A. General Introduction

Students who enrol in Chemistry 1P80 should have at least one year of high school chemistry. Only in exceptional circumstances should anyone attempt this course without having had previous chemistry. Much extra time is required to learn basics which are only touched on in Chemistry 1P80. The work load would be equivalent to two normal courses, and learning the basics on your own would require exceptional self-discipline.

We find that repetition of some basic material early in the course, in an accelerated format, is valuable to all students and necessary to some. Please bear with us if you already have a working knowledge of a particular topic, since many of your classmates do not.

Topics are chosen to cover the fundamentals of chemistry, as well as to be as relevant as possible to those with majors in other scientific disciplines. Since there are wide variations in high school chemistry course content, and in depth of coverage, many of the topics covered in this course are similar to those in high school chemistry courses. What differs is the depth of coverage, the importance of laboratory work, and the stress on integrated learning. In Chemistry 1P80, it is necessary to retain knowledge of previous topics, and build on it, throughout the course. Note that ALL tests and examinations are cumulative and cover material from the beginning of the year.
 

There are two 90-minute midterm tests plus a final examination. The 90-minute tests are scheduled to run on a Friday or Saturday (dates are in the lecture schedule). The midterm tests consist primarily of problems and short-answer questions. The final examination may include essay questions as well as problems and short-answer questions. All examinations are cumulative and may also include topics from the laboratory work.

Departmental Policy on Final Examinations A student must achieve a mark of at least 30% on the final examination in order to receive a passing mark in the course.
 

Students attend a lab once a week, according to the schedule given later in this Handbook. A completed experiment includes a submitted lab report. Students must complete at least 90% of the labs in order to pass the course. If you miss an experiment, you will be allowed to make it up provided you have a valid reason for your absence from lab. A make-up lab is scheduled for the 11th week of term.

Laboratory reports are due two working days after completion of the experiment. Day lab reports should be turned in by 5:30 p.m. on the 2nd day, in the report box outside E305. Night lab reports are due at noon on the third day.
 

There are weekly assignments in CHEM 1P80, designed to follow the adopted textbook (Kotz and Treichel 4th edition). Each student registered in the course will receive a package of assignments during the lab. No two assignments are the same. If you lose your assignments, there is a replacement charge of $1 for each assignment that must be reprinted.

Assignments are due about a week after the material has been covered in lecture. For this reason, late assignments will not be accepted. There is no penalty for turning in assignments early!
 

Effective September 2001, students must have an average of 60% or higher in CHEM 1P80 and CHEM 1P81 in order to take Chemistry courses at the second-year level.

This page is: http://chemiris.labs.brocku.ca/~chemweb/courses/chem180/index.html Last revised: Oct. 10,2000 by Mary Frances Richardson © Brock University, 1999 Disclaimer