Instructor: John Hanson Office:
Thompson 355H
Office Hours: MTThF 9-10 am, or by appointment.
Office Phone: 879-2693 Home Phone: 756-1805
E-mail: hanson@ups.edu
Classroom: Thompson 193
Text: Joseph Hornback, Organic Chemistry, 2nd Edition (Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2006).
Lab Text: James Zubrick, The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual,
6th or 7th Edition (JohnWiley & Sons).
or: Anne B. Padias, Making the Connections: A How-To Guide
for Organic Chemistry Lab Techniques (Hayden-McNeil, Plymouth, MI, 2007)
Lab Notebook: The Official Laboratory Research Notebook. The UPS
Chapter of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS) will
be selling these during the first weeks of school for $15. (These are the same
notebooks that are being used in Chem 110 and Chem 230.)
Lab Binder: A 3-ring binder (1" size) for storing spectra and other
papers from lab.
Goggles: Available in the bookstore.
Calculator: Should handle exponential notation and be able to compute
logarithms.
Alarm Clock
Molecular Models: Available from the bookstore (Approximately $15.00).
Online Homework/tutorial/quiz System: Access to OWL (Online Web-based Learning (http://owl1.thomsonlearning.com/) is not required this year, but you may purchase an access key if you wish to use it.
Organic ChemistryNow 2.0 for Hornback (http://now.brookscole.com/hornback2/):
This is an online tutorial system for your textbook. If you buy a new textbook
you will probably have an access code provided in the book. This online system
provides interactive figures and quizzes that will help you in your studying.
Study Guide: Hornback and Murugaverl, Student Solutions Manual &
Study Guide for Hornback's Organic Chemistry, 2nd Edition (Thomson Brooks/Cole,
2006).
Source of Caffeine
Exams
There will be 4 exams (100 pts. each) and a final (200 pts.). I will drop the lowest exam score (or 1/2 the final) in determining the final grades. Thus a total of 500 points from exams will contribute to your final grade. The exam days are listed on the attached schedule. You may begin the exams (except the final) at 7:30 am. The Final Examination will be Wednesday, December 16, from 8-10 am, and you may stay until 11 am if you wish.
The laboratory portion of the course will be normalized to 300 pts (1/3 of the total grade). These 300 pts will come from a combination of lab notebooks, lab reports, pre-labs, lab quizzes and possibly a lab final. Note that a point on a lab assignment is not necessarily equivalent to a point on an exam; there will probably be more than 300 pts worth of lab assignments and at the end of the semester I will normalize the total to 300.
Homework & QuizzesThere will be short homework assignments and quizzes on a regular basis. These assignments and quizzes will normally be worth 10 points each. At the end of the semester I will drop your lowest two scores and normalize the remaining to 100 pts total, i.e., the equivalent of one exam.
In the attached schedule, I suggest problems to work at the end of each chapter. You should also work all the problems in the body of the chapter as you read through the material. These problems will not be collected, but solving these problems is the most effective way to master the material in the course. Some of these problems may also appear on exams or quizzes! If you wish to excel in this class you should also work as many of the other problems at the end of the chapter as you have time for. I also suggest utilizing the Organic ChemistryNow online tutorial system that comes bundled with your text.
Grading
At the end of the semester I will add up all your points earned from exams, labs, and homework and calculate the percentage of total points that you obtained. Grades are as follows:
If you achieve the percentage indicated above I guarantee you will receive at least the indicated grade, but I reserve the right to assign better grades than those indicated.
HOW TO SUCCEED IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Do not let yourself get behind! Organic chemistry is a cumulative subject. Nearly everything you learn is used throughout the course. You should set aside time every day to study organic chemistry. Cramming is not an effective way to succeed in this course. If you are having problems come to see me as soon as possible, before the problems become overwhelming.
Don't try to just memorize the material. Try to find explanations for why reactions occur the way they do in terms of fundamental chemical principles. Organic chemistry is more a way of thinking than a bunch of facts to be memorized.
Ask questions. Don't be afraid to admit that something doesn't make sense to you. You should ask questions of yourself when working alone, ask questions of me when you're in class, and ask questions of other students when working in study groups. If you don't get an acceptable answer, stop by my office and we'll go over it together.
Form or join a study group! Being a member of a study group of 3-6 students is a great advantage in this class. You will learn a great deal from each other. Asking and answering each others' questions will deepen your understanding of the material. But remember that it is important that the group meet after each member has worked individually on the problems, readings, etc.
Problem sessions will be held as needed. These sessions are optional, but are very useful if you are having trouble with the homework problems.
Use the textbook and the online tutorials. The textbook we are using is an excellent one, and you will see from the syllabus that we are following fairly closely the order of the book. What you need to learn is in the textbook, learn how to read it. You should think of me as your guide to understanding the material in the book, rather than the book as a guide to understanding material I am presenting. This means that you should read the appropriate sections in the book, and work the appropriate problems, before coming to class. You will then be able to ask questions and participate in discussions about the material. During the lecture period I will provide worksheets to stimulate your thinking, answer questions about difficult material in the text, and lead discussions about problems to clarify successful problem-solving strategies. To get the most out of the lecture session, you must be prepared beforehand.
Well that was a pretty heavy introduction to organic chemistry. It is really quite interesting and even fun. Organic chemistry touches nearly every facet of our lives, from plastics to pharmaceuticals. In fact, organic chemistry is the basis of all the life you see around you, so by learning organic chemistry you are giving yourself the tools to understand how the biological world works. Welcome.