CHEM 232 Final Exam Info and Study Guide

Information and a study guide for the final exam has been posted on the course website's File Sharing page (finalinfo_232SP12.pdf). I encourage you to begin studying now. Casually reviewing a day or even a week before the final will not adequately prepare you for this challenge. I recommend that you set up a schedule for yourself of what topics and problems you are going to complete from now until the final. As always use the lectures and textbook as a resource only; do not reread them like a novel. Your primary mode of studying should be to do/redo as many problems as possible (e.g., old exams, practice exams, quizzes, clicker questions, textbook questions, synthesis handouts). Happy studying!

CHEM 232 Exam 2 Graded, Scores Posted

Your scores for exam two have been posted to Blackboard as well as your current course grade. For exam and course statistics, view the Grades Spring 2012 page on the course website. If you are concerned with your grade in this course, please stop by during office hours so that we can discuss likely outcomes, options and strategies. Reminder: The deadline to withdraw from a course is this Friday, March 16 at 4:00 p.m. I will be holding extended office hours this week to accommodate everyone:

W: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm (2206A SEL)

R:  10:45 am - 12:00 pm (SLC)

R:  2:00 pm - 4:00 pm (2206A SEL)

After your TA returns your exam to you, look over it carefully for grading or addition errors. If you suspect there is an error, follow the instructions in the document, exam_corrections.pdf, which can be downloaded from the File Sharing page of the course website. Exam two corrections must be submitted by Monday, April 2 to be considered.

CHEM 232 Exam One Scores & Stats Posted

Exam one has been graded and your score posted on the Blackboard grade center. You may view the course statistics including the exam curve on the Grades Spring 2012 page of the course website. Please look over your exam carefully when it is returned to you next week during discussion. If you believe there are grading or addition errors, follow the instructions in the document, exam_corrections.pdf, which can be downloaded from the File Sharing page of the course website. Corrections must be submitted in person to Dr. Landrie by Wednesday, February 22 for consideration.

Overall, I thought the class did a great job on the exam; the first one is always a learning experience. I was particularly impressed with your performance on the essay in drawing the MO picture of hyperconjugation. Even the students that were not able to correctly draw the MO picture, most were able to explain the hyperconjugative model. Therefore, to reward your hard work on this topic, I doubled everyone's essay score so that up to 20 points of extra credit could be earned.

If your performance on the first exam does not meet your goals or if you are struggling in this course, please come see me as soon as possible so we can discuss what outcomes are possible and formulate strategies for your success. Because of the cumulative nature of this course and the pace at which we cover material, very little can be done once we near the second exam to correct deficiencies. Seek help now! 

Also, Sapling and i>Clicker scores were updated on Blackboard today. If your score is missing, you still have not registered properly. You must complete registration of both items today to receive credit for these components.

CHEM 232 Exam One Reminders

1. A study guide for exam one has been posted on the File Sharing page of the course website. Past exams are also available here for practice. Study hard and study early. There are only two semester exams in this course so your performance on the first is paramount to your success in the course. 

2. There will be a review session this Thursday, February 2 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. (location TBA). The review session is student-led, which means students should bring problems they want to work out on the whiteboard. I will not be formally presenting any material, but will help to answer questions.

3. Exam one is on Monday, February 6 at 6:00 p.m. in room 250 SES. So that you have the maximum time possible, the exam will start promptly. Arrive early!

4. There will be a quiz during discussion next week despite the exam. The quiz will ask you to predict the major organic product for ten reactions we've covered (e.g., substitution, B-elimination, halogenation, acid-base), to draw MOs that illustrate how hyperconjugation stabilizes carbocations and to draw the intermediates in an SN1 mechanism.

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 iclickeronline 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 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

CHEM 232 Final Exam Info and Study Guide

Information and a study guide for the final exam has been posted on the course website's File Sharing page (finalinfo_232F11.pdf). I encourage you to begin studying now. Casually reviewing a day or even a week before the final will not adequately prepare you for this challenge. I recommend that you set up a schedule for yourself of what topics and problems you are going to complete from now until the final. As always use the lectures and textbook as a resource only; do not reread them like a novel. Your primary mode of studying should be to do/redo as many problems as possible (e.g., old exams, practice exams, quizzes, clicker questions, textbook questions, synthesis handouts). Have a great Thanksgiving holiday. Happy studying!

CHEM 232 Exam 2 Info and Study Guide

Reminder: Exam 2 is on Tuesday, October 25 during lecture. A study guide for exam 2 (study guide_Ex2_232F11.pdf), including general information and policies has been posted the course website's File Sharing page. 

Synthetic Challenge Handouts

A large focus of exam 2 and the final exam will be on devising syntheses of organic molecules. This is a skill that must be practiced in order to master. To help you prepare for those synthetic challenges, I've posted two handouts on the course website's File Sharing page (synthesis_689.pdf & synthesis_10112.pdf) that describe common synthetic strategies and provide several synthetic challenges for practice.  In order to encourage you to work on these, I am going to pull SOME of the synthesis questions for exam 2 and the final exam directly from these two handouts, with no modifications.  Some of the synthesis questions, of course, will be original. That's not an encouragement to memorize every synthesis in the handouts, however. It won't work; there are too many. Rather, practice applying the retrosynthesis technique we're learning in class to each problem and then do them all over again. Start working on them early.  Don't procrastinate!  And try to have fun.  Once you've mastered synthesis you can finally say you're an organic chemist--if only for a semester.

   

CHEM 232 Exam One Scores & Stats Posted

Exam one has been graded and your score posted on the Blackboard grade center. You may view the course statistics including the exam curve on the Grades Fall 2011 page of the course website. Please look over your exam carefully when it is returned to you next week during discussion. If you believe there are grading or addition errors, follow the instructions in the document, exam_corrections.pdf, which can be downloaded from the File Sharing page of the course website. Corrections must be submitted in person to Dr. Landrie by Wednesday, October 5.

Overall, I thought the class did a good job on the exam; the first one is always a learning experience. I was surprised to see, however, that very few students (<10) were correctly able to draw the hyperconjugative model on their Lewis structure in the essay question. Many students were, however, able to explain the hyperconjugative model even if they could not draw it. Therefore, I doubled everyone's essay score so that up to 20 points of extra credit could be earned.

Also, Sapling and i>Clicker scores were updated on Blackboard today. If your score is missing, you still have not registered properly. You must complete registration of both items today to receive credit for these components.

Exam One (CHEM 232) Reminders

1. A study guide for exam one has been posted on the File Sharing page of the course website.

2. There will be a review session this Saturday, Sept. 17 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in room 130 SES. The review session is student-led, which means students should bring problems they want to work out on the whiteboard.

3. Exam one is on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 8:00 a.m. in room 250 SES. So that you have the maximum time possible, the exam will start promptly. Arrive early!

• Seating chart will be distributed at 7:45 a.m.

• Exams will be distributed at 7:50 a.m.

• Instructions will be given at 7:55 a.m.

• Exam will begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 9:15 a.m.

4. There will be a quiz during discussion next week despite the exam. The quiz will ask you to predict the major organic product for ten reactions we've covered (e.g., substitution, B-elimination, halogenation, acid-base) and to identify five functional groups.

Take Home Quiz 3

Since Monday (Sept. 5) sections will not have discussion section, quiz three will be a take home quiz for the entire class. You may download the quiz (quiz3_232F11.pdf) from the File Sharing page on the course website. The quiz must be turned into your TA by Tuesday, September 6 at 4:00 p.m. If you are unable to turn the quiz in during discussion section (e.g., Monday) your TA will email you with instructions on when and where to turn it in to them. Have a great Labor Day weekend.

Dr. L

CHEM 232, Fall 2011: Syllabus, Course Info & To Do List

Welcome to CHEM 232: Organic Chemistry Lecture I

As we approach the start of the Fall 2011 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 (syllabus_courseinfo_232F11.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 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 syllabus & course info document or 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, August 28 at 11:59 PM.

Your course is full, but I want in!

If you are trying to register for a section of my CHEM 232 or CHEM 233 course but can't get it, keep trying especially during the first week. In both courses, several students drop during the first week. Once they've dropped that spot will be immediately open. There are no waiting lists; registration is first-come-first-serve. While you won't be able to attend a discussion section or lab section until you're registered, you're more than welcome to attend the lecture for CHEM 232 while you're trying to register.


I do not have any control over class enrollment numbers and neither I nor the chemistry department can override enrollments for CHEM 232 or CHEM 233. These are strictly controlled by the timetable office based on the number of seats available in the discussion section classrooms and laboratories.

Course 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 2010 webpage. If you would like to discuss your grade, you may stop by my office on Monday or Tuesday (Dec. 13 & 14) between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.  Final exams will not be returned; however, I can let you see your exam if you stop by. Have a great winter break and best of luck in all your academic endeavors.

Orgo Lecture (CHEM 232) Final Exam

The final exam for CHEM 232 is on Friday, December 10 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in room 250 SES.  For more information, including the makeup exam policy, view the document finalinfo_232F10.pdf on the course website File Sharing page.

Synthetic Challenge

Exam 3 and the final exam are approaching fast.  The focus of both of these exams will be on synthesis, which requires you apply all of the organic chemistry you've learned thus far. To help you prepare, I've posted two handouts on the course website File Sharing page (synthesis_689.pdf & synthesis_10112.pdf) that describe common synthetic strategies and provide several synthetic challenges for practice.  In order to encourage you to work on these, I am going to pull the synthesis questions for exam 3 and the final exam directly from these two handouts, with no modifications.  Start working on them early.  Don't procrastinate!  And try to have fun.  Once you've mastered these synthetic problems, you can finally say you're an organic chemist--if only for a semester.

CHEM 232 Exam 2 Graded, Scores Posted

The CHEM 232 exam two is graded and your scores have been posted to Blackboard.  The average was 51.5%, which I thought was very good considering the difficulty of this exam and the amount of material we covered.  Nice job!  For more statistics, including the exam curve and distribution, visit the  Grades Fall 2010 page   on the course website. I will update the clicker, OWL and quiz stats next week on Blackboard and the course website.

Your TA will return the exams during discussion section next week.  They will not return the exams before that time, so please don't ask. Look over your exam very carefully next week.  If you believe that there are grading or adding errors, follow the instructions in the document  exam_corrections.pdf , which can be found on the  File Sharing page   of the course website.  You must submit your exam by Monday, November 1 in order to have it reviewed for errors.   There was one ranking question that I thought was too difficult (rank in order of increasing rate of hydration), so I added three points to everyone's final exam score, which is reflected in the Blackboard score.  Do not submit a correction for that question.

Exam 2, Review Session, Quiz 8

Exam 2 is on Monday, October 18 at 6:00 p.m. in room 250 SES.  Please arrive 10 minutes early to find your seat and relax to another stunning selection of music.  A sample exam has been posted on the course website's File Sharing Page (SampleEx2_SP09.pdf).  The format of Exam 2 will be similar to the sample and Exam 1; however, the questions will not be the same.  For example, you should know all of the mechanism covered in class so far.  You will be asked to write two mechanisms for Exam 2, but they will not necessarily be the same mechanisms that are on the sample exam.  In other words, do not rely solely on the sample exam to study.  Also review OWL homework, quizzes, clicker questions and lecture notes.  For additional practice, complete as many end-of-chapter questions in your textbook as possible.  A review session will be held this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in room 130 SES (check for a propped open door).  As before, the review session is student-driven.  Bring problems and questions that you would like to work out on the whiteboard with the class.  I will not be presenting or lecturing, only guiding and facilitating the discussion from the audience.  

Finally, per your vote in class today, the topic for next week's quiz will be predict-the-products.  This quiz (30 minutes) will be given during your discussion section as usual and will cover all of the reactions discussed in the course through this Thursday's lecture.

Phew! Exam 1 Graded!

Give a big round of applause to your TA.  They worked well into the night to grade your exams so that you could check your scores this week on Blackboard and end your suffering.  Overall, I was very pleased with the results.  We had a record number of As (20%), which was more than the number of Bs (15%)--an unusual, but pleasant circumstance.  For many of you, your hard work has paid off.  Congratulations!  If you are disappointed with your score or frustrated with your progress, don't despair yet.  Get help as soon as you can. Stop by my office or visit a tutor in the SLC .  There is plenty of time to make major improvements since we have completed only 36% percent of the course.  For more statistics, including the exam curve and distribution, visit the Grades Fall 2010 page on the course website.

Look over your exam very carefully next week.  If you believe that there are grading or adding errors, follow the instructions in the document exam_corrections.pdf, which can be found on the File Sharing page of the course website.  You must submit your exam within two weeks of the date the exam was given in order to have it reviewed for errors. Your TA will return the exams during discussion section next week.  They will not return the exams before that time, so please don't ask.