Chemistry 105: General Chemistry I
Syllabus------Spring 2006
Time: Lecture
: Tues., Thurs., 8:00a.m. to
9:15 a.m.
Location: Lecture: Capwell 316, Lab: Capwell 318
Professor: Joseph Falcone Ph.D
Office: 305 Capwell Hall
Phone: 570-945-8413
E-mail: joe.falcone@keystone.edu
Office Hours: M-F 1pm
The text for this course is General Chemistry:An Integrated Approach Hill and Petrucci, Prentice Hall Publishing.
Required:
Scientific calculator. Bring it to every class
meeting.
Methods of instruction: The
material will be presented in a lecture-type format, along with collaborative learning, laboratory based learning and individual
participation. You are encouraged to
become an active learner by participating in each and every class. The best way to learn the material is by
taking an active role in the process.
There may be an on-line component to the course utilizing Blackboard.
Students will be required to participate in on-line student directed learning
and assessment.
Class Attendance: Because of the highly sequential nature of
this course, good attendance is expected.
If you must miss class, it is your responsibility to get the notes and
assignments from a fellow classmate. If
a quiz was given while you missed class, you will not be allowed to make up the quiz.
A grade of zero will be recorded.
Missing class may therefore cause your grade to be lowered. Absences of any kind may be reported to a
counselor, academic advisor, or Dean of the College. If you must miss class due to a sports event,
field trip, or any other college-related activity, you should inform your
professor ahead of time and make arrangements for any missed work.
Lab Attendance: Lab attendance is required. There are no make-up opportunities for
lab. A missed lab will result in a zero
grade for the lab. Lab attendance and
completion of assignment will be monitored by the lab instructor. All lab work with write-up/lab report is due
in the following lab period. Each
student must prepare his/her own lab report.
No late papers are accepted.
Chemistry is a laboratory science.
A student who fails the lab will fail the class regardless of your
lecture grade. (e.g.
an A in lecture and and F in lab results in an F for
the class.)
Class assignments: You
are expected to do the assigned odd-numbered problems from each section of your
textbook relating to the material covered in class that day. Answers to these problems can be found in the
back of your book. One of the best ways
to become a successful student is to review your notes and do homework on a
daily basis. Each day’s work requires
information that was taught the previous day.
Therefore, it is important to keep up with your work and not fall
behind. It is also recommended that you
read the summary and try the review exercise and practice test found in the
Blackboard module. These will give you
an overview of what was covered for that chapter. Special assignments may be given throughout
the semester and will be turned in for a grade.
These assignments will NOT be
accepted late. If you fail to turn in
an assignment on time, a grade of zero will be recorded.
Assessment: Tests, worth 100 points each, will be given
throughout the semester. All test
grades will count. None will be
dropped. If you miss a test, you will
receive a zero for that test. Tests can
only be made up if they were missed due to extenuating circumstances. The student must provide a verifiable,
legitimate excuse for missing an exam.
Tests which are allowed to be taken late due to extenuating
circumstances will receive no partial credit, nor a chance at any bonus work. If a student is caught cheating, it will be
reported to a counselor, your academic advisor, and the dean of the college;
and a grade of zero will be recorded for that assignment or exam. There will be four comprehensive exams (12%
ea.) and one comprehensive final exam. The cumulative average of lab grades is
equivalent to one in class test, worth 12% of your grade. Homework assignments, including projects
and/or computer assignments will constitute 10% of your grade. The final is heavily weighted (30%) to
favor those students who take the time to master
the material and learn from their
mistakes. PLEASE study and correct your past exams! Should a quiz be administered, quiz scores
will be added as extra credit to the exam score covering the corresponding
material. There are no make-ups administered for quizzes. Please note that all exams count toward your final grade. Laboratory attendance,
participation and written reports are required for laboratory credit. A lab
report will be graded only if you attended and participated in the lab
exercise. You cannot make up lab exercises, so please do not be absent. There will be homework assigned in this
class. The homework may be problem sets
from the text and/ or on-line assignments using Blackboard. The professor reserves the right to make
syllabus changes as needed and will notify students of any changes. If you are
absent when a syllabus correction is announced the onus is on you to find out how this will affect
you. If you have a disability that may require special assistance please notify your professor as soon as possible so that
accommodations can be made.
Course Outline
Topic
Chapter
Introduction to
Chemistry
1
The Atom and
Elements
2
Molecules and
Compounds
3
Exam
1/4 (Ch. 1-3
Chemical
Equations
4
Reactions in Aqueous
Solution
5
Reactivity and
Energy
6
Atomic Structure
Revisited
7
Exam
2/4 (Ch.
4-6)
Electrons and
Configuration
8
Bonding and
Geometry
9
Exam 3/4
(Ch. 7-9)
Orbitals and
Hybridization
10
Bonding and
Structure
11
Gases and Their Properties
12
Exam
4/4 (Ch. 10-12)
REVIEW for
Final
To be
announced
Calculation of Grades
Final numerical grade = (0.12 x Exam1) +(
0.12 x Exam 2) +( 0.12 x Exam 3) + (0.12 x Exam 4) + (0.12 x Lab Avg. ) + (0.10
x Homework) + 0.30 x Final Exam)
Letter grades translate as follows:
A 95-100%, A- 90-94.9% B+ 86-89.9%,
B 80-85.9%
B- 77-79.9% C+ 75-76.9% C 68-74.9% C- 64-67.9%
D 60-63.9% F <60% or as a consequence of academic dishonesty, or a failing
lab grade.
I in extreme
circumstances and with permission of professor.
General Chemistry I
General Chemistry I is the first semester of a one-year course in
Chemistry. General Chem as a whole is a problem
solving course. It is a thinking intensive course.
Memorization of formulas and physical laws is not enough to do well in this
course. Often you are allowed a formula card—your toolbox, for exams. The
formulas are simply your tools, which you are to learn to use to solve
problems. Learn the concepts and experiment with the tools…The only way to do
well is to solve many problems…..practice, practice, practice!!!!
It is assumed that you have a working knowledge of basic algebra and trigonometry. It is a pre-requisite for the course. A good high school preparation is adequate. Your skills may be rusty but again, practice will help with that. If you need me to help get you up to speed, I will. Or if you prefer, we can arrange tutoring for you.
Calculators: You will need one. A good scientific calculator, with trigonometric functions, square root, square, log, ln, pi, and scientific notation capabilities can be purchased virtually anywhere for about $20.00 or less. You don’t need a calculator that will allow you to graph, store 200 formulas, interface a computer, write programs in C, play games, run WINDOWS, brew coffee or anything like that for this course.
The material is covered at a rapid pace, and each new chapter assumes mastery of, or at least memory of the previous chapters. Each concept builds on the previous one. It is important that you keep up with the material. It is impossible to cram for an exam in chemistry! Because of the nature of this course each exam is somewhat comprehensive—exam questions may include concepts and principles covered at any time during the course.
Chemistry can be an intimidating course for some people. Often there is safety in numbers. You are encouraged to form study groups together, and to work problem sets together as a team. Each of you may offer different skills, experiences and abilities to solve any problem. By working together you may gain some insight into problem solving that you could not as an individual. Please use each other as resources. In my experience, some of the most important concepts were conveyed to me by my peers, and in the course of learning together, I’ve made some good friends. All that I ask is that each of you submit your own problem sets, in your own hand. You are expected to work alone on exams.