CEM 142 - SPRING 2013
GENERAL INFORMATION
This course is the second of the two-semester sequence in General Chemistry and meets the requirements of a variety of degree programs. The course is not intended for students pursuing degrees in chemistry, biochemistry, or chemical engineering. Students must have achieved a passing grade (>1.0) in CEM 141 in order to take this course.
The chemistry studied in CEM 142 includes chemical kinetics, chemical equilibria, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry. The latter part of the course examines the properties of the representative elements (Groups 1A through 8A) and the first series of the transition elements. The course deals with the subjects found in the second half of a typical general chemistry text.
The chemistry is a little more challenging than that in CEM 141. Devise a schedule that will allow you to devote some small amount of time to CEM 142 every day. Study the material actively, rewrite your lecture notes, solve problems in the textbook or sample examinations, study collaboratively with other students in the class, go to recitation and the help room and ask questions, and see your instructor if you have difficulty.
Lectures
There are two lecture sections this semester; both meet in Room 138 Chemistry. Attendance at the lecture for which you are enrolled is expected. You are advised to read any text assignment before the corresponding lecture. No appointment is necessary to see your instructor during scheduled office hours. When sending emails, please put CEM 142 in the subject line.
12:40 pm - 2:00 pm TTh (Sections 01 - 14) Amy Pollock pollock@chemistry.msu.edu
2:40 pm - 4:00 pm TTh (Sections 15 - 28) James Harrison harrison@chemistry.msu.edu
General Chemistry Office General information and assistance is available at the General Chemistry
Office (Room 185; M-F 8-12 noon and 1-5 pm; tel 5-9715 ext 322).
General Chemistry Coordinator Wendy Whitford email: tsuji@chemistry.msu.edu
Undergraduate Program Manager Steve Poulios email: poulios@msu.edu
CEM 142 web site http://www.chemistry.msu.edu Go to Course Web Pages (at lower right), then General Chemistry Courses, then CEM 142.
Cemscores web site From any computer on campus, enter cemscores as the url. From computers off-campus, you can access the site through the CEM 142 web site.
OWL© problem sets web site www.cengage.com/owl
Login at this site with the access code you have purchased. Registration
instructions are posted separately.
CEM 142 Social Media sites Twitter @MSUCEM142
Facebook search for “Michigan State University Cem142”
Textbook
The text assigned to CEM 142 is Volume 2 of Chemistry by Hunter & Pollock (ISBN 0078042305 McGraw-Hill). This edition contains only that portion of the regular text that is relevant for CEM 142.
The access code for the OWL homework system (ISBN 9781111305215) is required. The OWL access code can be purchased at a reduced price of $15 from CengageBrain http://www.cengagebrain.com/micro/1-1CPWLJB
Lecture notes that closely follow each lecture throughout the semester are available at bookstore (ISBN 9780963047175 $10). These notes are intended to make it easier for you to follow the lectures - you should supplement them with your own notes during lecture.
Recitation
Recitations present an opportunity for you to ask questions and discuss the course material. Attendance at the recitation section for which you are enrolled is expected! Strive to participate actively! In each recitation a selection of relevant exam questions will be presented. You will work in groups to solve these problems and will receive credit for your attempts to answer the questions — 5 points for each problem set, maximum 50 points. Recitations will start on Monday, January 14th.
Laboratory
The laboratory associated with this class is CEM 162 but concurrent enrollment is not required (CEM 162 requires separate enrollment). The CEM 162 labs start during the week of January 14th.
Problem Sets (OWL© Homework)
Ten problem sets will be issued during the semester. There are no make-ups or extensions offered for missed problem sets. The problem sets will be administered by the OWL© system —this will be explained later. You are encouraged to work and study together in solving these problems but you are responsible for submitting your own set of answers by Saturday mornings at 8:00 am. Due-dates are noted on the calendar. You are strongly encouraged to do these problems—not only are they an excellent way to learn and understand the chemistry but they will contribute 16% to your final grade in the course. You must complete all the OWL problem sets correctly to obtain the full 160 points.
Examinations
There will be two mid-term examinations at 7:15pm on Thursday evenings during the course and there will be a final examination at the end of the course. Dates are noted on the accompanying calendar and syllabus. Rooms will be announced later. Absence from an examination because of illness must be substantiated by a physician. Absence due to extenuating circumstances must be preapproved. Alternate exams are offered on Thursday mornings at 6:30am if you have a scheduling conflict. If you cannot take the alternate exam at the scheduled time, you will be assigned a score based upon the weighted average of your other examination or your final exam, whichever is lower. Only one exam may be missed—if a second exam is missed the grade on that exam will be zero. Students registered with RCPD must start the exams early so that they finish at the scheduled time.
Previous Examinations
Many requests are received from students for sample examinations or examinations previously given in CEM 142. A book of these is now available from the General Chemistry Office (Room 185 Chemistry) or local bookstores. This book contains all the exams, and solutions to the exams, given in the last five years (ISBN 0963047124 $20). Working through these examinations is a useful way to test your knowledge of the material and to prepare for your own examinations.
Grades
The grade you receive in this course will be calculated from the total number of points /1000 that you earn:
Mid-term Exams 220 each Final Exam 350 Problem sets 160 Recitation 50
You must take the final exam at the scheduled time in order to achieve a passing grade. OWL points will be scaled so that the points you can earn in the OWL system contribute only 160 points to your total out of 1000. The deadline for reporting grade discrepancies with OWL problem sets and recitation scores on cemscores is the last day of class. The grade scale shown below is fixed, guaranteed, and will not be curved:
1000 – 800 4.0 739 – 680 3.0 619 – 560 2.0 499 – 440 1.0
799 – 740 3.5 679 – 620 2.5 559 – 500 1.5 439 – 0 0.0
Help Room and
Help with the chemistry in CEM 142 is available from the
instructors in the Help Room (Room 83 Chemistry). The schedule will be
posted outside the room. Use the Help Room as much as you like! Note that free
tutoring is available at the
General Chemistry Awards
Three awards will be given for the top three students enrolled in CEM 142 in the Spring Semester. The student achieving the highest number of points will receive a $500 award; the second highest will receive a $300 award; and the third highest will receive a $200 award. All awards are funded by the faculty and personnel of the General Chemistry Office.