Undergraduate Courses
Detailed course descriptions listed below.
For the General Chemistry Requirement, there are several options from which to choose:
CHEM 1350 Context of Chemistry - designed for Arts and Science majors who are not science majors.
For the Organic Chemistry Requirement, you will need to choose the chemistry course which satisfies your major. Options are as follows:
For the Physical Chemistry Requirement, you will need to choose the chemistry course which satisfies your major. Options are as follows:
For the Analytical Chemistry Requirement, you will need to choose the chemistry course which satisfies your major. Options are as follows:
CHEM 1350:
Context of Chemistry. 4 hours each (3;3;1*) *This hour is a discussion session.
Fundamentals of chemistry for students who are not science majors. Applications of chemistry to its
roll in the world. Topics include: historical and philosophical development of modern chemistry, the
environment, energy, industrial and economic development, modern materials, popular perspectives of
chemistry. May be used to satisfy the Arts and Science Core requirement in laboratory science. This course
will be offered in the Fall, Spring and Summer I
Semesters only. (Depending on the demand, this course may be offered in the Summer II Semester.)
CHEM 1410/CHEM 1420 for Science Majors:
General Chemistry. 3 hours each (3;0;1*) *This is a problem solving session.
1410 Fundamental concepts, states of matter, periodic table, structure and bonding, stoichiometry, oxidation and reduction, solutions, and compounds of representative elements. Prerequisite(s): MATH 1100 or equivalent. This course is offered in the Fall, Spring and Summer I Semesters only.
1420 Thermodynamics, reaction rates, equilibrium, electrochemistry, organic chemistry, polymers, radioactivity and nuclear reactions. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1410 or 1413 or consent of the department. This course is offered in the Fall, Spring and Summer II Semesters only.
CHEM 1412/CHEM 1422:
General Chemistry for the University Honors Program. 3 hours each (3;0;1*). *This is a discussion session.
1412 Nature of Chemistry, states of matter, periodic table, structure and bonding, stoichiometry, oxidation and reduction, solutions, compounds of representative elements, historical context, practical consequences. Prerequisite(s): MATH 1100 or equivalent, admission to the University Honors program. This course is offered in Fall Semester only.
1422 Thermodynamics, reaction rates, equilibrium, electrochemistry, organic chemistry, polymers, radioactivity and nuclear reactions, historical context, practical consequences. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1412 (or CHEM 1410 or 1413 with a grade of B or better and permission of the Department), MATH 1100 or equivalent, and admission to the University Honors program. This course is offered in the Spring Semester only.
CHEM 1413/CHEM 1423:
Honors General Chemistry. 3 hours each (3;0;1*). *This hour is a problem-solving section.
1413 Fundamental concepts, states of matter, periodic table, structure, solutions and compounds of representative elements. Prerequisite(s): MATH 1100 or equivalent. High School chemistry or equivalent is strongly recommended. This course is offered in the Fall Semester only.
1423 Thermodynamics, reaction rates, equilibrium, electrochemistry and nuclear chemistry. This course is strongly advised and may be required for students planning to engage in undergraduate chemical research. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1413 (or CHEM 1410 with a grade of B or better). This course is offered in the Spring Semester only.
CHEM 1430/CHEM 1440:
Laboratory Sequence for General Chemistry. 1 hour each. (1;3) Should be taken concurrently with CHEM 1410, or 1412, or 1413, and 1420, or 1422, or 1423.
1430 Laboratory techniques, weighing, errors and significant figures, identification and purification of substances, and elementary quantitative analysis. Corequisite(s): CHEM 1350, or 1410, or 1412, or 1413 (may be taken concurrently). This course is offered in the Fall, Spring and Summer I Semesters only.
1440 Quantitative, gravimetric and volumetric analyses; coordination compounds. Corequisite(s): CHEM 1420, or 1422, or 1423 (may be taken concurrently) and 1430. This course is offered in the Fall, Spring and Summer II Semesters only.
CHEM 2370/CHEM 2380:
Organic Chemistry. 3 hours each.
2370 Structure, nomenclature, occurrence and uses of main classes of organic compounds; functional groups and their interconversion; character of chemical bonding; stereochemistry; structure and reactivity; acid/base reactions, resonance, inductive and steric effects; reaction mechanisms. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1420, or 1422 or 1423; 3210 (may be taken concurrently). This course is offered in the Fall, Spring and Summer I Semesters only.
2380 Nucleophilic and electrophilic reaction mechanisms; molecular rearrangements; radical reactions; organic synthesis; absorption spectra of organic compounds of biological interest. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 2370, 3220 (may be taken concurrently). This course is offered in the Fall, Spring and Summer II Semesters only.
CHEM 2900/CHEM 2910:
Introduction to Chemical Research. 1-3 hours. Individualized laboratory instruction.
Students may begin training on laboratory research techniques. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1430
(may be taken concurrently) and consent of instructor. For elective credit only; may not be substituted for required chemistry course.
CHEM 3210/CHEM3220:
Organic Chemistry Laboratory. 1 hour each. Should be taken concurrently with CHEM 2370 and 2380.
3210. Separations and Synthesis. Organic preparations; techniques of recrystallization, distillation, solvent extraction, separation of mixtures, chromatography and spectroscopic methods. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1440; 2370 (may be taken concurrently). This course is offered in the Fall, Spring and Summer I Semesters only.
3220. Synthesis and Analysis. Organic syntheses and systematic identification of unknown organic compounds utilizing classical "wet" and spectroscopic analytical methods. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 2380 and 3210 (may be taken concurrently). This course is offered in the Fall, Spring and Summer II Semesters only.
CHEM 3230/CHEM 3240:
Physical Chemistry Laboratory Sequence. 1 hour each (1;3) Should be taken concurrently with CHEM 3510 and 3520.
3230. Physical Measurements Computer programming, treatment of experimental data, calorimetry, gases, vacuum line techniques, phase equilibria and viscometry. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 3510 (may be taken concurrently). This course is offered during the Fall Semester only.
3240. Advanced Physical Measurements. Electrochemistry, magnetic resonance, spectrophotometry, experimental chemical kinetics, polarimetry, experimental studies of macromolecules, and photochemistry. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 3230. This course is offered in the Spring semester only.
CHEM 3450:
Quantitative Analysis. 4 hours each. Statistical treatment of data; sampling and transfer techniques; selected gravimetric and volumetric methods; introductory instrumental analysis. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1440. This course is offered in the Fall semester only.
CHEM 3510/CHEM 3520:
Physical Chemistry. 3 hours each. (3;0;1*) *This hour is a problem-solving session.
3510. Thermodynamics, kinetic theory, solutions and phase equilibria, chemical equilibria, photochemistry and chemical kinetics. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1420 or 1422 or 1423; MATH 1720, PHYS 1420 or 2220. This course is offered in the Fall semester only.
3520. Quantum mechanics: atomic structure and molecular orbital theory. Spectroscopy: microwave, infrared, electronic, photoelectron, electron spin and NMR. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 3510. This course is offered in the Spring semester only.
CHEM 3530:
Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences. 4 hours. Fundamental principles of physical chemistry
applied to biological systems; thermodynamics, equilibrium and bioenergetics, ionic equilibria,
Ph, buffers, ionic strength, and electrical properties of amino acids and proteins; kinetics,
enzyme catalysis and inhibition; physical properties of biological macromolecules and transport
properties in living systems. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1420 or 1422 or 1423 and MATH 1100 or its equivalent.
For life science majors and preprofessional students with no calculus. May not be counted by chemistry majors. This course is offered in the Spring semester only.
CHEM 3600:
Organic Chemistry. 4 hours (3;3) Survey of organic chemistry; types of chemical bonding,
functional groups, synthesis and reactions; aliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic compounds carbohydrates,
lipids and proteins. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1420 or 1422 or 1423 and MATH 1100 or its equivalent.
For life science majors and preprofessional students with no calculus. May not be counted by chemistry
majors. This course is offered in the Fall semester only.
CHEM 3610:
Quantitative Techniques. 4 hours(3;3) Survey of modern methods used in analytical chemistry; statistical treatment of data; gravimetric and titrimetric methods; spectrophotometric; chromatographic potentiometric and radioisotope techniques. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 1420 or 1422 or 1423. For medical technology, merchandising and hospitality management and secondary education students. This course is offered in the Spring semester only.
CHEM 4530:
Materials Chemistry. 3 hours. Applications of chemical principles to understanding the general
behavior of materials. Course will include semiconductors, metals, catalysts and "non-designed"
materials (e.g. quantum wells). Prerequisite(s): concurrent enrollment in CHEM 3520 or equivalent,
or consent of department. May not be repeated at the graduate level as CHEM 5530.
CHEM 4610:
Advanced Inorganic Chemistry. 3 hours. Electronic structure of atoms and molecules; structure
and thermodynamic properties of binary compounds; inorganic nomenclature; introductory survey of bonding, stereochemistry and reactivity of inorganic and organometallic complexes. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 3520. This course is offered in the Fall semester only.
CHEM 4620:
Advanced Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory. 1 hour. (1;3) Inorganic and organometallic preparations; spectroscopic identification of diamagnetic and paramagnetic compounds; basic glassblowing; introduction to library resources. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 4610. This course is offered in the Spring semester only.
CHEM 4630:
Instrumental Analysis. 4 hours. (3;4) Identification and analysis of compounds through absorption spectroscopy in ultraviolet, visible and infrared regions, nuclear and electron spin resonance, mass spectrometry, chromatography, polarography and other advanced instrumental techniques. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 3450; 3520 (may be taken concurrently). This course is offered in the Spring semester only.
CHEM 4660:
Introduction to Computational Chemistry 3 hours. (2;3) Introduction to the use of modern computational methodologies
for the study of physical properties and chemical reactions of importance in chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and
environmental sciences. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 3520 (may be taken conconcurrently) or consent of department.
CHEM 4900:
Special Problems. 1-3 hours each. Prerequisite(s): CHEM 3220 or equivalent, and consent of directing professor. May be repeated for credit, not to exceed 3 hours each.
CHEM 4940:
Chemistry Seminar. 1 hour. Colloquia covering current topics in chemistry. Prerequisite(s): chemistry major with senior standing. May be repeated for credit. May not be used to meet degree requirements for chemistry major or minor. Pass/no pass only. This course is offered in the Fall and Spring semesters only.
