Course Information
From G Papadantonakis
CHEMISTRY 114: General College Chemistry II
Fall 2010, MWF 3:00-3:50 PM, Room 250 SES
Dr. George A. Papadantonakis
Email: gpapad3@uic.edu Telephone: 312-996-2790
Office 4178 SES, Office Hours: MW 1:00 – 2:30 PM.
Textbook: Martin S. Silberberg, Principles of General Chemistry, 2nd edition (McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.) and the Students Solutions Manual
Laboratory: Chemistry 114/118 Laboratory Manual; bound laboratory notebook capable of providing carbon copies; splash goggles
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in Chemistry 112 or its equivalent. Proficiency in mathematics at the level of pre-calculus (or better) is assumed.
To thrive in this course, you must have a solid command of some basic mathematics, measurement, matter and energy concepts, and logical reasoning skills, for example, that you may not have seen in quite a while (or in some cases ever).
To increase your chances of success in General Chemistry, we’ve added A.Le.K.S. (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) as a required component to General Chemistry, to rapidly and accurately identify any areas of strength or weakness, and where gaps are found to help you firm up your knowledge of pre-requisite topics BEFORE CLASSES BEGIN. Then, ALEKS will be with you to help you learn the General Chemistry material as we move forward.
The ALEKS component of the course is described in the paragraph headed Homework
Registration: Concurrently register for the lecture and a paired laboratory/discussion section. The Chemistry Department does not allow students to register for one laboratory section and do their work in another.
Disability Accommodations: Students with disabilities who require accommodations for access and participation in this course must register with the Office of Disability Services (ODS). Please contact ODS at (312) 413-2183 (voice) or (312) 413-0123 (TTY).
Academic Calendar for Fall Semester 2010
August 23, M Last day to cancel registration with a 100% refund of tuition and fees. Instruction begins.
September 3, F Last day to complete late registration; last day to add a course(s) or make section changes; last day to drop individual courses without receiving W (Withdrawn) grade on academic record via Student Self Service.
September 6, M Labor Day holiday. No classes.
October 29, F Last day for undergraduate students to use optional late drop in college office and receive grade of W on academic record.
November 26-26, Th–F Thanksgiving holiday. No classes.
December 3, F Instruction ends.
December 6-11, M–F Final examinations.
Examinations: Three hour-examinations during the term and one final examination according to the following tentative schedule.
| Exam | Date |
| I | Monday, September, 20 |
| II | Monday, October, 18 |
| III | Monday, November, 15 |
| Final | Exact date and time will be announced in class |
All exams will start at 5:15 PM and they will last until 6:30 PM on the designated dates.
IF you cannot attend the Monday evening examination sessions, you must provide written official documentation of the reason at the beginning of the semester, by the end of the FIRST week of classes, and if the reason is acceptable, an alternative time will be on Tuesday after the scheduled day from 9:10 to 10:30 AM (Room 4440 SES) and upheld strictly for all three exams. You should provide all this information to me and not to your TAs.
If you have a time conflict for the final exam with another final, then consult the rules and regulations of the College of LAS referring to this type of conflicts and make arrangements for the final exam with me two weeks prior to the final exam.
THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS AND QUIZZES
Attendance at the final examination is mandatory. If you miss it you will receive a grade of F or I, depending upon the reason of your absence. There are no make-ups for the hourly exams. The final exam is cumulative and may include questions that pertain to the labs. The final exam is scheduled by the University and cannot be altered for anyone
Laboratory: Eleven experiments (CASPiE and non CASPiE) are to be performed according to the syllabus. A lab report should be submitted for each experiment. In weeks 8-15 you will do a CASPiE Module. It is important to keep in mind that this is a research module and not simply a set of experiments for you to perform. Your focus will be more on how you go about answering and developing your research question, rather than the conclusion you come to in the end. Please remember that in research results do not always come easily or as expected; it is the process that will help you develop into a scientist. Upon completion of the CASPiE Module you will write a final report, you will prepare a poster and you will present your experimental work. In additional to these eleven experiments you have to complete two lab practicals.
The lab reports must be written neatly by hand IN PEN (NOT IN PENCIL). If your handwriting is sloppy or worse write in block capital letters. Neatness is essential. If the report cannot be easily read by your TA, a grade of zero (0) will be assigned.
The report is due by the beginning of the following laboratory period after the experiment is completed. Any late labs will lose 50% of possible points, beginning immediately after the missed time that they are due. After a week late the report will not be accepted at all. Note that handing in late lab reports to the Chemistry Department rather than to your TA directly is not secure and you are responsible for missing work no matter the reason.
All missed labs receive a grade of zero (0). There are no make-ups for the labs and the lab practicals. The lab practicals cannot be missed. If you miss a lab practical you will receive the grade of zero (0). Lab reports are due according to the syllabus. Any student more than 15 minutes late will not be admitted to the lab.
Homework: All homework will be done on-line using ALEKS. Please read the ALEKS Overview very carefully. This service is provided at no cost for you. It is essential that you do homework in a timely manner in order to keep pace with the lecture material. Homework assignments will be graded on a 10-point scale, 90 points maximum for all nine of them. Late assignments are not accepted for credit.
Discussion: The weekly discussion periods are as important as the lectures. You are required to attend the weekly discussion periods which provide the opportunity to work with your teaching assistant and your fellow students on the material in the course. On four occasions, a quiz will be given. Many will find it indispensable in efforts to learn and study. You will also get back your quizzes and examinations during these sessions.
Missed Assignments: University regulations require that you inform the instructor within the first two weeks of the term if you foresee that you will miss a scheduled exam for religious or other justifiable reasons. Cases of illness will be discussed on an individual basis with me and proof of illness should be sought at all times! Attendance of weddings and participation in other social events are not considered for excused absences.
Academic Dishonesty: In all work (examinations, quizzes, homework problems, laboratory data) you must adhere to the guidelines regarding academic honesty as described in the UIC Student Handbook. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated! A student who will be caught and proven to have committed an act of academic dishonesty on any homework set, quiz or examination, will receive a zero for the particular item and will automatically fail the course. The dishonest student will be reported to the Head of the Chemistry Department and to the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Science.
Grading: Your grade will be based on the following:
| Final Exam | 200 points |
| Hourly Exams | 300 points (3 x 100 pts ea.) |
| Quizzes | 120 points (4 x 30 pts ea.) |
| Laboratory | Lab Reports (165 pts)+ CASPiE Final Report (25 pts)+ Poster and Presentation(25 pts) + 2 Lab Practicals (50 pts)= 265 points |
| Homework | 9 at 10 pts each = 90 points maximum |
| Total Points | 975 at the maximum |
Laboratory and homework total points can be adjusted as the course progresses
Any exam considered for regrading must be given to your TA before you leave the discussion period during which the graded exams are given to you. The grading scale is as follows, based on percentage of points earned out of total possible points: 90% = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C, 60-69% = D, and 59% and lower = F.
Please note that none of the hourly exams (nor the final exam) will be dropped. In addition, do not expect a curve to be applied at the end of the semester, so as to gain a particular grade - you EARN your grade according to the scale given above!
The laboratory grades are subject to normalization across sections!
QUIZZES
A quiz will be given during the 3rd, 7th, 11th, and 15th weeks during the discussion sessions.
LECTURE
You are required to attend all lectures and you should keep good notes. You are responsible for all in-class discussed topics, handouts and announcements.
LABORATORY
- 1. Before coming to the lab, you must read the lab assignment and prepare your notebook with a title for the lab, one concise paragraph introducing the experiment and a description of the procedure.
- 2. Before you can start the lab the TA must be shown your lab notebook with the items of the previous paragraph written in a clear manner.
- 3. You are to neatly record all observations, data in your lab notebook. Before you leave the lab your TA must initial your lab notebook.
- 4. You write a lab report according to the guidelines in the website under Lab Report/Format/Grading.
THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP LABS
Splash goggles must be worn at all times in the lab. Any student caught not wearing splash goggles in the lab will be asked to leave immediately from the lab and he/she receives a zero (0) for this particular lab experiment. For repeated offenders their course grade will be lowered and flagrant violation will result in a dismissal from the course and a grafe of an F!
If you come to lab unprepared or more than 15 minutes late, you will not be allowed to work in the laboratory and you will automatically receive a grade of zero for that lab. Make-up of a missed laboratory experiment is not allowed for any reason, and no exceptions to the zero given for the grade of a missed laboratory due to either carelessness or forgetfulness in bringing goggles and correct clothing or tardiness without prior approval will be permitted. You are not allowed to complete a lab in any other section but the one for which you are registered. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule for any reason. If an emergency occurs and you must miss lab, you must contact both your TA AND me immediately and bring to me official documented proof to explain the necessity of your absence from the scheduled lab.
Contact lenses are a very bad idea in a laboratory situation because they can trap chemicals against the lens impairing normal washing of the eye. If you must wear contact lenses you are required to tell your TA and other students working around you so that they can properly assist you in the event of an emergency. Proper clothing can also help protect against some hazards. Therefore, short clothing (shorts, skirts or dresses) and open shoes (sandals for instance) may not be worn in the laboratory.
HELP WITH GENERAL CHEMISTRY
Science Learning Center. Room 201 SES is designed as a study and help center for general chemistry students. It opens the first week of classes. You may come here to study on your own or with other students or to use the computers. In addition TAs are available throughout the week to help you. Even if they are not your TA or even if they are not a TA for Chem 114 they are ready to assist all students. Their schedules will be posted near the door of the center as soon as possible after the start of the semester. Your TA will have office hours in the Center.
CONTACT POLICY
To contact me by email is the best way of contact. Polite emails will be responded to as quickly as possible. The turnaround time for a reply is usually 24-48 hours during the week (do not expect a reply over the weekend). If a couple weekdays pass and you have not received an answer, please resend the email. Email is not an appropriate venue to ask complicated chemistry questions. The office hours are the correct forum for such inquiries. Grades will not be discussed over email; make an appointment with me for all such matters.