CHM101, General Chemistry
Syllabus for Section 5, Fall 2001

Instructor: Kenneth A. Rahn
Center for Atmospheric Chemistry Studies
Graduate School of Oceanography, Narragansett Bay Campus
CACS Room 212; 874-6713
Office hours in CACS 212 by appointment
E-mail: krahn@uri.edu  
Home page: http://karws.gso.uri.edu/CHM101/Fall_2001/CHM101Fall01.html 

 Time and location
    TTh 11:00–12:15, Pastore 219.

 Textbooks
      General Chemistry, by John W. Hill and Ralph H. Petrucci, Second Ed. (1999).
      URI 102 Laboratory manual (for CHMl02 students). Goggles are required for all labs, and may be purchased in room 215.

 Attendance policy
      I expect you to attend every class, but I do not take attendance—this is college, after all! If I were you, though, I would never miss a class—too much is at stake (see below). Students who miss repeated classes get no sympathy from me at grading time. 

 Exams and grading
      There will be three hourly exams and a final exam. Each hourly will count 20% of the final grade, the final 40%. No makeup exams will be given. Hourlies will be given in Pastore 234 at 7 p.m. on the evenings of 25 September (Chaps. 1–3), 18 October (Chaps. 4–6), and 13 November (Chaps. 7–9). The final will be on Monday 17 December, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. These exams will not be multiple choice. They will consist of definitions, short answers, longer answers, and problems.

 Laboratories
      The laboratories in Chemistry 102 are designed to provide you with essential technical skills, to demonstrate the principles discussed in class, and to teach you some descriptive chemistry and principles of chemical analysis that will not be thoroughly covered in class. Your teaching assistant will provide further details.

 Pace of this course
      We are required by Chemistry Department policy to cover the first 12 chapters. Counting exams, that works out to one chapter each week, or 20–25 pages per class. This is a rugged pace. It is therefore essential that you keep up to date with the material. That includes the homework assignments as well as the reading. I suggest strongly that you read the appropriate part of each chapter before class, so that my presentation will not be foreign to you. Also, I will not be able to cover all 20 pages in the 75 minutes per class, so I will be selective and will concentrate on the material that I think is most difficult. If you have questions on material that I do not cover, please ask them. With this class being midway between a recitation section and a lecture, I will encourage class discussion. This is a double-edged sword, though, for the time taken for discussion lessens the time for formal presentation. As we progress, you may tell me how you think we should adjust things to reach the most effective compromise.
      To keep up with the course, you will have to budget your time wisely. Expect to spend at least two hours out for each hour in, or at least 5–6 hours studying per week. Three hours per hour, or 8–9 hours per week, is not excessive. Do not think you can get by with significantly less than these amounts, or you will hurt yourself. Also, plan to break your hours into more shorter segments rather than fewer longer segments. A good plan might be 1.5 hours before each class and three hours after it. At the first sign of trouble, contact me or the Help Office. The Help Office in Pastore 215 is staffed four afternoons a week by graduate students who can help you individually or in groups with homework and difficult concepts. If you have problems developing a systematic way of studying, the Learning Assistance Center (in the basement of Roosevelt Hall, phone 874-5085 or 874-2367) can give you personal attention. It frequently runs clinics to help you learn to study and to manage your time.

 Review sessions
      I will be available for evening review sessions on request. I will be happy to provide one or two reviews before each exam.

 Homework assignments
      At the end of each chapter are questions and problems classified as review questions, problems, and additional problems, which are often more challenging than the problems. Use these questions and problems to help you study. Our assignments will draw from each of the categories. Although only a few of the questions are review questions, you will find it helpful to try some of the others. Most of our assigned problems will be odd-numbered because their answers are given in the back of the book. Detailed answers to the problems are posted at the links given on the home page. If you find yourself relying too heavily on the answers or looking back into the chapter too often, you should work on the equivalent even-numbered problems as well.
      It is fundamentally your responsibility to learn this material. It is okay to work with other students; I encourage you to form small study groups. Remember, though, that at exam time you will be on your own, and therefore you need to be sure that you fully understand the concepts, approaches, and solutions required for each problem.

      Chapter 1: 2, 12, 14, 19, 25, 29, 33, 35, 41, 45, 49, 53, 57, 63, 71, 79, 81.
      Chapter 2: 3, 10, 18, 25, 27, 31, 37, 43, 47, 49, 51, 53, 59,  61, 67, 69, 73, 79, 81, 87, 93, 97.
      Chapter 3: 3, 8, 19, 21, 25, 31, 37, 43, 53, 55, 59, 61, 67, 75, 81, 87,99, 115.
      Chapter 4: 1, 4, 14, 21, 26, 27, 33, 39, 43, 51, 57, 61, 65, 69, 77, 85, 89, 95, 99.
      Chapter 5: 14, 17, 22, 31, 35, 39, 41, 45, 49, 53, 55, 59, 61, 65, 67, 73, 77, 79, 83, 87, 91, 101, 107, 111, 121, 127.
      Chapter 6: 19, 21, 25, 31, 35, 39, 45, 49, 57, 61, 65, 71, 75, 77, 83, 85, 91, 97, 103.
      Chapter 7: 7, 22, 31, 37, 41, 47, 53, 55, 61, 63, 67, 71, 75, 77, 83, 89, 95.
      Chapter 8: 3, 10, 18, 29, 33, 35, 39, 43, 47, 49, 53, 57, 59, 65, 67, 71, 75, 77, 81, 83, 89.
      Chapter 9: 6, 12, 16, 25, 29, 31, 35, 39, 43, 49, 51, 55, 61, 65, 69, 75, 79, 83, 87, 93, 97, 101.
      Chapter 10: 6, 11, 20, 30, 31, 39, 43, 47, 49, 55, 59, 63, 67, 71, 75, 79, 81, 89, 93.
      Chapter 11: 5, 12, 27, 31, 35, 41, 45, 47, 51, 53, 57, 61, 67, 69, 73, 79, 81, 85, 89, 93, 97.
      Chapter 12: 2, 16, 22, 25, 29, 31, 33, 35, 39, 41, 45, 47, 49, 53, 55, 59, 61, 67, 71, 75, 81, 83, 85, 93, 95, 99.

 Home page
      The home page for this course will contain important information such as any updates to the syllabus, answers to most of the homework problems, and questions and answers on any aspect of the text or the problems. Take advantage of this last opportunity by submitting whatever questions you have to me by E-mail. I will post all questions (anonymously) and their answers.

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