Western New Mexico University
Syllabus for Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 351 CRN 10253
Fall 2013
Professor: Samuel Kadvakollu
Email: samuelk@wnmu.edu
Phone: 505-803-4835
Fax: 575-538-6228
Class Timings:
MWF 11.00 am – 11.55 am
Class Location Harlan Hall 222
Office Hours:
MWF 1.00 pm -2.00 pm
Office Location Harlan Hall 216
Course Catalog Description:
First introductory course on the basic theory of organic chemistry. Offered in fall of every year.
Course Instructional Objectives and Outcomes:
Course Objective: The student should acquire a fundamental understanding of the reactivity and
physical properties of organic molecules after completing CHEM 351. A graduate of this course
should be capable of looking at a chemical structure and be able to predict reactivity, acid-base
behavior, stability, solubility, possible precursor compounds, and spectral properties from the
molecular structure alone. Students are introduced to a small set of individual mechanisms
elements starting from middle of this fall semester.
Textbook:
“Organic Chemistry, 7th Ed” by Brown Foote Iverson Anslyn. Publisher :Cengage Learning
ISBN:9781133952848.
Prerequisite:
CHEM152/154 and ENGL 102
Grading Components (see grade calculation below):
In-Class Exams (4 @ 100 points each) 400 Points
Comprehensive Final Exam 100 Points
On-Line Quizzes 100 Points (available in Canvas account)
Quizzes need Internet access and will be completed on-line.
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Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Exam 4
Final
Quizzes
100
100
100
100
100
100
TEST STYLE AND FORMAT:
Exams: A variety of formats will be used but the emphasis is on problems.
Quizzes: Quizzes have a firm deadline of midnight Sundays and are generally available for 3-4
days before the deadline. I will post 12 Quizzes in Canvas. The quiz average will be calculated
using the best 10 Quizzes out of 11.
Homework: Work as many practice problems as you possibly can. At the BARE MINIMUM,
work every problem inside the chapter and all problems posted on Canvas. I will post 11
practice problem sets as homework in Canvas. By doing them you can clearly understand my
exam pattern and style. Some of the questions from problem sets may appear in the exams too.
In Class Problems: Periodically I will stop lecturing at the end of the class for 5 min, so that you
can do a practice problems or in-class assignment.
Final Exam: Mixed format and Comprehensive. You will see some repeated questions from the
first four in-class examinations.
Memory Techniques:
In every class, I will give some memory techniques to remember organic reactions in easy way.
These techniques are available in class notes only and useful for our class as well as medical,
pharmacy and graduate chemistry entrance examinations.
Evaluation and Grading Scale:
Numerical overall score is overwhelmingly the primary factor in assigning the final grade.
Secondary factors are class rank and the final exam score. I would rather not be aware of any
other factors, like scholarship cancellations, stressful lifestyles, delayed graduates dates, etc. It’s
not fair to consider these unless I have the whole class line up and tell me and a licensed
psychologist about their personal problems and then assign a relative point value to the stress
levels of each student. The following is what you should anticipate:
A = > 90.0%
B = 80.0-89.9% C = 65.0-79.9%
D = 60.0-64.9%
F = <59.9%
Important Dates: See the CALENDAR FEATURE OF CANVAS for exam and quiz dates and
what material will be on exams.
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Canvas:
The program CANVAS has replaced Blackboard. The CANVAS page will contain quizzes,
problem sets, model exams, all class handouts, and answer keys for current exams. Students are
encouraged to check their Canvas account frequently as instructors often use to communicate
important course information.
Chapters:
1. Covalent Bonding and Shapes of Molecules
2. Alkanes and Cycloalkanes
3. Stereoisomerism and Chirality
4. Acids and Bases
5. Alkenes: Bonding, Nomenclature, and Properties
6. Reaction of Alkenes
7. Alkynes
8. Haloalkanes, Halogenation, and Radical Reactions
9. Nucleophilic Substitution and beta elimination
10. Alcohols
11. Ethers, Epoxides and Sulphides
12. Infrared Spectroscopy
Attendance:
Attendance is an essential element of academic success for students in the class.
Advice, Guidance and Expectations:
Who Benefits from a Course in Organic Chemistry? Nearly everyone. Knowledge of
organic chemistry offers one a unique perspective on the world. In many ways organic
chemistry is a course in consumer awareness as well as a science course. You will find yourself
reading food and cosmetic labels. When you see a news report about a new miracle drug, you
will be interested to know its chemical structure. You will also have a greater understanding of
current political issues; many bad legislative/legal decisions could easily been avoided if
everyone had passed a course in organic chemistry. The general public does not realize sugar is
a chemical known as sucrose or that the food additive MSG is a perfectly natural compound.
Why Is Organic Chemistry a Difficult Course? There is no universal answer to this question,
and some actually find it to be quite easy. Organic chemistry requires a variety of skills,
including memorization, extrapolation, working puzzles, and serious thinking. The best way to
learn is through doing problems and doing them from scratch. One of the major mistakes
students make is to look at the answer to a problem first, and then see how the book got the
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answer. When you do this the problem seems a lot easier than it really is, and also keep in mind
that I have never asked anyone to do this on an exam!
How Do You Make an A in Organic Chemistry? Behave like A students of the past. Come to
class (note, students of the past have stated that their notes are more valuable than the book).
Work all of the problems assigned and work additional ones, and seek help when needed. Use
the instructor as a resource (i.e. ask me about a mechanism more often than you ask about your
grade). Unlike most college courses, simply reading the book really is not all that helpful; you
really have to apply the concepts, not just regurgitate them. You are not being trained to go on
the game show Jeopardy and clean up in the Organic Chemistry column. A person with a
photographic memory but zero problem solving skills will not do well in this course. The best
way to get a good grade is to know a lot about the reactivity of organic molecules – this is far
more productive than appealing to the instructor’s generosity concerning grade cutoffs and
curves. Students making the A grade maintain the edge throughout the class and never quit
studying until after they take the final exam.
If a hard-working student has difficulty performing on exams, the most common problem
is: LOOKING AT THE ANSWER TO A PROBLEM PRIOR TO DOING IT! I have never
given the answer first and then asked the class to tell me how I got it. This also makes things
look a lot easier than they really are. Many of the students who claim they are not doing this
actually are doing it, they just don’t realize that their actions (asking others to explain it, hiring
tutors who do all the talking, etc) are indirect methods to commit the same error.
How do you make an F in Organic Chemistry? Behave like F students of the past. Come to
class only on days that exams or quizzes are offered. Do not bother to pick up your graded work.
Make sure that you see the answer to a problem before doing it, and then convince yourself that
it is easy. Do not worry about the behavior of organic molecules; spend most of your time
worrying about the percentage of multiple choice questions on the exam and on whether or not
there is a going to be a curve (there isn’t). Instead of doing your best on a question, concentrate
on whether or not you think the question is fair. If you receive a bad grade on a test, convince
yourself that the rest of the class is also doing equally poorly and that a general feeling of unrest
amongst the class will force the instructor to give you the grade you want. There is a very strong
correlation between failing grades and inability to pick up the graded exam in a timely manner.
Make-up Exam Policy:
Students will only be allowed to take a make-up exam by arranging it prior to the date of the
exam (i.e. you must talk to me outside of class and get your name on the makeup exam list) or
when they have a note from their doctor or accepted university excuse.
Disability Support Services:
Services for students with disabilities are provided through the Student Health Center’s
Disability Support Services Office located in the Juan Chacon Building, Room 221. Some
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examples of the assistance provided are audio materials for the blind or dyslexic, note takers,
readers, campus guides, audio recorders, and a quiet testing area. In order to qualify for these
services, certified health care professionals must provide documentation. Disability Support
Services forms are available in the First Year Experience Office located in the Juan Chacon
Building and in the Student Health Services Office in Muir Heights 111. The Disability Support
Services Office serves as Western New Mexico University's liaison for students with
disabilities. The Disability Support Services Office can be contacted by phone at (575) 5386400 or e-mail at matter@wnmu.edu.
Communication Policy Statement Regarding Official E-mail :
WNMU’s policy requires that all official communication be sent via Mustang Express. As a
result, all emails related to your enrollment at WNMU and class communication – including
changes in assignments and grades – will be sent to your wnmu.edu email address. It is very
important that you access your Mustang Express e-mail periodically to check for correspondence
from the University. If you receive most of your email at a different address, you can forward
your messages from Mustang Express to your other address.
Example: Martin Class member was assigned a WNMU email address of
classmemberm12@wnmu.edu but Martin would rather receive his emails at his home email
address of martinclass@yahoo.com
Martin would follow the direction provided at
http://www.wnmu.edu/campusdocs/direction%20for%20forwarding%20email.htm
WNMU Policy on Email Passwords: WNMU requires that passwords for access to all of the
protected software, programs, and applications will be robust, including complexity in the
number of characters required, the combination of characters required, and the frequency in
which passwords are required to be changed. Minimum complexity shall include:


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Passwords shall contain at least six (6) characters.
Passwords shall contain at least one capital (upper case) letter, and at least one symbol
(numbers and characters such as @ # $ % & *).
Passwords shall be changed at least every 90 days. (8/6/08)
Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures: Each student shall observe standards of honesty
and integrity in academic work as defined in the WNMU catalog. Violations of academic
integrity include “any behavior that misrepresents or falsifies a student’s knowledge, skills or
ability with the goal of unjustified or illegitimate evaluation or gain” (WNMU Faculty
Handbook, 2008). Generally violations of the academic integrity include cheating and
plagiarism. Refer to the catalog pages 60-61 for definitions.
Penalties for infractions of academic integrity in this class are as follows:
Plagiarism: “the intentional or unintentional representation of another’s work as one’s own
without proper acknowledgement of the original author or creator of the work” (WNMU Faculty
Handbook, 2008). Penalties: Students will receive a grade of zero on the assignment.
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Cheating: “using or attempting to use unauthorized materials…and unauthorized collaboration
with others, copying the work of another or any action that presents the work of others to
misrepresent the student’s knowledge” (WNMU Faculty Handbook, 2008).
Any evidence of cheating will result in a grade of “F” for the course.
Inclement Weather policy: Refer to the OTA Student Handbook for notification procedures. In
the event that classes are closed during the scheduled final exam for this class provisions for
students whose exams are canceled for scheduling a make-up exam or alternative arrangements
will be made.
“Transforming the Future Together”
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