CHEM 1303-0011 Summer 2008

General Chemistry I

MTuWThF 10:00AM - 11:50, FOSC 133

Instructor: W. Horsthemke, FOSC 313

Last updated May 23, 2008




Class Info | Announcements | Handouts and Lecture Notes | Hints and Tips | Web Sites



CHEM 1303-0011 Class Info


Office Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday 1:30–2:30 PM, or by appointment

Text:
R. Chang: Chemistry, 9th ed. (McGraw-Hill, Boston, 2007) is required. (The 7th or 8th edition is also acceptable.) The Solutions Manual is recommended.

Calculator:
You need a simple "scientific" calculator for this class. Palm-size, laptop or other portable computing devices are not permitted during exams. If the screen of your device is larger than 6 square inches or if the device has a (mini-) typewriter keyboard, the calculator will not be allowed.

For complete information about this class, please consult the First-Day Handout in the Handouts section below.




Announcements

Class starts on Thursday, May 29, 2008; the lab starts on Friday, May 30, 2008.




Handouts and Lecture Notes

Handouts and Lecture Notes are available in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF).


Handouts

First-Day Handout (Syllabus)   gc1sum2008.pdf

List of assigned end-of-chapter problems for Chang 7th edition. Chang7problems.pdf

List of assigned end-of-chapter problems for Chang 8th edition. Chang8problems.pdf

Chapter 2: Naming Ions and Acids   naming.pdf

Chapter 4: Solubility Rules   soluble.pdf

Acid-Base Reactions   acidbase.pdf

Oxidation Numbers   oxidationnumbers.pdf

Balancing Oxidation-Reduction Equations   balanceredox.pdf

Chapter 9: Writing Lewis Structures   Lewisstruct.pdf

Chapter 10: Molecular Geometry: VSEPR and Hybridization   VSEPR.pdf



Lecture Notes (The notes do not include problems worked in class.)

Set 1: Introduction   GenChem1Chap1.pdf

Set 2: Atoms, Molecules, and Ions   GenChem1Chap2.pdf

Set 3: Mass Relationships in Chemical Reactions   GenChem1Chap3.pdf

Set 4: Reactions in Aqueous Solutions   GenChem1Chap4.pdf

Set 5: Gases   GenChem1Chap5.pdf

Set 6: Thermochemistry   GenChem1Chap6.pdf

Set 7: Quantum Theory and the Electronic Structure of Atoms   GenChem1Chap7.pdf

Set 8: Periodic Relationships Among the Elements   GenChem1Chap8.pdf

Set 9: Chemical Bonding I: Basic Concepts   GenChem1Chap9.pdf

Set 10: Chemical Bonding II: Molecular Geometry and Hybridization of Atomic Orbitals   GenChem1Chap10.pdf




Hints and Tips

First Class Day: Attend class. Read the textbook material before class and take notes. Pay special attention to the key equations, summary of facts and concepts, and key words at the end of each chapter. In class, listen carefully, take notes sparingly, and ask questions. After class, briefly rework your notes. Work all the assigned problems to the end. Consult the Solutions Manual only after your best effort to solve a problem; otherwise no learning will occur. Do not cram before a test. If you work at a steady pace throughout the week, you should need only a few hours to refresh your memory before a test. Do not pull an all-nighter before a test! Budget your time during the test.

Follow the Problem Solving Strategy guide. Be meticulous and proceed step by step. Use algebraic symbols as long as possible and plug in numbers (and units!) only towards the end. Make sure you write all quantities with the appropriate units. Check that the units cancel to yield the correct units for the final answer. Check that your answer is reasonable.

Chapter 2: Nomenclature: 1) Memorize the hand-out "Some Important Ions". 2) Chemical compounds are neutral. Therefore, the charge of the anion(s) and the charge of the cation(s) in the formula unit of an ionic compound must add to zero! 3) Recall that the charge of an ion (the upper right superscript) is not written in the formula for an ionic compound. 4) While the use of prefixes is common in the names of molecular compounds, it is quite rare in the names of ionic compounds. 5) Recall that most (but not all) metals in groups to the right of the alkaline earth metals in the period table require a roman numeral to indicate the oxidation state of the metal.

Chapter 3: Stoichiometric Problems: 1) Obtain a balanced chemical equation. 2) Convert mass (or volume and molarity) to number of moles. 3) Determine the limiting reactant! Calculate the number of moles of product expected based on each reactant, using the stoichiometric coefficient of the product over the stoichiometric coefficient of the reactant as a conversion factor. The limiting reactant is that reactant that yields the least amount of product. That amount of product is the theoretical yield! 4) The actual yield must be determined experimentally; it cannot be calculated.

Chapter 4: Reactions in Aqueous Solutions: 1) Memorize the solubility rules. (Handout: Solubility Rules) 2) You should be able to write a balanced net ionic equation. 3) Memorize the list of strong acids and bases and the table of gas-forming reactions. (Handout: Acid-Base Reactions) 4) You should be able to determine if a solution is acidic, basic, or neutral. 5) You should be able to assign oxidation states and to determine the oxidizing or reducing agent. 6) You should be able to balance redox equations. (Section 19.1; Handout: Balancing Oxidation-Reduction Equations)

Chapter 5: Ideal Gas Problems: 1) Always convert temperature to absolute temperature (kelvin), if the temperature is not given in kelvin. 2) Use PV=nRT, if three state variables are given and you need to determine the fourth. 3) Make sure that you use the appropriate form of R, i.e., numerical value and appropriate units. The units of V and P determine which form of R you should use. 4) If the problem involves a change from an initial state to a final state, use (Pf Vf)/Tf = (Pi Vi)/Ti. 5) You should be able to determine the molar mass or density of an ideal gas. 6) You should be able to calculate partial pressures of gases in a mixture. 7) You should be able to summarize the main ideas and equations of the kinetic-molecular theory of gases.

Chapter 6: Thermochemistry Problems: 1) Remember that Delta E, Delta H, w, and q have a sign. Any energy entering the system carries a plus sign. Any energy leaving the system carries a minus sign. 2) w = - P Delta V 3) q = C Delta T, where C= m s, C= m c, or C = n CM, or q = n Delta H. 4) Delta H is extensive, changes sign when the process is reversed, obeys Hess's Law. 5) You should know the definition of exothermic, of endothermic, of standard state, and of standard enthalpy of formation. 6) Use Hess's law to calculate the enthalpy change for a chemical reaction.

Chapters 7 and 8: Quantum Mechanics: 1) quantum numbers; 2) shells and subshells; 3) electron configuration: Aufbau principle, Pauli exclusion principle, Hund's rule. Remember the 3d5 4s1 and 3d10 4s1 exceptions!

Periodic Properties: atomic radius, ionization energy, electron affinity; magnetic properties. You should understand the relation between electron configuration and these properties.

Chapters 9 and 10: Chemical Bonding: You need to know the hand-out on Writing Lewis Structures and the hand-out on VSEPR theory. (Memorize the last one!) Remember that H can have only one bond. Do not forget to account for the charge of polyatomic ions in A, the number of available electrons. To apply VSEPR theory, you have to write a Lewis structure first. The molecular geometry is equal to the electron-pair geometry, if and only if the central atom has no lone pairs. Note that the VSEPR theory, as reflected in the VSEPR notation, takes account only of the central atom, the atoms bonded to it, and the lone pairs on the central atom. In other words, VSEPR theory does not distinguish between single, double, and triple bonds!




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