Malkiat S. Johal Associate Professor of Chemistry, Pomona College

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CHEMISTRY 1a Syllabus - GENERAL CHEMISTRY, FALL, 2011

Dr. Malkiat S. Johal, Seaver North 110, extension 74253, malkiat.johal@pomona.edu

An optional weekly discussion session is a traditional component of General Chemistry at Pomona College. The time and day of the review session will be fixed on the first day of class. The review session is your opportunity to ask questions about obscure material. Students at each session may be divided into small groups that will work on problems that unify the course material. The problems are designed to develop your skill in solving chemical problems. Strategies in solving the problems will be discussed.

Reading Assignments: The course will rely heavily on the book, including the selection of some book problems. Reading your book is crucial in helping you strengthen your understanding of material delivered in class. The reading assignments are generally heavy, and if you find the reading overwhelming try to focus on sections that are specifically covered in class. Nonetheless, reading the book will enhance your understanding of the subject and will provide a broader perspective than just taking notes during lecture.

Week	Dates	Material	Reading Assignment
1	30 Aug – 2 Sept	Introduction to the course. Basic statistics.	Chapter 1, Section 1.3 is important. Appendix 1 and 2.
2	5 Sept – 9 Sept	Modern views of atomic structure. An introduction to the periodic table. An Introduction to electron configurations. General concepts in bonding with an emphasis on Lewis structures.	Chapter 2: Read the entire chapter by the end of the week. Chapter 12: Read pages 561 to 568.
3	12 Sept – 16 Sept	Molecular structure and the VSEPR theory. The VSEPR model and multiple bonds. An introduction to chemical reactions with an emphasis on stoichiometry and balancing chemical equations.	For VSEPR Model read Chapter 13: Read pages 620 to 650 by the end of the week. For stoichiometry read Chapter 3: Read the entire chapter by the end of the week.
4	19 Sept – 23 Sept	Classes of chemical reactions: dissolution processes, precipitation reactions, acid/base reactions, redox reactions, and coordination complexation.	Chapter 4: Read the entire chapter by the end of the week. Chapter 19: Read section 19.3, and if possible 19.4.
5	26 Sept – 30 Sept	Unit 1 Exam on Wednesday. Monday’s class will be a review of Unit 1 material. Friday’s class will cover the gas laws of Boyle, Charles, and Avogadro.	Chapter 5: Read pages 142 to 150 by the end of the week.
6	3 Oct – 7 Oct	Gas stoichiometry, the ideal gas law, and Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures. The kinetic molecular theory of gases.	Chapter 5: Read pages 150 to 155 by the end of the week.
7	10 Oct – 14 Oct	The kinetic molecular theory of gases continued. The root mean square velocity. Effusion and diffusion.	Chapter 5: Read sections 155 to 167 by the end of the week.
8	17 Oct – 21 Oct	Fall Break. No Monday class. Intermolecular collisions and the property of real gases (van der Waals equation) will be covered on Wednesday and Friday.	Chapter 5: Read pages 167 to 180 by the end of the week.
9	24 Oct – 28Oct	Unit 2 Exam on Monday. Chemical equilibrium. Homogeneous and heterogeneous equilibria. Le Châtelier’s principle.	Chapter 6: Read the entire chapter by the end of the week.
10	31 Oct – 4 Nov	Acids and bases, with an emphasis on solving acid-base equilibria problems. Polyprotic acids.	Chapter 7: Read sections 7.1 to 7.6.
11	7 Nov -11 Nov	Acid-base equilibria continued. Further applications of aqueous equilibria, including a discussion of solubility, buffers and titration curves.	Chapter 7: Read sections 7.7 to 7.11. Chapter 8: Read the entire chapter by the end of the week.
12	14 Nov – 18 Nov	Unit 3 Exam on Wednesday. The Monday class will review Unit 2 material. The Friday class will introduce the student to concept of enthalpy, and calorimetry.	Chapter 9: Read the entire chapter by the end of the week.
13	21 Nov – 25 Nov	Thanksgiving holiday. The Monday class will focus on entropy and Gibbs energy.	Chapter 10: Read the entire chapter by the end of the week.
14	28 Nov – 2 Dec	Electrochemistry, standard reduction potentials, cell potential. Dependence of the cell potential on concentration.	Chapter 11: Read the entire chapter by the end of the week.
15	5 Dec – 9 Dec	Wednesday is the last day of class. The Monday class will review the unit and attempt to make valuable connections between equilibrium constants and Gibbs energy.	No reading assignment.
16	12 Dec –16 Dec	Final on Thursday	No reading assignment