Chemistry 140A: Physical Chemistry I Lecture

 

Syllabus

 

0BCalifornia State University, Sacramento

1BFall 2012, Chemistry 140 A – Physical Chemistry Lecture I   (3 units)

2BMon, Wed, Fri  10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.

3BSequoia Hall 450

 

 

Instructor:            

Benjamin Gherman

Office Hours:        

Wednesdays, 11:00a.m. – 12:30p.m. and by appointment

(appointments must be made 24 hours ahead)

Office:                  

Sequoia Hall 416-C

Phone:                  

916-278-6600

E-mail:                  

ghermanb@csus.edu  (please include “Chem140A” in the subject line)

Website:               

www.csus.edu/indiv/g/ghermanb/F12_140A.htm

 

 

4BCourse description

Introduction to chemical thermodynamics and kinetics.  Prerequisite: CHEM 001B, CHEM 024, CHEM 031, MATH 032, PHYS 005A, PHYS 005B, or PHYS 011A, PHYS 011B, PHYS 011C; PHYS 011C may be taken concurrently.

 

 

5BCourse Texts

19BRequired:

T. Engel, P. Reid, “Thermodynamics, Statistical Thermodynamics, and Kinetics,” 3rd edition, 2012. (ISBN: 0-321-76618-0)

 

20BRecommended:

T. Engel, P. Reid, Student Solutions Manual for “Thermodynamics, Statistical Thermodynamics, and Kinetics,” 3rd edition, 2012.   (Solutions Manual ISBN: 0-321-76684-9)

 

 

6BCourse Website

The course website is www.csus.edu/indiv/g/ghermanb/F12_140A.htm.  The main page of the website will show announcements, and have links to the syllabus, course calendar, and homework assignments.  Solutions to quizzes, exams, and practice exams can be found here.  Any material presented in PowerPoint in lectures will also be posted.


7BProblem Sets

Problem sets composed of problems from the text will be assigned approximately weekly.  Homework assignments will generally be assigned on Wednesdays; it is expected that they will be completed within one week. 

 

Solutions to the problems will be posted on the course website on the same day that homework is assigned.  It is strongly recommended that the solutions not be accessed until after the problem set is completed.  The solutions are provided to check your work and should not be used as a crutch for solving the problems.

 

Problems sets will neither be collected nor graded.  They will however form in part the basis for the quizzes.

 

 

8BQuizzes

A total of 10 quizzes will be given during the course of the semester.  Each quiz will be worth 20 points.  Your lowest two quiz scores will be dropped.  UThere will be no make-up quizzes; if you miss a quiz, your score on that quiz will be 0.U  Quizzes are generally scheduled for the Friday of every week (see pages 4-5 for details), except for exam weeks.

 

Each quiz will be comprised of 2-3 problems.  At least one of these problems will be taken directly from the past week’s problem set (only the numbers will change; everything else will remain exactly the same as the assigned problem).  Consequently, careful attention to the problem sets will lead to greatly improved quiz performance.

 

 

9BExams

There will be 3 exams and a final exam according to the following schedule:

               

Exam 1

Monday, October 1

Exam 2

Monday, October 29

Exam 3

Monday, November 26

Final Exam

Monday, December 10, 10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. 

Each mid-term exam will be worth 100 points; the final exam will be worth 150 points.  There will be no make-up exams.  UIf you miss an examination, your score will zeroU.  Exceptions regarding missed exams will be made only in legitimate cases, in which case an appropriate fraction of the final exam score will replace the missed exam. 

 

 

10BRegrade Requests

All regrade requests must be made in writing Uwithin 1 week of when papers are returnedU.  Your attached note must make clear why you think an error exists.  Any requests beyond this point will be not be considered. 

 

 

11BCourse Grade

Grades in the course will be based on the total number of points received on quizzes and exams:

8 best quizzes

x   20 pts each

=  160 points

3 mid-term exams  

x   100 pts each

=  300 points

1 final exam

x   150 pts each

=  150 points

 

 

-----------------

 

 

    610 points

 

12BGrade Scale (Subject to Change)

A to A-

100-90%

B to B-

89-80%

C to C-

79-70%

D to D-

69-60%

F

<60%


13BAttendance

Class sessions will typically involve a mix of lecture, example problems, and in-class exercises.  Lectures will not repeat the content of the assigned readings and will be used to highlight key points, concepts, and applications.  Quizzes and exams will be based upon both the material from class and the readings.  Thus, Uattendance is highly encouragedU. 

 

 

14BHow to succeed in this course

·       Complete the assigned readings before the class session.  Lecture can than serve to reinforce, build upon, and add to the material in the text.

·       Allow adequate time to complete the homework assignments.  Completion of the homework is crucial to developing a real understanding of the material.  The importance of the homework lies not so much in obtaining the right numerical answer at the end of a problem, but much more so in experiencing how concepts, equations, and questions work together.  Homework provides essential practice of the steps involved in solving a full range of thermodynamics problems.

·       Review the solutions posted on the course webpage for homeworks, quizzes, and exams.  Do not peak into your solutions manuals until you have worked on the homework problems yourself.

·       One of the most important goals of the course is to learn to how to approach and solve thermodynamics and kinetics problems.  On all homeworks, quizzes, and exams, you must Ushow your workU to receive full credit on a problem.

·       Take advantage of the resources available to you.  Ask questions when there are things you don’t understand.  Come to my office hours.  Visit the course webpage regularly.

 

 

15BAcademic Dishonesty

Academic integrity is essential to a positive teaching and learning environment. All students enrolled in University courses are expected to complete coursework responsibilities with fairness and honesty. Failure to do so by seeking unfair advantage over others or misrepresenting someone else's work as your own can result in disciplinary action. The University policy on academic honesty can be found at http://www.csus.edu/umanual/AcademicHonestyPolicyandProcedures.htm.

 

 

16BSpecial Needs

Students with special needs should contact the office of Services to Students with Disabilities (http://www.csus.edu/sswd/sswd.html, Lassen Hall 1008, 916-278-6955) and be prepared to provide them with disability documentation. Please then discuss accommodation needs with me after class or during my office hours early in the semester.

 

 

17BDisruptive Classroom Behavior

Please silence all cell phones during class.  You may use an audio recorder if you wish.


18BCourse Calendar

 

topic

reading

homeworks & quizzes

M 8/27

intro to thermodynamics

Chapter 1

 

W 8/29

The First Law

Chapter 2

 

F 8/31

 

M 9/3  *NO CLASS*

(Labor Day)

 

W 9/5

homework #1 due

F 9/7

Internal Energy and Enthalpy

Chapter 3

quiz #1

M 9/10

 

W 9/12

homework #2 due

F 9/14

Thermochemistry

Chapter 4

quiz #2

M 9/17

 

W 9/19

homework #3 due

F 9/21

The Second and Third Laws

 

Chapter 5

quiz #3

M 9/24

 

W 9/26

homework #4 due

F 9/28

 

M 10/1

EXAM #1

 

 

W 10/3

Equilibrium

Chapter 6

 

F 10/5

 

M 10/8

homework #5 due

W 10/10

quiz #4

F 10/12 

 

M 10/15

Properties of Gases

Chapter 7

homework #6 due

W 10/17

quiz #5

F 10/19

 

M 10/22

Phase Equilibria

Chapter 8

homework #7 due

W 10/24

quiz #6

F 10/26

 

M 10/29

EXAM #2

 

 


 

 

topic

reading

homeworks & quizzes

W 10/31

Solutions

Chapter 9

 

F 11/2

 

M 11/5

homework #8 due

W 11/7

Electrolyte Solutions

Chapter 10

quiz #7

F 11/9

 

M 11/12  *NO CLASS*

(Veteran’s Day)

 

W 11/14 

homework #9 due

F 11/16

Electrochemistry

Chapter 11

quiz #8

M 11/19

 

W 11/21

Kinetics

Chapter 18

homework #10 due

F 11/23  *NO CLASS*

(Thanksgiving)

 

 

 

M 11/26

EXAM #3

 

 

W 11/28

Kinetics (cont.)

Chapter 18 (cont.)

 

F 11/30

homework #11 due

quiz #9

M 12/3

Reaction Mechanisms

Chapter 19

 

W 12/5

 

F 12/7

homework #12 due

quiz #10

M 12/10

(10:15am-12:15p.m.)

FINAL EXAM

 

 

 

Note:  This schedule is tentative and subject to change.  However, the dates of the exams will remain fixed.