CHEMISTRY I AND LAB - CHEM 1211K (4 Credit Hours)
Syllabi by Instructor:
Description: First course in a two-semester sequence covering the fundamental principles and applications of chemistry designed for science majors. Topics to be covered include composition of matter, stoichiometry, periodic relations, and nomenclature. Laboratory exercises supplement the lecture material.
Prerequisites:
- High school chemistry course with laboratory or introductory college chemistry course with laboratory.
- College algebra. Precalculus as a prerequisite or co-requisite is highly recommended.
Course Structure:
Units:
- Matter and Measurement
- Atoms, Molecules, and Ions
- Stoichiometry: Calculations with Chemical Formulas and Equations
- Aqueous Reactions and Solution Stoichiometry
- Thermochemistry
- Gases
- Electronic Structure of Atoms
- Periodic Properties of the Elements
- Chemical Bonding
- Molecular Geometric Bonding Theories
Laboratories:
- Safety
- Density Determination
- Conductivity
- Empirical Formula
- Making Solutions
- Titration
- Back titration
- Heat Capacity
- Hess’s Law
- Boyle’s Law
- Pressure and Temperature
- Spectra of Atoms and Molecules
- Beer’s Law
- Electron Density
- VSEPR
Course Objectives:
Unit 1: Matter and Measurement
- Identify states of matter;
- Distinguish between elements, compounds and mixtures;
- Identify and use the SI system of units;
- Use significant figures in measurements, as well as in simple arithmetic operations
- Carry out inter-conversion of units using dimensional analysis.
- Explain and perform techniques and calculations associated with the essential laboratory skills of measurement: mass, volume, and density;
- Practice sound laboratory safety; and
Unit 2: Atoms, Molecules, and Ions
- Identify experiments leading to the discovery of the structure of the atom;
- Identify the number of protons, electrons, and neutrons in an atom with the aid of a periodic table;
- Calculate average atomic masses;
- Distinguish between molecular and ionic compounds;
- Name molecular and ionic compounds;
- Correctly use the analytical balance to accurately weigh out dry chemicals;
- Determine the relationship between the amount of ions present in a solution and its conductivity;
- Use the CBL 2, the conductivity probe, and the TI-I3 to measure the conductivity of electrolytes and mixtures of these compounds; analyze findings and make predictions based on observations; and
- Represent data in a graph to determine additional information.
- Explain the need for significant figures and uncertainty for making physical measurements.
Unit 3: Stoichiometry: Calculations with Chemical Formulas and Equations
- Write and balance chemical equations;
- Distinguish between combination, decomposition and combustion reactions;
- Calculate molecular weights of compounds and inter-convert masses and moles;
- Determine empirical and molecular formulas based on experimental data;
- Carry out calculations based on chemical reactions, including those based on “limiting reactants;
- Calculate percentage yields in chemical reactions;
- Using electrolysis techniques, determine the mass of metal oxide produced from a given amount of metal and use that data to determine the empirical formula of the compound;
- Given the volume and concentration of solution, calculate the mass of solute needed to prepare the solution;
- Given the mass or number of moles of a solid in a given volume of solution, calculate the concentration of the solution in terms of molarity. Given a volume and concentration of solution, calculate the number of moles of solute in the sample; and
- Using good laboratory technique, accurately prepare solutions of given concentrations.
Unit 4: Aqueous Reactions and Solution Stoichiometry
- Define the terms: solution, strong electrolytes, and weak electrolytes, titrant, equivalence point, indicator standard reagent;
- Determine if a precipitate will form upon mixing two ionic compounds and write molecular, total ionic and net ionic equations;
- Identify acids and bases, classify them as strong or weak and write equations for neutralization reactions;
- Identify redox reactions by assigning oxidation numbers and predict reactivity based on an Activity Series;
- Carry out calculations based on titrations and solution stoichiometry;
- Perform acid-base titrations to determine the unknown concentration of the analyte; and
- Accurately measure the pH of a solution.
Unit 5: Thermochemistry
- Define commonly used terms in thermodynamics such as potential and kinetic energy, system, surroundings, and work;
- State the first law of thermodynamics and apply it to simple systems;
- Use calorimetry to determine temperature changes in physical and chemical changes;
- Determine enthalpies of reaction using Hess’s law;
- Determine enthalpies of reaction using tabulated enthalpies of formation;
- Relate thermodynamics to fuels and foods; and
- Explain the experimental procedure employing calorimetry, and use a coffee cup calorimeter to gather accurate information about heat capacity.
- Use calorimetry data to calculate the heat capacity of water and the heat capacity of an object; report findings using appropriate units.
- Given calorimetry data, analyze findings and draw conclusions.
- Determine the heats of reaction for three chemical reactions and, using heats of reaction, verify Hess’s Law.
Unit 6: Gases
- Compare the properties of gases with those of solids and liquids;
- Identify commonly used units for measuring pressure;
- Apply gas laws (Boyle’s, Charles’ and Avogadro’s) and the ideal gas law to relate the temperature, pressure, volume, and the amount of an ideal gas and to calculate the density and molar mass;
- Apply Dalton’s law to determine partial pressures;
- Identify the essential features of the kinetic molecular theory of gases;
- Correlate rates of effusion with molar masses, using Graham’s law of effusion;
- Identify conditions when the there are deviations from ideal behavior and van der Waals equation is better suited to describe a gas; and
- Lab objectives based on activities (to be added).
- Use a pressure sensor to accurately determine pressure changes produced by a plunger in a syringe;
- Relate experimentally determined pressure and temperature changes for a gas to the Ideal Gas Law.
Unit 7: Electronic Structure of Atoms
- Identify the key problems at the turn of the twentieth century that led to the development of quantum mechanics, namely, the blackbody radiation, photoelectric effect, and line spectra of atoms;
- Explain at an elementary level the contributions of Planck and Enistein in the creation of quantum mechanics;
- Calculate the properties of electromagnetic radiation using the equations c = nl and E = hn;
- Describe Bohr’s model of the hydrogen atom;
- Determine the values of the four quantum numbers for many-electron atoms;
- Write the electron configurations of many-electron atoms;
- Correlate electron configurations with the periodic table; and
- Explain the basic principles of colorimetry.
- Verify the Beer’s Law relationship and apply it to the analysis of an unknown solution.
- Using a spectrometer, examine light emitted from various sources and determine whether they are black-body or line spectrum sources.
Unit 8: Periodic Properties of the Elements
- Identify the components that make up a periodic table.
- Use the periodic table to predict the behavior of elements.
- Understand the concepts of atomic and ionic radii, ionization energy, and electron affinity.
- Recognize how the chemical properties of an element relate to its position on the periodic table.
- Explain how quantum mechanics is useful in visualizing the shapes and relative positions of orbitals in a hydrogen atom.
Unit 9: Chemical Bonding
- Identify bonding types as ionic and covalent;
- Define lattice enthalpy and calculate lattice enthalpies for ionic compounds based on thermodynamic data using Hess’s law;
- Write Lewis structures for molecules and ions, and recognize the need for resonance structures;
- Determine the plausibility of structures using formal charges;
- Determine polarity of bonds using electronegativities of elements;
- Determine enthalpies of reaction using average bond energies;
- Identify exceptions to the octet rule; and
- Correlate the magnitudes of bond energies with single and multiple bonds.
Unit 10: Molecular Geometric Bonding Theories
- Determine the common bond angles within a molecule.
- Determine the number of electron domains, bonding pairs, and nonbonding pairs within a molecule.
- Determine the electron domain and molecular geometry of a molecule.
- Determine if a molecule is polar or non-polar based upon geometry.
- Understand the concepts of orbital overlap and valence-bond theory.
- Construct hybrid orbitals.
- Form chemical bonds using hybrid and pure orbitals.
- Appreciate spatial features of molecular shapes
- Use hybrid orbitals to construct molecules.
Other Required Materials:
Chemistry laboratory materials (Commonly found household items that may be purchased at local retailer for about $30) and laboratory kit comprised of required equipment and glassware.