Chem 21 Introductory Chemical Principles [4]

Instructor: Natalie Foster - Varies with the semester 
 

Current Course Catalog Description   

An introduction to important topics in chemistry. These include: atomic structure, bonding in inorganic and organic compounds, states of matter, chemical equilibrium, acid-base theories and electrochemistry. Three lectures, one recitation.

Textbook

Zumdahl and Zumdahl, Chemistry  6th  ed.

References  

Course Goals

To give the students a chemist’s point of view about looking at the world; this includes developing a qualitative and quantitative way of seeing the material world at the molecular level.

Prerequisites by Topic

It’s an intro course!  Easily 99% of the students have had a chemistry course in high school, so some familiarity with the material is expected. The course does not require calculus.

Major Topics Covered in the Course

In a nutshell: structure of matter at the atomic-molecular level, physical and chemical properties, energy, reactions.

Laboratory projects (specify number of weeks on each)

Chem 22 is a separate course and is the laboratory component of freshman chemistry.

Estimate CSAB Category Content

CORE         ADVANCED

Data Structures
Computer Organization and Architecture
Algorithms Software Design
Concepts of Programming Languages
 
 
Oral and Written Communications

Chem 21 has typically 300 students in it per semester. There are no written reports, no oral presentations by students, other than the ‘reciting’ they do in recitation sections.

Social and Ethical Issues

Chem 21 constantly brings forward real-life applications of chemistry and solutions to current problems in which chemistry has a role: from how to scrub gasses from power plants that burn sulfur containing fuels to yields in multi-step syntheses and the impact that has on drug prices. This is a chemistry course: we do not discuss social and ethical implications of computing.

Theoretical Content

Quantum mechanics: two weeks

Problem Analysis

The entire course is ‘problem-based,’ but I don’t think that’s what you’re asking about here. 

Solution Design

Same comment as ‘problem analysis.’