1: AGENDA

Organization of the CHEM 210 Course

The title of this course "Modern Applications of Chemistry" embraces the fact that there are essential underlying principles that can be found in what seem to be radically complicated systems. Much of Modern Chemistry appears to be quite different from what you have seen in prior chemistry courses, but at the end of this course you should begin to see how even complicated systems can be interpreted through essentially simple concepts and models. 

This course is assessed in two main ways: Formative and Summative assessments. Formative Assessments are meant to be a place where you receive detailed feedback to help you to improve and to master certain critical ideas - things we call "Core Goals" in this course. There are 7 Core Goals listed below. 

Additionally, There will be two midterms and one final exam that will focus on approximately 1/3 of the material each. It is important to note that the last third of the material is on applications of the prior 2/3 of the course in new situations, so it very much still will seem to be cumulative. These summative assessments will evaluate your ability to demonstrate your ability on longer more complicated problems, as well as on basic Learning Objectives. 

Formative Assessments for Demonstrating Skill on Core Goals:

Instead of a Homework or Quiz grade that gives points based on effort or ability, you will be given multiple tries to try to pass each of the Core Goals above. Your work will be graded on a rubric and be given either a mark of "M" for Meets Expectations or an "N" for Not yet. The schedule for these assessments is below:

Note that only two attempts at the APP Core Goal attempts are given as these are cumulative applications of other materials. They are slightly longer than the others and time has been allocated for those. Note that the APP Core Goal is the 7th of the 7 goals, and is really intended to distinguish between an A- ability and an A ability in the course demonstrating an in-depth understanding of the applications of the other 6 Core Goals. 

You only need to earn an "M" on a Core Goal ONCE. Once you have received a mark of "M" then you do not need to study for, nor take the subsequent attempts at that Core Goal!

Your grade on the Core Goals will be determined by the following Rubric:

• Earning an "M" on all 7 Core Goals: 100%
• 6 out of 7: 95%
• 5 out of 7: 80%
• 4 out of 7: 65%
• 3 out of 7: 50%
• 2 out of 7: 35%
• 1 out of 7: 20%
• 0 out of 7: 0%

Summative Assessments: Midterms and Final

The course has three summative assessments: Midterm I, Midterm II, and the Final Exam. Note that the Final Exam is the same duration as the standard exams (~1.5 hours), and just like the other exams, will have the time allotted at the end for Core Goal Assessments (recall that if you already met the Core Goal with an "M", then you will not need to stay to complete an additoinal attempt). 

Supplemental Resources:

Table of Thermodynamic Properites that is a little longer than the LibreTexts one: https://www.chm.uri.edu/weuler/chm112/refmater/thermtable.html

Core Goal MAT: States of Matter, Interactions, Bonding, and Energy

• To gain a fundamental understanding of the composition of atoms with an emphasis on the atom’s nucleus.

• To develop chemical literacy regarding isotopes, nuclear stability, radioactive decay, fission, fusion, and applications involving nuclear transformation.

• To develop chemical literacy regarding phases of matter including gases, liquids, and solids with an emphasis on:

1. the gas phase and the origins and relative strengths of different contributions to intermolecular forces in the condensed phases,
2. phase changes and phase diagrams,
3. the properties of liquids and especially how they reflect intermolecular forces,
4. the properties of solids, especially crystal structures and metallic conduction.

• To gain a fundamental understanding of the gaseous state of matter and the ideal and non-ideal behavior of gases.

Assumed Knowledge from the Primer

• The Structure of Atoms
• Chemical Bonding
• Further Aspects of Covalent Bonding
• Properties of Organic Molecules

Core Goal SOL: Solutions

• To develop chemical literacy regarding the properties of solutions, with an emphasis on
  1. the miscibility of liquids and the solubility of gases and solids in liquids,
  2. the vapor pressure of solutions,
  3. colligative properties, and
  4. how these properties reflect the underlying intermolecular forces and thermodynamics. 
• To develop chemical literacy regarding chemical equilibrium as it applies to:
  1. solubility of ionic compounds and
  2. the formation of complex ions.

The SOL Core Goal Skill:

It is the expectation that you should be able to relate \(\Delta G\), \(\Delta S\), and \(\Delta H\) for a system, determine whether it is spontaneous and whether it is for  enthalpic or entropic driven reasons. Then: you should be able to use the relationship between \(K\) and \(\Delta G^\circ\) to relate this to an equilibrium process. 

Finally: you should be able to determine equilibrium concentrations or pressures from a given \(K\) (or a calculated \(K\)). 

Assumed Knowledge from the Primer

• Temperature Conversion and Dimensional Analysis

Core Goal AB1: Equilibrium Acids and Bases

Demonstrate chemical literacy regarding chemical equilibrium with an emphasis on:

1. how chemical systems change as they move toward a state of equilibrium;
2. how the equilibrium condition itself can be characterized;
3. how a system at equilibrium will respond to changes in conditions;
4. the relationship chemical equilibrium to chemical kinetics and thermodynamics;
5. the relative reactivity of acids and bases;
6. quantitative calculations involving chemical equilibria & aqueous solutions of acids, bases, and salts.

The AB1 Core Goal Skill:

Given any concentration of any strong acid, strong base, weak acids, weak bases, or a salt with either an acidic cation or a basic anion, be able to determine the pH and any of the other requested quantities including pOH, \(K_a\), \(K_b\), p\(K_a\), p\(K_b\) and/or percent ionization.

Assumed Knowledge from the Primer

• Nomenclature of Acids
• Polyatomic Ions

Core Goal AB2: Quantitative Properties of Acid/Base Systems

To develop chemical literacy regarding mixtures of acids, bases, and buffers with an emphasis on the principles of chemical equilibrium as applied to (1) neutralization reactions, (2) buffered solutions, and (3) acid-base titrations.

The AB2 Core Goal Skill:

Given a known concentration and volume of a diprotic weak acid or base, and a known concentration of the opposite strong base/acid, be able to draw a titration curve including: (1) Initial pH, (2) first midpoint, (3) first equivalence point, (4) second midpoint, (5) second equivalence point, (6) strong titrant dilution (XS). 

Core Goal ECHEM: Electrochemistry and RedOx Chemistry

To develop chemical literacy regarding electron transfer reactions and their applications with an emphasis on (1) galvanic, electrolytic, and concentration cells, and (2) cell potentials and their relationship to chemical equilibrium and thermodynamics.

The ECHEM Core Goal Skill:

Be able to draw a galvanic or electrolytic cell, label it, and determine the spontaneous voltage (galvanic) or needed voltage (electrolytic) to get the cell to run. 

Core Goals TMC: Transition Metals and their Complexes

To develop chemical literacy regarding transition metals and coordination chemistry with emphasis on: (1) formation of and bonding in coordination compounds and the characterization of their isomers; (2) electronic structure and properties (magnetic, optical) of transition metals and their ions; (3) the application of crystal field theory in interrelating molecular geometry, magnetic properties, and color for coordination compounds; (4) combining coordination chemistry concepts with previous knowledge, such as acid-base chemistry and equilibrium.

The TMC Core Goal Skill:

Given a pair of complexes, be able to predict each of their magnetism (diamagnetic or paramagnetic), high spin/low spin, which will be more blue-shifted or red-shifted in UV-VIS Spectroscopy, and all possible isomers of the structures.  

Core Goals APP: Applications in Modern Chemistry

Unstable Nuclei: To gain a fundamental understanding of the composition of atoms with an emphasis on the atom’s nucleus. • To develop chemical literacy regarding isotopes, nuclear stability, radioactive decay, fission, fusion, and applications involving nuclear transformation.

The APP Core Goal Skill:

Given a complex system (polymer, materials, or biochemical), be able to make a list of concepts that need to be considered in order to fully understand/describe the system by analysis via MAT/SOL/AB/ECHEM/TMC Core Goals. These Assessments will be open note and open internet. 

Lecture 1: 5/17/2023

Introduction to each other and general goals of the course were discussed. The full walk-through General Chemistry prior knowledge was done focusing on energy, scale, and the way matter and electromagnetic radiation interact with each other. The conceptual focus for this lecture was on: Scale Matters. Think about waves of light (electromagnetic radiation), waves of matter (electronic orbitals), and the Coulombic interaction of these as the basis for understanding interactions. Moving charges have electromagnetic properties. The nucleus has charged particles (protons) so changing the number of protons greatly changes the reactivity and properites of an atom. Electrons have a charge and a very much lighter mass, so they have larger space to occupy with their wavelengths (based on deBroglie's wavelength equation). A review of the components of the atom was highlighted and the chart of Nuclides to discuss stable vs unstable nuclei. Nuclear reactions were discussed and how to balance them. Finally, a discussion of Einstein's famous equation \[E=mc^2\] was shown to be the source of immense amounts of energy from the Mass Deficit when nucleons combine to form atomic nuclei. 

Final Exam: 6/28/2023 @ 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m in the DISCUSSION room

• TBD