General Chemistry
Meng Chen
Telephone:
55664181
Office: Rm 203#, Building of Advanced Materials
E-mail: chenmeng@fudan.edu.cn
General Information
The course serves as an introduction to general
chemical concepts and principles, including the
states of matter, structure of matter, chemical
bonding, phases of matter, chemical reactions,
stoichiometry, chemistry in solutions, and the
properties of acids, bases, and salts, chemical
thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, and chemical
equilibrium. The scientific method will also be
discussed.
The knowledge introduced here can be applied to
explain many things and phenomena we see in a daily
life. Furthermore, this course builds the ground for
future educations you will receive.
General Information
During this course, you are expected to:
• Learn chemistry languages and symbols;
• Form a microscopic (atomic and molecular)
view of substances;
• Understand the nature of certain
chemical reactions;
• Develop an efficient strategy to learn and
think in a scientific way.
Lecture Hours: 9:55-11:25 am, Monday &
Wednesday, Room 2217, the Second
Teaching Building, begins from Sept. 7,
2009.
I always be available during the work
hours by appointment.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Instruction techniques
Lecture
Guided reading
Quiz
Discussion
LAB Hours: 8:00-11:25 am, Thursday
(Room 125#, Chemistry Building ),
begins from Sept. 10, 2009.
Lab Preparation:
Room 105#,
Chemistry Building,
starting from 9:00
o’clock, Thursday,
Sept. 10, 2009.
Textbook
General Chemistry
Jean B. Umland Jon M. Bellama
3rd Edition, Brooks/Cole Publishing
Company, 1999
Grading Policy
Attendance (10%)
Assignments/Quizzes (30 % each)
Midterm exam (30%)
Grading Scale
90%-100% = A
Final exam (30%)
85%-89%
= A82%-84%
=B+
78%-81%
=B
75%-77%
= B71%-74%
=C+
66%-70%
=C
62%-65%
= C60%-61%
=D
59% or lower = F
Grading Policy
Attendance (10%)
I will not ask you to have a signature in an
attendance sheet. However, I suggest that
it be wise for you to always try to be in class.
Students who regularly miss lecture perform
significantly more poorly on exam.
In addition, your absence will be noted and
counted whenever you do not hand in you quiz
or homework, or not answer my call in the
class.
Grading Policy
Attendance (10%)
To be qualified as an excused absence, a
student must have a legitimate reason, such as
serious illness, extreme personal difficulties, or
having a university-sponsored activity. Besides,
the student also has to
(1) notify (e-mail or call) the instructor
BEFORE the class begins, AND
(2) provide written supporting documents if
requested by the instructor.
Grading Policy
Assignment/Quizzes (30 % each)
Homework (including ca. ten problems) will be
assigned on Monday on a compulsory basis.
Answers to the homework must be turned in at
the beginning of class next Monday. I will check
all of your homework. Sometimes, After the
homework answers are given, you will be asked
to check the homework done by one of your
classmates by random assignment.
Grading Policy
Homework/Quizzes (30 % each)
From time to time, a about 10-minute quiz will
be given at the end of a lecture without prior
notification.
Midterm exam (30%)
Final exam (30%)
A midterm exam and a comprehensive final
exam will be given as scheduled by the
University.
Requirement
Assignment Notebook: you need to buy two
notebooks for homework . Homework will
be given on Monday and should be done and
turned in next Monday.
Calculator: You need to have one simple
calculator (can do root and logarithm) and
be sure to bring your calculator with you all
the time, and you are not allowed to borrow
a calculator from others. Cell phone
calculators do not work well for this course,
and will also not be allowed to use it during
quizzes and exams.
Requirement
Etiquette: Please mute all cell phones when
entering the classroom. Please do not surf the
web on your labtop or text message during
lecture. It is perfectly OK to interrupt the
lecture by yelling “Question!” or raising your
hand. Questions in lecture are always good.
Reading: Reading is an essential part of this
course. Students are expected to have
completed the reading assignments prior to
lecture. The material in this course is too
difficult to learn just by listening to lecture.
For the reading in the book, chapter one
through four are background
Advice on Studying
Find other students who are in your class to study with.
Schedule a regular time to study each day. Don’t wait
until the week before an exam to begin studying.
Do the assignments before coming to class. Read slowly
and carefully. Try to understand, not memorize.
After each class, review what you have just learned
before beginning the next assignment.
Pay carful attention to vocabulary.
If the amount of materials to be learned seems
overwhelming, use the first chapter of the Study Guide
to learn how to organize it.
If you are having difficulty, use the help that’s
available-your instructor’s and teaching assistant’s
office hours.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE
 In high school, students memorize. In college,




students analyze and synthesize.
In high school, students read 250 pages a
semester (or don't have to read at all). In college,
students read upward of 250 pages a week.
In high school, students have lots of safety nets.
In college, students sink or swim.
In high school, students have frequent tests over
small amounts of information. In college, students
have few tests over tons of information.
In high school, the school day is very structured.
In college, students need to create structure on
their own.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE
 In high school, students can be successful by
studying sporadically. In college, students must
give daily attention to all of their classes.
 In high school, teachers tell their students
everything they need to know. In college,
students must often figure that out by
themselves.
 In high school, students could catch up even if
they weren't very disciplined. In college, students
who are undisciplined are quickly left behind.
From College Rules! How to Survive and Succeed in College,
Sherrei Nist and Jodi Patrick Holschuh, Ten Speed Press,
2002.
Survey
 How many years of chemistry did you have in high
school?
 (A) 0 (B) 0.5 (C) 1 (D) 2 or more
 Where did you study in high school?
 Do you know the meaning of the following terms?
 (A) structure of atom (B) Density (C) physical changes
and chemical changes (D) mole (E) significant figure (F)
periodic table (G) element and compound (H) pH