CHEMISTRY 107A

Atomic and Molecular Structure

Fall 2006

 

Professor Rachel Narehood Austin

Office: Dana Chemistry Rm. 320

Lab: Dana Chemistry Rm. 316

Phone: 786-6295 Email: raustin@bates.edu

 

Chemistry 107 is designed as the first semester of a two-semester sequence in introductory chemistry.  No previous background in chemistry is assumed.  The first semester provides an introduction to the structure of atoms and molecules.  In developing a detailed understanding of the structure of atoms and molecules, appreciating why molecules react to form new molecules becomes much more rewarding; memorization becomes much less necessary.  Chemistry 108, Chemical Reactivity, will explore why molecules react, building upon the foundation established this semester.

 

Class meeting times:  9:30-10:50 M, W, F  -- lab meets once a week as well.  Class will meet in Dana 119.

 

Office hours:

            Tuesday 9:00-10:00 and Friday 10:50-11:30

 

Exam Dates:

            September 29th; October 16th; November 10th; December 1st

 

You must take every exam when scheduled.  Students with special needs must make arrangements with the Dean of Students office in advance of the exams.  The exams will be designed so that time will not be an issue for the well-prepared student.

 

Final exam  December  13th  8:00 am

 

Travel plans must be made so as not to interfere with final exams.  It is college policy that final exams can only be rescheduled if you have three or more finals on one day. 

 

Grading:

            4 exams                                                           55%

            Final                                                                25%

            Lab                                                                  20%

 

Exams will cover material discussed in class, assigned in problems, assigned in readings from the text, or covered in lab.  The final exam will be cumulative.  A standard grading system will be in place where grades between 90-100 will receive Aıs, 80-89.9 will receive Bıs, 70-79.9 will receive Cıs, 60-69.9 will receive Dıs and grades lower than 60 will receive an F.  Pluses and minuses will be used for scores within 2 points of the cut-off point.  Students who attend class every day and are attentive may find that they receive a slight ³curve² upwards at the end of the semester, but generally, grades are not curved.

 

Textbook:   Chemistry, The Central Science by Brown, Lemay and Bursten 10th edition.  It is available at the bookstore

 

Laboratory:  Chemistry 107 has a weekly three hour lab.  Successful completion of the laboratory portion of the course is a requirement for passing CHEM 107.  Labs start the week of September 11th. 

 

Prior to the first lab meeting, you must purchase a CHEM 107 lab manual, which is available at the student bookstore, a lab notebook (a lab notebook with a carbon copy is required), and safety goggles, which are also available at the student stores.

 

Laboratory attendance is mandatory.  Any rescheduling of labs must be requested well in advance.  These changes can only be requested and it needs to be requested from both the person who teaches the lab you normally attend and the person who teaches the lab section that you wish to attend.  If the scheduling request is not granted, you must attend the regularly scheduled lab.

Electronic Resources: www/~raustin.bates.edu  On my web page, there is a separate section for CHEM 107.  On this section, I will try to post answer keys, notes, exam keys, etc.  It is a good place to check for homework assignments or clarifications of points raised in lecture.  I will also keep the webct page up to date.

 

Suggestions for success:

 

·      Read the assigned material before coming to class.  I will assume you have and will build the dayıs activities on that assumption.

·      Do all the assigned problems. 

·      Come to every class, unless you are very sick with something contagious.  Avoid behaviors that will interfere with class attendance.

·      Take advantage of the peer assisted learning groups provided by the Dean of Facultyıs office

·      If you find that you are having a hard time understanding the material, ask questions during class.  Chances are other people have the same questions.  If that does not resolve the difficulties, see the instructor.  There are additional tutors available at no cost to you.  The instructor is also available to answer questions outside of class.  

·      In studying for exams, think hard about the topics covered in lecture, lab and the textbook.  Donıt simply read over your notes or reread the text.  Rather, ask yourself what the main points of each dayıs lectures were.  Try to explain those concepts to another classmate. 

·      Remember, this course is designed so that any student can be successful at it.  It is not hard.  It does require that you consistently work with the course material and that you maintain a productive and positive attitude towards your work. 

·      While this course is not very math-intensive, a math and statistics workshop is available on campus should you want additional assistance with mathematical aspects of the course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topic

Reading

 

Introduction and Overview

Chapter 1, Sections 2.5-2.7

Structure of Atoms

Sections 2.1-2.4

The quantum perspective

Chapter 6

Spectroscopy and structural characterization

 

Atoms and Ions - charge neutrality

 

Periodic Properties of Atoms - the periodic table

Chapter 7

Electronegativity, electron affinity, ionization energies, atomic and ionic radii

 

A brief excursion through the periodic table

 

Structure of molecules

Chapters 8 & 9

The chemical bond - types of chemical bonds

 

   Descriptions of chemical bonds

 

Molecular Orbital Theory

 

Lewis dot structures

 

Molecular Shapes

 

Valence bond theory

 

                   Ionic bonding

 

States of matter and Intermolecular forces

 

Gases

Chapter 10

Liquids and Solids

Chapter 11

 

 

Academic Honesty:

As a student at Bates College, you are obliged to follow the College's policies on academic honest and fair use of materials.  Complete guidelines for academic honesty are found in the student handbook.  I expect you to read those guidelines.

In this course, the key aspects of academic honesty that you will need attend to are 1. not cheating on exams and 2. doing your own work on lab reports. 

 

The first point is pretty self explanatory.  Multiple versions of exams are generally present in the classroom to discourage cheating.  You may bring a 5 x 7 notecard to each exam.  Bringing in additional information or conversing with classmates during the exam (or in a time period when one of you has taken the exam and the other has not) is not allowed.  Any student caught cheating on an exam will be referred to the Student Conduct Committee and, if found guilty, he or she will fail the course. 

 

The second point can be more confusing, especially when you are working with other people on a lab report.  Use your own words in writing the reports.  If you are uncertain what degree of collaboration is acceptable in writing a lab report, check with the lab instructor or course instructor.