C
hemistry 350 - Principles of Organic Chemistry I
Fall Semester 2011, Winona State University

Credits: 4 semester hours. Prerequisites: Chemistry 212 and 213.

Lectures: Meet in Pasteur 329 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:00-8:50 AM.
Labs: Meet in SLC 386. Section 02 - Tue 2:00-5:50; Section 01 - Wed 12:00-3:50;  Section 03 - Thur 8:00-11:50..

Instructor: Tom Nalli (Pasteur 350, 457-2476, tnalli@winona.edu)
Office Hours: see full scedule at
http://course1.winona.edu/tnalli/f11/sche.htm
Optional Instructor Led Learning Sessions: To be determined

Required/Recommended Materials*

- Organic Chemistry  by David R. Klein; Wiley, 2011. ISBN-10: 0471756148 (required

- Student Study Guide and Solutions Manual to Accompany Organic Chemistry, by David R. Klein. (A copy of this manual will be available for checkout at the reserve desk in the library.) (recommended)

- Techniques in Organic Chemistry, 3rd ed. by Mohrig, Hammond, and Schatz. Freeman, New York, 2011. ISBN-10: 1429219564. (required)

- Molecular Model Kit: Models help with the visualization of the three-dimensional nature of organic molecules, an essential part of this course. Thus, access to a molecular model kit is required for all students in the course. (required)

- Internet Access and Notebook Computer: This course requires all students to have Internet access. It is expected that students will monitor the course web page daily for important announcements. It is also expected that students will be able to access the on-line course content on the course1 server and D2L even when not on campus. (required)

- Laboratory notebook: Each three-member lab team needs one of the 100-Page Top Bound Carbonless Laboratory Notebooks that are available at the bookstore. (required)

*A note on textbook editions; you may be able to get through this course satisfactorily by using an earlier edition of one of the required textbooks. (For example, using the 2nd edition of Mohrig's Techniques in Organic Chemistry instead of the 3rd edition.) However, it will definitely take more work on your part to find specific reading assignments given during labs and lectures and in some places the coverage is significantly different between different editions....so use previous editions at your own risk.

Homework:
Organic chemistry is a very difficult subject for most people. You will need to work hard in order to get an acceptable grade in the course. It is essential that you dilligently and independently practice the application of concepts. The best way to accompish this is by working the chapter-end questions in the Klein textbook. Your work on these homework assignments will not be used for determining your grade in the course. However, to do well on the graded quizzes and exams you will need to keep up to date with these assignments.

Learning Outcomes:
A student successfully completing the Chem 350/351 sequence will:

  • Understand organic nomenclature as evidenced by the ability to name a given structure according to IUPAC rules and the ability to draw the structure of a compound given its name.
  • Understand how structure influences physical properties as evidenced by the ability to predict trends in the physical properties, including boiling point, melting point, and water solubility, of a set of compounds.
  • Understand in detail how structure influences reactivity and reaction mechanism as evidenced by the ability to predict the main product (and its stereochemistry) of a given chemical reaction.
  • Have enough knowledge of reagents used for functional group transformations and carbon-carbon bond forming reactions to be able to propose reaction sequences that can be used for the synthesis of a given compound from simple organic building blocks.
  • Be able to deduce the structure and purity of an organic compound based on its NMR, IR, and/or mass spectrum.
  • Be able to carry out standard organic laboratory procedures including reflux, chromatography, extraction, recrystallization, distillation, and spectroscopy as needed to prepare and purify a compound.

Grading:
A quiz will be given at the start of each lecture. Your average on the quizzes counts 15% toward the final grade for the course. The lowest two quiz grades will be dropped.  

Four exams will be given, each counting 15% toward your final grade in the course. (Exam 4 is given during the time designated by the Registrar for the final exam. but is weighted equally with the other three exams.) Thus, exam grades count a total of 60% toward the course grade. Your score in the laboratory section of the course will contribute another 25% to the final grade. 

In summary, the point scheme to be used in determination of the final grade is Laboratory 25%, Quizzes 15%, Exams 15% each.

Minimum Scores:
to pass course (D) - 55% | for a C grade - 65% | for a B grade - 77.5% | for an A grade - 90%

Tentative Exam Dates and Coverage:

Exam 1

Friday, September 23

Chapters 1-4, 16 (C-13)
Exam 2 Friday, October 21
Chapters 16, 5-7
Exam 3 Wednesday, November 9 Chapters 8-9, 15
Exam 4 Monday, December 5
Chapters 10-12