117 Chemistry (prerequisites: facility with
algebra)
230 Organic Chemistry I (prerequisites: Chem
117)
245 Molecular Modeling, Visualization, and Computational
Chemistry (prerequisites: Physics 101, Math 110)
250 Solid State Chemistry (prerequisites: Chemistry
220 or 230 or Geology 200 or Physics 210)
300 DNA & Protein Biochemistry (prerequisites:
Chemistry 220, 235, some Biology)
117 Chemistry (prerequisites: facility with
algebra)
150 Nanochemistry (prequisites: some chemistry or physics)
220 Environmental, Analytical and Geochemistry
(prerequisites: Chem 117 or facility with mole calculations)
235 Organic Chemistry II (prerequisites: Chem
230)
240 Thermodynamics and Kinetics (prerequisites:
one unit of chemistry, Physics 101, Math 110)
260 Nutrition and Metabolism: Biochemical Mechanisms (prerequisites:
Chem 230, any 100-level biology)
225 Topics in Instrumental Analysis (1/2 unit,
prerequisites: Chem 220 or 230 but may vary with topic)
390 Special Projects (1/4, 1/2, or 1). Research work under faculty supervision.
395 Teaching Assistant (1/4, 1/2). Work with faculty in classroom and laboratory
instruction.
396 Teaching Assistant Research (1/4, 1/2). Course, laboratory, and curriculum
development projects with faculty.
Why is chemistry important to other sciences, technology, and society? What
processes do chemists use when dealing with real problems? What conceptual models
do chemists use to understand and explain their observations? The focus of this
course is on the reasons for doing science, the intellectual and instrumental
tools used, the models developed to solve new problems and the assertion that
chemistry has a tremendous effect on your personal life and on the decisions
made by society. Along the way we will cover atoms, molecules, ions, and periodic
properties; chemical equations, stoichiometry and moles; Lewis structures and
VSEPR model of bonding; reactivity and functional groups; states of matter and
intermolecular forces; relationships between structure and properties. Topical
applications and issues vary with the instructor and may include climate change,
automobile pollution, and health/nutrition. Three two-hour class periods
per week of combined lecture, laboratory, and discussion. (U, W) Offered each
semester.
Prerequisite: Facility with algebra. Note: Students with a strong prior background
in chemistry are encouraged to consult with the department about placement into
a more advanced chemistry course.
Chemistry plays a significant role in the emerging interdisciplinary fields
of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The nanoscale refers to materials with dimensions
on the scale of nanometers (a thousandth of a thousandth of a thousandth of
a meter). Control of the material world at the scale of atoms and molecules
can produce materials with fundamentally different properties and behavior and
has been touted as the next technological revolution. Some questions we will
consider include: What nanotechnology already exists? What makes nanomaterials
special? How can they be prepared? What tools can be used to study such materials?
Three class periods and one laboratory period per week. (U) Offered each spring.
Prerequisite: Some chemistry or physics
Chemical equilibria are fundamental in the understanding of biological and
environmental processes and in chemical analysis. This course emphasizes quantitative
and graphical interpretation of acid-base, solubility, distribution, complex
ion, and redox equilibria in aqueous solution and soils. Laboratory work stresses
application of gravimetric, volumetric, spectrophotometric, and potentiometric
techniques. Pre-professional preparation requiring one term of quantitative
analysis is satisfied by Chemistry 220. Three class periods and one laboratory
period per week. (U) Offered each spring.
Prerequisite: Chemistry 117 or facility with mole calculations.
Possible topics include
nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance, infrared, Raman, electronic
and atomic absorption and x-ray spectroscopies; mass spectrometry; gas and
liquid chromatography; microcalorimetry; and voltammetry. Three class periods and one
laboratory period per week. May be taken more than once under different topics.
Prerequisite: Chemistry 220 or Chemistry 230.
Reaction and properties of aliphatic and aromatic
compounds of carbon. Considerable emphasis on modern theoretical interpretation
of structure and of reaction mechanisms. Laboratory: basic techniques
and synthetic procedures and modern spectroscopic methods of structure determination.
Three class periods and one laboratory period per week.
(Q, U) Offered each fall.
Prerequisite: Chem 117.
Reaction and properties of aliphatic and aromatic
compounds of carbon. Considerable emphasis on modern theoretical interpretation
of structure and of reaction mechanisms. Laboratory: basic techniques
and synthetic procedures and modern spectroscopic methods of structure determination;
as part of the laboratory experience for Chemistry 235, each student
is required to prepare an independent laboratory project and carry
it out under the supervision of the instructor. Three class periods and one laboratory
period per week. Offered each spring.
Prerequisite: Chem 117, 230.
First, second, and third laws of thermodynamics; phase and
chemical equilibria; electrochemistry; experimental chemical kinetics, mechanisms, photophysics
and theories of chemical reactions. Offered each spring.
Prerequisite: one unit of chemistry, Physics 101, and Mathematics 110 or consent of instructor.
Quantum mechanics applied to one-dimensional systems; structure and visualization
of molecules using molecular modeling and computational chemistry. Three class
periods and one laboratory period per week. (Q) Offered each fall.
Prerequisites: Physics 101 and Mathematics 110, or consent of instructor.
Solids are an important part of our materials-intensive world and at the foundation
of many emerging technologies. This course focuses on the relationships among
structure, composition, and periodic properties; the characterization of atomic
and molecular arrangements in crystalline and amorphous solids such as metals,
minerals, ceramics, semiconductors and proteins; and applications to the fields
of electronics, optics, magnetics, catalysis, and energy generation and storage.
Laboratory work emphasizes the synthesis, purification and characterization
of inorganic compounds. Three class periods and one laboratory period per week.
Offered each fall.
Prerequisite: Chemistry 220 or Chemistry 230 or Geology 200 or Physics 210.
Molecular biology, bioenergetics and regulation of cellular processes. Metabolism
of carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids and nucleic acids. Laboratory experiments
investigate metabolism and electron transport utilizing techniques for preparation
and purification of enzymes, carbohydrates, and lipids. Three class periods and
one laboratory period per week. Offered each spring.
Prerequisites: Chem 230, any 100 level biology course, or consent of instructor.
At the fundamental chemical level, how do cells maintain and extract information from
DNA to build and utilize proteins? Considerable emphasis on the chemical basis of
biological information storage and processing, structure and function of proteins,
enzyme catalysis theory, and quantitative analysis of enzyme kinetics.
Two combined class and laboratory periods per week. (Q) Offered each fall.
Prerequisites: Chem 220, 235, and one from Biology 110, 111, 121, or 141.
This course explores the chemistry of antibiotics, including their chemical structures, mechanisms of antibiotic action, mechanisms of bacterial resistance, methods of drug discovery, and stewardship and policy. Students engage in critical reading and discussion of scientific literature. During the laboratory component of the course, students discover and characterize antibiotic-producing bacteria from soil. Techniques include aseptic microbiological work, PCR and introductory bioinformatics (BLAST, and antiSMASH), chemical extraction, and biochemical assays. Students engage in experimental design during a semester-long research project and communicate their findings by preparing and presenting a poster about their research project. (CP) (Also listed as Biology 360.) Offered every other spring.
Prerequisite: One 200-level biology course, Chemistry 235, and junior or senior standing, or consent of instructor.
In-depth study of selected topics stressing primary research
literature. Lecture, discussion, student presentations and papers.
May include laboratory. Past offerings have included advanced organic chemistry,
scientific glassblowing, medicinal chemistry, and laser spectroscopy.
May be repeated for credit if topic is different. Offered each semester.
Prerequisite: Varies with topic.
Research work under faculty supervision.
Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Work with faculty in classroom and laboratory instruction. Graded credit/no credit.
Course, laboratory, and curriculum development projects with faculty.
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Last updated August 11, 2011