Undergraduate Chemistry Course Descriptions

Undergraduate Chemistry Course Syllabi

Chemistry 100-Introduction to Chemistry (4) A one semester introduction to basic chemistry for high school graduates, adults who are re-entering college after a long absence and transfer students who are concerned about their readiness for science courses at UB. The course is designed for students who have had no high school chemistry or who have a weak background in chemistry. It is also for students who feel that a thorough understand of the required general chemistry courses which follow CHE100 is a must for their academic success, especially pre-professional students in natural sciences, health related professions and engineering. Emphasis will be placed on problem solving. Topics covered will include: chemical measurements, properties of atoms and molecules, chemical reactions, chemical calculations, properties of gases and thermochemistry. Three hours of lecture and one hour of recitation weekly. This course is offered in the fall semester only. (Lecture/Recitation) Prerequisite: intermediate high school algebra or its equivalent. Chemistry 101-102-General Chemistry (5-5) Chemistry 101-102 serves as an introduction to the fundamental concepts of chemistry and is also a survey of important chemical elements and their compounds. Intended Chemistry majors should be enrolled in CHE105-106. CHE101-102 is a pre-professional course designed for students in the natural sciences and biological sciences. The format of the course is lecture (3 hrs. per week), recitation/discussion (1 hr. per week), and laboratory (3 hrs. per week). Lecture classes are large-about 350 students, but recitation and lab sections are kept below 30 students to encourage class participation and to ensure attention for each student. Total enrollment: 900 students. CHE101 and 102 are offered in the fall and spring semesters. (Lecture/Laboratory/Recitation) Prerequisites: high school chemistry and satisfactory performance on the mathematics aptitude examination; or permission of the department. Chemistry 105-106-Chemical Principles and Applications (5-5) This course is a general chemistry course for science majors including chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, chemical engineering and related fields. The material covered is similar to 101-102 except that the focus is on chemistry in our everyday lives or descriptive "real world" chemistry. In addition, more individual discussion is possible due to the small size of the classes. CHE105 is offered in the fall semester and CHE106 is offered in the spring semester. (Lecture/Laboratory/Recitation) Prerequisites: high school chemistry and satisfactory performance on the mathematics aptitude examinations. Chemistry 107-108-General Chemistry for Engineers (4-4) This 4 hour course (3 lectures, 1 lab per week) is designed to meet the general chemistry requirements for students wishing to receive an engineering degree in 4 years. (CHE101 and 105 also fulfill this requirement, but as 5 hour courses they often overload the student's schedule.) The emphasis in CHE107-108 is on general chemistry topics not encountered elsewhere in the engineering curriculum. Atomic physics and thermodynamics, for example, are de-emphasized because they are treated elsewhere, so this course should not be used to science distribution credit. The laboratory component of the course is identical to that in CHE101-102. Because of the accelerated pace of the course, facility with algebra is assumed and remedial mathematics will not be taught. Calculus is not required. The total enrollment will not exceed 550 students. CHE107 is offered in the fall semester and CHE108 is offered in the spring semester. (Lecture/Laboratory/Recitation) Prerequisites: high school chemistry and satisfactory performance on the mathematics aptitude examination or permission of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Chemistry 201-Organic Chemistry I (5) First semester of "Introduction to Organic Chemistry". In this first semester, students are exposed to the concepts involved in: (1) visualizing organic molecules in three dimensions; (2) understanding reactions of complex molecules in terms of the characteristic chemistry of the component functional groups; and (3) determining the structures of organic compounds by spectroscopic methods. The material in this course forms the essential background for further studies in the Life Sciences or for further work in Chemistry. Total enrollment: 440. CHE201 is offered in the fall semester. (Lecture/Laboratory/Recitation) Prerequisites: CHE101-102 or 105-106 or 107-108. Chemistry 202-Organic Chemistry II (5) An introductory course covering the major classes of organic compounds, bonding theories, stereochemistry, reaction mechanisms and synthesis of representative compounds in the major classes are emphasized. Three hours of lecture, one of recitation, and three of laboratory weekly. Typical enrollment is 150 students in each of the two lecture sessions and 25 students in each recitation and laboratory section. CHE202 is offered in the spring semester. (Lecture/Laboratory/Recitation) Prerequisite: CHE201. Chemistry 214-Introduction to Analytical Chemistry (3) This course provides the chemist/biochemist, or any science oriented student, with a thorough and vital background for understanding the basis of quantitative analytical processes. The course includes a survey of the classical methods of chemical analysis, the underlying theoretical concepts, and a brief introduction to modern instrumental analysis techniques. Approximately 30-35 students. CHE214 is offered in the fall semester only. (Lecture) Prerequisites: CHE101-102 or 105-106 or 107-108. Chemistry 215-Introduction to Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (2) Complementary laboratory course for CHE214 which allows the student "hands-on" experience with the methodology, techniques and instruments involved in performing classical and modern chemical analysis. Approximately 12-16 students. CHE215 is offered in the spring semester. (Laboratory) Prerequisite: CHE214. Chemistry 251-252-Contemporary Organic Chemistry I & II (5-5) An organic chemistry sequence of limited enrollment, for chemistry majors and related science students who have an interest in learning chemistry in a smaller, more personal environment. This course serves as an alternative to CHE201-202. It is presented in a more informal manner than the latter course and will include some differences in the laboratory portion of the course designed to accommodate the interest level of students that are present. Three hours of lecture and six hours of laboratory weekly. CHE251 is offered in the fall, and CHE252 is offered in the spring. (Lecture/Laboratory/Recitation) Prerequisites for CHE251: CHE101-102 or 105-106. Prerequisite for CHE252: CHE251. CHE201 may be accepted by permission of the instructor. Chemistry 290-Undergraduate Research (1) Introduction to research methods in chemistry under the direction of a chemistry faculty member. Students may do CHE290 in the fall, spring or summer. Please see the department for registration in this course. (Laboratory) Prerequisites: CHE101-102 or CHE105-106 or CHE107-108; and permission of instructor. Chemistry 301-Intermediate Organic Chemistry (4) Chemistry 301 is an advanced laboratory course in organic chemistry designed to bridge the gap between "cookbook" experiments and reaction design. The laboratory utilizes nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet-visible and infrared spectroscopy to characterize compounds and monitor reaction rates. Special emphasis is given to individually developed experiments in organic synthesis. Enrollment: 30-35 students. CHE301 is offered in the fall semester. Prerequisites: CHE201-202 or CHE251-252; CHE214. Chemistry 319-Physical Chemistry I (3) This is the first term of the introductory physical chemistry course. We attempt to cover most of chemical thermodynamics; introduction to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Laws; chemical potential and one component phase equilibria; reaction equilibrium in ideal gases, ideal solutions; non-ideal gases and non-ideal solutions and activity coefficients; reaction equilibria in non-ideal systems; multicomponent phase equilibria; electrochemical systems. Course offered in the fall semester. Prerequisites: CHE101-102 or 1-5-106 or 107-108-158; PHY107-108; MTH141-142; or permission of instructor. Corequisite: MTH241; CHE321. Chemistry 320-Physical Chemistry II (3) Quantum mechanics as applied to Chemistry. Non-classical predictions and their verification by experiment. Atomic bonding and molecular structure. Spectroscopy of atoms and molecules. Enrollment: 55-75. CHE320 is offered in the spring semester. (Lecture) Prerequisites: CHE319 (above). Chemistry 321-Inorganic Chemistry I (3) This course surveys the basics of inorganic chemistry, beginning with atomic theory and periodic properties. Both valence bond and molecular orbital description of bonding are used to increase understanding of molecule formation. Molecular and ionic structures are examined. With this framework established descriptive chemistry of inorganic compounds is surveyed. Topics covered include: acids and bases, solvents, coordination compounds, main group compounds, ligand field theory and transition metals. Enrollment: 40 students. Course offered in the fall semester. (Lecture) Corequisite: CHE319 or CHE349. Chemistry 322-Inorganic Chemistry II (3) This combination lecture and laboratory course is an extension of Chemistry 321. The lecture will survey organometallic and bioinorganic chemistry. The laboratory will introduce synthetic techniques including vacuum line, Schlenk, infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resource. Typical syntheses will involve silane, ferrocene, a copper borohydride and an iron cluster. Enrollment: 16 students. Course offered in the spring semester. (Laboratory/Lecture) Prerequisites: CHE319; 321. Chemistry 329-Physical Chemistry Lab I (2) This is a laboratory course that parallels CHE319. The first four weeks are devoted to an introduction to BASIC programming and methods of numerical methods applied to chemical problems. Each student then performs four experiments, each of which is illustrative of some of the lecture material. A complete report is required for each experiment. Course offered in the fall semester. (Laboratory) Corequisites: CHE319; MTH241. Chemistry 330-Physical Chemistry Lab II (2) This is a continuation of CHE329. Each student performs six experiments which illustrate a wide variety of chemical phenomena and experimental methods. Experiments on electrolytic conductance, optical and magnetic spectroscopy, molecular structure, and chemical kinetics, among others, are available. Course offered in the spring semester. (Laboratory) Prerequisites: CHE319; MTH241 Corequisites: CHE320. Chemistry 332-Physical Chemistry Lab (1) A physical chemistry undergraduate laboratory course carrying one credit, designed for chemical engineers who have completed an undergraduate thermodynamics course. Four experiments are required with detailed reports to be submitted for each experiment involving an error analysis and a discussion of the results obtained. The experiments will vary in their precise nature, but will related primarily to ideal and real gas behavior and to thermodynamics. A series of lectures will be presented at the beginning of the first semester on the statistical theory or error analysis. Students will be expected to carry out their error analyses using specifically designed computer software. Enrollment: 70-80 students. CHE332 is offered in the spring semester. (Laboratory) Prerequisites: CHE101-102, 105-106, PHY107-108-158; MTH141, 142; CE304; or permission of instructor. Corequisite: CHE320 or CHE334. Chemistry 334-Physical Chemistry for Chemical Engineers (3) This course is designed to complete the introduction to modern physical chemistry for students who have already completed a course in classical thermodynamics, CE304, for example. The topics covered are elementary quantum theory, an introduction to statistical thermodynamics, molecular and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, kinetics of chemical reactions in both the gaseous and liquid phase, and transport phenomena. Typical registration: 60-90 students. CHE334 is offered in the spring. (Lecture) Prerequisites: CE304; MTH141-142; or permission of the instructor. Chemistry 349-Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences Lecture (3) This course covers many of the same general topics as CHE319-320, but focuses on applications to biological systems. The depth and breadth of the mathematical development of the topics is less than that of CHE319-320. The three main subjects covered are thermodynamics, time dependence and structure & spectra. Course offered in the fall semester. (Lecture) Prerequisites: CHE202, CHE214 and MTH122 (or MTH141); or permission of instructor. Chemistry 350-Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences Lab (1) This laboratory is a one semester laboratory course in Physical Chemistry which focuses on applications to biological systems. There are five or more experiments (laboratory and computer) involving such topics as acetylcholine, molecular recognition, enzyme kinetics, helix-coil transition in peptides and determination of the osmotic pressure of an aqueous serum albumin. CHE350 is offered in the fall semester and is the laboratory portion of CHE349. (Laboratory) Corequisite: CHE349. Chemistry 376-Introduction to Chemical Literature (3) Chemistry 376, Introduction to Chemical Literature, is designed to develop familiarity with and facility in using the primary, secondary and tertiary resources of the different kinds of chemical literature. An integral part of the course includes individual library problems and a retrospective literature search. Major topics covered in this course include: Government Documents, Sources of Physical Data, Chemical Abstracts, Beilstein, Gmelin, Science Citation Index, Patent Literature and Computer Searching. Chemistry 376 is a required course for BS Chemistry Majors. Enrollment averages 25-30 students. Course offered in the spring semester. (Lecture) Prerequisites: Chemistry major or permission of instructor, CHE201-202 or 251-252; CHE214; CHE319; or permission of the instructor. Chemistry 412-The Chemistry of Biological Systems (3) Chemistry 412 is a one semester lecture course which focuses on the application of chemical principles to the solution of important problems in biology, focusing on the development and integration of chemical principles from sophomore and junior-level chemistry courses into lectures on the molecular structure and function of the components of living systems. Concepts and methods important to each of the core disciplines (analytical, inorganic, organic and physical) will be presented. Course is offered in the spring semester. (Lecture) Prerequisites: CHE201-202 or CHE251-252; MTH121-122 or MTH141-142; CHE319 or CHE349; or permission of instructor. Chemistry 413-Instrumental Analysis (4) Chemistry 413 is a team taught senior level instrumental analysis course which includes three lecture components: Electrochemistry, Spectroscopy and Separation. In addition, a laboratory component which involves six experiments (2 each in the three subject areas) is an integral portion of the course. In each section, the emphasis is on fundamental measurements in each field, basic principles, instrumentation and analytical performance characteristics. Enrollment: 24 students. Course offered in the fall semester. (Lecture/Laboratory) Prerequisites: CHE202 or 252; CHE215; CHE319; or permission of instructor. Chemistry 423-Chemical Applications of Group Theory (3) Advanced topics in inorganic chemistry, including chemical applications of group theory. Three hours of lecture weekly. Enrollment: 10 students. Course offered in the fall semester. (Lecture) Prerequisite: CHE321, CHE319 or CHE349; or instructor's permission. Chemistry 455-Advanced Organic Chemistry I (3) This course has three interrelated goals. First, classical organosynthetic methodology is reviewed, along with the introduction of new reagents and strategies. Second, complex syntheses are broken down into simpler problems by retrosynthetic analysis. Third, actual total synthesis taken from the recent literature are studied and even some unsolved problems are discussed. Enrollment for this course is usually ca. 10-15 students. Course offered in the spring semester. (Lecture) Prerequisites: CHE301, CHE319 or CHE349; or permission of instructor. Chemistry 457-Advanced Physical Chemistry-Statistical Thermodynamics (3) This course includes a review of the fundamentals of classical thermodynamics and emphasizes the connections between thermodynamics and microscopic structure. The subject matter is then developed from a molecular and statistical point of view. The main aim is to demonstrate the usefulness of thermodynamics and associated statistical methods in understanding molecular events in homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical reactions. The kinetics of chemical processes will be treated for reactions in both gaseous and condensed phases. Enrollment: 10-20 students. Course offered in the fall semester. (Lecture) Prerequisites: CHE202 or 252; CHE319; or permission of instructor. Chemistry 458-Advanced Physical Chemistry (3) This course will give hands on experience in the use of quantum chemistry software in the calculation of the spectroscopic and structural properties of molecules. After an introduction covering the basic principles of Quantum Mechanics which is needed for the understanding of molecular calculations in chemistry, each student will be assigned an account for the actual calculations. Interpretation of the results will be discussed in detail. Both organic and inorganic examples will be treated. Students should have a working knowledge to perform quantum mechanical calculation in support of their research after completion of the course. Course offered in the spring semester. (Lecture) Prerequisites: CHE202 or 252; CHE319; or permission of instructor. Chemistry 470-Analytical Chemistry of Pollutants (3) The key to understanding pollution problems is knowing what the pollutants are, where they are, and how much is present. This course covers the basics of how this is done, emphasizing examples from the current literature. One of the three credits is devoted to a group laboratory project designed by the students. Enrollment is usually 10-15 students. This course is a good companion with CHE414. Course offered in the spring semester. (Lecture) Prerequisites: CHE202 or CHE252; CHE214; CHE319 or CHE349; or permission of the instructor. Chemistry 481-Senior Research (1-3) Supervised research under the direction of a chemistry faculty member. May be taken one or both semester of the senior year. Chemistry majors are strongly encouraged to explore the completion of senior research during their undergraduate career. (Laboratory) Prerequisite: senior status in department; permission of the instructor.