Chem 125 Winter 2012

Dr. Couch

Winter 2012 - Chemistry 125 General Chemistry for Engineering Disciplines II

General Information: Instructor: Office: Phone Number: E-mail: Office Hours: Web page: Dr. Vernon Couch Science (Building 52), Room D-44 (805) 756-2245 vcouch@calpoly.edu Monday, 1:10 3:00 p.m.; Thursday, 2:10 4:00 p.m.; Friday, 1:10 3:00 p.m.; or by appointment. (coming soon!) http://chemweb.calpoly.edu/vcouch/ PolyLearn Website (http://my.calpoly.edu)

Introduction: Welcome! Chemistry 125 is a continuation of the topics covered in Chem 124 and therefore you will be expected to know and review the previous topics on your own. We will be covering chapters 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 in the text. Most of the material will be covered in lecture, but you are responsible for the material presented in lecture, text readings, and homework assignments. In order to be successful, you should plan on spending at least 8-10 hours a week (2 hours/unit/week) on this course. That time could be spent reading the textbook, reviewing and studying lecture notes, and most likely, working problems. Prerequisites: Chem 124 or equivalent. You should have received a grade of C (C- okay) or better in Chem 124 before moving on to Chem 125. I HIGHLY recommend you repeat Chem 124 if you received less than a C-. I am assuming you have at least a C-level mastery and understanding of the topics in Chem 124, and if you do not, you are already behind your classmates. If you are unsure of your preparation for this course, come see me in my office and we can discuss it further. Required Course Materials: Textbook Chemistry: A Molecular Approach (2nd Edition full or custom version), N.J. Tro, Prentice Hall (2011). Non-Programmable Scientific Calculator Programmable calculators (or cell phones) may not be used for quizzes or exams. NOTE: you may not borrow a calculator from your partner during testing. If you use a programmable calculator, I will assume that you have programmed it. This will result in a zero on the quiz or exam and could result in disciplinary action. A Cal Poly email account I will send out email announcements on occasion. If you would like to check your course grade, then you must be able to access Blackboard (http://my.calpoly.edu).

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Lab notebook Any bound book with quadrille (graph) lined paper. You are welcome to continue to use your notebook with carbonless copies from Chem 124 if you have sufficient space for Chem 125. Just make a divider/tab indicating where the Chem 125 experiments begin.

Grading: The final grade for the course will be determined by the distribution shown below. Item Percentage Exams (2) 19% each Quizzes (Best 3 of 4) 5% each Lowest score will be dropped Laboratory 22% Comprehensive Final Exam** 25% TOTAL 100% **The final exam score can be used to replace one EXAM score only if it helps the student (meaning the final exam can be worth a total of 44% of your final grade). Note that the final exam score can replace only one exam score. It cannot replace a quiz grade or lab grade. The final exam cannot be replaced. The following grade scale is guaranteed (with +/- grades for A, B, and C grades). >90% for an A, 80-89% for a B, 70-79% for a C, 60-69% for a D. This grading scale may be revised to include broader, more generous ranges as the quarter progresses. I will post scores as the quarter progresses in PolyLearn (http://my.calpoly.edu) so verify your progress there and see me if the are any mistakes or questions. Exams: There will be two exams given on the dates on the course schedule. Each exam will cover material from lecture, homework problems and worksheets, and assigned readings. No make-up exams will be permitted unless you have permission from me well before the day of the exam. Each exam may consist of true/false questions, multiple-choice questions, fill in the blank questions, short answer or calculations. Final Exam: The final exam will be similar in format to the other exams and it will be comprehensive. Please be aware that the final exam is Wednesday, March 14th at 4:10 p.m. and this will be the ONLY scheduled time for this exam. If you know that you will be unavailable for that final exam time, you should change sections. Quizzes: There will be 4 in-class quizzes (about 15-20 minutes long) throughout the quarter given on the dates specified on the class schedule. The quizzes are designed to help you keep up with the material. The quizzes will primarily focus on the most recent material covered in lecture and on the homework. There will be no make-up or early quizzes. Your lowest individual quiz score will be dropped before determining

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your final grade. If you are absent or must miss a quiz, then that is the quiz that will be dropped. The format for the quizzes will be similar to that of the exams. Lab: The lab counts as 22% of your final course grade. You must pass the lab (>60%) in order to pass the course. PolyLearn/Course Web Page: All of the course materials will be posted on the course web page which can be accessed through PolyLearn. The URL for my course web page can be accessed at: http://chemweb.calpoly.edu/vcouch/. These course materials include the course syllabus, homework assignments, assigned readings, study guides, etc. To access the course in PolyLearn, you need to use your calpoly login and password at the webpage: http://my.calpoly.edu . Help and Advice: Your attendance and participation are expected during the course. You will get much more out of this class if you attend all of the lectures, participate in the class discussion, and ask questions as they come up in class. This means be an active participant during class. Work the in-class problems, talk to your neighbor when I ask you to discuss a problem, and take advantage of the limited time we have in lecture together. Homework problems will be assigned frequently throughout the quarter and will be listed on the course web page and in Blackboard. The homework problems may be from the text or from worksheets posted or some combination of both. You should try all types of problems. Dont only do the book problems or only do the worksheet problems. I pick different types of problems to highlight all of the areas for a reason. They are suggested as a help in understanding the key concepts and in preparing for the exams. These problems will not be collected or graded. I strongly urge you to try all of the homework problems assigned. The only proven way of learning chemistry is by practicing and working related problems repeatedly. A significant portion of the questions for exams will come from the problems or be very similar to the assigned problems. For some of you, working a few examples will be sufficient to understand a concept; for others, you may need to work more problems than I assign to understand a concept. If you dont do well on the homework problems while working on them, do more. When you do the problems, can you do them on your own? This means no looking at your notes, no looking at an example in the text, or having someone else help you. If you cant, then you do not understand the material well enough yet. Keep doing all types of problems until you can do them completely on your own just like you will have to do on quizzes and exams. It is essential that you become familiar with your text and you actually READ IT. Most students realize at the end of the term that reading the book solidified the concepts for

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them and helped them score better on multiple-choice and true-false concept questions. READ THE BOOK! Also, try not to fall behind. It is much easier to KEEP UP, than CATCH UP. Chemistry is one of those subjects that is notorious for building on previous knowledge. If you dont understand the material from week 2, it will make the material from week 3 that much more difficult. If you need help or assistance, ASK! Come see me during office hours or make an appointment. Ask me questions after the lab has been completed. I am here to help you! My main teaching responsibility this quarter is Chem 125 so please take advantage of this. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO ASK FOR HELP! Other Business: Please be respectful of your classmates and your instructor. Turn off cell phones during class (this means no texting!), refrain from chatting with your neighbor, dont listen to an iPod or MP3 player during class, dont read the paper, do the crossword, sleep, etc. If I see you doing these things, I will ask you to leave. In fact, if you would rather do these things, then why would you come to class? Please come to class on time and dont leave early. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on announcements made while you were away. Cheating on any quiz, exam, or copying anothers lab work will not be tolerated. This includes using a programmable calculator during a quiz or an exam. The penalty for cheating is an automatic F in the course and proper disciplinary action (see Student Handbook), which may include expulsion from the University. Please note that if you are a DRC student, you can make arrangements either with me or through the DRC office for your specific situation.

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Course Schedule: Here are some of the important dates for Chem 125. For more details about what specific topics we are covering in a given week, please look at the course schedule page on the web. Events Chapters Lecture and Labs begin 11 11/12 Mon. 1/9, Quiz #1 Mon. 1/16, MLK Day-No Class 12 Tue. 1/17, Monday Schedule Fri. 1/20, Quiz #2 4 1/23 1/27 Fri. 1/27, Exam I 12/13 5 1/30 2/3 Lab Quiz #1 13 6 2/6 2/10 Wed. 2/8, Quiz #3 14 7 2/13 2/17 Fri. 2/17, Monday Schedule 17 8 2/20 2/24 Mon. 2/20, Presidents Day- No Class 18 Fri. 2/24, Exam II 9 2/27 3/2 15 10 3/5 3/9 15/16 Mon. 3/5, Quiz #4 Lab Quiz #2 Final Exam: Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 4:10 p.m. 7:00 p.m. Week Dates 1 1/3 1/6 2 1/9 1/13 3 1/16 1/20

Laboratory: Chemistry is an experimental science and as a result a significant portion of the course content comes from participation in laboratory activities. These laboratory activities will provide you with an opportunity to perform chemistry experiments and to relate these observations and experiments to the fundamental principles of chemistry. In Chem 125, the lectures and laboratories are separate from each other as opposed to the integrated format of Chem 124. Here is how you will be graded in the laboratory portion of Chem 125: Item Lab Reports for Experiments 1-9 (amounts may vary per report) Lab Quizzes (2) Notebook/Safety/Evaluations Points Total Points 10-20 points 105 points each 20 points each 40 points 10 points 10 points TOTAL 155 points

Lab Reports: There will be a lab report form for each experiment posted in PolyLearn that you are responsible for downloading. You will fill out the report form after performing the experiment and recording your data in your notebook. Reports must be

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typed. Reports will be due the following lab period. Any report turned in within a week of the due date will be downgraded by 25%. Any report turned in after that one week will not be graded and will receive a zero. If you miss 2 or more labs (not made-up), you will receive an F in the lab portion of the course and therefore, an F in Chem 125. Lab Quizzes: There will be two in-lab quizzes throughout the quarter given on the dates specified on the schedule. Each quiz will cover the previous experiments and therefore are NOT cumulative. The quizzes will take approximately 25-30 minutes each. Notebook: A small part of your lab grade will be determined by your preparedness for lab and the correct use of your notebook. Write in ink (no white-out) on the right-hand page. Keep a table of contents updated at the front of the notebook. More details on what specifically goes in the notebook can be found under preparation. Safety/Evaluation: Another portion of your lab grade will be decided by me. I will evaluate you based on several things including your preparation, participation, and safety. You must actively perform the experiment. This includes manipulating the chemicals, observing the reactions, and collecting data. Do NOT let your partner(s) do all of the work. Part of your grade in lab is based on how much you participate and how well you work with your lab partner(s). Another portion of your lab grade is determined by your technique. Unsafe or improper technique may result in point deductions. Preparation: Before each lab, you are expected to have read the experiment on the online 125 lab manual found at: http://chemweb.calpoly.edu/chem/125LabExp/ . You are also to prepare your lab notebook ahead of time. Preparation should include a date, title, purpose of the experiment, an abbreviated procedure dont recopy the manual, shorten where you can. Use an outline form, a flow chart, a picture representation, etc. and data tables following the instructions in the lab manual. You should have enough detail in your notebook to be able to complete the experiment if the power went out in the room. I will check your notebook at the beginning of each lab period during the quarter to check to see if you prepared sufficiently. Failure to prep sufficiently beforehand will result in a deduction for the notebook portion of your lab grade. Make-up Labs: If you miss a lab, you must make an effort to attend another lab that SAME week (preferably another one of my sections) when all of the materials are still out in the laboratory. You need to obtain permission from the laboratory instructor before working in the lab, and you must have the instructor sign and date your notebook before you leave. If you miss 2 or more labs (not made-up), you will receive an F in the lab and therefore an F in Chem 125.

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Other Lab Business: If you miss a lab or your data is sketchy, you cannot just get the data from a friend and turn in the lab. It is expected that students will work together on lab reports and assignments. It is also expected that each student will do their own work and write their own answers in their OWN words. Feel free to discuss the questions amongst your peers, but when it comes time to write the final answer, write the answer in your own words. I expect to see the same ideas in your answers, but the wording will be subtly different. Do NOT write an answer and have everyone else copy that answer, changing a word here and there. Part of your lab grade will be based on the presentation of data (use of data tables, graphs, sig figs, etc.) Make sure your graphs follow the guidelines posted on the graphs webpage (http://chemweb.calpoly.edu/jretsek/graphs/graphs.htm). This includes sig figs, titles, units, tick marks, etc. Another portion of your lab grade may come from how close your value matches your true value. Be sure to use proper measurements with proper technique to avoid more deductions. If you stay and work on any lab graphs in lab with your partners, you may have the same graph. Print the graph in lab, and Ill sign it off, giving you permission to have the same graph. If you leave the lab before drawing the graph, then each persons graph must be different. Finally, be clear on your reports. While answering a question, demonstrate your understanding in a brief answer. Most questions will be answered in a few lines of text, but make sure you are clear in your meaning, we are not mind readers.