Syllabus 33100

City College of New York

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Syllabus for Chemistry 33100

Physical Chemistry Laboratory I

Prerequisites: CHEM 33000

Special Consideration: Spring semester only

Hours/Credits:         1 hour lecture per week, 4 hours lab per week, 2 cr.

Lecture and lab is given once per week.

This course is counted as a writing course (W) to partially fulfill the elective-level course requirement.

Textbook:     None. Extensive original literature searching and retrieval is necessary for the laboratory reports.

Grading Scheme

The laboratory experiments will be performed individually.

The final course grade will be based on one full laboratory report and worksheets for the other laboratory experiments.

Points are deducted for late lab reports and worksheets (-5 points for each day late).

For every lab report or worksheet not submitted a full letter grade will be deduced from the final grade in the course.

Laboratory reports must be in scientific journal article format (abstract, introduction, experimental, results, discussion, conclusion, references, and an appendix for all data and calculations).

Grading Scheme

Laboratory report: 35% of the final course grade

Laboratory worksheets: 25% of the final course grade

Literature presentation: 10% of the final course grade

Final presentation with an oral exam: 20% of the final course grade

In-class exam: 10% of the final course grade

Lab report: (only one lab report will be required, you will be assigned the lab for the full report and your final presentation will be on this same laboratory experiment)

The grading rubric for laboratory reports is based on the quality of the report as a whole. Laboratory reports must be in scientific journal article format (abstract, introduction,

experimental, results, discussion, conclusion, references, appendix for all data and calculations).

Drafts will be due earlier and they will be graded (both drafts and the final report will receive grades). There will be a first complete draft, we will provide comments, a second revised draft, another set of comments, and a final report submitted.

Worksheets:

All other labs will have a worksheet with questions that need to be answered about the lab and a guide to the information to be analyzed from the data..

Literature presentation:

Each student will give a PowerPoint presentation on one paper from a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The presentation must be 15 minutes in duration. The grading rubric will be disseminated prior to the presentation.

Final presentation:

Each student will give a PowerPoint presentation on one randomly chosen laboratory experiment. The presentation must be 15 minutes in duration followed by student questions and an oral exam by the professor. The grading rubric will be disseminated prior to the presentation. There will be an oral examination after the presentation (questions by students and faculty).

In-class exam:

A written exam will be given based on material presented during lecture.

It will be held during the last lecture period of the semester.

List of Experiments

1. Statistical Mechanics (2 weeks)
2. Viscosity (1 week)
3. Vapor Pressure (1 week)
4. Phase Diagram (2 weeks)
5. UV-VIS (Particle in a Box) (2 weeks)
6. Kinetics (2 weeks)
7. Python (2 weeks)
8. Rovibrational spectrum of molecular HCl and DCl (2 weeks)
9. UV-VIS vibronic spectrum of molecular I₂ (2 weeks)
10. Raman spectroscopy and calculations of tetrahedral compounds (2 weeks)

11. Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (2 weeks)
12. X-ray diffraction (XRD) of solid state compounds (1 week)

13. Variational Method (1 week)

Statement on Academic Integrity from the CCNY Website:

Academic integrity is an essential part of the pursuit of truth, and of your education. We are all are all responsible for maintaining academic integrity at City College – it is the rock on which the value of your degree is built.

If you cheat on a test or plagiarize by using someone else's work or ideas, you defeat the purpose of your education. In addition, academic dishonesty is prohibited in the City University of New York, and is punishable by failing grades, suspension and expulsion.

Details of the CCNY Policy on Academic Integrity can be found here:

www.ccny.cuny.edu/about/integrity

Attendance (specific to CHEM 33100):

All portions of the course (lecture, lab and presentation) are required. You are permitted one unexcused absence. If you are absent for more than one session, you will be automatically dropped from the course at the end of the semester. You will be given a WU grade that converts to an F if not officially withdrawn. If you do not give a presentation, but you have completed all of the reports, then you will receive a grade of INC.

Attendance (general CCNY policy):

Students are expected to attend every class session of each course in which they are enrolled and to be on time. An instructor has the right to drop a student from a course for excessive absence. Students are advised to determine the instructor’s policy at the first class session. They should note that an instructor may treat lateness as equivalent to absence. (No distinction is made between excused and unexcused absences.) Each instructor retains the right to establish his or her own policy, but students should be guided by the following general College policy: In courses designated as clinical, performance, laboratory or field work courses, the limit on absences is established by the individual instructor (see above). For all other courses, the number of hours absent may not exceed twice the number of contact hours the course meets per week. When a student is dropped for excessive absence, the Registrar will enter the grade of WU.

Courtesy:

Noise and excessive chatter, eating, drinking, or use of unauthorized electronic equipment is not allowed in the classroom.

Disability:

In compliance with CCNY policy and equal access laws, appropriate academic accommodations are offered for students with disabilities. Students must first register with The AccessAbility Center for reasonable academic accommodations. The AccessAbility Center is located in the North Academic Center, Rm. 1/218. Tel: (212) 650-5913. Under The Americans with Disability Act, an individual with a disability is a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. If you have any such issues, I encourage you to visit the AccessAbility Center to determine which services may be appropriate for you.

Academic Appeals:

The faculty of each of the schools defines the degree requirements, academic standards, and rules, and in general has jurisdiction over all of the courses offered by that school. Each of the schools has a Committee on Course and Standing charged with overseeing enforcement of these