Welcome to the CHEM146 WEBSITE!

General info

Instructor:          Dr. Janice Reutt-Robey

office:                2224E  Chemistry

email:               rrobey@umd.edu

phone:              301-405-8107

office hours:       W, Th  3– 4 p.m or by appointment

Lecture:              MWF    9:00 am – 9:50 am,  1402 Chemistry

Discussion:   

Sect 0032   Tu 9:30 – 10:20 am,  0124 Chemistry

Sect 0033   Th 9:30 – 10:20 am,  0124 Chemistry

Sect 0034   Th 9:30 – 10:20 am,  0124 Chemistry

TA: Jarrett Leeds(discussion)                  email:   jleeds@umd.edu

office hours Tu 10:30-11:30; Fri 11-12      office hours location: 1115 Chemistry

Instructional Materials

TEXT:    Chemistry A Molecular Approach, Nivaldo Tro

WEB:    http://www.masteringchemistry.com/ site

Class Format

Lecture and Discussion: 

Attendance is expected and important.  The lectures will supplement the text, define goals, and, hopefully, stimulate thought and questions.  Please try to keep ahead of the lectures in your reading of the assigned text.

In the discussion sections, the TA will answer questions, demonstrate problem solving techniques, and provide supplemental material.  The TA is your first resource when you have questions or problems. 

Expectations of Students

Material Covered in Lecture and Assigned Reading:

Students are responsible for all material covered in lecture and in the assigned reading materials that includes supplemental handouts.  All attempts will be made by your instructor to adhere to the outline as indicated below.  However, the presentation may vary somewhat from that of the textbook.

Attendance:

Attendance at all meetings of lecture and discussion is expected.  If a session is missed, it is the student’s sole responsibility to make up any work missed.

Academic Honor Principle:

Students are expected to observe the University’s Code of Student Conduct.  Cheating on examinations and/or problem sets is not acceptable and will be met with zero tolerance!

Problem Sets:

We will be utilizing the on-line tool "MasteringChemistry" for required weekly problem sets.   Students are required to register for Masteringchemistry, using the access code provided with the course text, and enroll in the CHEM146 course (see information sheet on MasterinChemistry for CHEM146).  Problem sets will have strict duedates (Generally Fridays at 8:30 AM), after which no credit will be given.    Students are advised to submit problem sets well in advance of the duetime because extensions will not be granted for computer-related problems.

One additional problem will be solved in class on the problem set due-date.  Although students will have access to their notes, they will have no more than 6 min.  to complete the problem.  The problem will be graded for clarity of presentation  and accuracy.

The two lowest-scoring problem sets will be excluded from the tabulation of your final course grade.

Laboratory:

Chemistry 147 is the laboratory complement to Chemistry 146.  The labs sample a variety of areas from qualitative analysis to rigorous quantitative tools.  While we generally introduce concepts in the lecture prior to their application in the lab, there will be times that the requirements of laboratory scheduling demand that the laboratory preceed the classroom concept.  It is thus essential to read the laboratory  manual  thoroughly before the laboratory so that you can raise questions with  the course and laboratory instructors.  Laboratories are not “cook-book” and require comprehension.

Exams:

You will take three 1-hour exams during the semester in addition to the Final Exam.  The hour exams primarily will focus on material  presented since the last exam, but may draw from earlier material.  Questions on exams (and problem sets) will frequently require that you use knowledge learned earlier in the semester.  The exams themselves will focus on applying problem solving skills developed in class to new, chemically significant situations.  The best way to prepare for exams is to perform additional back-of-the book problems on the exam topics and to perform the posted practice exam..

Grading:

Exam 1 (atoms, periodicity, compounds) - 15%

Exam 2 (stoichiometry, solution chemistry) - 15%

Exam 3 (QM models of atoms & chemical bonds) - 20%

Final Exam (Cumulative) -  35%

Problem Sets -15%

Tentative dates for Exams 1-3 are as follows: September 28 (Exam 1); October 31 (Exam 2); December 3 (Exam 3).  Different weightings of the hour exams reflect the approximate amount of material covered. The Final Exam is scheduled for Thursday, 18  December from 8 – 10 am and will be cumulative.

Regrading:                    

Any request for a regrade must be made within one week of receiving  your graded exam.  Use a separate sheet of paper to write down the reason that you are requesting a regrade, attach this sheet to your graded exam, and turn these materials in to the instructor.