Chemistry 305 Physical Chemistry I Course Syllabus Fall 2016

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1 Chemistry 305 Physical Chemistry I Course Syllabus Fall 2016 Professor Shelli Frey sfrey@gettysburg.edu office location: Science Center 356 phone number: (717) office hours: Open door policy (guaranteed times below) Monday, 3:30 4:45pm Wednesday, 11:00 12:00pm Friday, 1:00 3:00pm Lab instructors: Prof. Shelli Frey (Tuesday afternoon) Prof. Luke Thompson (Wednesday afternoon) Office: SC lthompso@gettysburg.edu Lecture and laboratory times Lecture MWF 10:00 10:50am in McCreary 109 Recitation T 11:25 12:15pm in SC300 Lab (T, W) 1:10 5:00pm in SC354 Required texts Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics, Structure, and Change Tenth edition; by Peter Atkins and Julio de Paula An Introduction to Error Analysis Second edition; by John Taylor Lab handouts and solutions to homework/quizzes/exam will be available on Moodle Course grade Three hour exams (9/27, 11/1, 11/29) 45% (15% each) Cumulative final exam (12/12) 20% Homework, quizzes, literature assignments 10% Laboratory 25% Every Wednesday at the end of lecture, weekly homework will be collected and/or there will be a short quiz. The quizzed material will cover that week s homework, be relatively basic (as compared to exams), and designed to test general understanding of the subject. Physical Chemistry in the Curriculum The first semester of physical chemistry is a required class for the chemistry and the BMB major. Because physical chemistry operates at the interface of chemistry, physics and math, we will use ideas from both physics and math to explore and expand our understanding of chemical (and biological) systems. Each semester of pchem counts as an interdisciplinary course which can be counted towards fulfilling the integrative thinking requirement. Course objectives For you to 1. understand and apply the laws of thermodynamics, kinetics, and statistical mechanics and see how they are interrelated

2 2. understand how mathematics, models and approximations are used to explain chemical phenomena and fundamental properties of matter 3. use concepts of thermodynamics/kinetics/equilibrium to make predictions and give explanations about chemical (and biological) systems for example, will a certain reaction occur and how long will it take? 4. be exposed to both classic and more modern physical chemistry techniques and develop skills in making decisions in the lab, in data acquisition, in critical evaluation of data including error analysis 5. refine notebook keeping and science writing 6. improve literature reading and understanding 7. appreciate the role physical chemistry plays in chemical (physical, biological, etc.) systems Student responsibilities 1. The nature of this course material is such that it requires students to dedicate significant time outside of class on reading, reviewing, and working problems. You should review your lecture notes regularly and read the associated sections of the text. The key to success in physical chemistry is practice. 2. Chemistry 108 is a prerequisite for this course, and you are expected to know this material. There may be a brief review of some topics (either in lecture or handouts), but you are encouraged to use your general chemistry textbook for review on your own. 3. Math 112 is a prerequisite for this course and the material will be pitched at a level as to require calculus. You may need to review your calculus text book on your own (also math review sections in Atkins) to feel comfortable with the math. Attendance Show up and be on time attendance will be monitored. You will be held responsible for all material covered in class, including topics not directly covered in the text. It is mandatory that you attend all laboratory sessions. Exams must be taken at their scheduled times. Students who know in advance they will miss an exam (e.g. for an athletic event or class field trip) should see me well before the exam date to make arrangements for taking the test. If you miss an exam due to an unexcused absence, the grade will be zero. Class organization Lectures will be predominantly blackboard writing with Powerpoint slides used for illustration of concepts or graphed functions the ratio of material will vary depending on the topic. If I incorporate Powerpoint into a lecture, I will make copies of the slides available at the beginning of lecture to include in your notes (and also post on Moodle). Homework The only way to truly understand physical chemistry in an active way is to work through the problems. Homework problems, from the textbook as well as additional problems, will be assigned each week and will be collected on Wednesdays (sometimes ). If collected, random problems from each assignment will be chosen for grading and full answer keys will be posted on Moodle to help when studying for exams. The homework problems are meant to challenge and strengthen your problem-solving skills.

3 Recitation session The organization of our Tuesday discussion will vary depending on the week, but typically will focus on homework problems. This can range from the instructor going through a single problem step-by-step on the blackboard, to question and answer, to small groups of students presenting problems at the board. Consequently, having a good portion of the homework done (or attempted) prior to the recitation sessions will contribute to their efficacy and best help you learn the material. Other Policies All electronic devices (cell phones, laptops, etc.) must be turned off and put away before coming to lecture, laboratory, or scheduled exams. Honor Code Science is inherently collaborative. If you go on to work in industrial or academic laboratories, you will work with other scientists as a collaborator, as a mentor, and as a student throughout your career. Learning to work effectively with people is therefore an important aspect of your undergraduate training. Adherence to the principle of academic integrity as expressed in the Gettysburg College Honor Code is expected of all in this class. Physical chemistry is best learned by discussion and application of theories to specific problems. Therefore, it is appropriate to work together on homework problem sets, but you should not merely copy other student s answers remember that understanding the problems should be your chief goal and this is best accomplished by working through the problems. Indicate any study groups (write their names) on your homework assignments. Most labs will be performed with partners. You should feel free to discuss, in person, laboratory protocols/results with your partner or other students in the class and to work together on calculations. Consider me an honorary lab partner. Sharing completed calculations, via or H drives, with another student is a violation of the Honor Code. The key here is working together. Ultimately, you must write your own lab report in your own words. In all cases, acknowledge the original source with proper citations if you refer to another s work (in the case of a lab write-up). Please consult with me if you are uncertain about how to maintain academic integrity in a specific assignment. When we have exams, you should not talk to anyone during the exam but me. Reference materials available for the exam (index cards and integral tables) will be discussed prior to each examination. Learning disabilities Please identify yourself to me early in the semester if you have a documented learning disability. We will then determine appropriate accommodations within the context of this course. It is impossible to explain honestly the beauties of the laws of nature in a way that people can feel, without their having some deep understanding of mathematics. I am sorry, but it seems to be the case. You might say, All right, then if there is no explanation of the law, at least tell me what the law is. Why not tell me in words instead of symbols? Mathematics is just a language, and I want to be able to translate that language. But I do not think it possible [to translate the language], because mathematics is a language plus reasoning. - Richard Feynman in The Character of Physical Law

4 Date Topic and associated reading Assignments Mon Aug 29 Intro and Syllabus, Properties of gases (Chapter 1) Tue Aug 30 Make-up (11:25-12:40): Properties of gases (Chapter 1) Lab begins Wed Aug 31 Properties of gases (Chapter 1) Lab begins Fri Sep 2 Kinetic theory of gases (Chapter 1, 19) Mon Sep 5 Kinetic theory of gases (Chapter 1, 19) Tue Sep 6 Wed Sep 7 Rates of chemical reactions/ kinetics (Chapter 20) HW #1 due Thur Sep 8 Make-up (11:25-12:40): Kinetics (Chapter 20) Fri Sep 9 Kinetics (Chapter 20) Mon Sep 12 No class (Frey at conference) Tue Sep 13 (will be held) Wed Sep 14 No class (Frey at conference) HW #2 due Fri Sep 16 No class (Frey at conference Mon Sep 19 Kinetics (Chapter 20) Tue Sep 20 Wed Sep 21 Kinetics (Chapter 20) HW #3 due Fri Sep 23 Quantum theory: quantization (Chapter 7) Mon Sep 26 Quantum theory: quantization (Chapter 7) Tue Sep 27 Exam #1 (Chapters 1, 19, 20) Wed Sep 28 Quantum theory: quantization (Chapter 7) Fri Sep 30 Quantum theory: energy levels (Chapter 8) Mon Oct 3 Quantum theory: energy levels (Chapter 8) Tue Oct 4 Wed Oct 5 Intro to statistical mechanics (Chapter 15) HW #4 due Fri Oct 7 Boltzmann distribution, partition functions (Chapter 15) Literature assignment due Mon Oct 10 Reading Day - no class Tue Oct 11 Reading Day - no discussion No lab this week Wed Oct 12 Boltzmann distribution, partition functions (Chapter 15) HW #5 due Fri Oct 14 Molecular partition functions (Chapter 15) Mon Oct 17 Molecular partition functions (Chapter 15) First draft formal report I Tue Oct 18 Wed Oct 19 Canonical partition functions (Chapter 15) HW #6 due Fri Oct 21 Canonical partition functions (Chapter 15)

5 Mon Oct 24 Molecular interactions (Chapter 16) Reviews formal report I Tue Oct 25 Wed Oct 26 Molecular interactions (Chapter 16) HW #7 due Fri Oct 28 Macromolecules and self-assembly (Chapter 17) Mon Oct 31 Computational methods (Moodle reading) Tue Nov 1 Exam #2 (Chapters 7, 8, 15) No lab this week Wed Nov 2 Thermodynamics: first law (Chapter 2) Fri Nov 4 Thermodynamics: first law (Chapter 2) Formal report I due Mon Nov 7 Thermodynamics: first law (Chapter 2) Literature assignment Tue Nov 8 Wed Nov 9 Thermodynamics: second and third laws (Chapter 3) HW #8 due Fri Nov 11 Thermodynamics: second and third laws (Chapter 3) Mon Nov 14 Thermodynamics: second and third laws (Chapter 3) First draft formal report II Tue Nov 15 Wed Nov 16 Helmholtz and Gibbs energies (Chapter 3) HW #9 due Fri Nov 18 Thermodynamics: Phase transitions (Chapter 4) Mon Nov 21 Thermodynamics: Phase transitions (Chapter 4) Reviews formal report II Tue Nov 22 HW #10 due Wed Nov 23 Thanksgiving break - no class No lab this week Fri Nov 25 Thanksgiving break - no class Mon Nov 28 Thermodynamics: Mixtures (Chapter 5) Tues Nov 29 Exam #3 (Chapters 2, 3, 4, 16, 17) Wed Nov 30 Thermodynamics: Mixtures (Chapter 5) Fri Dec 2 Thermodynamics: Mixtures (Chapter 5) Formal report II due Mon Dec 5 Chemical equilibrium (Chapter 6) Tue Dec 6 No lab this week Wed Dec 7 Chemical equilibrium (Chapter 6) HW #11 due Fri Dec 9 Review/Catch-up day Mon Dec 12 Cumulative Final Exam: 8:30-11:30am

Instructor Dr. Kimberly D. Schurmeier

CHEM 1310: General Chemistry Section A Fall 2015 Instructor Dr. Kimberly D. Schurmeier Email: kimberly.schurmeier@chemistry.gatech.edu Phone: 404-385-1381 Office: Clough Commons 584B The best way to contact