Chemistry-4 is a rigorous theoretical course in college-level chemistry intended to prepare students for university-level courses in chemistry as required for majors in science, medicine or engineering. Process skills such as analytical thinking, problem solving, making sense out of data, and writing/communication are essential. Depth of coverage and intellectual challenge are more important than breadth of coverage. Therefore I have adopted the following goals for this course:
Grades in the course will be broken down as follows:
Tests: 40% (1 per quarter)
Quizzes: 30% (4 - 6 per quarter)
Labs: 30% (4 - 6 2-hr labs per quarter)
The schedule at the end of this introductory material shows what to expect for each unit. Specific dates are not given in the interest of maintaining flexibility. Also in the schedule is recommended Memory Work which are items that you should commit to memory.
For each unit you will be required to complete a brief Outline of the important points in the reading assigned for that unit. This will be submitted through Google Classroom. This Outline must be separated into the sections used in the chapter. Sometimes one or two entries on the Outline will be sufficient for a given section. For other, more complicated sections you will need to use your judgment as to what the most important ideas and problem-solving techniques are. Keep Outlines brief! I require this work to encourage you to prepare thoroughly for class. It’s up to you to make it useful to you. You may never look at it again but the fact that you made it can help you to learn and to read carefully. Outlines should be completed by the first day of a new unit: you must read ahead!
A tip about reading textbooks: they are not novels. In a novel you typically read a passage once with full comprehension. The action carries you forward through the text. Textbooks build sequentially in each chapter and you will at times need to read a section several times—and work through its examples on paper— before you can move on to the next section. Be self-aware and check in with yourself: Did I understand that passage? Could I solve problems based on it?
Each unit has a Problem Set that consists of questions and problems from the ends of the chapters. At times I will assign problems from supplementary material for the Problem Set. The problems are a tool you will use to learn new material: you will not immediately know how to solve each problem no matter how well you pay attention and take notes in class. These problem sets can be approached in several ways:
Outlines will be checked for completeness and count for 1/10 of a quiz grade. Problem sets will be checked using a homework quiz. Prior to the quiz you will be required to be able to present to the class a solution to a random problem.
The date of the Homework Quiz will be set whenever we begin a new unit. The Homework Quiz will draw on problems directly from your homework and will be short.
Test dates will be near the end of each quarter.
Tests will be comprehensive and will be designed to be completed in one hour.
Labs will be offered four to six times each quarter. Lab assignments will vary in scope but at minimum will require completion of pre-lab work by the first day of work and completion of post-lab questions. Two to three times each quarter you will be required to submit a full formal lab report (format available separately). A portion of your lab grade will depend on your diligence in keeping a good scientific lab notebook. Required for this purpose is a permanently bound ruled notebook. In this notebook you will write your lab procedures, lab notes and data while you work in the lab. A handout is available separately that describes how to make good use of your lab notebook.
Study Groups are strongly recommended. During the first week of class you will form study groups of 3 - 4 people. Make a regular time to meet and work on Chemistry together. Working together makes tackling the difficult material of this course a bit more manageable. These groups will continue to work together during class. Re-shuffling of Study Groups will be allowed, if necessary.
Frequently I will ask students to present problems at the board. Presentations will consist in writing out the detailed solution to a problem on the board and explaining how you came to it to the class. The other members of the class are active participants in the process and are expected to ask questions and demand that the presenter justify his or her work. Problem presentations will be a frequent part of this course and will usually precede a Homework Quiz.
In this course our motto is FIO (an acronym that I leave to the reader: you will figure it out if you think about it for a bit).
It is important that you evaluate yourself frequently as you work to find out what you have learned. Try repeating to yourself the contents of class discussions. Even better, go over the concepts and problem-solving techniques with your study group: communicating something you have learned forces you to organize your thoughts about it. When you do so, you learn it better yourself. This is true also about writing in the course. Your lab reports and the answers to lab questions are learning opportunities. When you explain what you have learned in writing you often find that you have not learned it as well as you thought you did. Go back and learn it properly and your writing will improve.
One of the most important ways to improve your grade in my class is to do well on tests and quizzes. In order to encourage you to come in for help with your preparation I will offer 5% in extra credit points on a quiz if you come in at least once to study in my room during office hours and actively ask me questions. This is a great opportunity to get together with friends to come in and ask questions and study together.
Primary textbook: Chemistry: The
Central Science, 11th edition,
Brown, LeMay, Bursten & Murphy, Pearson Prentice Hall,
Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2009.
POGIL Activities for High School
Chemistry, Laura Trout, editor. Flinn Scientific,
Inc. ©2012
Supplementary Materials available on instructor’s
web site
(http://kaffee.50webs.com/Science/).
“I think this class has made me more of a self-driven learner. Before this year if I was stuck on a problem I would often wait for the teacher to explain it, but now I take the time and do the work to figure it out on my own. I think this has really improved my learning.”
“This class has changed me as a student because I have had to learn how to do more learning on my own and be efficient in my work so I have time to study.”
“This class has made me realize that some subjects are most effectively learned—or even must be learned—simply by applying new concepts through trial and error (e.g., in the problem sets). I have become a more patient learner because of this class, more willing to blunder around in the dark until things make sense, and more appreciative of the time it takes to develop true understanding.”
“Success in fields like Chemistry has less to do with how many facts you can just rote memorize and more with a willingness to study, think about, and eventually understand fundamental systems.”
“This class has changed me as a student because I had to look at things before tests to not fail them.”
“This class has changed me as a student because it has strengthened my ability to solve problems. I have developed new strategies involving looking at problems from different angles and writing down everything I know first. This has carried through to my other classes”
| First Quarter | |||
|
Topic and Time |
Text Information incl. Problems |
Lab(s) | Memory Work |
|
Matter and Measurement Dimensional Analysis, Scientific Notation, Significant Figures, Density, Temperature |
Chapter 1 Problem Set: 11 15 17 21 24 26 29 31 33 37 39 40 44 47 53 59 67 72 77 Supplementary Materials: Metrics Conversions Dimensional Analysis Additional Dimensional Analysis Problems Construction of Square and Cubic Units Conversions with Square and Cubic Units |
Lab
Equipment Scavenger Hunt Observing a Candle Lab: Measurement and Variation Precision vs. Accuracy Density Lab Lab: Classification of Matter (all available online) |
Tables 1.4, 1.5 and the Rules for Counting Significant Figures (pg 22) |
|
Atomic Structure I: Basics of Atomic Theory |
Chapter 2: 2.1 - 2.5 Problem Set: 9 11 13 15 18 21 22 24 31 33 34 35 37 39 91 Supplementary Material: Activity: Average Atomic Mass Homework: Average Atomic Mass POGIL: Average Atomic Mass Atomic Structure Activity (unavailable online) |
Home-Inquiry
Connection Lab: Can Crush |
Z, A, Atomic Symbols, Dalton’s Atomic Theory (pg 38) |
| Molecules, Ions and Naming Compounds |
Chapter 2: 2.6 - 2.9 Problem Set: 41 42 46 47 49 51 53 57 59 61 65 66 69 71 73 104 Supplementary Material: POGIL: “Naming Ionic Compounds” POGIL: “Polyatomic Ions” POGIL: “ Naming Molecular Compounds” POGIL: “Naming Acids” Flowchart for Naming Inorganic Binary Compounds Chemical Nomenclature Chemical Formula Combinations Practice Chemical Formulas Additional Naming Practice Naming Compounds 1 Naming Compounds 2 |
Lab: Conductivity | Names and formulas for all monatomic cations and anions (easily predictable from the periodic table); names and formulas for these ions: copper, iron, ammonium, carbonate, hydrogen carbonate (bicarbonate), chromate, dichromate, cyanide, phosphate, hydrogen phosphate, sulfate, hydrogen sulfate, nitrate, nitrite, permangnate, and peroxide. Also, learn the acetate ion: C2H3O2-; prefixes in table 2.6; how to name acids with and without oxygen |
| Stoichiometry: Atomic Mass, the Mole, Percent Composition, Chemical Equations |
Chapter 3: 3.1 - 3.5 Problem Set: 9 11 13 14 15 17 19 21 24 26 29 32 33 35 37 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 54 (Empirical Formulas) Supplementary Material: Intro to Chemical Equations Homework for Balancing Chemical Equations Chemical Equations from Words (not avail. on line) POGIL: “Relative Mass and the Mole” The Mole Moles Practice Calculations Homework Assignment: The Mole and Molar Mass POGIL: “Empirical Formulas” POGIL: “Combustion Analysis” |
Size
of an Aluminum Atom Instructions for the Bunsen Burner Determination of the Formula of Rust Hydrate Lab (all available online) |
Avogadro’s number (6.02 × 1023 particles/mole) and its meaning |
| Second Quarter | |||
|
Topic and Time |
Text Information incl. Problems |
Lab(s) | Memory Work |
| Stoichiometry, Limiting Reagent and Percent Yield |
Chapter 3: 3.6 - 3.7 Problem Set: 55 57 59 63 66 67 68 70 71 73 74 77 79 80 92 103 POGIL: “Mole Ratios” Demo: Stoichiometry Activity: Stoichiometry Start-up Stoichiometry Activity Stoichiometry Homework Activity: Limiting Reactant Demonstration POGIL: “Limiting and Excess Reactants” Limiting Reactant Activity Limiting Reactant Homework |
Analysis by Gravimetry | |
| Aqueous Reactions: Reaction Types, Solutions, Solution Stoichiometry |
Chapter 4 Problem Set: 11 13 15 19 21 24 27 30 32 35 39 44 45 51 55 59 61 69 73 79 81 83 Supplemental Material: POGIL: “Types of Chemical Reactions” POGIL: “Acids and Bases” POGIL: “Molarity” Reaction writing and prediction (not available on-line) http://dwb4.unl.edu/ap2/ Descriptive Chemistry Interactive Site Demonstration: Dancing Flames |
Acid-Base Titration |
Differences btwn. strong, weak and non-electrolytes; table 4.1 (solubility rules); pg 137 oxidation states rules |
|
Atomic Structure II: Nucleus, Radioactive Decay, Nuclear Stability, Nuclear Reactions |
Chapter 21 Problem Set: 2 3 4 7 11 13 15 17 18 19 25 27 28 31 33 34 35 36 41 57 58 Supplementary Material: Supplemental Notes on Logarithms and the Derivation of the Radioactive Decay Equation Half-life Basics Activity Half-life Activity (all available online) |
Geiger
Counter Demonstration POGIL: Types of Radiation POGIL: Types of Radioactive Decay POGIL: Alpha and Beta Decay POGIL: Nuclear Equations PhET Radioactive Dating Game Home-Inquiry: Crystals |
Alpha, Beta, and Positron Decay modes; half-life equations, E = Δmc2, Δm = mf - mi |
| Third Quarter | |||
|
Topic and Time |
Text Information incl. Problems |
Lab(s) | Memory Work |
| Gases: Pressure, Gas Laws, Gas Phase Rxns, Partial Pressures, Kinetic-Molecular Theory |
Chapter 10.1 - 10.7 Problem Set: 11 17 22 23 25 27 31 33 37 40 43 45 47 51 53 56 59 61 67 71 75 77 Supplementary Material: Graphing to Find Proportions POGIL: “Gas Variables” |
Lab:
Boyle’s Law with Vernier Probes (available
online) Molar Volume of a Gas |
PV = nRT; P1V1/n1T1 = P2V2/n2T2; Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures; Definition of Mole Fraction; Molar Vol. 22.41 L at STP |
| Thermochemistry: Energy, Enthalpy, Calorimetry, Hess’s Law |
Chapter 5 Problem Set: 5 13 19 23 25 27 29 33 37 41 49 53 54 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 |
Calorimetry
Lab Demo: Dehydration of Sugar Demo: Dehydration of Sugar Student Worksheet Demo: Boiling Acetone at Reduced Pressure Student Worksheet |
ΔE = q + w, w = -PΔV, ΔH = q at constant P, Hess’s Law |
|
Electronic Structure of Atoms: EM
Radiation, Atomic Spectra, Quantum Mechanics,
Orbitals |
Chapter 6 Problem Set: 11 15 18 21 25 29 33 35 41 47 50 57 59 61 65 67 79 82 84 Supplementary Material for reference: Group Activity: Light Homework: Light Additional Problems: Light Activity: Graphing Wavelength, Frequency and Energy Activity: Electron Configuration |
Pre-lab: Flame
Tests due on the first day of the lab Lab: Flame Tests Lab: Hydrogen Atom Simulator Do problems 1 - 5 for homework. The rest of the questions will be answered using an online simulator (link is on the lab page). (computer lab) Pre-lab: Atomic Emission lamps due on the day of the lab Lab: Atomic Emission Lamps |
E = hν, c = λν, quantum numbers, electron configuration method |
| Periodic Trends: Development of the Periodic Table, Effective Nuclear Charge, Ion and Atom Size, Ionization Energy, Electron Affinity, Group Trends |
Chapter 7 Problem Set: 7 8 10-12 16 17 21 23 25 27 30 31 35 37 38 39 41 43 46 48 51 53 57 59 61 63 64 67 69 71 73 75 77 81 83 92 94 Supplementary Materials: POGIL: “Photoelectron Spectroscopy” POGIL: “Periodic Trends” POGIL: “Advanced Periodic Trends” |
Spectrophotometry
Basics |
trends in ionization energy and atomic radius Trends for atomic size, ion size, ionization energy, effective nuclear charge, and electron affinity |
| Fourth Quarter | |||
|
Topic and Time |
Text Information incl. Problems |
Lab(s) | Memory Work |
| Chemical Bonding: Ionic, Covalent, and Metallic Bonds; Lewis Structures, Electronegativity, Bond Strength |
Chapter 8 Problem Set: Ch. 8: 2 4-6 8 9 13 17 19 21 23 29 32 33 35 36 40 45-47 49 50 53 55 57 58 61 65 67 69 90 POGIL: “Bond Energy” Activity: Lewis Diagrams Lewis Diagrams: Molecules to draw Homework: Drawing Lewis Diagrams Review of Molecular Compounds including Lewis Diagrams and 3-D Shapes |
Lab: Glurch
and Oobleck |
Lewis Structures method, pg 314 & pg 316 Trends for atomic size, ion size, and electronegativity |
| Molecular Geometry: VSEPR, Polarity, Valence Bond Theory, Hybrid Orbitals |
Chapter 9: 9.1 - 9.6 Problem Set: 1 3 4 6 8 12 13 14 15 17 19 23 25 30 31 34 37 38 39 40 43 47 76 82 Supplementary Materials: POGIL: “Molecular Geometry” Lewis Diagrams and VSEPR Shapes Table of VSEPR Shapes and Modifications |
Building Models (hands-on covalent bonding
activity) Real Life Chemistry of Marshmallows |
VSEPR model method, pg 346 |
|
Equilibrium: Equilibrium Constant, Gas
Equilibria, Le Châtelier’s Principle 6 hours |
Chapter 15 Problem Set: 1 3 5 6 8 9 11 14 16 20 21 25 27 30 33 36 38 40 43 46 49 50 51 54 55 58 61 72 82 Supplementary Materials: POGIL: “Equilibrium” |
Determination of an Equilibrium Constant (Flinn 13) cd 10 and cd 17 |
Form of the Equilibrium Constant Expression Kp = K(RT)Δn; Le Châtelier’s Principle |
