Syllabus: Chem 115/ Chem 115H

Chemistry 115

Section(s): 010, 080 Fall, 2020 Asynchronous Lectures/Labs

2 Credits

Revised 8/28/2020

1. Instructional Staff

Instructor Contact Information

Professor Steven Brown
Email: sdb@udel.edu
Website: https://sites.udel.edu/sdb/
Office Hours: 1100-1300 F or by appointment; Zoom ID 440 535 2261

(While these hours have worked well in the past, they may be adjusted if there are too many conflicts – let me know if these are or are NOT good times.)

Teaching Assistant Contact Information

TA name: Claudia vonSuskil

E-mail address: cvonsusk@udel.edu

Zoom Office hours: 1500-1600 M or by appointment; Zoom ID 959 143 4972 CRC Office Hours 1000-1100 T Zoom ID 996 7119 7163

2. Course Description

Description

Chemistry 115 is an introductory, laboratory-oriented course covering measurements on chemical systems. It provides an introduction to measurements, the use of standards, handling of measurement errors, and a brief introduction to measurement of species in solution, including ”classical” chemical analysis based on the application of equilibrium theory and use of simple chemical instrumentation.

Topics introduced in Chem 115 include chemical and physical properties of solutions, mainly of inorganic ions and complexes, with a brief introduction to quantitative measurements of the absorption of light by chemical systems.

This course is intended for first-year, undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry majors. This required course provides students a background in basic chemical measurement, equilibrium calculations, simple data analysis, and practice in making classical chemical measurements of mass and volume.

Prerequisites

This course presumes adequate preparation in chemistry and mathematics from courses taken in secondary school. At a minimum, one year of chemistry in secondary school is required. Completing Mathematics 117 or an equivalent secondary school course in algebra 2 with a grade of C or better is also required to take this course. The student enrolling in Chem 115 is presumed to have gained a basic understanding of the metric system, scientific notation, unit conversions, chemical nomenclature and basic chemical stoichiometry from secondary school courses.

It is expected that students enrolled in Chem 115 will also be enrolled in Chem 111, a co- requisite course. However, Chem 115 is entirely separate from Chem 111 and the material covered in Chem 115 will not necessarily mesh with that in Chem 111, either in topic or in timing. Chem 115 is a separate, hybrid lecture/lab course, not a “lab” course for Chem 111.

Course Delivery

This year, the lecture component of this course will be given on-line asynchronously to give Chem 115 students flexibility in viewing the material. Because of the close quarters in the laboratory space used for Chem 115, especially near the limited equipment we have available to perform the experiments, adequate distancing of students is not feasible, and so the lab portion of the course will also be on-line. The lab component of this course will use data from students enrolled in past Chem 115 courses and will consist of a series of full reports on the results from each laboratory.

3. Learning Outcomes

(Numbers in parentheses indicate the department goal to which each goal is applied.) After successful completion of this course, a student should be able to do the following:

1. Use a computer for data analysis. (5)
2. Write brief technical reports. (8, 10)
3. Work effectively in teams in the laboratory. (8)
4. Quantitatively analyze problems in ionic equilibria for weak acids, bases, buffers,solubility and KSP. (1)
5. Perform experiments in quantitative titrimetric analysis. (1, 2)
6. Name and predict some chemical and physical properties of many inorganic compounds.(1)
7. Use pH meters and conductivity probes for chemical analyses. (6)
8. Understand and practice proper safety procedures in the laboratory. (7)
9. Understand and practice ethically correct presentation of scientific data. (9)

4. Learning Resources

Learning Materials

Analytical Chemistry 2.1, by David Harvey, self-published e-book, 2016. (Required for Chem 115 and Chem 115H) This text may be obtained at no charge from http://acad.depauw.edu/ harvey_web/eText Project/AnalyticalChemistry2.1.html . It is also available on the Canvas course site. This text is a complete revision of Harvey’s 1999 text Modern Analytical Chemistry, published by McGraw-Hill. It supplements Petrucci (used in Chem 111H) or the other general chemistry text (used in Chem 111) well, provides clear, succinct explanations, offers solved problems and emphasizes use of Excel and R software, but it is not necessarily easy reading for the 1st year student. This text is designated as AC in the schedule and assignments.

Harvey’s self-published, public-domain solutions manual for this textbook is available from the website above and is also provided on the Canvas site.

Calculations in Chemistry, An Introduction, 2nd edition, by Donald J. Dahm and Eric A. Nelson, Norton, 2017. ISBN 978-0-393-28420-1 (paperback). (Required for Chem 115, optional -but suggested- for Chem 115H.) It should be available at the UD Bookstore (I placed an order for it with them in Spring 2020), and it is also available from most booksellers online. It can be purchased new or used, hardbound or paperback, but be sure that you purchase the 2nd edition. This basic book aids in strengthening necessary basic computational skills for 1st year chemistry students. It has many worked examples and problems and gradually builds computational skills. If purchased new, it comes with a code for Smartworks5 e-book software. Note that we will not use this software in any required course activities, so if you buy a used copy or you rent the book, and you don’t get a code, that is fine. The text is designated CC in the schedule and assignments.

Pdf files for all laboratories and all data obtained from those labs are provided in the weekly assignment modules provided on Canvas.

Technology

A laptop or other computer with good internet connectivity. You’ll need a broadband connection to the internet to download materials, and a computer to do most of the laboratory work and some of the homework assignments. Access with a smartphone is not sufficient for much of what we will do in this course. Either a Windows or a MacOS computer is preferred, but you may use a Linux computer if you have one and have the necessary skills to do so. Whatever computer you use, you should ensure that your computer software is kept fully updated. A microphone and camera are strongly recommended – but not required – for online meetings with me or the teaching assistant. If your computer does not have a built-in camera/microphone, you may need to use a smartphone for any meetings.

R software {available for MacOS and Windows online from https://cran.r-project.org/ at no cost; also download Rstudio desktop software available at no cost {https://www.rstudio.com/products/ rstudio/download/ } . See the pdf document for installation of the R software on your computer.

Word Processing and Spreadsheet software {there is free access to Windows and MacOS versions of Office365 to UD students while registered as students at UD. You can get the Office365 software package from the UD Information technology site at http://www1.udel.edu/ it/ (Links to an external site.) }. We will use Excel and R software in the statistics section and elsewhere throughout the semester. You will want Microsoft Word or alternative word processing software to write reports. Many students use GoogleDocs or an alternative office package instead of Office365, and that is perfectly acceptable.

Canvas (Links to an external site.): In this class, Canvas, UD’s online learning management system, will be used for all course activities and communication channels. All assignments and announcements will be posted through the Canvas course site. Information on how to use Canvas is available through the Canvas Student Guide (Links to an external site.). Canvas can be accessed via MyUD (Links to an external site.).

Zoom: (Links to an external site.) In this class, Zoom will be used only for video conferencing associated with office hours and getting help from the Instructor and/or the Teaching Assistant. You will receive a meeting invitation with a specific web link and meeting ID number for use in any meeting arranged.

Zoom is a web-based application that can be used from a computer, tablet, or phone. From a computer, click the class web link and be sure to install the small program that will download to your computer. You’ll only need to install the program once. From a mobile device, download the free Zoom app and type in the class meeting ID number. Information on how to test your computer’s audio and video can be found on Zoom’s website (Links to an external site.). Learn more about Zoom at UD (Links to an external site.).

Additional Learning Resources

This course will have mp4 video material available for viewing. You can find all video materials on Canvas in the Media Gallery for Chem 115. These will be named by topic.

Full lecture notes will be made available in advance (in PDF format) online, through Canvas in the weekly modules for Chem 115. You are expected to view the pdf files and any asynchronous video material that I provide on Canvas.

Academic Assistance. Scheduled office hours are posted for Zoom contacts with me and with the Teaching Assistant. Outside of scheduled office hours, you are welcome to contact the Instructor or the Teaching Assistant with questions by e-mail or by posing questions in the Discussion section on Canvas.

Help is also available through the Academic Enrichment Center (www.aec.udel.edu/ (Links to an external site.)), where tutors may be found to help with course concepts. Both group (free) and individual tutorial (for-pay) sessions have usually been offered, but this arrangement may have changed with the partial lockdown of UD. Mrs. Staib in the Chemistry Departmental Office (102 Brown Laboratory, e-mail: lstaib@udel.edu) maintains a list of for-pay tutors who can help with the material covered in this class. Please contact me before choosing a for-pay tutor, as not all tutors are equally skilled at this material.

The Chemistry Department also offers help through the Chemistry Resource Center (on-line via Zoom). You can see who is available, what their areas of competence are and more at https:// docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yM3x7aKECbWIEYecLqBQNF4K5h3TfSUEU0JnZJi5NUg/ edit?skip_itp2_check=true#gid=1139716228 (Links to an external site.)

The Zoom meeting ID for the Resource Center is https://udel.zoom.us/j/ 99671197163 (Links to an external site.).

5. Learning Assessment

Laboratory Reports. The Chem 115 course is a first course in measurement and assessment. Even though the equipment used is very basic, the student develops skills in making careful measurements and in assessing those measurements. Those skills are demonstrated by the quality of the measurements, the correctness of the calculation from the laboratory data, and by the quality of the written, professional report that discusses the experiment and assesses the results. Student performance in lab is judged from six reports. Some reports are done individually, some are done jointly by pairs of students and one is done collaboratively as a student team of 3-4, so that students can start to learn to work together.

Two example reports from past students are provided on Canvas to help students understand what is expected from a report.

Laboratory reports are graded on grammar and usage, on significant figures, on correct and complete calculation, on the quality of all graphical figures included in the report and on the quality of tables summarizing data and results. Reports are expected to follow the template provided, with an introduction that describes the purpose of the measurement, the procedure that briefly summarizes the methodology used, the results with their assessment, and the conclusions that summarize the main findings. A report will typically run to about 5 double-spaced pages, not including any figures and tables.

Results from the experiment are also graded. Since all experiments this semester are on-line labs with data provided by me, each result is scored only as correctly calculated from the data or not, and no scores are given for precision or accuracy of the result.

Homework Assignments. There are 13 homework assignments, each consisting of 5 questions, due to Canvas each week on Monday by 1600 EDT/EST. Each question is graded as substantially or completely correct (2 points), not correct but attempted (1 point), or not credibly attempted (0 point), so that each homework assignment scores from 10 points.

R Exercise. There is a single exercise showing that the student has installed and investigated the capabilities of the R software. A total of 20 points are awarded for installing the R software and correctly completing an exercise using basic R and RStudio software. This assignment is due to Canvas by 1600 EDT on Friday, September 18. Each portion of the 10-part exercise scores 2, 1 or 0 points, just as with the homework.

Grading. In this course, there is a fixed grading scale; there is no “curve” applied to any assignment or to the final totals, no grade is dropped, and no possibility exists for a re- submission of work for re-evaluation absent a dispute on the correctness of grading, as outlined below. There is no opportunity for extra-credit work.

University compliance with federal policy requires that I monitor your attendance (well, your access to Canvas in this case) over the free add-drop period and that I award a “Z” grade if a student stops participating in the class during this period. I am also required to notify the Registrar and to provide the date that the student ceased participation in the class. This notification will trigger appropriate follow up by academic advisors and/or assistant deans to ensure the student enrollment in the course is valid.

At the discretion of the Instructor, work submitted after the posted deadline for its submission may be penalized 10% per business day late. No work will be accepted after 1600 EST on 11 December 2020 for any reason.

Appeals. Grading on any assignment may be disputed by sending the Instructor an e-mail stating the specific grading questioned or regarded as erroneous. The e-mail dispute must be received by me no later than 7 business days after the return on Canvas of the graded material in question. Business days do not include US holidays, week-end days and any days when the UD is on break (e.g., election day); a “day” is considered to begin at 0001 and end at 2359. I will review the disputed grading and will make a decision promptly. I will notify the student by return e-mail and by adjustment of the grade record on Canvas, as warranted.

Final Grade Breakdown

The final course grade will be calculated using the following components:

Homework

On Monday morning of each week, a set of 5 problems will be assigned on Canvas. The set is due to Canvas the following Monday by no later than 1600 EDT/EST. Each problem in each set is graded “good” (substantially correct, 2 points), “bad” (incorrect, but a reasonable try, 1 point), or “ugly” (no evidence of an attempt or submission of a poor attempt, 0 points).

R exercise

An exercise using R software is done in the first two weeks of the semester. The R exercise will be released on Canvas in the first week of classes and will be due on Friday of the third week of classes. It will require the student to have R and RStudio software installed and working to answer the questions, but will not require any programming skills.

Laboratory Reports

A detailed, word-processed report with embedded figures and tables reporting work on an experiment and calculating one or more quantities from the data collected will be required for each of 6 experiments. This report may include checking data for outliers, plotting data or

intermediate results, and determining a final set of quantities from the analysis. An estimate of error may also be needed. Each report is due by 1600 EDT/EST on Friday approximately every 2 weeks. The laboratory schedule given below has a list of due dates. Reports are graded for presentation, grammar and usage, correct calculations and for the quality of all figures and tables; the expectation of proper reporting will increase as the semester progresses, and grading will reflect those increased expectations.

Grading Scale

Students will be assigned the following letter grade for Chem 115 based on the calculation coming from the course assessment section.

Plus and minus grade adjustments to the intervals above may be assigned at the discretion of the instructor.

6. Course Calendar

The Chem 115 course follows the official UD academic calendar (Links to an external site.)

Lecture Schedule

Laboratory Schedule

13 30-Nov Exp. 6

1330Nov Exp 6

* Note that this lab is due at 1600 EST on Thursday, the last day of classes in F 2020. 7. Course Policies

Assignment Deadlines

Submission deadlines are posted on Canvas and you are expected to meet these deadlines. Work submitted past the posted deadline may be penalized, but work missed for a reason (documented illness, etc.) can be made up without penalty. If you have a problem and cannot make the deadline, please let the Instructor know. Some extra time may be given for a once-only problem.

Attendance

While attendance is not monitored in asynchronous course offerings, Canvas does keep a record of your viewing. You are expected to view all of the asynchronous lectures provided on Canvas and to pay careful attention. Information provided in a lecture video/discussion may not always be duplicated elsewhere on the class web site. You are responsible for all information given in a lecture/discussion session, whether or not you view it.

The class policy on absences follows UD’s attendance policy. (Links to an external site.)Absences on religious holidays listed in the academic calendar are recognized as an excused absence. Nevertheless, students are urged to remind the instructor by e-mail of their intention to be absent on a particular upcoming holiday. Absences on religious holidays not listed in university calendars, as well as absences due to athletic participation or other extracurricular activities in which students are acting as official representatives of the University also shall be recognized as excused absences when the student informs the instructor in writing during the first two weeks of the semester of these planned absences for the semester.

If you are ill and cannot make a deadline, let the instructor know. We can make adjustments for illness, especially this semester.

Make-up work in laboratory will be done by the student submitting an individual report on the missed experiment, using data provided by the Instructor.

Communication

I do not use Twitter, text messaging or any other social media (e.g., Facebook, Discord), so important notices and correction of errors will always be sent as an announcement to the e-mail distribution list linked to Canvas for the class to provide the fastest dissemination of the information. The registrar will include your campus e-mail account on these class distribution lists; please plan to check it regularly.

I am not allowed in my office now, so e-mail is the most effective and quickest way to reach me. I make an effort to respond promptly to e-mailed questions or concerns from students, generally within a few hours, though responses may be slower outside of regular business hours (0900-1700 M-F).

Be aware that because University filters may trap and remove mail – especially external mail – under some circumstances, I may not receive or be able to respond to e-mail originating from some off-campus e-mail accounts. Contact by UD e-mail is advised. I will respond by UD e-mail to the e-mail address that is used to contact me.

Scientific Conduct in Collaborative Work

Collaboration is major part of scientific work. In any collaboration assigned in this course, all contributors are considered equally responsible for the timeliness, accuracy and correctness of all work resulting from the collaboration. Collaboration between students is expected when the labs involve work assigned to a group or to pairs. In these cases, all collaborators are to be listed as authors on the first page of the report. On reports where a team or a group is assigned, it is expected that team members will work together (appropriately distanced) to share examination of the data. It is also expected that all team members will contribute to the generation of the report. For any collaborative experiment, a single report should be submitted, listing all members of the team as authors. All members of the team will receive the same score for the report.

When an experiment is done individually, however, no collaboration or sharing of any kind is allowed. All work on the experiment is performed individually, including examination of data and writing the report. In this case, all students are to submit individual reports with no sharing of figures, tables or any other components.

Aggregate data from several researchers or teams of researchers are used for analysis in this class. When class data are shared in aggregate form, it is expected that all class data will be examined, either by individual workers or by the team, depending on the experiment. In this situation, the aggregate class data can be referenced as a single unit in the report – there is no need to reference each portion of the data separately.

Manipulation of data with the intent to deceive, willful omission of data or portions of data without disclosure and justification, or willful adjustment of any result from data without disclosure and justification is considered scientific misconduct. Scientific misconduct is a form of academic dishonesty and is subject to the same sanctions.

8. University Policies

Academic Integrity

Please familiarize yourself with UD policies regarding academic dishonesty. To falsify the results of one’s research, to steal the words or ideas of another, to cheat on an assignment, to re-submit the same assignment for different classes, or to allow or assist another to commit these acts corrupts the educational process. Students are expected to do their own work and neither give nor receive unauthorized assistance. Complete details of the university’s academic integrity policies and procedures can be found at sites.udel.edu/studentconduct/sgup/ (Links to an external site.) Office of Student Conduct, 218 Hullihen Hall, (302) 831-2117. E-mail: student- conduct@udel.edu

Harassment and Discrimination

The University of Delaware works to promote an academic and work environment that is free from all forms of discrimination, including harassment. As a member of the community, your rights, resource and responsibilities are reflected in the non-discrimination and sexual misconduct policies. Please familiarize yourself with these policies at www.udel.edu/oei (Links to an external site.) . You can report any concerns to the University’s Office of Equity & Inclusion, at 305 Hullihen Hall, (302) 831-8063 or you can report anonymously through UD Police (302) 831-2222 or the EthicsPoint Compliance Hotline at www1.udel.edu/

compliance (Links to an external site.). You can also report any violation of UD policy on harassment, discrimination, or abuse of any person at this site: sites.udel.edu/sexualmisconduct/ how-to-report/ (Links to an external site.)

Faculty Statement on Disclosures of Instances of Sexual Misconduct

If, at any time during this course, I happen to be made aware that a student may have been the victim of sexual misconduct (including sexual harassment, sexual violence, domestic/dating violence, or stalking), I am obligated to inform the university’s Title IX Coordinator. The university needs to know information about such incidents in order to offer resources to victims and to ensure a safe campus environment for everyone. The Title IX Coordinator will decide if the incident should be examined further. If such a situation is disclosed to me in class, in a paper assignment, or in office hours, I promise to protect your privacy–I will not disclose the incident to anyone but the Title IX Coordinator. For more information on Sexual Misconduct policies, where to get help, and how to reporting information, please refer to www.udel.edu/ sexualmisconduct (Links to an external site.). At UD, we provide 24-hour crisis assistance and victim advocacy and counseling. Contact 302-831-1001, UD Helpline 24/7/365, to get in touch with a sexual offense support advocate.

For information on various places you can turn for help, more information on Sexual Misconduct policies, where to get help, and reporting information please refer to www.udel.edu/ sexualmisconduct (Links to an external site.)

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Any student who thinks he/she may need an accommodation based on a disability should contact the Office of Disability Support Services (DSS) office as soon as possible. Students who have documentation of their need for accommodation should register via the SAM platform: andes.accessiblelearning.com/UDEL/ (Links to an external site.). Reach DSS in the following ways: Visit at 240 Academy Street, Alison Hall Suite 130, Phone: 302-831-4643, fax: 302-831-3261, DSS website (Links to an external site.). Email: dssoffice@udel.edu

Non-Discrimination

The University of Delaware does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, marital status, disability, religion, age, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law in its employment, educational programs and activities, admissions policies, and scholarship and loan programs as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and university policies. The University of Delaware also prohibits unlawful harassment including sexual harassment and sexual violence.

For inquiries or complaints related to non-discrimination policies, please contact: Interim Director, Institutional Equity & Title IX Coordinator – Fatimah Stone

titleixcoordinator@udel.edu, 305 Hullihen Hall Newark, DE 19716 (302) 831-8063

For complaints related to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact: Elizabeth Reed, Interim Director Office of Disability Support Services and University ADA Compliance Coordinator – ecreed@udel.edu, Alison Hall, Suite 130, Newark, DE 19716 (302) 831-4643 OR contact the U.S. Department of Education – Office for Civil Rights (Links to an external site.).

Course Summary:

September 2020

Calendar

Course assignments are not weighted.