(Course descriptions from the Holy Cross College Catalog) Chemistry 181 - Atoms and Molecules Atoms and Molecules This introductory general chemistry course leads students to explore in-depth the scientific method through the formulation and testing of hypotheses in the laboratory. Laboratory experiments lead students to discover basic principles, i.e., stoichiometric relationships, electronic confi guration and molecular structure. Lectures will explain and expand upon laboratory results. This course is suitable for students seeking to satisfy the sci- ence distribution requirements. It is also the first course in the sequence for science majors and premedical students. One four-hour “discovery” laboratory session per week is included. One and one-half units. Chemistry 231 - Equilibrium and Reactivity Focuses on studying and understanding the role equilibrium, thermodynamics and kinetics play in chemical systems. Specific topics include phase and chemical equilibria, colligative properties of solutions, acid/ base equilibria, chemical kinetics, electrochemistry, thermodynamics including enthalpy, entropy and free energy, and gas laws. Laboratory focused, this general chemistry course also introduces students to modern analytical instrumentation (such as UV-Vis spectrophotometer and GC-TCD) while developing critical wet chemical analytical techniques. Knowledge and skills gained in Chem 181, 221 and 222 will be built upon with an emphasis on obtaining quantitative understanding. One four-hour “discovery” laboratory ses- sion per week is included. Prerequiscalculus. One and one-half units. Prerequisite: Chem 181 Chemistry 346 — Instrumental Chemistry and Analytical Methods 1 The application of instrumentation to chemical research and analysis has had a dramatic impact on the field of chemistry. As chemists, we must understand how instrumentation works in order to exploit its capabilities. Th is course focuses on spectroscopic, chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods of analysis. Specifi c analytical techniques included are molecular and atomic UV-Vis spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, TLC, GC, HPLC, and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Laboratory and lecture work emphasize understanding instrumental design, major analytical methods of analysis and method development. When the student finishes this course he or she should be able to understand how and/or why instruments are designed to operate according to certain specific criteria and make intelligent choices among several possible ways of solving an analytical problem. Furthermore, the student should have confidence in his/her ability to work with modern chemical instrumentation. One four-hour laboratory session per week is included. Prerequisite: Chemistry 231, prerequisite or corequisite: Physics III (with laboratory) of Physics 115. One and one-half units. Chemistry 336 — Classical Physical Chemistry
This course is a study of the basic concepts, principles and methods of classical physical chemistry. Physical chemistry asks “how?” and/or “why?” things happen as they do. Here, the emphasis will be on developing a deeper understanding of the macroscopic properties that govern chemical phenomena. The topics covered |