Welcome to CH101 General Chemistry. This is the first semester of a year-long course intended primarily for science majors, pre-medical students, engineering students who require a one-year course, and other interested students.
The course is given by Professors Abrams (section A3; SCI/270B), Dill (sections A1 and A2; SCI/450), and Yang (section A4; PHO/829). Professor Golger (SCI/270C) is the course coordinator and is in charge of the laboratory portion of CH101 as well as section scheduling.
Discussion sections are led by a talented team of discussion leaders (graduate students, lecturers, and post-doctoral faculty fellows) with the support of undergraduate learning assistants.
All course questions are answered on the Piazza online discussion forum. Sign up for Piazza at
http://piazza.com/bu/fall2019/ch101fall2019
All of us teaching the course follow this forum and so this is the the way to get your questions about the course answered and to help your classmates answer theirs. If you have questions of a personal or private nature, send them to ch101-questions@bu.edu We ask that you please do not email course staff individually.
The following materials are all available at Barnes & Noble @ Boston University.
The course consists of five required components:
Students are required to attend the sections for which they are registered. If you are registered for a section that conflicts with your schedule, please immediately correct your schedule so that you are able to attend all required sections. Questions about scheduling should be addressed directly to Professor Golger.
All students in CH101 are required to be registered for all four components of the course: lecture include quiz block, discussion, pre-lab lecture, and lab. If you have not yet done so, please do so right away. If none of the available required sections fit your schedule, please register for the wait list sections: CAS CH101 BX (discussion wait list), CAS CH101 MX (lab wait list), or CAS CH101 PX (pre-lab lecture wait list). There are no waitlists for the lecture sections. If you are registered for one of the wait list sections, please complete and submit the missing section request form immediately.
There will be five quizzes (the lowest quiz will be dropped) and a course final exam:
Topics and locations of quizzes and the final exam will be posted the preceding week here.
We have designed the course as an introduction to general chemistry that integrates laboratory explorations with the development of the analytical tools necessary to understand and guide those explorations. Some particular aspects that we will emphasize are
Our goal is to help you share in our excitement for and the wonder of science, to challenge you to excel, to give you a sense of empowerment about science, and to encourage you to continue study in science—and hopefully chemistry. We intend to focus especially on what are the core ideas of chemistry.
In this semester we cover McQuarrie et al., chapters 1 through 14.
The corresponding schedule lecture topics and assigned problems is here.
The detailed laboratory schedule is here.
The laboratory part of the course will let you see first-hand chemical principles and processes in action. It will also give you experience with some of the methods scientists use to do chemical research. Your laboratory will consist of the following.
The course grade is based on your overall course score; we do not assign letter grades to quizzes, labs or the final exam. The components of the overall score are shown below.
| Component | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Quizzes (lowest score of the five quizzes dropped) | 45% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
| Lab | 15% |
| Lecture participation based on clicker responses | 5% |
| Discussion participation (includes problem solutions notebook) | 10% |
| Lab participation based on clicker responses | 5% |
Course grades are assigned based on the distribution overall scores at the end of the course. The following (tentative) grading scheme will be used to assign course grades based on your score in the course. Please note that we reserve the lower cutoff numbers (making achieving a grade easier) but we will not raise them. However, please do not count on them changing.
Starting with quiz 2, after each quiz we will provide the distribution of overall course scores so far, on a 1000-point scale, and your individual score so far. These overall scores so far will take into account the scores on the work completed so far (quizzes, labs, and participation). In this way, you will have a measure of how you are doing at that point in the course.
Your overall score so far will be available on Blackboard and the distribution of overall scores so far will be posted here.
Please note that the overall score so far will not take in account dropping of the lowest quiz score, the lowest lab, or absences from lectures, lab lectures, or discussion. This will be done only at the end of the semester.
No makeup quizzes will be given. A missed quiz counts as 0; the lowest quiz score will be dropped. A missed lab counts as 0; the lowest lab score will be dropped. If, due to unusual circumstances, such as a documented prolonged illness, you miss more than one lab, please contact Professor Golger (golger@bu.edu) as soon as possible so that special arrangements can be made to catch up with your work.
Any question concerning the grading of laboratory report must be brought to the attention of your laboratory teaching fellow during the next class session after it was returned to you; material will not be accepted for regrading afterwards. Indicate on the face of the laboratory report the questions you wish re-graded and your reasons for believing that they were mis-graded. T he entire work will be re-graded. Be sure you have made no alterations in your work. We occasionally photocopy your graded work as a check. Please note that the penalties for academic misconduct are severe, as detailed in Boston University's Academic Conduct Code.
Quizzes in CH101 will be graded through GradeScope. In days leading up to the first quiz you will get an email from Gradescope. It will have you set a password so that you can access the quizzes that have been graded by the course staff.
Regrades on quizzes: To ensure fairness, all quizzes are graded with same rubric, so requests for additional credit for incorrect answers cannot be entertained. If you believe that you’ve answered a question on a quiz correctly, but credit was not awarded, please print your quiz and show the relevant question to your graduate teaching fellow at the end of the first discussion after the graded quizzes are posted. Requests for regrades are only accepted within one week of a quiz being returned.
Learning chemistry — the molecular basis for life — is a very rewarding endeavor, but also one that requires persistence, diligence, and hard work. The single most important thing you can do is to diligently work out answers to as many problems in the textbook as you can. At a minimum, you must complete the assigned problems, recording your work in your problem notebook.
Participation and engagement in the classes (which counts for 20% of your course grade) is a good start towards you goals of learning chemistry, but it will also be crucial that you plan to spend a significant amount of time outside of class time. In general, instructors recommend that you spend 2-3 hours outside of class for every hour of instructional time. That means approximately 10-15 hours per week over and above the scheduled class contact hours.
If you are willing to devote this time, and you spend it wisely and effectively, you will be able to perform your best. The course teaching staff will hold office hours throughout each week. These office hours are a great place to work on problems with the support of instructors and peers. You never need an appointment to attend an office hour, and all students are invited and welcome to all of the scheduled hours. The schedule of office hours is here.
A note about using the optional solutions manual: Having access to the full solutions for problems can be helpful if used properly, but if used improperly these solutions can have the opposite of the desired effect. It is important to remember that the solutions should be used as a last resort only. If you struggle to work through a problem, we recommend that you do not go directly to the solutions. Instead, we suggest that you do the following: First, re-read the corresponding section of the book; then look at similar worked examples in the text, finally, collaborate with your study group and attend an office hours. If you find that you are regularly needing to read solutions to problems in the solutions please come speak with an instructor during an office hour.
As described below, we require that you abide by not using electronic communication during lectures, discussion, lab lectures, lab session, quizzes, and the final exam; that you adhere to the Academic Conduct Code; that you utilize the online Piazza discussion forum for your questions (and to help answers you classmates questions). Also described are our absence policy, the University policy on religious observances, the role of the Office of Disability and Access Services, and the policy on copyright.
Recent studies have shown that taking notes with laptops or having your cellphone out in class leads to lower performance by students in classes and on quizzes and exams. For this reason, we require that you take notes using the traditional pen and paper mode, and we do not permit the use of cellphones or laptops in class.
Make sure that your cell phones are kept in your bags at all times during class (lectures, discussion, labs, and quizzes) so that you are able to get the most out of class time. Taking notes with tablets (iPad, Surface, and equivalent devices) is permitted provided that they are set in airplane mode before class.
We realize that some of you may want to use cameras to make images of the lecture slides, etc. However, since all lectures are recorded, you have full access to everything that is being presented.
Each week, all students will participate in their scheduled discussion section. During each discussion, students will work in groups (3 students per group) on problem solving (selected book problems and other problems), interactive exercises, and class-wide discussions. The discussion leader and undergraduate learning assistant (LA) will be facilitators and mentors in discussion, working with groups to help them on their work.
Students are expected to arrive on time and to actively participate in all of the discussion sections. A portion of your course grade (10%) will be awarded based on your discussion work, including (on-time) attendance; engagement (in group work and class-wide exercises) in discussion; and the effort and completeness of your problem-solving notebook. The minimum assigned problems are posted here.
In addition to traditional lecture presentations, lecture time will also be comprised of interactive individual and group-based problem solving. Students will use Turning Technologies clickers to answer questions in class. A portion of your course grade (5%) will be awarded based on your participation using the clickers. An additional 5% of your course grade will be awarded for participation using clickers in pre-lab lecture.
Please note: Students may only use their own clicker in class. Using another student’s clicker is a violation of the Academic Conduct Code.
All students at Boston University are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty and integrity. It is the responsibility of every student to be aware of the Academic Conduct Code’s contents and to abide by its provisions, as detailed at
http://www.bu.edu/academics/resources/academic-conduct-code/
Please note carefully that the University and its Faculty treat cheating with zero tolerance. Here, “cheating” refers to any violation of the academic conduct code. There are no small infractions. All instances of misconduct will be reported to the Dean’s office. It is the responsibility of every student to be aware of the Academic Conduct Code’s contents and to abide by its provisions.
Please note the following about clickers: Students must use only their own clicker in lectures and lab lectures. Using another student’s clicker, or asking a student to use your clicker, is a violation of the academic conduct code.
Attendance at all lectures, discussions, pre-lab lectures, and labs is mandatory. Students must attend their assigned discussion section, and are expected to arrive on-time. Lecture, pre-lab lecture, and discussion participation and engagement will count for 20% of your course grade.
Your participation grade will be based on your performance, prompt attendance, and contributions in lecture, lab lecture, and discussion. It is completely understandable that some students may miss a lecture, lab lecture, or discussion due to unforeseen circumstances. At the end of the semester the lowest two lecture participations scores, the lowest lab participation score, and the lowest discussion participation score will be dropped. Missed classes due to religious observances will not affect your performance score.
Absences for documented religious observances will be excused according to the specifications of the University Policy on Religious Observance Please make sure to communicate about religious observances as far in advance as possible (and no later than one week before the observance, per university policy) so that accommodations can be made.
The Office of Disability and Access Services (19 Deerfield Street, 2nd floor) is responsible for assisting students with disabilities. If you have a disability, you are strongly encouraged to register with this office. Lecture hall and discussion rooms are accessible and ADA compliant.
Learning and testing accommodation: Boston University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If you are a student who needs academic accommodations because of a documented disability, you must present your letter of accommodation from the Office of Disability and Access Services directly to Professor Golger as soon as possible. If you have questions about documenting a disability or requesting academic accommodations, contact the Office of Disability and Access Services. Letters of accommodations should be presented as soon as possible to ensure that student needs are addressed from the start of the course. Instructors are not able to provide accommodations without documentation from Boston University's Office of Disability and Access Services.
The syllabus, course descriptions, lab manual, and all handouts created for this course, and all class lectures, are copyrighted by the course instructors. The materials and lectures may not be reproduced in any form or otherwise copied, displayed or distributed, nor should works derived from them be reproduced, copied, displayed or distributed without the written permission of the instructors. Infringement of the copyright in these materials, including any sale or commercial use of notes, summaries, outlines or other reproductions of lectures, constitutes a violation of the copyright laws and is prohibited. Please note in particular that distributing, receiving, selling, or buying class notes, lecture notes or summaries, lab reports or related materials, or similar materials both violates copyright and interferes with the academic mission of the College, and is therefore prohibited in this class and will be considered a violation of the student code of responsibility that is subject to academic sanctions.
If you are experiencing difficulty, please contact your course instructor without delay. After each quiz we will provide each student with an updated overall course score so far, on a 1000-point scale, that reflects their work completed in the course so far (quizzes, labs, and participation). In this way, you will have a measure of how you are doing at that point in the course.
If dropping the course appears to be in your best interest, we still would like to work through the decision with you. We are also happy to advise you on appropriate choices for your academic program. If you drop the course by Monday, October 7, no record of it will appear on your transcript. After that date, until the end of the day Friday, November 8, you may drop the course but with a W grade (withdrawn). If you must drop the course, note that CH101 will be given during the Spring, Summer and Fall sessions of 2020.
Students will identify and apply major concepts used in the natural sciences to explain and quantify the workings of the physical world. These concepts include the following: matter is composed of atoms; elements form \families"; bonds form between atoms by sharing electron pairs; shape is of the utmost importance; molecules interact with one another; energy is conserved; energy and matter tend to disperse; there are barriers to reaction; and light and matter can exchange energy. Students will learn about the process by which scientific theories are developed, refined, refuted, and confirmed.
Students will demonstrate their understanding of core conceptual and theoretical tools used in quantitative reasoning, particularly mathematics, as a tool for the exposition and manipulation of chemical concepts and for formulating a connection between microscopic models of matter and its macroscopic properties.
Students will interpret quantitative models of how energy and light interact with atoms or molecules and understand a variety of methods of communicating these, such as graphs, including spectra, tables, formulae, and chemical symbols.
Students will communicate quantitative information about chemical and physical objects and their properties us- ing chemical symbols, visually with sketches, numerically with estimated or computed values, and verbally using appropriate chemical nomenclature.
Students will recognize and articulate the capacity and limitations of quantitative methods such as dimensional analysis and the risks of using it improperly.
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