What are you breathing in - North Central College



Lecture: MWF, 6:30 - 8:20, SC 214.

Text: Hill, J.W., Kolb, D.K. Chemistry for Changing Times, 10th Edition, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2004.

Instructor: Dr. Paul F. Brandt, SC 119, Phone 637-5193, (630) 357-0193(H), pfbrandt@noctrl.edu,

Office Hours: T 9:00 – 11:00, Th 1:30 – 3:30 and 8:30 – 9:30pm or stop by my open door at any time.

Course Description: This is a chemistry course for non-science majors. A quest for understanding those facets of chemistry that most directly affect daily existence through a study of selected topics in inorganic, organic, and biological chemistry. It does not count toward a chemistry major. It may not be taken after any higher level chemistry course.

Course Aim: We will be using chemical demonstrations (demos) to try to understand many of the introductory aspects of the chemical world. This course should be a great way for education students to introduce science in a fascinating way. You will be asked to research and perform a demo in lab. In addition, you will be expected to write two short papers explaining the science in some of the demos. The text that we will be using will allow us to find the material necessary in order to understand the chemistry of our demonstrations.

Evaluation: Guaranteed Grades

4 Hourly Exams @ 100 = 400 points A (90%)

2 Papers @ 50 and 100 = 150 points B (80%)

Final Exam = 200 points C (70%)

Lab = 150 points D (60%)

Total = 900 points You must pass the lab in order to pass the course!

Tentative Lecture Schedule

Dates Chapter # Chapter Topics

Sep 16 1 Chemistry: A Science for All Seasons

Sep 18 and 23 2 Atoms: Are They for Real?

Sep 23 and 25 3 Atomic Structure: Images of the Invisible

Sep 30 Hour Exam #1

Oct 2 5 Chemical Bonds

Oct 7 and 9 6 Chemical Accounting

Oct 9 and 14 7 Acids and Bases

Oct 16 Hour Exam #2

Oct 21 8 Oxidation and Reduction

Oct 23 and 28 9 Organic Chemistry

Oct 28 10 Polymers

Oct 30 Hour Exam #3

Nov 4 and 6

Nov 11 and 13

Nov 18

Nov 20 Hour Exam #4

Nov 25 6:30 pm – 8:20 pm Final Exam

November Lectures: We have set the stage for covering any of the other chapters in the text and should be able to cover another four chapters before the final exam. I will ask the class to decide which of these are most suited to your interests. You will be able to select from the following:

1. Air – The Breath of Life (12)

2. Water – Rivers of Life; Seas of Sorrows (13)

3. Household Chemicals – Helps and Hazards (17)

Nuclear Chemistry (4) is a prerequisite to:

4. Energy – A Fuels Paradise (14)

Biochemistry – A Molecular View of Life (15) is a prerequisite to the remaining chapters:

5. Food – Those Incredible Edible Chemicals (16)

6. Fitness and Health – Some Chemical Connections (18)

7. Drugs: - Chemical Cures, Comforts, and Cautions (19)

8. Poisons – Chemical Toxicology (20)

Homework: While reading the chapter you should attempt to do all of the chapter-problems without looking at the answers that are found at the end of the text. It is imperative that you work as many of the assigned problems as you possibly can, as this is what the exams will be based on. It is also important to stay current when studying Chemistry because we will be constantly building on the principles just learned. Falling behind by a single day can be detrimental. For this reason, try to do all the problems assigned for that day, and if possible, try to read the next days material in the text.

Papers: The first paper is due on Oct 28 (Week 7) and will be on the demonstration that you have found for the lab. It should contain the following parts: A general Statement of what was seen, the required Materials, the Procedure (this will consist of two parts: the Preparation and the Presentation), a statement of Hazards and the Disposal of materials should be made, as well as a chemical Discussion. Lastly, a Bibliography will be needed. If you are unsure of what this should look like, the series of Chemical Demonstrations, A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry by Bassam Shakhashiri can be used as a guide.

The second paper will be an essay. You should choose a chemistry/biochemistry topic that is currently of interest in today’s news. A first citation should be from a recent (past 2 years) newspaper or magazine article. Some subjects that have been in the news in the past year:

Air/Water Pollution

Climate Change

Alternative Energies

MTBE/Ethanol in Gasoline

Nuclear Waste Disposal

Nobel Prizes

The term paper must be a minimum of 5 typed (on a word processor, not a typewriter), double spaced pages with a separate cover page. Margins will be 1 inch on all sides, and the font should be a standard (Arial, Courier, Geneva, Helvetica, Monaco or Times) 12 point font. Be sure to include at least 3 references (at most, only one of these may be a web site). At least 1 of these will be a magazine or newspaper from the past 2 years. This paper will be due on Nov 13 (Week 9).

The papers will be graded on their scientific validity, their clarity, and their grammar. The target audience for each of these papers is your peers. The detail that you go to should hit the level that you would expect your peers to understand chemically and stylistically.

Academic Dishonesty: I have found that the laboratory write-ups are notoriously bad in this area. You will be working with a partner and undoubtedly will have the same data as your partner. You should discuss the questions to the lab with your partner, and if need be other students in the class. However, at some point you need to write answers to the questions and hopefully this is where you use your own voice. You need to explain the answers in your own terms that make sense to you. You cannot simply rewrite what someone else has said. If this is not clear to you, please consult with me to be certain. The school policy is stated below and unfortunately I have had to use it numerous times.

Any instructor who has assembled evidence of plagiarism will first offer the student a chance to provide an alternate explanation of the evidence or to admit fault. If the inference of plagiarism remains, the instructor may choose one of these options, listed in order of increased severity according to the extent and evident deliberateness of the deceit. The first two options suppose that the plagiarism is not extensive, that it would not have given the student substantial academic advantage such as full course credit or high course grade, or that the instructor has clear reasons to believe that the plagiarism can be accounted for by ignorance, which, though subject to discipline, is genuine.

1. Reprimanding the student and requiring either a revision of the work or an additional paper or exam.

2. Lowering the grade for the paper or exam (even as far as F) without opportunity to regain the lost credit.

The remaining three options come into play if the plagiarism is extensive, if it gave the student substantial academic advantage, or if the student had previously been warned against it.

3. Directed withdrawal of the student from the course.

4. Failure of the student for the course.

5. Referral of evidence to the dean of faculty for appropriate disciplinary action (which may go so far as suspension or dismissal).

Any sanction beyond 1) will be reported to the Dean of Faculty for notation in the student’s file. The record of past plagiarism for a given student may affect the disposition of any new case. No notation will appear on the student’s permanent transcript, nor will any notation be sent off campus with the student’s records.

Some of you may wonder what constitutes plagiarism:

▪ Copying others, even fellow students, words, phrases, or sentences without proper documentation (quotation marks and a citation). A quote of more than two or three consecutive words requires quotation marks.

▪ Summarizing others ideas without proper documentation (citation).

A first offense will result in your score being halved. The second offense will result in an F in the course.

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