Chemistry 351, Spring 2020, Winona State University, Dr. T. Nalli


Course Syllabus
revised 3/23/2020

Credits: 5 semester hours. Prerequisites: Chemistry 350.

Lectures: Meet in Pasteur 329 Meet in Nalli zoom room  every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:00-10:50 AM.


Labs
: Meet in SLC 386.  Meet in Nalli zoom room Tuesday 2:00 PM

Section 01 - Tuesday 12:30-4:20. Teaching Assistant - Kacey Davitt
Section 02 - Thursday 2:00-5:50. Teaching Assistant - Matt Evenson
Section 04 - Wednesday 1:00-4:50. Teaching Assistant - Matt Evenson

Instructor: Tom Nalli (Pasteur 350, 457-2476, tnalli@winona.edu)
Office Hours: See http://course1.winona.edu/tnalli/s20/sche.htm Use the same zoom link as for lectures.
Virtual Office Hours: Students are encouraged to post questions any weekday or Sunday night between 8:30 and 10:00 PM and I will make every effort to respond in a helpful manner.

Instructor Led Learning (ILL) Sessions: Monday and Friday 12:00-1:00 Pasteur 329

Supplement to Instruction (S2I) Leader: Julia Fogarty, jfogarty16@winona.edu, Tuesday and Thursday 6:00-7:30

Required/Recommended Materials:*

- Organic Chemistry, 2nd ed  by David R. Klein; Wiley, 2013. ISBN-10: 1118454316 (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)

-  Sapling Learning account (for on-line learning and homework.) (required)   

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

- Piazza. (required) This term we will be using Piazza for class discussion. The system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently from classmates, the TA, and myself. Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff, I encourage you to post your questions on Piazza. If you have any problems or feedback for the developers, email team@piazza.com.

Find our class page at:

- 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 their WSU email 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)

*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 Klein 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, Sapling Learning, provides numerous opportunities for study and practice. The instructor will create a Sapling 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 Sapling 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 two quiz grades will be dropped.

The Sapling assignments grade counts 5% toward your overall grade.

The laboratory grade counts 25% toward your overall grade.

Three midterm exams are given as well as a final exam (not the ACS standardized exam). The final exam will be cumulative for both semesters of the 350/351 sequence. Each exam (both the midterms and the final) counts 15% toward the final grade in the course.

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) - 50% | for a C grade - 60% | for a B grade - 75% | for an A grade - 87.5%

Exam Dates and Coverage:

Exam 1

Friday, February 7

Chapters 12-14
Exam 2 Friday, March 6
Chapters 17.1-17.5, 18-19, 23.11
Exam 3 Monday, April 20
Chapters 20-22
Final Exam
Wednesday, May 6, 8:00 AM Chapters 1-22