Monday, June 6, 2011

Can I use the 4th edition of the CHEM 233 textbook instead of the 5th edition?

Since I am asked this question so often, I thought I'd post a response here. The answer is, yes. You may use the 4th edition of "Experimental Organic Chemistry: A Miniscale and Macroscale Approach." However, the page numbers and homework question numbers in the course manual refer only to the 5th edition. Therefore, you'll have to at least consult a 5th edition to make sure you are reading the correct sections and doing the correct homework questions. I will put a copy of the 5th edition on reserve in the Daley Library.

CHEM 233 To-Do List, Course Info & Syllabus

Welcome to CHEM 233  
As we approach the start of the summer 2011 semester, I want to welcome you to the course and also to give you a list of tasks that should be completed this week.  Most of these should be completed before the first lab session so that you are adequately prepared and do not fall behind.  One of the most important skills required for success in a large university laboratory course is your ability to seek out and follow directions carefully.  I encourage you to read all of the resources on the course website as well as on Blackboard that are discussed in the to-do list below.  If you have any questions, my door--and e-mail inbox--are open for business.  I'm looking forward to sharing my passion for the exciting world of organic chemistry with you.  This semester I aim not only to teach you the chemistry content and laboratory techniques that you require for your academic endeavors, but also to train you in the type of analytical thinking that is required for solving problems in a laboratory setting as well as the professional field to which you aspire.  While you may not want to be an organic chemist, the practical application of technical knowledge in a laboratory setting involves many general skills that  you will undoubtedly employ in your future careers.

Cheers,
Dr. Chad Landrie 
 
To Do List: 
1.  Become acquainted with the resources available on Blackboard
   and on the course website ( www.chadlandrie.com).

2.  Purchase the
  required texts and materials   for the course including the lab manual, lab notebook, textbook and goggles.  All of these items are available at the UIC bookstore.

3.  Carefully read the
  course syllabus .  The syllabus can be found in the lab manual, downloaded from the course website's  File Sharing page  (www.chadlandrie.com) or downloaded from Blackboard.

4.  Review the principles of infrared spectroscopy as well as the common functional groups in organic chemistry.  During your first laboratory session, you will participate in an infrared spectroscopy primer (also in the lab manual) designed to review the principles of infrared spectroscopy and to demonstrate how this technique is used to identify functional groups in organic molecules.  If you are currently enrolled in CHEM 232, and have not encountered this analytical technique yet, you may want to begin working on the
  IR Primer   as well as the pertinent sections in your lecture textbook before your lab.  You may also review lecture slides I've posted on spectroscopy on the File Sharing page (    spectroscopy_232_Lec1). The IR Primer  activity will not be collected or graded (a pre-lab notebook entry is not required); it's sole function is to provide you with the information you need for the first laboratory experiment the following session.  Be sure to ask your TA plenty of questions so that you get the information you need.  During the following lab session, you will learn how to collect IR spectra on one of our two spectrometers.  You will then use this technique on that day to identify unknown organic compounds.

5. Complete a prelab notebook entry before Lab One. A description of how to keep a laboratory notebook as well as the grading rubric that will be used to assess each entry can be found in the course manual.