The course listing represents a sampling of courses taught by the faculty in this department in the 2009-10 academic year. To select courses for Fall 2009, see the catalog listing; similarly, for Spring 2010 refer to the relevant catalog.
CHEM-45 - Chemistry and Crime
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 Hours
Principles of evidence collection, physical and chemical forensic tests, and instrumental techniques as applied to criminal investigations. Important criminal cases and societal issues, such as drunk driving and drug testing, with a focus on the science involved. Chemical concepts will be developed as needed. THIS COURSE REPLACES 145 BEGINNING SECOND SEMESTER 2008.
CHEM-51 - Chemistry and the Environment
Offered: First Semester, 2010-2011Credit Hours: 3 hours
A discussion of the natural and human origins of significant chemical species in the environment and the ultimate fate of these materials. Air and water quality will receive special attention. Chemical concepts will be developed as needed.
CHEM-101 - Structure and Reactivity in Chemistry
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
Reactions, chemical periodicity, bonding, molecular structure.
Prerequisites: High-school chemistry or consent of instructors; high-school mathematics up to, but not including, pre-calculus. Note: Students must register for both lecture and laboratory.
CHEM-102 - Principles of Chemistry
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
Equilibrium, thermodynamics, reaction rates and mechanisms, atomic and molecular orbitals.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHEM 101. Note: Students must register for both lecture and laboratory.
CHEM-103 - Topics in General Chemistry
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
For students with good pre-college preparation. Reactions, equilibrium, thermodynamics, reaction rates and mechanisms, and bonding.
Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment or credit for MATH 133 or equivalent. Takes the place of CHEM 101, CHEM 102. Interested students should write to the departmental secretary early in the summer. Students who earned a score of 3 or higher on the Chemistry Advanced Placement test automatically qualify for the course. Admission by examination during the orientation period. Students who have had chemistry in high school and who plan to take both chemistry and calculus should take the examination.
CHEM-205 - Principles of Organic Chemistry
Offered: First Semester, Second SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
A one-semester introduction to the basic principles, theories, and applications of the chemistry of carbon compounds. Representative reactions, preparation, and properties of carbon compounds will be covered. The laboratory will provide experience with purification, physical and spectroscopic characterization, and synthesis of organic substances.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHEM 102 or 103. In the fall, the Thursday laboratory section will open only if the enrollment exceeds the capacity of the Tuesday and Wednesday laboratory sections.
CHEM-208 - Environmental Chemistry
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
An in-depth consideration of the environmental issues of stratospheric ozone depletion, air pollution, acid rain, climate change, fossil fuel-based, nuclear and renewable energy production, surface and ground water pollution, and water treatment. The detailed chemical aspects of the environmental problems and their potential remedies will be discussed at a significantly higher level than Chem 051 and various models will be constructed to elucidate the key concepts.
C- or better in Chem 102 or 103. Not open to students with credit for Chem 051 or 151.
CHEM-211 - Analytical Chemistry
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
Principles of chemical measurements with a focus on instrumental analysis, including spectrophotometry, electrochemistry and separations. Laboratory develops quantitative skills and provides experience with chemical instrumentation. Spreadsheets are used to treat experimental data.
C- or better in MATH 133 and in CHEM 102 or CHEM 103.
CHEM-213 - Inorganic Chemistry
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
Development of the principles and theories of inorganic chemistry. Topics include atomic structure, structure and bonding in covalent and ionic compounds, periodic properties, acid-base concepts, coordination compounds, oxidation-reduction chemistry, and recent advances in inorganic nanotechnology. Laboratory involves synthesis and characterization of inorganic substances and activities illustrating principles covered in the lecture.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHEM 102 or 103.
CHEM-254 - Bioorganic Chemistry
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
Organic chemistry of the major classes of biological substances. Emphases on structures and reaction mechanisms as they apply to biological transformations. Includes the chemistry of macromolecules and coordination chemistry.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHEM 205.
CHEM-304 - Structural Biology
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
This course will focus on modern physical methods used to elucidate the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids. Principles of contemporary experimental techniques, such as x-ray diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance, will be covered, along with some computational approaches, with an aim toward reading the current published literature and understanding structure-function relationships of different classes of biological molecules.
Biology 213 and Physics 104 or Phys 111.
CHEM-323 - Materials Chemistry
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 2 hours
This seminar will provide an introduction to materials chemistry, with an emphasis on inorganic materials. Topics will include structures and electronic properties of solid materials, mechanical properties, defects in solid structures, and synthetic strategies. Methods of materials characterization including X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy will also be discussed. In covering these topics, we will explore current literature on materials such as polymers, nanoparticles, biomimetic materials, semiconductors, and superconductors.
C- or better in Chemistry 205 and Chemistry 213
CHEM-325 - Organic Mechanism and Synthesis
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
This second course in organic chemistry will systematically explore reactions of carbon-containing compounds and the mechanistic pathways involved in these processes. Reactions and topics that will be discussed include functional group transformations, oxidations, reductions, cycloadditions, stereospecific reactions and carbon-carbon bond formation. Strategies will be presented for the design of multi-step organic syntheses.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHEM 205.
CHEM-326 - Organic Mechanism and Synthesis Laboratory
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 1 hour
The laboratory complements the second course in organic chemistry. Experiments illustrate principles presented in the lecture course.
Pre- or Corequisite: CHEM 325. Note: CR/NE or P/NP grading.
CHEM-327 - Synthesis Laboratory
Offered: First Semester, 2010-11Credit Hours: 3 hours
Laboratory work involves the synthesis of organic and inorganic compounds by a variety of techniques (e.g. photochemical, electrochemical, inert atmosphere) and the use of spectroscopic methods (e.g. Fourier-transform NMR, infrared, and ultraviolet) for their characterization. The lectures develop the theory and unified application of spectroscopic analysis to solve structural problems in chemistry.
Prerequisites: C- or better in CHEM 205 and CHEM 213.
CHEM-339 - Quantum Chemistry and Kinetics
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
Kinetics of chemical reactions, quantum theory of atomic and molecular structure, and molecular spectroscopy.
Prerequisites: C- or better in CHEM 102 or CHEM 103; PHYS 111 or PHYS 104 (may be taken concurrently); and in MATH 134. Note: Students must register for both lecture and laboratory.
CHEM-341 - Trace Analysis
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 3 hours
Principles of environmental chemical analysis with laboratory. Trace analytical techniques and sampling as applied to environmental samples, such as water, soil, and plant materials. Lecture/discussion format in the classroom with the current research literature in analytical chemistry as a focus.
Prerequisite: C- or better in CHEM 211.
CHEM-349 - Chemical and Statistical Thermodynamics
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
Thermodynamics, introduction to statistical thermodynamics, and kinetic theory. Application of mathematical methods and physical principles to chemistry.
Prerequisites: C- or better in CHEM 102 or CHEM 103, PHYS 111 or PHYS 104 and in MATH 134. Note: Students must register for both lecture and laboratory.
CHEM-374 - Biochemistry
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 4 hours
Biochemistry has been described as both the 'chemistry of life' and 'biology in atomic detail.' This course focuses on biochemical fundamentals and experimental techniques through the rigorous study of proteins and other biomolecules, and their roles in enzymatic catalysis, signal transduction, metabolism, and other biochemical processes.
Prerequisites: C- or better in CHEM 254, BIOL 213 and BIOL 214.
CHEM-525 - Research in Chemistry and Biochemistry
Offered: First SemesterCredit Hours: 1-5 hours
Projects for original investigation are assigned. Interested students are encouraged to speak with faculty members about possible projects.
Note: Students in the Honors program are required to enroll. Consent of chair required.
CHEM-526 - Research in Chemistry
Offered: Second SemesterCredit Hours: 1-5 hours
Projects for original investigation are assigned. Interested students are encouraged to speak with faculty members about possible projects. Consent of chair required.
Note: Students in the Honors program are required to enroll. Consent of the chair is required.
CHEM-995 - Private Reading
Offered: First Semester, Second SemesterCredit Hours: 1-3 hours
Private readings can be undertaken on a wide range of topics in chemistry and biochemistry. Signed approval of the instructor required.
To register for a private reading: obtain a private reading card from the Office of the Registrar; complete the card; obtain the required signatures of the faculty member and department chair; and return the card to the Office of the Registrar.
