226syllabus-f08.html

Chemistry 227/ Spring 2009
SYLLABUS

Class Meetings * Texts & Materials * Topics * Class Prep & Homework * Grading * Absences * Lab * Safety * Internet

Dr. Ron Rusay Office: PS 235, tel. (925) 685-1230 x 2508; fax (925) 687-2503

Office Hours: 10:00-11:00 MW; 11:00-12:00 TTh; plus e-mail outside of office hours, and Fridays by appointment.

E-mail: rrusay@chemconnections.org or rrusay@dvc.edu

Course Homepage: http://chemconnections.org/organic/chem227/

Prerequisites: Chem 226 or the equivalent with a C or better.
DVC Academic College Policies
This second half of a one-year course (226-227) is a continuation of the first semester, Chem 226. SEE: http://chemconnections.org/organic/chem226 PLEASE CONSIDER CAREFULLY: The instructional approach of these two Chem 227 sections incorporates many innovations in undergraduate teaching methods and materials, which depart from, but are built upon traditional textbook-lecture centered science courses. The organization and approach are likely quite different from other courses that you are experienced in and comfortable with. Topics and materials will not be treated linearly as simple page turning in relation to the course textbook. You will be challenged personally: to find and access a variety of information, to appraise its value, and to use it constructively to answer questions, to solve problems, and to build knowledge. You will have various assets and tools available that go well beyond the textbook and lecture notes. You will need to decide how to use them effectively, and to develop your own personal learning plan accordingly. Not all knowledge in organic chemistry will be provided to you to repeat back accurately for a grade as you are accustomed to in most courses. Your plan will most likely be different than anyone else's. Without a plan that you can use productively and adjust as the course progresses, you will likely not meet your personal objectives. This metacognitive approach to teaching-learning will translate to any of your other courses and more importantly empower you to effectively address any topic in any discipline at anytime in your careers.

Class Meetings: Secs. 2944 & 3004:

2944

TTh
MW
12:30-1:45 pm
11:00am-1:50 pm MA-245
PS-209

3004

TTh
TTh
12:30-1:45 pm
2:00-4:50 pm MA-245
PS-209

Holidays: 1/19, 2/6, 2/16, 4/13-4/17
Tentative Exam dates: 2/17, 3/26, 5/12
Last Drop Date with a full refund: 2/2
Last Drop Date without a W on transcript 2/13
Last Drop Date with a W on transcript 4/24
Final Exam: 5/21

Attendance is required in both lecture and laboratory.

References, Equipment and Services: (REQUIRED)

a) Class TEXT: ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, Francis A. Carey, McGraw-Hill, ISBN: 978-0-07-304787-4, (2008).
[PLUS: Study Guide and Solutions Manual are recommended but not required. (Can be shared.)]

b) Lab TEXT/Guide: Making the Connections: A How-To Guide for Organic Chemistry Lab Techniques, Anne B. Padias, Hayden McNeil Publishing, ISBN: 978-073801985-7, (2007). (OR the Equivalent.)

d) Preparing for the ACS Examination in Organic Chemistry, American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education, ISBN: 0-9708042-1-0, (2004). (Can be shared.)

e) Webassign Account (Passkey available to purchase on-line with a credit card ($14.95) or in the DVC Bookstore: ISBN: 1-928550-20-7; SELF ENROLL: dvc 5971 6109 (Same code for everyone.)

f) An e-mail account (If you like, one is available from Dr. R. served @chemconnections.org; send an e-mail request.)

g) A bound, numbered lab notebook with detachable copy pages.

h) Lab safety glasses with side shields or goggles.

i) Access to molecular models. (Can be shared.)

Course Topics:

Carey Texbook Chapters 11-13, 16-29; plus selected topics. See: http://chemconnections.org/organic/chem227/227assign-09.html

Class Preparation & Homework: Practice and staying current with the course content on a daily basis are essential to your success in this course of study. The amount of preparation, practice and time required will differ for each of you. In order to score well on exams & quizzzes, the questions to ask yourself while going through the materials are, "Can I teach this concept to someone else? And, can I recognize and correctly answer questions that are similar to the ones contained in the in-class i-clicker response questions, the ACS Examination questions, the worksheets, and the on-line Webassign problems?". Correlating the time related to your answer to these questions will provide an estimate of what you will likely need to invest. Exams will be designed to test content & concepts based on these materials. There will be periodic chapter/topic quizzes that will also be based on these materials. Recommended order of emphasis is: 1) Use the on-line calendar: read the class slides & i-clicker questions before coming to each class (print form is easier to use for most people). 2) Collaboratively in a group with 1-3 partners complete Worksheets (handouts) and ACS Examination questions 3) Individually complete all Webassign on-line questions 4) do as many end of chapter textbook problems as possible; refer to the course assignments page and calendar page. See: http://chemconnections.org/organic/chem227/226assign-09.html

Grading: Attendance/Participation (i-clicker) and Homework (Webassign) are valued at 10% of the TOTAL grade. The class portion of the grade is worth 65% of the total grade. It will be comprised of quizzes and worksheets, (which in total equal one exam), 3 in-class exams and a final exam, which is equal to two hour exams. A laboratory grade worth 25% will account for the remainder of the total grade. Final letter grades will be assigned based on: 90-100 A; 80-89 B; 65-79 C; 50-64 D;<50 F, using a normalized class average. NOTE: The DVC Code of Conduct will be strictly enforced. Cheating and plagiarism are unacceptable and will unconditionally result in a failing grade. [Cell phones will not be allowed in rooms during exams and quizzes.] SEE: DVC Academic College Policies

Absences / Timeliness: On-time attendance at all scheduled class and lab meetings is unconditionally expected. If you arrive late for class or lab, points will be lost. Two late arrivals will be excused provided that you see Dr. R. immediately after class or lab. If you are to miss a class, quiz, exam or lab due to illness or other legitimate reason, you must advise Dr. R. prior to or on the day that it is scheduled. If you do not do so, there will be no possibility of making up any missed work or of being excused from assignments, activities or the material presented. Notifying Dr. R. can be done by calling: 685-1230, ext. 2508 or leaving a message with the department secretary (ext. 2423) or sending an e-mail to Dr. R. If you miss a cumulative total of 4 laboratories or 6 lectures regardless of the reasons, you may be dropped from the course. [College policy provides for a student being dropped from a course if the student misses a cumulative total of two weeks of class/lab meetings.]

Laboratory: The laboratory component of the course is essential to your success in the overall course. A failing grade in the lab portion will result in a failing grade for the course. There will be some experiments and activities that will be done on a group or team basis.
For each experiment, you are to prepare a pre-lab report in your lab notebook prior to beginning a lab (see pp. 5-7 of the Lab Text/Guide) and a finished report on completion of the lab unless Dr. R. advises otherwise. You will be advised of the specific details for each lab.

Before undertaking any lab experiment, the tasks involved in the experiment must be determined from the experimental procedure and checked off on the Organic Lab Skills & Operations form for that experiment. The form should be fastened (glued or stapled) to the inside front cover of your lab notebook.

Pre-Lab reports must be prepared prior to each scheduled lab. They must include: Date, Title, Objective/Purpose, Reaction(s), a neatly organized, labeled, Data Table (See Table 1.1 pg. 6 of the Lab Text/Guide.), Procedure (either in outline form with a complete reference for the recipe/procedure or in your own words), any assigned pre-lab questions. Before you begin any lab, you must have Dr. R. initial the lab notebook page with the pre-lab report. If you miss a lab for any reason, Dr. R. must be advised the day of the lab or there will be no possibility of making up the lab.
The finished, complete Lab report must be in the following format, and must include all pertinent information including any unknown numbers where unknowns are part of the experiment. Finished copies of the report will be collected. Lab Reports must be neat and legible. Significant deductions will be made for failure to follow any of these guidelines.
Laboratory cleanliness and hygeine are most important and will be included in the lab grading as a percent of each lab. These areas are both individual and shared responsibilities and will be graded individually and collectively, so be supportive of and helpful to each other. Certain specific lab duties will be scheduled and rotated among the class.

Laboratory records and reports must follow the format outlined in the Lab Text/Guide pp.8-11.

The bold information must be completed in the notebook prior to the experiment and shown to Dr. R. for signature prior to starting the experiment. Certain labs will not require a report. You will be advised which. Final reports must include the Observations and Results sections that incorporates all calculations, and a section for Questions that includes answers to any pre- and post lab assigned questtions.

Date:

Title:

Objective:
A brief statement of the experiment's objective/purpose: Answer the question...what is your aim?

Reaction(s):
Complete, balanced chemical equation(s) using structural formulas; as many as appropriate.
Data Table:(See Table 1.1 pg. 6 of the Lab Text/Guide.)
Neat, well organized Table of experimental data with correct units.
Procedure:
An outline or flowchart of the specifics of what you plan to do in the experiment (See pg. 9). Include a reference to any "recipe" that is followed.

Observations:

Results:
Show calculations including all units. Reactant quantities must have calculations shown where appropriate; theoretical and percent yield must be included. Be as neat and concise as possible.

___________________

Pre- and Post- Lab Questions:
Answer any assigned questions.
The finished Lab report must include all of the above.

Safety & Waste Handling:
Laboratory Safety and Chemical Hygiene are of the utmost importance to your well being and to your lab mates. Chemical exposure must be minimized through good lab practices, cleanliness and hygiene. All wastes must be properly disposed of. Eye protection must be worn at all times. No one can work in the lab without an instructor being present. Only scheduled experiments are allowed. Bare feet, food, drink, eating, and conduct which places anyone at risk are unacceptable. (See pp. 1-4 of the Lab Text/Guide. Read: Chem 227 General Safety Regulations & Lab Guidelines) Violation of safety standards can result in being dropped from the course.

Internet use and related:
The course will employ the Internet and Information Technologies in a variety of ways. This is NOT a course which teaches the Internet. The course is designed to use the Internet with its wealth of resources as a transparent tool to teach chemistry. Combined with good study practices, it will help you, the student, to better and more easily understand concepts and to make your learning experience broader and more successful.
Students are not required to have a computer or off campus access to a computer.
Free e-mail accounts are available. Each student MUST have their own e-mail account for class communication.
There will be no charges for the use of the Internet, computers or course related software.
The course will employ the Internet and Information Technologies in a variety of ways. The class will need the latest version of a Net browser for the Internet as well as other computer programs. All of these programs will be free for student use. (See Web Resources for a listing.) Since it is realized that not every student has a computer or off-campus access to a computer, computer related assignments are devised and time budgeted so that these assignments can be done while on the DVC campus by accessing the Internet from the Physical Science building's computers or other computers on the DVC campus that are available to DVC students.
Students are expected to visit the course Homepage regularly. The Homepage is the main tool for communicating information to the class. It includes all information on the course in addition to providing Internet links to many useful Web sites and materials for the course. The Homepage is a living course document. Information will be added as the course proceeds and past information will be archived.
If you do not already have e-mail, or wish another, one is available from Dr. R. served @chemconnections.org; send an e-mail request or consult the Web Resource information linked from the Homepage for information on how to obtain a free e-mail account from a commercial provider. Select a provider: Yahoo, Hotmail, G-mail, etc. and follow their on-line instructions.