Tuesday, December 20, 2011

CHEM 232, Spring 2012: Course Info, Syllabus and To-Do List

Welcome to CHEM 232 
As we approach the start of the Spring 2012 semester, I want to welcome you to the course and also to give you a list of tasks that should be completed before the first lecture so that you are adequately prepared and do not fall behind.  Two of the most important skills required for success in a large university lecture course are your ability to seek out and follow directions carefully and to keep up with the workload.  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 already open and waiting to assist you.  I look 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 that you require for your academic endeavors, but also to train you in the type of analytical thinking that is required for solving scientific problems in the professional field to which you aspire.  While you may not want to be an organic chemist, the learning process in this course 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.  Carefully read the document,
 Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 232): Syllabus and Course Information, which can be downloaded from the course website's File Sharing page(gettingstarted_232Sp12.pdf).  This document will not be distributed during the lecture or your discussion section.

3.  Purchase the
 required texts and materials for the course including the textbook, i>clicker and register a Sapling Learning online homework account.  The textbook and i>clicker are available at the UIC bookstore.  The Sapling account must be registered and payed for online.


4. After voting at least once during lecture, register your iclicker
online according to the instructions in the getting started guideor on the course website's iclicker page.

5.  Read Chapter One in the Carey textbook.  All of the material in this chapter should be a review from your general chemistry courses.  We will cover this chapter very quickly during the first two lectures.  If you're a bit rusty on some topics and need a more thorough review than is presented in Chapter One of our text, you may want to view some of my
 past general chemsitry lectures.

7.  Attend your first discussion section.  There will be a quiz during the first discussion.  The quiz will cover the material in chapter one.

8.  Begin working on your first Sapling assignment.  The first assignment is due on Sunday, January 15 at 11:59 PM. 

CHEM 333, Spring 2012: Course Info, Manual/Syllabus and To-Do List

Welcome to CHEM 333 
Welcome to CHEM 333, Advanced Synthetic Laboratory.  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 in the coming weeks.  Most of these should be completed before the first lab session so that you are adequately prepared and do not fall behind.  I encourage you to read all of the resources here 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 already open and waiting to assist you.    

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 approaching challenges in the synthesis of organic molecules.  As part of the four projects in this course you will learn how to devise efficient syntheses of organic molecules from simple starting materials; how to search the scientific literature in order to find precedents for your intended synthetic steps; how to implement complex laboratory techniques; how to identify the products of chemical reactions through analytical techniques such as TLC, GC, IR and NMR; how to record and report the results of your experimental work; and finally, how to conduct authentic research to answer relevant questions in organic chemistry.  While you may not aspire to be an organic chemist, I hope that this course will be a rewarding experience nonetheless.  The practical application of technical knowledge in a laboratory setting and the analytical thinking used to approach problems in organic synthesis 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 the course website (www.chadlandrie.com).  

2.  Purchase the
  required texts and materials   for the course including the textbook, a lab notebook and goggles.  All of these items are available at the UIC bookstore.  You will need your goggles on the first day of lab.  

3.  Carefully read the course syllabus and front material in the lab manual.  The lab manual and syllabus ( 333manual_SP12.pdf) can be downloaded from the
  File Sharing page .  

4.  Review the principles of infrared spectroscopy and recrystallization as well as the common functional groups in organic chemistry.  During your first laboratory session, you will participate in an introductory activity in which you will separate a mixture of fluorenone and fluorene by column chromatography. This activity can be found at the end of the laboratory manual.  Through this process you will learn the basics of column chromatography and thin-layer chromatography.  You will also become acquainted with the rotovaps in the laboratory that you will use countless times during the semester to remove volatile solvents.  Following the separation, you will then recrystallize both products and obtain the m.p. and IR spectrum of each.  These tasks--separation by chromatography, purification by recrystallization and analysis by m.p. and IR--will be repeated in almost every synthesis during the semester.  Therefore, it is essential that you use this time to master these techniques now.  Ask lots of questions; don't be afraid to make mistakes; and review the theories of all theses techniques before your first lab session so that you are prepared to participate in an informed manner.
 

CHEM 233, Spring 2012: Course Info, Syllabus and To-Do List

Welcome to CHEM 233
As we approach the start of the spring 2012 semester, I want to welcome you to the course and also to give you a list of tasks that should be completed in the coming weeks.  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 here 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 introduce and 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.

Friday, December 9, 2011

CHEM 232 Final Grades Posted

Your final exam score and course grade have been posted to Blackboard. As usual, the course stats can be viewed on the Grades Fall 2011 page. If you would like to discuss your grade, you may stop by my office today (12/9) before 5 p.m. or Monday and Tuesday (Dec. 12 & 13) between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.  Final exams will not be returned; however, I can let you see your exam if you stop by. It was great working with all of you this semester. Stop by anytime if you need help in your future chemistry courses. Have a great winter break and best of luck in all your academic endeavors. -Dr. L

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

CHEM 233 Final Grades Posted

All of your course scores have been posted to Blackboard as well as your final grade. The course curve and other statistics have been posted on the Grades Fall 2011 page of the CHEM 233 course website. If you have questions or concerns about your final grade in the course, please stop by my office this Friday (12/9) or next Monday (12/12) between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

It was great working with all of you this semester and I hope we were able to successfully teach you how to apply chemical knowledge to solving problems and analyzing data in the laboratory. This process--transforming theoretical knowledge to practical application--will be critical in your professional endeavors. If our investigation at the end of the semester on the preparation of cis-3-alkenoates sparked your interest in chemistry research, consider enrolling in my CHEM 333 course, Advanced Synthetic Organic Laboratory. This course is offered in the summer and spring semesters and engages students in authentic and contemporary research in synthetic organic chemistry. Previous work on the solid-supported reduction methods that was conducted by CHEM 333 students has been published in the Journal of Organic Chemistry--a major accomplishment for an undergraduate course. We are currently working on the synthesis of antiviral compounds with triazole ring systems through Cu-catalyzed alkyne-azide coupling reactions. If you'd like to know more about the course, visit the course website or stop by my office to chat.

Have a great winter break! -Dr. L