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CHEMISTRY 101

Spring Semester, 2011

Chemistry 101 is a single semester introduction to chemistry. This course is not a

prerequisite for Chem 111 or Chem 112. Credit cannot be received in both Chem 101

and Chem 111. The intent of this course is to provide an introduction to a variety of

chemical concepts and provide a broad background in various areas of chemistry. If you

intend to major in a lab science, like Chemistry, Physics, Biology, MMBB or

Engineering, you should be in Chem 111 or if you are not admitted into that course,

Chem 050 followed by Chem 111.

Instructor: Dr. Rick Fletcher, fletcher@uidaho.edu

Office: Most of the time I will be in Renfrew Hall, Room 004. This is my office

and it’s on the basement floor. The main office for the Chemistry

Department is in Renfrew 116.

Phone: 885-6021. My cell is 208-596-1340, both numbers now come to my cell.

You can also text me at my cell number.

Office Hours: 12:30 – 1:20 (after class) and 3 PM – 4 PM on Monday and 1:30 - 2:20

PM on Tuesday. Also, by appointment at other times that work for

you. I'm also frequently wandering campus and you are free to catch me

anywhere. I'll try and be available for your questions as much as

possible. Helping you is my first priority so call or email if another

time works better for you. You can also just stop by but you might

not catch me. Feel free to approach me anytime, anywhere but you

might have to introduce yourself. Keep in mind that I teach another

course this semester and as part of my contract with the state I also run a

research laboratory and much of my time is obligated there. I work with

graduate students too even though it doesn’t show up on my schedule. Go

ahead and catch me any time you can anywhere on campus, but

understand there will be times when I might have to reschedule. I'll

tell you when it's a bad time for me and I will reschedule another

appointment. FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS AND GET THE

HELP YOU NEED. I AM HAPPY TO HELP IF I CAN. I am happy

to work with you one on one or in small groups. I will even come to your

living group if you get a few people together. There is also video online

help available. I cannot stress this enough. I am here to help you. Feel

free to come to my office and seek me out. Everyone gets stuck with this

material at times. I can usually fix things quickly. Or not… but at least

we tried. I suggest you try my help AT LEAST TWICE before hiring a

tutor. AND DO NOT WAIT UNTIL FAR INTO THE SEMESTER!

Web: The course website is: http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/chem101 or

http://www.chem.uidaho.edu and follow the links to classes and chemistry

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101. There is another website you will use often at

http://edugen.wiley.com/edugen/class/cls202306/. This is the website that

comes with the textbook and you are required to purchase it if you did not

buy a book that contained a registration code. Homework assignments

and practice problems will be found at this site. I’ll refer to it as the

“WileyPlus” website.

Textbook: Basic Concepts of Chemistry, 8th

Edition, Leo J. Malone, Wiley and Sons

(2010)

The bookstore also has another book for sale by this publisher. The title is

something like “Study Guide and Solutions Manual to Accompany Basic

Concepts of Chemistry.” The bookstore often has this book listed as

“Recommended.” I DID NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. The

bookstore has done this in the past and will probably do it in the future. I

guess it increases the sales of books. I have nothing against the book and

you should look through it. Decide for yourself if it will be helpful but it

is not required or even recommended by me.

Facebook: Chem 101 Spring 2011 at University of Idaho. This has become the

best place to provide information for the class. Facebook recently

changed the way groups work so I’m flying a little blind setting it up. I

suggest your search for this group name and then add it. You might have

to request to be added but I will approve all. After you add the group,

assignments and due dates will show up on your Facebook page. You can

also post questions to the page that I or another member will answer.

Twitter: @TRFletcher

We will talk about this in class to see how many will use it. It hasn’t been

very successful in the past few semesters. If we go this route, I will be

using Twitter to make announcements about this course, such as when I

put up new assignments or when changes are made to the course website.

You can set the account up to get alerts on your cell phone and I suggest

you do this to make Twitter effective. You need to sign up for a Twitter

account (at Twitter.com) and follow me. My Twitter account for this

course is @TRFletcher. You can also reply to me by sending to

@TRFletcher but texting to my cell works a little better.

Calculator: An inexpensive calculator is required (The $10-15 kind.) Your

calculator must do exponents and scientific notation. Etch your name

into the calculator so that if it is lost you will have a better chance of

getting it back. You will need the calculator during class, on homework

assignments, in laboratory and on exams. It should have capabilities for

doing square roots, logarithms, exponentiation and scientific (exponential)

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notation operations. Seriously, the cheap kind is usually easier to use than

a more expensive calculator and it’s all you will need in this class.

Padlock: Key or combination with up to a 3/8 inch diameter shank is needed for

your lab drawer. Bring it to your first lab meeting. Padlocks can be

purchased at Chemstores, but they don’t have to be bought there.

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION WEBSITE (http://www.sci.uidaho.edu/chem101 or http://www.chem.uidaho.edu and

follow the links.) A key component of this course is the course website. Familiarize

yourself with this site as soon as possible. Many of the course materials including

announcements, lecture supplements, homework assignments, prelab questions, postlab

questions and all experiments will be distributed only via the course web site. You

should be visiting the web site several times a week to check for course related

information. Occasionally I will explain something poorly in lecture or misrepresent

something from the textbook. I will use the Announcements Page to clear these things

up in the best way I can. Check Announcements at least every other day. Also

important but useful more for HW and textbook related material is the WileyPlus

website, http://edugen.wiley.com/edugen/class/cls202306/.

LECTURES: During lectures we will discuss principles, outline goals and present

examples of the text material. Problems will be worked in class and I will answer your

questions. You should read ahead in the textbook prior to lecture and take your

own notes during lecture. After lecture you should re-read and study the

appropriate pages in the textbook. Be sure that you understand the examples presented

in lecture and in the textbook. Work the problems and exercises at the ends of the

chapters that correspond with each day's lecture. I urge you to ask questions in lecture.

I know it’s difficult in such a large class but studies have shown the best way to learn is

to be active. If something I say is not clear, it’s because I didn’t do a good job

explaining. Ask about it; I promise you are not the only one who is wondering.

Questions are never a sign of stupidity. In fact, a lack of questions is a better indicator.

Several times a week, I will put a few problems up on the WileyPlus website for you to

practice and you are “required” to do them within a couple days of them being assigned.

I say “required” because you will receive 40 points towards your final total in lecture if

you simply attempt to do 80% of these assignments and of that 80%, you score 50% or

higher. For example, if there are 20 assignments by the end of the semester, attempting

80% of those means you have done 16 of the 20 AND scored 50% or greater on those 16

attempts. It is to your benefit to learn to do these practice problems correctly but you are

awarded points simply for attempting to complete the work. The problems will provide

practice after each lecture so the window of opportunity for doing them is short.

There are also practice problems that come from the group of problems at the end of each

chapter of text. These are not online and the Chem 101 website suggests a list of

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suggested problems but you should understand that is only a minimum number. Answers

for many of these exercises are given at the back of the textbook and in the solutions

manual. Although these exercises will not be collected or graded, you are expected work

them out immediately after the relevant material is discussed in lecture. Working lots of

problems is the best way to learn chemistry and succeed in the course. In fact,

working problems might be more important than attending lecture!

This course will put emphasis on you learning the material. Chemistry is unlike

most of the other courses you have had. It's like a foreign language in many ways in

the sense you can't "fake" it. You either know the material or not. In order to

succeed in this class it is essential that you read the book and complete all

assignments. Work many problems if you want to master the material.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS: In addition to the constant and regular problems

online, there will be four graded homework assignments due during the course of the

semester. These are usually given a week before each exam and serve as a pretest. They

will be graded at 25 points each and are part of what determines your grade. Online,

these will be called “Homework Problems.”

THE GRADED HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE COMPLETED BY

THE DUE DATE AND TIME IN ORDER TO RECEIVE ANY CREDIT FOR

THEM, NO EXCEPTIONS. Those times will be posted on the Chem 101 website,

the WileyPlus website and sent out via Twitter and Facebook.

Did I mention there are no exceptions? Start early and finish early. Emergencies

happen and I understand that but if you do your homework ahead of the due date, there

will be no problems.

LABORATORY: One 3-hour laboratory is scheduled each week. You are expected to

come to lab adequately prepared. Prior to each lab you must read the experiment and

complete the Preparation for Chemistry Lab assignment that will be randomly collected.

You must download the experimental procedures from the Chem 101 website prior to

coming to lab. Experiments may not be downloaded in the laboratory. A short quiz

will be given at the beginning of many of the labs. NO LAB GRADES WILL BE

DROPPED. If you do not turn in a lab report, that is on you. The biggest cause of failure

in lab is not turning in lab work. Bring your textbook with you to lab, you will use it.

In laboratory, you will have the opportunity to experience directly some chemical

principles and relationships. DO NOT EXPECT THE LABORATORY TO ALWAYS

CORRESPOND WITH LECTURE, although you should feel free to ask questions about

the lab in lecture. The purpose of lab is for you to practice physical techniques while

applying some concepts discussed in lecture. Some chemical concepts will be introduced

in lecture and some will be introduced in the lab. Lab grades will be based on: a)

preparation; b) safe work practices; c) prelab questions d) performance; e) reports and

postlab questions; and f) comprehension of the lab material.

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Make-up will only be given for University excused absences or when arranged in

advance. In order to make-up a lab, you must make arrangements with Lab Services

(Renfrew 229, 885-7633, Yusuf Mansour) prior to your scheduled lab session (or within

24 hours of your scheduled lab session if advance arrangements are absolutely

impossible.) In the case of University excused athletic events and field trips,

arrangements must be with Lab Services a full week prior to the absence.

****IF YOU MISS OR DO NOT TURN IN TWO OR MORE LABS YOU WILL

AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE A FAILING GRADE FOR THE COURSE.****

If you are repeating Chem 101 you may keep a previous lab grade provided that

grade is a 70% or better AND it was received in the past year. If this is the case, you

should be enrolled in Section 40.

If necessary, lab scores will be normalized at the end of the semester to remove large

inconsistencies in grading between the different lab instructors. If you are experiencing

difficulties in lab with the material or your lab instructor, please see Dr. Fletcher about it.

EXAMS: There will be three EVENING exams lasting approximately 60 minutes each

and a two hour EVENING COMPREHENSIVE final exam. Check the WEBSITE for

the exam dates. All exams begin at 7 PM. The location of your exam will be announced

on the website. Make-up exams will be given only in cases of serious evening conflicts

AND MUST BE ARRANGED A WEEK IN ADVANCE.

ARRANGEMENTS MUST BE MADE WITH ME IN 1 WEEK IN ADVANCE

FOR A MAKE-UP EXAM. NO EXCEPTIONS. YOU MUST BRING A PHOTO

ID WITH YOU TO ALL EXAMS.

GRADING: Your grade in this course will be determined by your performance on the

three exams, the final exam, the homework assignments and the laboratory.

No extra credit points are available in this course.

Again, if necessary, lab scores will be normalized at the end of the semester to remove

large inconsistencies in grading between the different lab instructors.

** IMPORTANT! ** IN ORDER TO PASS THIS COURSE YOU MUST HAVE A

PASSING GRADE IN BOTH THE LECTURE AND THE LABORATORY. THIS

MEANS A SCORE OF AT LEAST 346 NONLABORATORY POINTS AND AT

LEAST 130 LABORATORY POINTS. YOU WILL RECEIVE AN F IN THE COURSE IF EITHER OF THESE MINIMUM SCORES IS NOT MET. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE

MORE THAN 346 POINTS FROM EXAMS AND HOMEWORK, YOUR LAB

POINTS WILL NOT BE ADDED TO YOUR TOTAL AND YOU WILL FAIL

THE COURSE. ALSO, IF YOU HAVE LESS THAN 130 LAB POINTS, YOU

WILL FAIL THE COURSE NO MATTER HOW MANY POINTS YOU HAVE

FROM EXAMS AND HOMEWORK.

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The point breakdown is as follows.

Exam 1 100 points

Exam 2 100 points

Exam 3 100 points

Homework Assignments 100 points (4 assignments X 25 points each)

80% attempt at online work 40 points

Final Exam 200 points

Laboratory 240 points (12 labs X 20 points per lab)

Total 880 points

Your course grade is determined after you have passed the lecture and laboratory

separately as explained above. It is based on your final number of points accumulated

in the course.

774 - 880 points (88 – 100%) A

669 - 773 points (76 – 87%) B

563 - 668 points (64 – 75%) C

475 - 562 points (54 – 63%) D

less than 475 points (<54%) F

Remember, you must receive a passing grade in both the lab and the lecture part of the

course before the two scores are totaled to determine your final grade. It is possible to

have more than 475 points total and still fail the course!

CHEMISTRY 101 LABORATORY SCHEDULE

You can find the lab schedule on the website. You must download the labs and

complete the prelabs BEFORE you come to the laboratory.

The laboratory must be written up and turned in before the end of the lab period.

Attendance at check-out is required. Failure to check-out at your scheduled lab

time will result in a deduction of 10 points from your total lab score as well as a

monetary charge.

Course Outline (with more to come)

All of the material in each chapter will not be covered in lecture so you will be

responsible for some material in the chapters that is not covered in lecture. I try and

choose the most important material for lecture but sometimes I choose the more difficult

to understand. The most important and the most difficult are not always the same. You

are responsible to do the reading and learn the material. I will use lecture to try and point

out what is most important and to explain many of the concepts in the text. Because of

this, on some days the lecture will seem very similar to the text and on others it will seem

different.

I have used a version of this textbook several times in the past few years. Suggested

problems from the end of each chapter are given on the website. The problems

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suggested on the website are the minimum number of problems you should do and I

suggest you do all the problems at the end of each chapter.

We will cover about a chapter a week on average. This requires you to read an

average of 6 pages every week day.

Prologue (Introduction to the Study of Chemistry) and Chapter 1, Measurements in

Chemistry

Also, know and be able to use the information in Table 1-2 and 1-4 and learn and be able

to use the names and symbols for elements 1-18.

Chapter 2. Elements and Compounds

Also, know and be able to use the names and symbols for elements 1-38.

Chapter 3. The Properties of Matter and Energy

Also, be able to recognize the names and symbols for all the chemical elements excluding

elements 57 – 71 and 87 to the end.

Exam 1

Chapter 4. The Periodic Table and Chemical Nomenclature

Chapter 5. Chemical Reactions

Chapter 6. Quantities in Chemistry

Chapter 7. Quantitative Relationships in Chemical Reactions

Exam 2

Chapter 8. Modern Atomic Theory

Chapter 9. The Chemical Bond

SKIP Chapter 10 – The Gaseous State

Chapter 11. The Solid and Liquid States

Chapter 12. Aqueous Solutions

Exam 3

Chapter 13. Acids, Bases, and Salts

SKIP Chapter 14 – Oxidation-Reduction Chemistry

Chapter 15. Reaction Rates and Equilibrium (We seldom get this far.)

Final Exam - Covers final material and comprehensive