistry and chemical engineering
majors and others: by permission of instructor.
Required Text & CD: Chemistry and Chemical Reactivity by Kotz & Treichel, 5th Ed.,
Thomson/Brooks-Cole Publishing, 2002. 997 pages. (Textbook Annex)
Instructor:
Michael J. Knapp, Ph.D.
Tel: (413) 545-4001
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
E-mail: mknapp@chemistry.umass.edu
Office: 512 Lederle Grad. Research Tower
Web: http://www.chem.umass.edu/~mknapp
Mailing Address:
Michael J. Knapp
Department of Chemistry-LGRT
710 North Pleasant Street
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003
Class Schedule/Location: Tue Thu 2:30 PM – 3:45 PM LGRT 201
Office Hours: Mon, Wed 12:30 – 1:30 (512 LGRT)
Attendance Policy: Attendance at all lectures is expected. This is especially important since each
lecture section of CHEM121H is independent, with its own schedule of topics and exams. You
cannot miss a lecture and expect to make it up by attending another lecture section. Students are
responsible for all material covered and assignments made during lectures. No grade reduction is
made for missed classes.
Add/Drop: Except for Continuing Education students, all add, drop and section changes, until the
Add/Drop deadline are done using the telephone course registration system. After the Add/Drop
period ends, all add, drop and section changes are done by Ms. Linda Warren in Goessmann
149C. Any change in lecture section must be done before the first exam, on October 3.
Academic Honesty: See regulation on "Academic Honesty" in the "Undergraduate Rights &
Responsibilities" Student Handbook. The bottom line is that dishonesty is NOT tolerated.
Copyright: Most of the materials created for this course are the intellectual property of the
instructor. This includes, but is not limited to, the syllabus, lectures, handouts and class notes.
Except to the extent not protected by copyright law, any use, distribution or sale of such
materials requires the written permission of the instructor. Please be aware that it is a violation
of University policy to reproduce, for distribution or sale, class lectures or class notes, unless
copyright has been explicitly waived in writing by the instructor.
Chemistry 121H
Professor Knapp
Laboratory
Laboratory begins the week of September 8. Lab procedures and data sheets can be obtained
from the Web – go to http://www.chem.umass.edu/genchem and follow the appropriate links.
Students must complete all laboratory experiments to pass the laboratory component of the
course. If you fail either the lecture or the laboratory component of, you will be required to
repeat the entire course. There are no “lab waivers”.
Required Materials: (needed by first lab Monday September 9th)
1. Safety Glasses (American Optical Co. # 484A)
2. Masterlock #1525
3. Calculator (preferably one that can handle logarithms)
4. Lab Notebook – Student Lab Notebook by Hayden-McNeil
The above items are available at the University Store, or at the Textbook Annex.
Learning Resources
The Chemistry Resource Center (CRC) is located in 151 Goessmann and is open 9 AM – 12 PM
Mondays through Thursdays, 10 AM- 4:30 PM Friday, and 5 PM to 12 PM Sunday. The CRC is
staffed with a chemistry graduate student and an undergraduate who is familiar with the
computers and other resources available. During weekday afternoons, from 1 PM to 5 PM, there
will also be a general chemistry professor in the CRC. The CRC is the best place to do chemistry
OWL homework and get chemistry-related questions answered. Help is also available at
Learning Support Services, 1020 W.E.B. DuBois Library.
Office Hours: Mon, Wed 12:30 – 1:30 (512 LGRT)
Important web addresses:
http://www.chem.umass.edu/~mknapp. The web site for this class. Follow appropriate links.
The site contains a copy of this syllabus, homework assignments and solutions, copies of old
exams and answers/solutions, handouts, examinations, and other important class information.
Check this class web site often as new and updated materials are added frequently.
http://www.chem.umass.edu/genchem. The General Chemistry web page. Has links to the
Online Web-based homework & Learning system (OWL) and to the chemistry department
CHEM121H course web site. This site has links to the laboratory schedule, OWL login, old
exam questions sorted by topic, and our section’s class web site.
Lecture Handouts/Supplements: Most handouts will be available prior to class from the course
web site. Chemland Chemistry software for Windows PCs is available free from
http://soulcatcher.chem.umass.edu under “downloads.”
Homework
Textbook homework is neither collected nor graded. However, it is of great importance in
learning chemical concepts and principles. Assignments will be made at the beginning of each
class. Solutions are posted on the course web site.
Chemistry 121H
Professor Knapp
Online Web-based Learning (OWL)
(http://owl.oit.umass.edu/owlc/user/loginpage.cgi?UserType=Student&Server=owl-chemistry))
OWL is a computer delivered homework system covering the topics in this course. Students can
access OWL from the CRC or any computer with Internet access. All students should log on to
OWL as soon as possible to check that they have access to the system. Your user name is your
9 digit student number and your password is your last name. The first OWL assignment is due
Sunday, September 8th at midnight. OWL assignments are computer graded and, in total,
comprise 10% of the final course grade. Assignments may be re-taken until successfully passed
(only your highest grade will be retained). If you experience any problems logging on or
completing assignments, notify the instructor by e-mail ASAP. The first few assignment due
dates are shown below, others will follow each week during the semester. A few "Discovery"
modules may also be assigned.
Name of assignment Chapter/Unit Due date
Intro to OWL (tutorial) 0-1a,b,c; 0-2a,b
September 8
Unit Analysis 1-1c; 1-2b; 1-4c
September 11
Examinations:
Exam #1: Thursday, October 3
Exam #2: Thursday, October 31 {Last date to drop with "W" is Monday, Oct. 29}
Exam #3: Tuesday, December 5.
Final Examination: TBA
There are no early Final Examinations. The actual date (and time, location, etc.) of the
Final Examination will be announced as soon as it is made available to instructors.
Grading: There will be three (3) 90 minute examinations (100 points each) and one (1)
cumulative final examination (100 points). The laboratory is valued at 100 points and the OWL
homework at 50 points. Students must independently pass both the laboratory and examination
portions of the course to pass the course. Hour exams will be held during class time on the dates
shown on the lecture/exam schedule (see above). The maximum point total for the entire course
is 550 points. If the final exam grade is higher than any one of the hour exams, the lowest hour
exam grade will be dropped and the final exam grade doubled. Final course grades are earned as
below. These are the minimum point totals needed to guarantee the grades shown. Grade
adjustments on exams or final course grades are at the instructor’s discretion.
495-550 = A 479-494 = AB
385-423 = C 369-384 = CD
440-478 = B 424-439 = BC
330-368 = D < 330 = F
Make-Up Policy: No make-up exams will be given without notification of absence prior to
exam time, and written documentation of mandated absence from an exam due to legal,
medical, military or other extraordinary University-related reason. This policy is strictly
enforced. Make-up exams may or may not have the same format, number of questions, and
grading scheme as the regularly scheduled exam. Make-up exams for the final are governed by
University policy.
Chemistry 121H
Professor Knapp
Schedule
The lecture schedule details the sequence of topics. Although the actual rate of coverage may
vary slightly from that projected, the exams will be given on the dates shown. The material tested
on any exam will be that covered since the beginning of the semester or previous exam. The final
exam is cumulative, covering the entire semester.
Week #
1
Sept.
2
3
4
5
Oct.
6
Dates
10
17
24
1
8
5
12
19
26
3
10
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
15
22
29
5
12
19
26
3
10
17
24
31
7
14
21
28
5
12
Nov.
Dec.
Chapters
1
2, 23
3
4, 5
Exam Oct. 3
6
Topics
Matter and Measurement
Atoms, Nuclear Chemistry
Molecules, Ions, Compounds
Chemical Reactions
7
8
Exam Oct 31
9
10
11
12
Exam Dec 5
Atomic Structure
Electron Configuration, Periodicity
Energy and Chemical Reactions
Bonding and Molecular Structure
Orbital Hybridization and MOs
Organic Chemistry
Gases
Review and Extra Topics
Class does not meet on the date in italics.
The Fall 2002 final exam schedule will be available in October.