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Prof. Christopher Masi |
Office: 307B Wilson Hall |
Course Description: Topics such as electrophilic addition, nucleophilic substitution, elimination, thermodynamics, kinetics, bonding and delocalized electrons, stereochemistry, and the reactivity of carbocations will be explored. Where appropriate the topcis will be examined in the context of biochemistry and the everyday chemistry that occurs in the world around us.
Students are expected to comply with all University policies and procedures, including, if necessary, those pertaining to COVID [Edited on 9/13 to reflect current COVID policies]. These policies may include mask mandates and testing requirements and any other university-wide policies that may need to be implemented. Students who do not comply with these policies will not be allowed in class and referred the Dean of Students for disciplinary review.
I reserve the right to unilaterally change this syllabus. Any change to this syllabus will be announced in class, and the changes, including the date the change was announced, will be added to this document.
Grading and Assignments: There will be three tests, three written assignments (which are reworked tests), [Edit 9/13: removed reference to on-line homework because we do not have any on-line homework since switching to the new OER text] and a final (approximately half of the final will assess the last few weeks of the course and the other half will be cumulative).
More on the three reworked test: Reworking questions for which you did not receive full credit does not add points back onto your test. The reworked tests are separate assignments and each one will account for five percent of your overall score. Thus, it is important that each of the assignments be completed, both from a learning perspective and from the point of view of your overall score.
More on the cumulative nature of chemistry: in chemistry what we learn typically builds upon what we've learned in the past. For example, learning how to draw Lewis structures will help us understand where molecules are more, or less, electron rich. In a way then, all of our tests are cumulative. On the other hand, when I refer to the final as being cumulative, that means that I may ask you to draw Lewis structures on the final, whereas on test 3, I will not be asking you to draw Lewis structures even though knowing how to draw Lewis structures would be useful in the sense that it will help you understand the chemistry being assessed on test 3.
Additionally, students are required to attend a laboratory session each week and to complete any work assigned in the laboratory (consult the laboratory syllabus for details).
Grades will be determined as described below with the following caveats:
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For the course grade to be |
Lab grade must be at least |
The letter grade (with +'s and -'s) will be based on an average score. The average score will be calculated as follows:
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The three tests will be averaged, and their average will account for |
35% |
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The combined last test/final will account for |
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The three re-worked exams will be averaged, and their average will account for |
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The laboratory grade will account for |
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Averages greater than or equal to 90 will earn an "A-" or better.
Averages greater than or equal to 80 will earn a "B-" or better.
Averages greater than or equal to 70 will earn a "C-" or better.
Averages greater than or equal to 60 will earn a "D-" or better.
Averages < 60 will not earn a passing grade.
The scale may be altered if appropriate; that is, if the mean of the overall class average and class median is less than 80% the mean of the class average and the class median will be used as the cutoff for a B- and all of the other cutoffs will be adjusted similarly.
Attendance: Students are expected to attend class and arrive on time. There are no make up exams. Missing an exam is a serious problem. Missing two or more exams will result in a failing grade. Extenuating circumstances will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Text: Organic Chemistry, a 10th Edition by John McMurry. openstax. https://openstax.org/details/books/organic-chemistry
Office hours: Monday from 11:15-12:00, Wednesday 11:15-12:00, Thursday 11:15-12:00 and Friday from 11:15-12:00. I am available most Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons outside of posted office hours and often on Tuesdays and Thursdays for unscheduled pop ins. On the other hand, please don't show up just before class unless it is absolutely necessary. If you need to see me before class please make an appointment, and in general, making an appointment to make certain I'm available outside of my posted office hours is always a good idea.
Additional Resources:
Additional texts are on reserve in the library.
http://www.westfield.ma.edu/cmasi/
Academic Honesty: Students are encouraged to work together while learning, but grades are based on individual achievement. Thus, any work that a student submits for a grade must be that student's work. Academic honesty is important, and academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Scientific integrity depends on academic honesty. Lack of scientific integrity has serious consequences: people have been terminated and sued for releasing trade secrets, court cases have been thrown out for dishonest behavior in crime laboratories, and lives can be lost if scientific data is misrepresented. If an instance of academic dishonesty is uncovered, the student(s) in question may receive a 0 for the assignment or fail the class altogether. The academic honesty policy (https://catalog.westfield.ma.edu/content.php?catoid=30&navoid=1348#Academic_Honesty_Policy) includes additional potential consequences including suspension or dismissal from the university.
Students may not work together on graded assignments unless explicitly told to do so.
Crib sheets are not allowed during tests; a periodic table will be provided. Students may bring university-issued molecular modeling kits to tests if they wish.
Schedule: We will attempt to cover the first ten chapters of Organic Chemistry by McMurray.