SYLLABUS
Organic Chemistry 235
Kate Graham
Section 01A
Days 1, 3, & 5
Dr. Kate Graham Ardolf Science Center, Rm 248 3635409 kgraham@csbsju.edu Office Hours: Day 1, 24 pm Day 5, 12 pm Day 6, 8:30 10:30 am or by appointment or by email Required Materials:Fox & Whitesell, Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed., 1997. Chemistry in Motion CD, Whitesell, 1997, packaged with this textbook Kenneth Williamson, Macroscale and Microscale Organic Experiments, 2nd ed., 1994. Carbon Copy Lab Notebook, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. Splashproof Safety Goggles Optional Textbooks: Richard Tomasi, Spectral Problems, Set 1, 1994. (Highly Recommended) Fox and Whitesell, Study Guide and Solutions Manual, 1997. Books on Reserve in Clemens Library: James Traynham, Organic Nomenclature, 5th ed., 1997. Daniel Weeks, Pushing Electrons, 2nd ed., 1995. Other Resources: ChemTV I, CD and Workbook, Luceigh On reserve in the BAC Computer Lab and available in CSB Bookstore ChemDraw is available on the network! Course Description: Chemistry is often characterized as the "central" science because of the many connections to other fields. Due to the relevance of chemistry in many fields, it is important that people in most scientific fields have some understanding of chemistry. This course will be the first semester of an overview of organic chemistry. As organic chemistry is the study of compounds which are of organic origin, there are many interdisciplinary ties between organic chemistry, biology, biochemistry and pharmacology. Many of these ties will be addressed as the course continues. However, the major focus of the course is to understand the reactivity oforganic compounds, to integrate the knowledge accumulated to propose synthetic routes for complex molecules and to learn about modern instrumentation used in the field (spectroscopy, computational modeling, etc.). This course is challenging and fastpaced. While a slower pace might seem to be better, there are many reasons for setting the course up in this way. First, the curriculum is dictated by the American Chemical Society, the outside accrediting agency. The ACS sets the amount of material that must be covered in the two semesters by schools across the country. The advantage of outside accreditation is that you will be assured that the faculty and the curriculum are modern, uptodate and reasonable. ALSO, potential medical schools and employers know the value of an ACS accredited course. Second, the curriculum is also set to prepare you for the material that will be on the MCAT. Whether we like it or not, medical schools are interested in your performance in organic chemistry and they expect a certain base level of material to be covered in these two semesters. Course Objectives: 1) From the lecture, text, lab, and problems in this course, you should begin to discern the fundamental principles of organic reactivity and modern synthetic techniques and instrumentation. This is not a comprehensive survey, but you will get a solid foundation. 2) You will improve your problemsolving skills and your critical thinking skills. 3) Finally, you will continue to take charge of your own liberal arts education. This course requires a significant amount of selfdiscipline and independent motivation. To get the most out of this course, you must put your own best effort into the course. Course Content: Structure and Bonding Chapter 1 Alkenes, Arenes, and Alkynes Chapter 2 Functional Groups with Heteroatoms Chapter 3 Chromatography and Spectroscopy Chapter 4 Stereochemistry Chapter 5 Understanding Organic Reactions Chapter 6 Mechanisms of Organic Reactions Chapter 7 Nucleophilic Substitutions Chapter 8 Course Schedule: Computer Assignment #1 September 11, Thursday, Day 1 Quiz# 1 September 15, Monday, Day 3 Quiz# 2 September 29, Monday, Day 1 Exam 1 October 7, Tuesday, Day 1 Computer Assignment #2 October 9, Thursday, Day 3 Quiz# 3 October 24, Friday, Day 1 Computer Assignment #3 November 7, Friday, Day 5 Quiz# 4 November 13, Thursday, Day 3 Computer Assignment #4 November 21, Friday, Day 3 Exam 2 November 25, Tuesday, Day 5 Quiz# 5 December 5, Friday, Day 5 Homework Assignments will be due on EVERY day except the days when there is a computer assignment, quiz or exam!!! Grading for Organic Chemistry 236: The grade for this course consists of both the lecture grade as well as the laboratory grade. The distribution of the grades will be: Two Midterm Exams (150 pts each) 30% Final Exam (210 pts) 20% Quizzes and Computer (Best 8 of 9)(15 pts each) 5 Quizzes 4 Computational Homework 10% Daily assignments (10 pts/grade) 10% Laboratory (200 pts) 20% Exams: All examinations will be cumulative with the emphasis on the newest material. The final exam will be a number of questions from old standardized American Chemical Society test (multiple choice) and will be administered as a common exam for all four sections. I will be glad to schedule a review before any of the exams if the interest is there. Laboratory: As chemistry is an experimental field, the laboratory component of this class is very important. The final course grade will reflect the combination of 80% from the lecture course and 20% from laboratory component. Students having a valid excuse may reschedule the lab, if possible, only if they notify the laboratory coordinator (Kate Graham, ASC 248) before the scheduled lab. Completion of a lab is defined as both attendance at the lab and completion of the written report. Failure to complete one lab will cause the student to no longer be eligible for S/U grading in the course. Each additional unexcused absence will result in a final course grade reduction equivalent to half a grade. For more information about the laboratory, try the Organic Chemistry Web Page (URL: http//bingen.cs.csbsju.edu/~kgraham/organic.html) which can be reached through the Chemistry Dept. Homepage or at the correct URL address. You will find that there is more information on the web version of the lab manual than is available in the printed copy. Quizzes and Computer Assignments: In an effort to help you keep up on the material and to encourage you to do the problems in the text, there will be five quizzes and four computer assignments. Due to possible illnesses or emergencies, you will be allowed to drop one of the ten assignments. There are no makeup quizzes. If a quiz is missed, it will be counted as the dropped score. HINT: In order to encourage you to read and practice problem solving, there will be some questions directly from the text or study guide. Quizzes will be 2030 minutes in length and will take place inclass. The questions will involve a mixture of lower level questions, questions from the text book or lecture, and a higher order application problem. These quizzes are designed to encourage you to keep you up to date in the class, to encourage you to think, and to allow you to become used to my style of questions. Daily Homework: The only way to really learn organic chemistry is to do problems. Thus, there will be homework (usually from the supplemental problems from your textbook) due EVERY day except when there is an exam, quiz or computer assignment. These assignments will be 1 or 2 problems. This effort should help you to keep up the material and come to class with questions about the material that is being covered. Many of the problems will be assigned from the supplemental problems at the end of the chapters from Fox & Whitesell. These are the harder problems in the text (and you don't have the answers in the study guide!!) so you may need to do some of the easier problems first. These homeworks should keep you on track but are NOT a substitute for doing any other problems. SOME REFLECTIONS ON TEACHING AND LEARNING First of all, what is my job? My job is to identify and develop the major conceptual issues for the course and then to show how those concepts are used in understanding chemical reactivity. In addition, I hope to articulate the connections between concepts in this class, lab, and other classes that you are taking. I would also like to share with you some of the exciting modern advances in organic chemistry and the applications. In order to accomplish these goals, I would like to have an interactive classroom with feedback from you. This possibility means less lecturing and more discussion with a focus on problemsolving and conceptual understanding. Hopefully, we can set up an environment where it is possible to ask questions, take risks and even fail. Listed below are some suggestions which may help you to learn organic chemistry but will also help set up an interactive, constructive environment. 1. Come to class. Regular attendance is expected. You are responsible for all information disseminated at all class meetings. If you are not there, you will miss the flow of events, the questions and discussion of your peers, and information given in the lecture. 2. Work problems. Work ALL of the problems in the text and at the end of the chapter. I would also suggest working extra spectral problems and the supplemental problems which are available on reserve in the library. It is possible to work all the problems, memorize the process of problemsolving, without understanding the concepts. Instead, try to work the problems in a reflective manner. Test your understanding of concepts. Don't jump to the solutions manual if the answer is not immediately apparent. As the exams and quizzes will test your ability to apply the material to new situations and problems, it is critical that you understand the concepts. There are also be problems and exercises on CDROM in the new Mac Lab in the Benedicta Arts Center. If you are having problems, this might be a place to find extra insight. I am always willing to supply even more problems if you have exhausted all of these sources. 3. Read the chapter ahead of time. This suggestion does not have to be an intensive effort. A look at which functional groups are involved, the topic headings, and the type of reaction will give you some sense of where we are headed. Also, the text provides excellent summaries at the end of each chapter. The summary is often a good place to start reading. 4. If you are in trouble, ask for help. I have posted office hours at which time I will be available to answer questions. I will also be glad to make an appointment for other times. If you have a quick question, feel free to contact me by email. In addition, I will have help sessions if a group of students are having particular difficulty with a particular topic or if the class requests a review session before an exam. Remember, in the end, you are responsible for learning.