Syllabus

Instructor Information
Name Dr. John B. Miller
Email john.b.miller@wmich.edu
Office location 3156 Wood Hall
Office hours M 14:30-15:30, WF 11:00-11:50
Phone 387-3871
Biography Experience:
1992-1994 Research Scientist, ATMI, Danbury, CT
1995-present Assistant Professor, WMU

Education:
PhD, Princeton University
MA, Princeton University
AB. Harvard University

Textbooks
Required reading Basic Chemistry, Zumdahl, Houghton-Mifflin, 4th Edition, 0-395-95539-4
Required reading Dicsover Chemistry 2.0, Appling and Frank, Brooks/Cole, 2.0, 0-534-36134-X
Web-Based Materials
WebCT http://webct.wmich.edu
All Electronic Instruction Students may volunteer to take this course entirely electronically. Names will be taken during the first week of class. Volunteers will earn 10 points as a bonus.
Course Information
Course title Introduction to Chemistry
Course number CHEM 100
Course discipline Chemistry
Course description CHEM 100 is a course intended to give students the skills essential to the science of chemistry. It consists of instruction in the fundamental principles and practice with the fundamental tools for solving chemical problems: matter and its description, nomenclature, chemical equations, stoichiometry, measurement units and conversions, and reactions. This course will not fulfill any curricular requirements for any chemistry major or minor at WMU. Its purpose is to prepare students for enrollment in the college-level sequence, beginning with CHEM 110, General Chemistry I.
Course date Jan 3, 2001 through Apr 20, 2001
Location McCracken 4200
Meeting day(s) MWRF
Meeting time(s) 10:00-10:50
Prerequisite(s) MATH 110 or equivalent
Course Goals
Course Goals • gain an understanding of matter and its interactions
• Learn the language of chemistry
• Understand chemical bonding
• Investigate chemical reactivity and reactivity patterns
Topic Schedule
The course topics will be covered in a significantly different order than that of the text. The first half of the material is descriptive, developing a model and establishing common principles and language. The second half of the material is more quantitative.

Week

Dates

Topics(s)

Reading

Notices

1

1/3 - 1/5

Intro: Chemistry & Science
Matter

Ch. 1, Ch 3.1-3.5

2

1/9 - 1/12

Matter

Ch. 3.1-3.5, 4

Quiz #1

3

1/17 - 1/19

Atoms

Ch. 10

Quiz #2
no class MON
Thursday problem session will be shortened

4

1/22 - 1/26

Bonding & Molecules

Ch. 11

Quiz #3

5

1/29 - 2/2

Chemical Nomenclature

Ch. 5

Quiz #4

6

2/5 - 2/9

Chemical Reactions

Ch. 6

Quiz #5

7

2/12 - 2/16

Aqueous Reactions

Ch. 7

Quiz #6

8

2/19 - 2/23

Calculations, Measurement & Units

Ch. 2, 3.6

Midterm (weeks 1-7)

9

3/5 - 3/9

Chemical Composition

Ch. 8

Quiz #7

10

3/12 - 3/16

Chemical Quantities

Ch. 9

Quiz #8

11

3/19 - 3/23

Gases

Ch. 12

Quiz #9

12

3/26 - 3/30

Liquid & Solids

Ch. 13

Quiz #10

13

4/2 - 4/6

Solutions

Ch. 14

Quiz #11

14

4/9 - 4/13

Acids & Bases

Ch. 15

Quiz #12

15

Tuesday 17 April, 8:00-10:00

FINAL EXAM

Comprehensive (weeks 1-14)

Assignments
Reading
Reading assignments should be complete before the topic is covered in class. Learning favors the prepared mind.

Homework
Suggested homework will be assigned on a regular basis. Homework is intended as a study guide. It will not be collected or graded. Many of the quiz and examination questions will be nearly identical to the homework problems. Student success is directly correlated to understanding and completing the assigned problems. A large portion of each Thursday will be spent in working student-suggested problems.
Quizzes & Examinations
Quizzes
Twelve short weekly quizzes will be administered. About half will be administered in class, usually during the first half of class on Friday. The other half will be administered online The two lowest scores will be dropped. It is to the student´s advantage to take all of the quizzes, regardless of how well-prepared you may feel; any points are better than no points.

Examinations
A midterm examination covering the first seven weeks of the course will be given on 23 February, the Friday before Winter recess. A comprehensive final examination will be given at 8:00 on Tuesday 17 April.

Grading
Quizzes:500 points
 (12@50 points,
 two lowest dropped)		59 %
Midterm Examination:100 points12 %
Final Examination:250 points29 %
TOTAL:850 points
Approximate grading scale
A94-100%
BA88-93%
B84-87%
CB78-83%
C74-77%
DC68-73%
D60-67%
E0-59%
Policies
Introduction Make-ups
Make-up quizzes and examinations will generally not be permitted. Under the rare circumstances where a make-up might be granted, prior notification and consent of the instructor will be required.

Attendance
Attendance in class (or active participation in the electronic component) is important, as material is often covered that is complementary to the text. Missed announcements of schedule changes, etc., due to absence will not be grounds for making up a quiz.

Academic Integrity
Adeherance to the University Academic Integrity policy as explained in the Undergraduate Catalog is expected. No breach of this policy will be tolerated. Any offenders, explicit or complicit, will be dealt with in accordance with the established University procedures.

Additional information The class meets four days per week. These will generally be broken down into:
  • about two and a half days of lecture with occasional demonstrations
  • one day of problem solving, student questions, and review (usually Thursday)
  • An online, interactive session (usually Thursday evening, 7-8)
  • a short quiz taking one half of a class period (usually Friday)