Course Syllabus

Credits: 5 semester hours. Prerequisites: Chemistry 350.

Instructor: Tom Nalli (Pasteur 350, 457-2476, tnalli@winona.edu)
Office Hours: See full schedule posted here.

Lectures: Meet in Pasteur 329 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11:00-11:50 AM.

Labs: Meet in SLC 386.
Section 01 - Tuesday 2:00-5:50. Teaching Assistant - Jack Keilty
Section 02 - Wednesday 1:00-4:50. Teaching Assistant - Alix Overgard

Supplement to Instruction (S2I) Sessions: S2I leader: Alix Overgard. Pasteur 229 - Tuesday and Thursday 7:00-8:30 pm

Instructor Led Learning (ILL) Sessions:  Monday 4:00-5:00 in Pasteur 307

Required/Recommended Materials:*

- Organic Chemistry 4th Edition by Janet Smith; McGraw Hill, 2014. (required) 

- Connect subscription through McGraw Hill (This on-line learning site comes with the Smith Organic Chemistry bundle being sold at the bookstore.) (required)

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

- Piazza account. All students need to activate an account on Piazza, a free on-line class discussion platform. You will receive an email during the first week of classes with instructions on how to do so. (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 student needs the 100-Page Top Bound Carbonless Laboratory Notebook available at the bookstore. (required)

- ACS Organic Chemistry Study Guide: This is the only available study guide for the standardized final exam in this course. Go to the ACS Exams Institute Site to order one (if you wish) at least two weeks in advance of the final exam date. You may want to share this purchase with several other students if you can meet as a group to use it. (optional)

*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 diligently and independently practice the application of concepts. One important way to accomplish this is by working the chapter-end questions in the Smith textbook. Your work on these book assignments will not be used for determining your grade in the course.

In addition, the on-line homework system, Connect, provides numerous opportunities for study and practice. The instructor will create a Connect assignment for each lecture and you will receive modest grade credit for completing these assignments in advance of the next scheduled lecture.

The main goal of all homework is to allow you to do well on the graded quizzes and exams that will form the main basis for your grade in the course. Therefore, it should be of great benefit to make every effort to keep up to date with both the Connect and the book 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.

Commitment to Inclusive Excellence:
WSU recognizes that our individual differences can deepen our understanding of one another and the world around us, rather than divide us. In this class, people of all ethnicities, genders and gender identities, religions, ages, sexual orientations, disabilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, regions, and nationalities are strongly encouraged to share their rich array of perspectives and experiences. If you feel your differences may in some way isolate you from WSU's community or if you have a need of any specific accommodations, please speak with the instructor early in the semester about your concerns and what we can do together to help you become an active and engaged member of our class and community.

Academic Integrity:
A high standard of academic integrity is expected of all students in this course. Please see the official WSU policy on academic integrity. Students determined by the instructor to have plagiarized any assignment or cheated on an exam or quiz will face severe consequences including the possibility of being awarded an F in the course.

Grading:
A quiz will be given at the start of each lecture. Your average on the quizzes counts 10% toward the final grade for the course. The lowest three quiz grades will be dropped.  

The Connect assignments count 5% toward your grade.

The laboratory section of the course counts 25%.

Four midterm exams (Exams 1-4) will be given as well as a comprehensive standardized final exam provided by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The exams account for 60% of the course grade according to one of two possible scenarios:

Quiz Make-Up Policy:

If you notify me in advance that you must miss a quiz for a compelling personal or academic reason, then you will be allowed to make it up at a mutually agreed upon time.

Regarding missed quizzes due to oversleeping or other poor excuses: I will allow one make up of such a quiz and it must be done on the same day the quiz was given. Additional absences will mean a score of zero. The lowest three quiz grades are dropped.

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

Exam Dates and Coverage: