Chemistry 1100: Atoms and Molecules
Instructor: Phil Silverman
email: silvermanlp@missouri.edu
Office: Rm. 123D Chemistry Building
Office hours: 11:00 – 12:00 TWTh
Required Course Materials:
1. Text: Chemistry in Context: Applying Chemistry to Society, 8th Edition by Eubanks, Middlecamp,
Heltzel, and Keller. McGraw Hill, 2014.
2. Laboratory Manual: Chemistry in Context: Applying Chemistry to Society Laboratory Manual 8th
Ed. McGraw Hill, 2014.
3. Lab notebook. (No loose leaf or spiral binders) for you to record your procedures, observations
and measurements. Must have copy paper included. These are available at the bookstore.
4. LearnSmart Card
Grading:
Midterm Exams (3): 100 points each
I DROP THE LOWEST HOUR EXAM GRADE BUT THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS
Daily Quiz (about 20): about 5 points each
Final Exam: 180 points
Laboratory Assignments (11): 20 points each plus 10 points for lab cleanup
LearnSmart and Connect assignments
200
100
180
230
100
Total: 800
PLEASE NOTE: There is NO EXTRA CREDIT offered in this course. Asking for extra credit will annoy
your instructor and will accomplish nothing else. Repeatedly asking will result in your instructor
to both become annoyed AND you might get graded more stringently.
Midterm Exams:
There will be three closed-book, 50-minute exams during the semester on June 16th, July 1st , and
July 17th. Be in town on these dates. The format will be multiple-choice and short answer-style
problems.
Important Dates:
June 22 - Last day to drop course without a grade
July 11 - Last day to withdraw from a course
Final Exam: It will be comprehensive. The format will be multiple-choice and essay-style problems.
It will be held on July 24th and will take 2 full hours.
Excused absences laboratory sessions: There are 4 different categories of excused absences: 1)
medically excused, 2) death of someone close to you, 3) university sponsored event, and, 4)
“legally” excused. The definitions are below.
To be medically excused, you NEED to get written verification by a medical doctor, stating both the
time of visit and the duration of the expected illness. No note, no excuse. If you are not sick enough
to go to the Student Health Center, go to class and/or take the exam.
The death of someone close to you isn’t something to use as an excuse unless it is legitimate.
Obituaries of people will suffice as an excused absence but I reserve the right to check up on this.
If you are part of a University sponsored event, the letter comes automatically from the program
office (if you are presenting at a conference, let me know!). Significant time away from lecture can
impact your overall grade even though the absences would be excused.
“Legally” excused absences will involve subpoenas, court records, traffic tickets, or some other
written form of documentation stating that court or being arrested is where you were (bring your
bail agreement!). Also, all of the excused absences will need to have a point of contact and a phone
number that I can call to verify the claim. Your instructors reserve the right to make the final call for
all absences from examinations.
There will be no make-up exams/labs in this course. If you miss a lab, the absence will be either
excused or unexcused. If missing the assignment is excused, your score is averaged from the scores
you earned. Absences are either excused or unexcused. There are no make-up exams.
The following Grade Scale will be used to determine your performance in the class.
A 93-100%
A- 90-92%
B+ 87-89%
B 83-86%
B- 80-82%
C+ 77-79%
C 73-76%
C- 70-72%
D+ 67-69%
D 63-66%
D- 60-62%
F Less than 60%
As per University policy, PLUS/MINUS GRADING WILL BE USED!
The Laboratory: Chemistry is an experimental science, and the laboratory experience chemistry is
vital to your success. Firstly, and most practically, you will learn concepts from the lecture in a
personal way by doing them yourself; sometimes even mistakes and errors that you encounter
along the way can be educational. Secondly (but not more importantly), you cannot receive a
passing grade for the course without satisfactorily completing the lab portion of the course
(125/250 lab points) regardless of your exam scores.
There will be one TA in charge of each lab section comprised of ~18 students. Attendance at
discussion section is mandatory for your participation in lab that day. Please pay heed to their
instructions regarding safe handling techniques for chemicals and laboratory procedures. It will not
be possible for you to make up a missed experiment regardless of the reason for your absence.
You will receive a zero for a missed lab unless you have an acceptable written excuse, in which case
your grade will be calculated from the average grade earned in the remaining experiments. Lab
reports will be due at the beginning of the following lab recitation. Please refer to the portion of
the syllabus where the policy on make-up exams and labs is covered.
Grading Lab Reports
Each lab report is worth 20 points. Your score will be based on observations recorded in your lab
notebook, answering questions related to the lab, and a concluding statement about the
experiment. The point distribution will vary from lab to lab, but will always total 20 points. In
addition, your participation in the lab cleanup at the end of the semester will be worth 10 points.
Late Lab Reports
Please consult with your TA’s syllabus.
Missing Recitation
You are not permitted to attend a lab session if you miss the corresponding recitation
Missed Labs
If you miss a lab for a valid reason, contact your TA as soon as possible so we can resolve the
situation (see “excusable absences” above – if we can’t excuse you, you get a ZERO for that lab).
Lab attire: No open-toed shoes. If you wear open-toed shoes, you get sent home. Safety
glasses must be worn over the eyes AT ALL TIMES!
The storeroom cannot rent or supply
goggles to students. ANSI-compliant eyewear (goggles and safety glasses) will be available for
PURCHASE and all students must PURCHASE their own set (so identified by having the designation
Z87 printed somewhere on the frames). These are available at all times the storeroom (A209) is
open; If you forget your goggles you will need to buy/borrow another pair before you are allowed in
the lab room. You will also wear lab aprons to protect the rest of your body (as well as your
clothes!)
ADA statement
The Provost’s office has issued the following statement. "If you have special needs as
addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and need assistance, please notify the
Access Office or course instructor immediately. Reasonable effort will be made to accommodate
your special needs." If you need accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency
medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building
must be evacuated, please inform me immediately. Please see me privately after class, or at my
office.
To request academic accommodations (for example, a note taker), students must also register with
Disability Services, AO38 Brady Commons, 882-4696. It is the campus office responsible for
reviewing documentation provided by students requesting academic accommodations, and for
accommodations planning in cooperation with students and instructors, as needed and consistent
with course requirements. For other MU resources for students with disabilities, click on "Disability
Resources" on the MU homepage.
Academic integrity
Academic integrity is expected of and by all members of the academic community. The
faculty are required to report all incidents of academic dishonesty to the Provost’s office for
resolution. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. The Provost’s office
has provided the following statement:
"Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of a university. All
members of the academic community must be confident that each person’s work has been
responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not
given all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The academic community
regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range
from probation to expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or
collaboration, consult the course instructor."
Complaints:
In a class that is both difficult in its’ material and challenging in its’ velocity, some complaints are
unavoidable! I would urge you to go to the person with whom you have a disagreement and speak
to them offline after a period of time has passed for you to be no longer angry/upset (the emotions
will hinder a chance to resolve the situation!). I recommend an e-mail to set up an appointment. Sit
down and outline your grievances; we are professionals and you will be heard. Cases in which
points were added incorrectly and the like have occurred: mistakes happen and these issues will be
rectified. One point that you have to believe for this process to work: the disagreements are never
personal. Both your TA and I value you as people and as members of the class. This does not mean
we will pass you because we like you but it does mean that we will present you with the
opportunity to excel and you will be treated fairly.