Syllabus
CHEMISTRY 405
Spring 2012
Chemistry Principles for Engineers
satisfies a “physical science” discovery requirement
Whole-class Session
8:10 - 9:00 am MWF (Parsons Hall N108)
Instructor Information
Professor Sam Pazicni
W110 Parsons (603.862.2529)
chem.405@unh.edu
Instructor Office Hours
Monday: 10:00 – 11:00 AM; Tuesday: 9:00 – 10:00 AM;
Wednesday: 9:00 – 10:00 AM; Thursday: 1:00 – 2:00
PM; Friday: 2:00 – 3:00 PM
Laboratory Coordinator
Ms. Amy Lindsay
S151B Parsons (603.862.2513)
alindsay@unh.edu
Teaching Assistants
Jessica Dickinson
jgq42@wildcats.unh.edu
Andrea Duke
adf43@wildcats.unh.edu
Michael Louis
mef46@wildcats.unh.edu
Dan Pyburn
dtx8@wildcats.unh.edu
Chemistry 405, Chemistry Principles for Engineers, is a one-semester course focused on those principles of chemistry
relevant to the engineering disciplines. The goals of this course are three-fold. First and foremost, this course will introduce
you to the liberal art that is chemistry—that chemistry is not just a body of facts, but an incredibly useful and interesting way
of thinking about the world. This course will also build your knowledge of the fundamental ideas (principles) upon which
chemical reasoning is built. These principles include the nature of matter and energy; the structure of the atom; how and why
atoms assemble to form elements, compounds, and materials; understanding how molecular structure and composition
determines the properties of materials; and the laws of chemical thermodynamics, its applications and consequences. Lastly,
this course aims to build your skills in problem solving, analytical reasoning, and data analysis. At the end of the semester,
you should begin “thinking like a chemist” by identifying chemistry’s central ideas; recognizing re-occurring
relationships between these ideas; and applying these ideas and relationships to solve real problems, make correct
inferences and deduce conclusions from data, and interpret whether conclusions are warranted based on given data.
Chemistry 405 is required for all engineering majors. As such, this course will explore chemical phenomena and principles
with emphasis on developing skills and knowledge applicable to engineering.
Students in Chemistry 405 are presumed to have taken at least one year of high school chemistry, algebra, and have a
working knowledge of exponentials and logarithms. This is a very fast-paced course. If you have never taken a chemistry
course or if it has been some time since your last chemistry course, it is recommended that that you consider enrolling in
Chemistry 403 and 404.
Course Website (Blackboard)
Much of the material for this course is available via Blackboard, accessible via http://blackboard.unh.edu/. You should have
access to two Chem 405 Blackboard sites: one for the entire class and one for your recitation/laboratory section. You will use
these sites to access course information; remain aware of your course progress; complete reading checks, end-of-week
quizzes, and course diagnostics; download lecture slides, laboratory instructions, and study materials; and read
announcements posted by Prof. Pazicni, Ms. Lindsay, and the TAs. You should log on to these Chemistry 405 Blackboard
sites as soon as possible to explore their contents and learn where important files are located. Also, follow the links provided
within the main site’s “Course Information” tool to register for OWL and begin working on exercises that will help you
master the learning objectives for the course, and complete the online Course Diagnostics (deadline: 06 February 2012),
which will provide us with important information concerning how you learn. Much information about this course will be
transmitted via email, using automated email lists created via Blackboard. An email was sent to everyone on the main
course list on Friday, 20 January 2012. If you did not receive such an email, please contact Prof. Pazicni immediately.
Required Materials
You will need to purchase the items listed below. These are the only required items for this course.
Textbook. In Chemistry 405, we use a UNH custom version of Chemistry: The Molecular Science (4th ed) by John Moore,
Conrad Stanitski, and Peter Jurs, entitled Principles of Chemistry, published by Cengage Learning, and available from local
bookstores. The ISBN-13 for this book (bundled with registration for the OWL online homework system, see below) is
9781111628383. Used books are, of course, acceptable; however, they will not be automatically bundled with the OWL
online homework system. The ISBN-13 for the textbook alone is 9781111470050.
OWL: To complete required chemistry learning activities, you will need to access OWL, a web-based learning system. OWL
is automatically bundled with the textbook for Chemistry 405 and thus you should receive a registration card for OWL when
you purchase a new text at local bookstores. If you would like to purchase online access to OWL only, you can purchase
ISBN-10: 0-538-73817-0 (24 month access) or ISBN-10: 0-538-73815-4 (6 month access) at http://www.cengagebrain.com.
Please note that purchasing access to OWL entitles you to an “e-book” version of the course text. Additional information on
OWL registration may be found on the main course Blackboard site within “Course Information”.
eInstruction “clickers”. You are required to bring your eInstruction clicker to each whole class section. You may
purchase your clicker and enrollment code at the campus bookstore and register it for Chemistry 405 using Blackboard.
Instructions for doing so can be found in the “Course Information” folder on the course Blackboard site.
Lab Notebook. You are required to bring a carbonless laboratory notebook with duplicate pages to each lab section. These
can be purchased from the Chemistry Stockroom (Parsons W130, hours: M-F 8:30 am – 12:00 pm; 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm).
Safety Goggles. Industrial quality eye protection is required at all times when you are in the lab. Safety goggles (ANSI
Z87 label) can be purchased from the Chemistry Stockroom.
Calculator: An inexpensive calculator is required. It should have capabilities for square roots, logarithms and
exponentiation, and exponential (scientific) notation operations. The calculator will be used in class, on exams and quizzes,
and in the laboratory. You may use programmable calculators in this course.
Course Organization and Expectations
This course is designed to introduce you to reasoning observations of the natural world with chemical logic (i.e. “thinking
like a chemist”). This is a difficult task, given our time frame of only one semester. Your instructors will do their best to
guide you in mastering the material, but no course or instructor can learn for you. Learning is something only you can do;
for that reason you are the most important feature of the course. Many learning activities are offered in order to meet the
needs of different types of students. However, if you find that your learning needs are not being met or you are not satisfied
with some aspect of the course, please bring your concern(s) to your instructors.
You will need to devote a considerable amount of effort (and, consequently, time) to mastering chemical principles. A
good rule of thumb is that you should spend approximately three hours outside of class for each hour you are in class.
Throughout this course, emphasis will be placed on applying the main ideas of chemistry to effectively solve scientific and
engineering problems. Applying chemical reasoning to successfully solve problems requires a basic knowledge of
principles, facts and terms: a vocabulary of chemistry. Some of this background and vocabulary should have been
obtained from your high school chemistry course. From time to time you may need to review material you studied in high
school in order to understand the new material presented in this course. To help you review, there are occasional assigned
readings (italicized in the course schedule) that will outline the prior knowledge necessary for understanding the material at
hand. Chemistry is a cumulative subject; what you learn this semester will build upon background material that you learned
in previous courses and what you will learn later in the course will build on things you learned earlier in the course. To help
you to master the material presented in this course, specific learning objectives are provided. These learning objectives
comprise an outline of the concepts and skills you will be expected to master in Chemistry 405. Use the learning objectives to
guide your work to review for quizzes and exams. To enhance the utility of the learning objectives, study questions,
exercises, and tutorials keyed to most learning objectives are available within OWL. For even more practice, practice exams
will also be available.
A recommended study strategy for this course is: 1) read the assigned material in the text before each whole class session and
complete the assigned reading checks; 2) attend class and take your own notes; and 3) as soon as possible after class, begin
reviewing learning objectives and working though associated OWL exercises. When you encounter exercises that you cannot
solve or ideas that are confusing, refer to the text, OWL learning activities, your notes, or your fellow students. Forming a
study group to work through exercises and to talk about chemistry is an excellent way to master the subject. This
recommended strategy, however, should not imply that chemistry is solely about working textbook exercises. A solid
conceptual understanding of chemistry will be the main goal of the course.
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Learning Activities in Chemistry 405
Chemistry 405 has different learning activities to meet the needs of the many types of students in our class. You do not need
to attend every class, or complete every OWL exercise. Rather, your job is to sample the different types of materials offered
and to select those activities that most effectively support your learning. During whole class meetings, Prof. Pazicni will
lecture, provide examples, and facilitate class discussions in order to aid your understanding of the material. In recitation
section, your TA will engage a smaller group of your peers in problem solving and answer specific questions on the course
material. In the laboratory, you will engage in hands-on activities that will introduce some concepts and reinforce others.
Attending whole-class and recitation sections is not required; however, students who consistently attend outperform
those who do not. Attending all laboratory sessions is required.
Whole Class Sessions
What to do before coming to whole class meetings. Read the relevant sections of the textbook prior to each lecture;
reading assignments are provided on the course schedule. Take the time to carefully review the illustrations, equations, and
graphs in these readings, as visualization is an important tool that chemists use to understand the world. Try to make your
reading an active process; keep track of those concepts that are confusing so you will be able to pay especially close
attention as those concepts are covered in class. Please remember, the internet is not an appropriate substitute for your
textbook; there is a great deal of incorrect and/or misleading information on the internet. Reading checks (see below) will
help to guide your attention while completing assigned readings.
Reading checks will assess your comprehension of the assigned reading for a particular whole-class session and will help
focus your attention on the more important points while actively reading. These checks will be administered using
Blackboard and can be found within the “Reading Checks” tool. A few reading check questions will be given before each
whole-class session. Only correct responses to reading check questions will contribute positively to your overall course
grade; incorrect responses will lower your overall course point total. Thus, it is to your advantage to use the reading
checks to guide your active and thoughtful reading of the assigned text sections before coming to each whole-class session.
Reading checks will be available 48 hours prior to the related whole-class session and will close at 8:00 AM of that
day. Once the reading check is closed, it cannot be answered; however, missing a few reading checks will have essentially no
effect on the final grade for the course. Please note that you are required to complete reading checks even if you are not
planning to attend a particular whole-class meeting.
What to do during whole class meetings. In class, Prof. Pazicni will outline goals, present illustrations and
demonstrations, and facilitate class discussions that will allow you to reflect on what you have read prior to coming to class.
A lecture is in no way intended to describe or explain everything you should be learning; rather, it will provide
additional insight into select topics and attempt to illustrate the important conceptual connections between topics. Wholeclass meetings will also give you an opportunity to think about these topics and test whether you understand them. You
should take notes during lecture. Note taking should be an active, thoughtful process; your notes should reflect your
understanding of what you heard and saw, and not merely repeat what the instructor said. Prof. Pazicni will also provide
opportunities for you to test your understanding of particular concepts through in-class questions and discussion. If there are
concepts or ideas that are not clear to you feel free to ask him or your TA about them after class, by email, or in office hours.
Please do not expect to learn everything you need to know from the lectures; you will learn far more by reading,
working OWL activities, and asking questions on your own or with a group of other students outside of class.
eInstruction “clickers”. During whole-class sessions, you will use a wireless remote-controlled response system for class
survey activities. The eInstruction system has the ability to provide real-time feedback concerning your understanding of the
material presented during class. The eInstruction system adds an interactive element to the whole class sessions and engages
you in the material more so than standard lecturing techniques. The eInstruction system will be used for daily ConcepTests
(see below). Please be sure to bring your eInstruction clicker to class each day so that you will be able to participate in
these activities, which will contribute to your final grade if you so choose (see information about the eInsruction opt-out
policy below). Participating in at least 85% of the eInstuction activities throughout the semester will guarantee you
full credit for lecture activities and will be pro-rated for those achieving less than 85%.
ConcepTests. At various points during the whole class sessions, Prof. Pazicni will survey your understanding of the
material that has been presented or read using the eInstruction system with what are known as ConcepTests. ConcepTests are
critical-thinking questions designed to correct common alternative understandings as well as stimulate discussion between
you and your peers seated next to you. Only participation in these ConcepTests will contribute positively to your overall
course grade; you will not be penalized for incorrect answers to these questions.
eInstruction Opt-Out Policy. You may elect to have eInstruction activities not contribute to your final course grade. The
portion of your grade that would have been determined from eInstruction participation will instead be determined with an
average of your exam scores. If you wish to opt-out of eInstruction activities for the semester and have your course
grade more heavily weighted by your exam scores, please email Prof. Pazicni no later than Friday, 10 February 2012.
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What to do after whole class meetings. After whole-class meetings, you should review which learning objectives have
been covered during that whole-class meeting. You should inventory whether you are comfortable with the objectives
covered by reviewing the appropriate pages of the textbook and attempting to work the sample exercises without looking at
the answers. When you believe you understand a learning objective, prove your understanding to yourself by working OWL
activities. If you get a few exercises correct, great!; you can move on to the next objective. If you struggle with OWL
activities even after you feel you are comfortable with a certain learning objective, something is wrong and you should seek
assistance from a peer, your TA, or Prof. Pazicni. You can also challenge yourself to explain learning objectives or how to
solve associated problems to your peers. Remember, memorizing is not learning. Only when you feel you can teach
material to others have you sufficiently learned the material yourself.
Recitation Sections
Recitation sections are led by your TA for a small group of students. The recitation periods are for questions, help, review,
and problem solving relevant to recent whole class sessions, OWL activities, and other assigned material. Recitation sections
will be most helpful if you are prepared when you come to the class. You should have at least tried to work on example
problems or OWL activities. Feel free to bring your computer or printed copies of OWL activities, reading checks, or
quizzes marked with areas where you need help. Your TA cannot solve the specific problems that you have been assigned,
but (s)he can create similar examples for the class to solve together. Bring specific questions to ask; be sure you understand
the questions asked by others and the answers given by your TA and fellow students. Your active participation in recitation
will help you and your fellow students learn. Recitation sections will begin on Tuesday, 24 January 2012.
Recitation Section Schedule. Below is the relevant information associated with the course recitation sections. Please
attend the recitation section to which you are assigned, as space in classrooms is limited. There is no difference in content
between the different recitation sections. If you have a conflict with one of your recitation section times and would like to
arrange to attend another recitation section, please contact both your TA and the TA whose section you would like to attend.
Section
Time
Weekday
Location
TA
01
1:10 – 2:00 PM
M
S150 PARS
Louis
02
5:10 – 6:00 PM
M
S150 PARS
Duke
03
1:10 – 2:00 PM
T
S150 PARS
Duke
04
5:10 – 6:00 PM
T
S150 PARS
Dickinson
05
1:10 – 2:00 PM
W
S150 PARS
Dickinson
06
5:10 – 6:00 PM
W
S150 PARS
Louis
07
8:10 – 9:00 AM
T
S150 PARS
Pyburn
Laboratory Sections
Laboratory work is extremely important to developing chemical reasoning ability. Each laboratory experiment will have its
own criteria for grading and your TA will apply those criteria to evaluating your work. You must achieve a lab score of at
least 60% and have no more than one unexcused laboratory absence in order to receive a passing grade in the course.
In the laboratory, you will have the opportunity to experience directly some of the relationships discussed in whole-class
meetings, recitations, and in the textbook and to apply experimental techniques to solving chemical problems. Laboratory
work is, by nature, slow compared with text reading. You will succeed only with adequate preparation. You must read the
experiment (available on Blackboard), complete the pre-lab assignment (if applicable), and organize your laboratory
notebook for efficient data collection prior to coming to lab. This material will be turned in to your TA at the beginning of
the recitation section immediately prior to the lab period. During the lab period, you will carry out the experiment; take notes;
collect data, and apply chemical reasoning to analyze and explain trends in the data you collect. We encourage you to discuss
your work with your fellow students and with your TA while doing the experiment. All of your laboratory notebook work
will be turned in to your TA at the end of the lab period. Your post-lab reports must be turned in during the recitation
section of the following week, in the format specified in the laboratory instructions or by your TA. You will be evaluated on
your pre-lab preparation (including pre-lab assignment and notebook preparation), execution of in-lab experimental technique
and data analysis, your ability to observe chemical phenomena and record observations in your laboratory notebook, and your
ability to use what you have observed/recorded to answer post-lab questions concerning the activity.
For other information concerning the Chemistry 405 Laboratory, please consult the Laboratory Guidelines, posted
under the “Labs” tab on Blackboard and available from your TA.
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Other Graded Learning Activities
Exams
There will be four midterm exams of approximately 2 hours each and a 2-hour final exam. Each midterm exam will cover the
material up to that point in the course and since the previous exam. The final exam will be divided between the material since
the fourth exam (~20%) and comprehensive coverage of the entire semester (~80%).
Please note the exam dates below on your calendar and avoid scheduling anything at those times. If you have an unavoidable
conflict, contact Prof. Pazicni well in advance. If circumstances arise unexpectedly that preclude your taking an exam,
please contact your TA or Prof. Pazicni before the scheduled exam time.
Midterm Exams:
Final Exam:
Thursday, 09 Feb
7:10 – 9:00 PM
Parsons N104, N108
Thursday, 01 Mar
7:10 – 9:00 PM
Parsons N104, N108
Thursday, 05 Apr
7:10 – 9:00 PM
Hamilton Smith 127, 216, 218
Thursday, 26 Apr
7:10 – 9:00 PM
Parsons N104, N108
Friday, 11 May
8:00 – 10:00 AM
Location TBA
For each exam, you will be provided with physical constants, potentially useful equations, and a periodic table. The same
information will be provided on practice exams; thus, you will know exactly what information is provided for each exam.
During exams, you will be permitted to use a portable music device, provided that this device is not connected to a
WiFi/cellular network and that the device is readily displayed for a proctor to monitor your usage of the device.
Alternate Midterm Exam Times. Because conflicts are often unavoidable, alternate midterm exam times will be offered
on the same day as each exam. You will be given the opportunity to submit a request to take an exam at an alternate time on
Blackboard (via the “Alternate Midterm Sign-Up” tab) approximately one week prior to the exam.
Learning Objectives, OWL and Practice Exams. Course learning objectives can be found on the main course
Blackboard site within “Course Documents”. Practice exams can be found in the same location. Exercises keyed to most
learning objectives are available within OWL. The practice exam and OWL exercises are typical of those you are expected to
master and you should use them for exam practice. If you do not understand how to solve these exercises, ask your TA in
recitation section or during office hours.
How Exams are Constructed. You should note that learning objectives for each exam are stated as skills or
concepts to be mastered. A subset of eighteen learning objectives will be randomly chosen for each exam and
corresponding questions will be crafted. Questions will be written to reflect the overall goal of the course – to apply chemical
reasoning to explain observations in the natural world and/or to solve authentic problems. The overall emphasis of the
exams in this course is to assess your conceptual understanding of the material. Therefore, you will be asked to explain
nearly every calculation, approximation, and estimation you make on an exam. A recommended strategy is to construct exam
explanations as if you were teaching the reader the material related to the question you are answering.
How To Prepare For Exams. A recommended strategy is: 1) review the learning objectives for the exam referring to your
notes or the text if necessary; 2) work OWL activities for each objective and seek an intervention (from the book, the
tutorials, your notes, a friend, your TA, or Prof. Pazicni) if you have not mastered the objective; 3) simulate the test taking
situation by working the practice exam in 120 minutes in a quiet place; 4) “grade” your own test using the text, your
colleagues, or the practice exam answer key as a guide; 5) review those areas that you identify strong (you don’t want to
forget what you do well!) and as weak. Remember, this is only a recommended strategy and does not guarantee an
acceptable exam performance. Rather, use this as a guide to constructing a successful, individual strategy.
Final Examination. The final examination will follow a different structure than the other midterms. Most notably, the final
examination is cumulative; the 100 total points of the examination are divided between material since the fourth midterm (~
20 points) and comprehensive coverage of the entire semester (~80 points). Additionally, the final examination is divided
into two sections. The first section is a standardized multiple-choice exam published by the American Chemical Society
entitled General Chemistry (Conceptual). 60 questions have been chosen from the exam that best reflect the content of
Chemistry 405. To aid in your preparation for this section of the final, a representative mix of study questions will be
available on Blackboard and a final exam review “clicker-a-thon” will be given on Wedensday, 09 May 2012 (a reading day).
The latter section of the final exam will consist of four questions: two questions on electrochemistry and two cumulative
questions (taken from the final set of course learning objectives). You will complete one electrochemistry question and one
cumulative question. These questions will be chosen from larger pools of questions that will be made available to you one
week prior to the final exam. Two questions from each pool, stated exactly how they appear online, will appear on your
final examination. You may answer this latter section of the final exam in one of two ways: (1) you can work two of the
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four questions during the final exam period and record your responses within the booklet given to you; or (2) you can hand in
responses to all parts of all questions that appear online at 8:00 AM and, when presented with the booklet containing the
questions chosen for the exam, indicate the questions you would like to have scored and that you have already turned in these
responses. Proctors will monitor your submissions to ensure all parts of all questions have been completed and will deny
acceptance if this criterion is not met. You will, if you so choose, be able to forfeit the responses turned in at the beginning of
the exam period by responding to the chosen questions within your test booklet.
Exam Self-assessments. In Chemistry 405, you will be given the opportunity to complete a self-assessment for any of
the midterm exams you take. By completing a midterm exam self-assessment, you can “earn back” up to 33% of the points
that were unearned on the midterm exam. All self-assessments are due to your TA one week after (s)he returns an exam to
you. In general, for each section of the exam in which you earned partial or no credit, you must craft a thoughtful and
reflective summary of the alternative understandings that lead to you earning less than full credit, elaborate on how your
understanding has changed as a result of reflecting upon your mistakes, and provide a revised response that you believe will
earn more credit. Full guidelines for developing a midterm exam self-assessment are posted on the main Blackboard
course sit within the “Course Documents” tab.
End-of-week Quizzes
Roughly every Friday (save those Fridays falling on exam weeks), a quiz will open on Blackboard at 9:00 am. You must
complete the quiz within one setting (45 minutes maximum) sometime before 8:00 AM on the following Monday. You
may begin the quiz at any point within this window of time and wherever you wish. The quiz will cover learning objectives
presented in the previous 3-4 whole-class meetings and reading assignments. Each quiz will be worth 10 points and a total of
11 quizzes will contribute to your overall course grade. When taking quizzes, please be sure you are on a secure and stable
internet connection and that you do not click outside of the browser window containing your quiz. These actions signal to the
system that you are finished with the quiz or lead to Blackboard “freezing”. Feel free to take the practice quiz in order to get
accustomed to the “do’s” and “do not’s” of taking quizzes that will impact your overall course point total.
OWL Online Web Learning System
While in Chemistry 405, you will find yourself in need of quick refreshers, practice exercises, or challenging problems for
various concepts and learning objectives. For this purpose, there exist activities within the OWL Online Homework System.
For roughly each learning objective covered in Chemistry 405, there is a corresponding set of activities within OWL. These
activities include tutorials, interactive simulations, short video lectures, practice exercises that provide instant feedback, and
online versions of the course text’s end-of-chapter exercises. Working conscientiously through some of these activities
between lectures and in preparation for quizzes and exams will very likely allow you to perform better in this course. For this
reason, OWL activities WILL contribute to your overall course grade. There are five main folders of activities in the
OWL system, one for each Chemistry 405 exam, including the final examination. If you complete at least 45% of the
activities within each exam objectives folder by the deadlines noted on the course schedule, you will receive 100 points
(20 points per folder of exam objectives). Scores for each of the five OWL folders will be pro-rated for those achieving less
than 45% in any given folder. This format gives you the flexibility to pick and choose activities that best help you learn
the material in this course. Please note that while some OWL activities require correct responses in order to be considered
“complete”, others do not require correct responses. The requirements of each type of OWL activity are explained in an
activity entitled “Introduction to OWL” which you should try to complete before any other OWL activity.
In addition, there are activities not associated with organization-by-learning-objective set-up of OWL that may be of interest.
In particular are video lectures on various chemistry topics, entitled “Go Chemistry®” and “Thinkwell Videos”.
Although the lecturers in these videos may to little or too much attention to topics in comparison to their treatment in
Chemistry 405, these videos may nonetheless be of value for review or if you happen to miss a whole-class meeting.
Course Diagnostics and Surveys
Chemistry 405 is populated with students possessing a wide range of abilities, interests, and backgrounds. In order to help
you learn chemistry as efficiently and effectively as possible, as well as to collect information concerning the course as a
whole, we will administer several surveys and diagnostic assessments in order to gather information about your abilities,
previous knowledge, and attitudes toward the course. Some of these assessments will be available online; others will be
completed in class. You will earn points toward your final course point total by completing each of these assessments.
•
Previous Chemistry Knowledge assessment. You will take this diagnostic during the first recitation/lab section of
the semester. This will help us (and you) recognize how much previous chemistry and mathematics you remember
and understand. Completing this assessment will earn you 5 points toward your final course point total.
•
Reading Comprehension assessment. You will take this diagnostic during the first recitation/lab section of the
semester. This will help us (and you) understand how well you can interpret and draw conclusions from written
information on exams, quizzes, and in the textbook. Completing this assessment will earn you 5 points.
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•
Test of Logical Thinking (TOLT). You will take this diagnostic online via Blackboard (the survey is located
within the “Course Diagnostics” tool). The deadline to take this survey is 8:00 am on 06 Feb 2012. Although this
survey isn’t about chemistry, it does provide insight regarding how you may respond to different approaches to
teaching chemistry. Completing this assessment will earn you 5 points.
•
Academic Self Assessment (ASA). You will take these diagnostics online via Blackboard (the survey is located
within the “Course Diagnostics” tool). The deadline to take this survey is 8:00 am on 06 Feb 2012. This
assessment will provide us with information concerning your attitudes, study habits, and confidence. Completing the
ASA will earn you 5 points toward your final course point total.
•
Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG). You will complete this survey at the end of the course; more
detailed instructions will be given at that time. This assessment will provide us with important feedback concerning
how Chemistry 405 suited (or did not suit) your learning needs. The deadline to take this survey is 11 May 2012;
completing it will earn you 5 points toward your final course point total.
Important Administrative Information For Chemistry 405
Student Senate
So that Prof. Pazicni can obtain feedback from students, a Student Senate, consisting of one or two representatives chosen
from the students in each recitation section, will be set up. The board will meet with Prof. Pazicni every other week at 11:00
AM – 12:00 PM on Fridays beginning on 03 February 2012 to discuss course policies and decisions. Your TA will solicit
volunteers for this role in your first recitation section. If you are chosen as your section’s representative, send an email to
Prof. Pazicni that includes your name, your email address, your section number, and your TA’s name.
Electronic Mail
You are encouraged to contact Prof. Pazicni and the TAs by email if you have questions about anything to do with the course.
E-mail is available at all times of day and night, so you can send messages whenever something comes to mind. However,
don’t always expect an immediate response! Instructors will try to respond to emails within 24 hours. Chemistry is often
difficult to explain via e-mail, given the variety of representations chemists use to explain they observe. Therefore, please do
follow up if your instructor responds to your email with “I’ll be happy to answer your question during office hours”.
What To Do If You Are Unexpectedly Sick, Or Otherwise Unable To Attend An Exam
If you are unable to attend an exam because of an unavoidable schedule conflict (e.g. a simultaneously scheduled class or a
religious observance), contact your TA or Prof. Pazicni as soon as possible. If circumstances arise unexpectedly that
preclude your taking an exam, please contact your TA or Prof. Pazicni before the scheduled exam time. We recognize
that in an emergency situation, you may not be able to contact us in a timely way.
Cell Phone Policy
If you bring a cell phone to class, please turn it off for the duration of all class periods (whole-class sessions, recitation,
laboratory, and exams). If there is a situation that requires that you be able to answer your cell phone during a class, please
inform your instructor before the class.
Health or Disability Concerns
The University is committed to providing students with documented disabilities equal access to all university programs and
facilities. If you think you have a disability requiring accommodations, you must register with Disability Services for
Students (DSS). You may contact DSS at (603) 862-2607 or visit them in MUB 118. If you have received an
Accommodation Letter for this course from DSS, please provide Prof. Pazicni with that information privately so that those
accommodations can be reviewed.
The UNH Mathematics Center (MAC)
Mathematics is an important tool for chemists to express their understanding of the world. The ability to manipulate
equations, solve for unknown variables, perform logarithms and exponentials, solve a quadratic equation, etc. is crucial to
your success in this course. The UNH Mathematics Center (MAC) offers free walk-in help to any student taking a 300- or
400-level mathematics course at UNH. MAC is located in Room G33, on the bottom floor of Christensen Hall (Tower B).
Hours are available on the web; point your browser to: http://www.math.unh.edu/cgi-bin/generatePage.cgi?mac/mac
ΑΧΣ Chemistry Tutoring
Members of the Mu chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma (ΑΧΣ), the only professional Chemistry fraternity, offer free
chemistry tutoring for general chemistry students (including Chemistry 405). Times and locations of these tutoring
services will be announced regularly in whole-class meetings and on the main course Blackboard site.
7
Complete Chemistry 405 Schedule
8:00 – 9:00 AM
MON
TUES
WED
LECTURE
SEC 07 RECIT
LECTURE
9:00 – 10:00 AM
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Pazicni OH (9-10)
Pazicni OH
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
THURS
FRI
LECTURE
Pazicni OH
SEC 07 LAB
(9-12)
Student Senate
12:00 – 1:00 PM
1:00 – 2:00 PM
SEC 01 RECIT
SEC 03 RECIT
SEC 05 RECIT
2:00 – 3:00 PM
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Pazicni OH
Staff Meeting
SEC 01 LAB
SEC 03 LAB
SEC 05 LAB
SEC 02 RECIT
SEC 04 RECIT
SEC 06 RECIT
SEC 03 LAB
SEC 04 LAB
SEC 06 LAB
Pazicni OH
4:00 – 5:00 PM
5:00 – 6:00 PM
6:00 – 7:00 PM
7:00 – 8:00 PM
8:00 – 9:00 PM
MIDTERM EXAMS
Academic Performance, Progress, and Accomplishment
Your grade will be based on a maximum of 1200 points, partitioned as follows:
eleven end-of-week quizzes @ 10 points each
(dates are listed in the course schedule)
110 points
twelve laboratories (total weighted to 25% of the final grade)
300 points
eInstruction “clicker” activities during whole-class sessions will
comprise 6.7% of the course grade
080 points
reading checks will comprise 7.1% of the course grade
085 points
OWL activities will comprise 8.3% of the course grade
100 points
course surveys/diagnostics
reading comprehension assessment (5 points)
previous chemistry assessment (5 points)
academic self assessments (5 points)
TOLT (5 points)
end-of-course SALG survey (5 points)
025 points
four midterm exams @ 100 points each
(dates and times are listed in the course schedule)
400 points
final exam
(date and time are listed in the course schedule)
100 points
TOTAL
1200 points
Extra Credit. Firstly, Prof. Pazicni is philosophically opposed to giving certain individuals opportunities while not granting
the same to everyone. True, he could give everyone the opportunity, but he is also opposed to giving assignments "just for
points". For you to earn "retroactive credit", he would have to present you with (and subsequently evaluate) something that
would assess whether you have mastered something you previously had not. This is difficult to do, as Chemistry 405
progresses and revisits topics over and over again in a cumulative fashion (i.e. hopefully everyone has made gains in one way
or another). For these reasons, no extra credit opportunities will be offered in Chemistry 405.
Letter Grades. Although grades are not the ultimate measure of your knowledge, abilities, or potential, they are useful
guides to you and to others. Your level of accomplishment will be recognized at the end of the semester by the letter grade
you receive for the course. Individual accomplishment is measured against course standards and not against the
8
performance of other students. The course standards and levels of accomplishment are presented below. Final grades will
be based upon this absolute point scale and the corresponding qualitative assessments. If you score the number of points
indicated, then you will receive the letter grade indicated, regardless of how many other students achieve the same grade.
There is no curve. Therefore, it is to your benefit that you help other students learn and they help you learn.
In a large course such as Chemistry 405, students have diverse backgrounds and different expectations. The expectations of
your instructors include individual accomplishment on the part of every student, so that each of your capabilities is fulfilled,
each of your capacities is expanded, and each of your lives is enriched. Of great importance to your instructors is the
knowledge that you acquire; the skills you cultivate; and the attitude you develop. Your instructors expect that by the end
of the semester, each of you will have enough accomplishment to be at least at the FAIR level (see next page).
Everything the instructional staff does is aimed toward helping you achieve this goal. In the “race” to completing a college
degree, there is an assumption that a credit is a credit is a credit, and when you get to the magic number of credits, you will
have learned what you need to learn. The hidden truth here is that you can accumulate an awful lot of credits and not
learn anything. Within the course standards grid, you can find descriptions of the outcomes expected for each letter grade.
Please note the fact that these outcomes are aligned in order to circumvent the “hidden truth” mentioned above. In short, you
will not receive credit for this class unless you’ve learned a good deal about chemistry.
Please note that grades are in no way meant to measure “effort”, but only “performance”. Grades are meant to measure
your understanding and if you are able to demonstrate that understanding by performing unfamiliar, yet related, tasks. For
some, effort and performance are linked, i.e. the harder one works and studies, the better one’s performance on exams and
quizzes will be. For others, unfortunately, effort and performance are not linked. If you find the latter to be the case,
please consult your TA or Prof. Pazicni immediately, as you may not be employing useful study habits when preparing for
exams, quizzes, and laboratories.
Grade
Standard
A
excellent
A–
B+
B
good
B–
Level of Competency
fair
Competent. Level
expected of a typical
student with appropriate
preparation and a strong
work ethic.
Occasional errors or minor omissions. Upon
review, student can recognize problems and can
correct them without supervision. Student is
prepared for subsequent courses that will build
on material presented in Chemistry 405 with
little or no review.
1004 - 1036
Some errors or omissions present. Student may
not find problems independently but can correct
them with the aid of reference material. Student
is prepared for subsequent courses that will
build on material presented in Chemistry 405
only with substantial review.
865 -917
Minimal level of
competence. Below level
expected of a typical
student.
D+
poor
Incompetent. Should not
be assigned work in this
area.
D–
F
failure
1068 points or
more
Few minor errors, if any, exist. Work is clear,
concise, readily checked, and can serve as a
reference to others. Student is unquestionably
prepared for subsequent courses that will on
material presented in Chemistry 405.
C–
D
Point Range
Mastery. Above the level
expected of a typical
student at this level.
C+
C
Quality of Work/Outcomes
Academic performance so
deficient in quality as to be
unacceptable for credit.
Work riddled with errors or substantially
incomplete. Student cannot find problems and
may not be able to correct them without direct
supervision and guidance. . Student is not
prepared for and should not consider enrolling
in courses that will build on material presented
in Chemistry 405.
Work of little or no value. Student may not be
able to correct problems even with direct
supervision.
9
1037 -1067
972 - 1003
918 - 971
810 - 864
756 - 809
724 - 755
691 - 723
660-690
659 points or
fewer
Lecture, Laboratory, Quiz, and Exam Schedule
Chemistry 405
Spring 2012
#
Date
Description of Topic(s)
Assigned Reading
Quizzes/Assignments
Laboratory
Quiz 1
Jan 24 and Jan 25:
NO LABS
(but go to your recitation
sections to complete course
diagnostics!)
January
1
W 25
course introduction
syllabus, schedule
2
F 27
chemistry: the nature of matter and energy
1.4-1.8, 10.2-10.3 (online),
11.3 (pp 493-497)
3
M 30
connecting the macroscopic to the microscopic
1.9, 1.10, 2.1-2.3, 2.5-2.9,
7.1-7.6*
(opens at 9:00 am; closes at
8:00 am on Jan 30)
February
4
W 01
electrons and electron configurations
7.1-7.8*
5
F 03
predicting behavior and properties using
electron configurations
7.7-7.12*
6
M 06
the structure of metallic and ionic solids
3.5-3.7, 11.5, 11.6
7
W 08
putting it all together. predicting the properties of atoms, elements, ions, and
ionic compounds
H 09
exam one. this exam will cover lectures 1-7 and take place from 7:10 – 9:00
pm in Parsons Hall, Rooms N104 and N108
Quiz 2
00
Jan 30 – Feb 01:
Introduction to the Lab/
Data Collection Exercise
(opens at 9:00 am; closes at
8:00 am on Feb 06)
TOLT and Academic Self
Assessment due!
OWL due by 6:00 pm!
(midterm 1 objectives)
01
Feb 06 – Feb 08:
The Solid State
(complete the pre-lab
by 06 Feb 2012)
* There is, unfortunately, not a good way to break up the material in presented in Chapter 7. Our discussions on these days will therefore be informed by an understanding of the
sections indicated.
Readings denoted in italics are, for many students, a review of material covered in previous chemistry courses. Nevertheless, please read these sections thoughtfully.
This material will not only be important background information for what will be discussed in lecture, but also the subject of an occasional reading check.
#
Date
Description of Topic(s)
Assigned Reading
Quizzes/Assignments
Laboratory
February
8
F 10
the structure of molecular and network solids
3.1-3.3, 8.1, 11.7
9
M 13
a chemically useful model: Lewis structures
Lewis structures (online)*,
8.2, 8.4, 8.8
10
W 15
a survey of common molecular structures
3.3, 8.5 (p 339), Molecular
structures (online)**
11
F 17
the strengths of Lewis structures: predicting
isomers and bond properties
3.4, 8.3, 8.5 (p 340), 8.6
12
M 20
the limitations of Lewis structures: octet
exceptions and resonance
8.9, 8.10
13
W 22
shapes of molecules
9.1, 9.2 (pp 377-383), 9.3
(pp 390-394), Hybrid
Orbitals (online)***
14
F 24
polarity of covalent bonds and molecules
8.7, 9.5
15
M 27
attractions between molecules
9.6
16
W 29
putting it all together. predicting properties of molecular compounds and
materials
H 01
exam two. this exam will cover lectures 8-16 and take place from 7:10 – 9:00
pm in Parsons Hall, Rooms N104 and N108
no quiz!
02
Feb 13 – Feb 15:
The Clock Reaction
Quiz 3
03
Feb 20 – Feb 22:
Modeling Covalent
Structures
Quiz 4
OWL due by 6:00 pm!
(midterm 2 objectives)
04
Feb 27 – Feb 29:
Boiling Points and
Intermolecular Forces
* The assigned reading entitled Lewis structures is taken from Chapter 7 of General Chemistry (4th Ed) by Donald McQuarrie. This discussion contains the same information, but
is a bit more well organized than that presented in the course text (sections 8.2, 8.4, and 8.8).
** The assigned reading entitled Molecular structures is taken from Chapter 10 of Introduction to General, Organic, and Biochemistry (9th Ed) by Frederick Bettleheim, et al.
***The assigned reading entitled Hybrid Orbitals is taken from Chapter 9 of General Chemistry (4th Ed) by Donald McQuarrie. This discussion contains the same information, but
is a bit more well organized than that presented in the course text (section 9.4).
#
Date
Description of Topic(s)
Assigned Reading
Quizzes/Assignments
Laboratory
March
17
F 02
chemical reactions and stoichiometry
1.11, 4.1-4.6, 5.1
18
M 05
transformations of organic molecules
12.3-12.5
19
W 07
polymers
12.6
20
F 09
biologically important molecules
9.7, 12.5 (pp 556-561), 12.7
no quiz!
Quiz 5
05
Mar 05 – Mar 07:
Preparation of Aspirin and
Flavoring Esters
SPRING BREAK! (March 12 – 16)
21
M 19
energy and the first law of thermodynamics
6.1-6.3
22
W 21
a chemically useful model: enthalpy
6.4-6.7, 11.3 (pp 485-492)
23
F 23
engineering connection: fuels
12.1, 12.2, 6.11, 6.12
24
M 26
measuring and using enthalpy
6.8-6.10
25
W 28
entropy
18.1-18.3
26
F 30
the second law of thermodynamics
18.4, 18.5
M 02
a chemically useful model: Gibbs energy
18.6
W 04
putting it all together. using thermodynamics to predict the utility of
chemical transformations
H 05
exam three. this exam will cover lecture 17-28 and take place from 7:10 –
9:00 pm in Hamilton Smith Hall, Rooms 127, 216, and 218
06
Mar 19 – Mar 21:
Polymers
Quiz 6
07
Mar 26 – Mar 28:
Thermochemistry
Quiz 7
April
27
28
08
Apr 02 – Apr 04:
Zinc and Iodide
OWL due by 6:00 pm!
(midterm 3 objectives)
#
Date
Description of Topic(s)
Assigned Reading
Quizzes/Assignments
Laboratory
April
29
F 06
rates of reactions and rate laws
5.6, 5.7, 13.1-13.3
30
M 09
a nanoscale view of reactions
13.4-13.6
31
W 11
mechanisms of chemical reactions
13.7, 13.8
32
F 13
engineering connection: catalysis
13.9, 13.10
33
M 16
chemical equilibrium
14.1, 14.2
34
W 18
a chemically useful model: equilibrium
constants
14.3, 14.4, 14.5
35
F 20
a chemically useful model: Le Châtelier’s
Principle
14.6-14.8
36
M 23
practical equilbria
5.2, 15.3-15.4 (online),
16.1-16.5, 16.7, 17.4, 17.5
(pp 830-835)
37
no quiz!
09
Apr 09 – Apr 11:
The Iodine Clock
Quiz 8
10
Apr 16 – Apr 18:
Introducing Equilibrium
Quiz 9
Quiz 10
W 25
putting it all together. the relationship between
kinetics, thermodynamics, and equilibrium
H 26
exam four. this exam will cover lectures 29-37 and take place from 7:10 –
9:00 pm in Parsons Hall, Rooms N104 and N108
18.7
(opens at 9:00 am; closes at
12:00 pm on Apr 26)
OWL due by 6:00 pm!
(midterm 4 objectives)
11
Apr 23 – Apr 25:
Spectrophotometry and the
Equilibrium Constant
#
Date
Description of Topic(s)
Assigned Reading
38
F 27
stability and reaction coupling
18.8-18.10
39
M 30
electrochemistry
5.3, 5.4, 19.1-19.4
Quizzes/Assignments
no quiz!
May
40
W 02
reduction potentials
19.5-19.7
41
F 04
practical electrochemistry
19.8-19.10
42
M 07
electrolysis
19.11-19.13
§
W 09
final exam review
F 11
final examination. this exam will be cumulative (see syllabus) and take place
from 8:00 – 10:00 am in rooms to be announced.
Laboratory
12
April 30 – May 02:
Electrochemistry
Quiz 11
SALG due!
OWL due by 6:00 pm!
(final exam objectives)
§ the final exam review will be held on Wednesday, May 11, from 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm at a location TBA.