Attendance at practical and tutorial classes:

• You must attend and participate in all four practical classes to pass CHEM1001/CHEX1001.
• You must attend and participate in the SGTA (tutorial) classes.
• Note: If you miss a practical class or tutorial class you are NOT automatically entitled to a make-up class. Such an opportunity may be offered, if possible, provided sufficient warning is provided. Note that for CHEM1001/CHEX1001 these opportunities are very limited.

 

Weekly Quizzes (20%) and SGTA/Tutorial Attendance (0% but Hurdle):

• SGTA/Tutorial Assessment is composed of two components - Weekly Quizzes (worth 20% of your aggregate unit mark), and SGTA Problem Sets + Attendance (worth 0% but are a HURDLE requirement)
• Weekly Quiz (20%): The Weekly Quizzes will contribute 20% to your overall mark. Your lowest quiz mark will NOT be used to calculate your average mark. The Weekly Quiz will be provided through Mastering Chemistry.
• SGTA Problem Set and Attendance (HURDLE): During the SGTAs (tutorials) you will be given a problem set of questions through Mastering Chemistry, which will be based on the lecture material and textbook. A score of 50% or more on each Problem Set is required to allow the Problem Set to be counted towards. Tutorial attendance will be recorded and, along with completion of the SGTA Problem Set, will count towards reaching the hurdle requirement. Attainment level of 80% over the SGTA Problem Sets and attendance together is necessary to meet the hurdle requirement.
• The Weekly Quiz and SGTA Problem Sets are due by 11:55 pm on the Sunday at the end of the week. There is a penalty for late submission. No concession for technical difficulties will be provided for up to three hours before the deadline. Do not leave it until the last meant to complete the quiz.

 

Practical class exercises (20%):

• You must complete four practicals, each worth 5%. The practicals are composed of prelaboratory (prelab) exercises (10%), performance in the laboratory and prac tical (prac) report (80%), and after laboratory (postlab) exercises (10%).
• Prelab exercises: Prelab exercises will be completed via an iLearn Quiz (not Mastering Chemistry). These are due by 11:55 pm on the Sunday prior to your practical class. Note that for CHEM1001/CHEX1001 S2 this is approximately a week BEFORE your weekend practical classes. Late submissions will not be accepted. There will be no concession for technical difficulties. Do not leave submission until the last moment.
• Postlab exercises: Postlab exercises will be completed via an iLearn Quiz (not Mastering Chemistry). These are due by 11:55 pm on the Sunday of the week following your laboratory classes, giving you between 10 to 14 days to complete. Late submissions will not be accepted. There will be no concession for late submission. There will be no concession for technical difficulties. Do not leave submission until the last moment.
• Prac Report: Your prac report will be submitted at the end of your practical class. Late submissions will not be accepted. Ensure that you hand in your report before leaving the laboratory.

 

In-Session Test (20%):

• The In-Session Test is a hurdle assessment, and you will need to achieve at least 40% in this assessment to meet the hurdle. In the event that you make a serious first attempt at the In-Session Test but fail to make the hurdle, you will be provided with second attempt. The University defines a serious attempt as a mark of 10% below the hurdle, which in this instance is a mark between 30-40%. You will NOT be given a second attempt to pass the In-Session Test if you get below 30% in your first attempt. The maximum mark achievable on a resit of a hurdle assessment is the threshold mark. In this case that is 40%.
• The Test will be provided as an iLearn quiz. The test will be available in a window of approximately three days (precise dates will be provided on iLearn). Once commenced the Test must be completed within the set time limit (see iLearn). The test will close at the end of this time limit, or at the conclusion of the overall window, whichever comes first. There are no late submissions. No concession for technical difficulties for be given for technical issues for 3 hours before the close of the window. It is in your interest to start the test well in advance of the close of the window.
• The mid-session test will be held in Week 7, as this will allow failing students to withdraw without academic penalty. Note that the last day to withdraw without fail is 19 August 2022.

 

Final Exam (40%):

• The final examination will be two (2) hours in length, with 10 minutes reading time, consisting of multiple choice and long answer questions. The final examination will cover all sections of the unit (lectures, lab practicals, workshops and assignments) and is designed to address specific understanding of all the concepts presented within the course.

 

Information on Supplementary exams:

• If you receive a special consideration for the final exam, a supplementary exam will be scheduled in the interval between the regular exam period and the start of the next session.  By requesting a special consideration for the final exam you are declaring yourself available for a resit during the supplementary examination period and will not be eligible for a second special consideration approval based on pre-existing commitments. Please ensure that you are familiar with the policy prior to submitting an application.

 

Your marks will be displayed on Gradebook in iLearn. It is your responsibility to regularly verify that the records displayed at iLearn (Tools->Grades) are correct.

If you have difficulty attending and participating in a hurdle assessment task, please contact the Unit Convenor, in ADVANCE if possible, or immediately after if not, as there may be alternatives available to make-up a missed task. If there are circumstances that mean you miss a hurdle assessment task, you may apply for a special consideration. To support your extension, you must submit a "Special Consideration Request" request via www.ask.mq.edu.au. See the SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS web page for instructions on how to do this.  Please note that evidence must be given to support your request for an extension. You have a limited time after the event to submit a special consideration request (see SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS web page).

Communication

During the semester, the CHEM1001 iLearn site will be used to communicate important information to you. In addition, emails will be sent to your student email account. Please check your messages frequently.

We cannot overstate the importance of regularly checking your emails and the CHEM1001 iLearn site.

Classes

See https://timetables.mq.edu.au/2022 for class times and locations.

• Lectures: Lectures are in two formats. There are pre-recorded lecture videos on the iLearn page/Echo360 site that you are expected to have watched and taken notes on PRIOR to the weekly “live lectures”. At the “live lectures” we will go through examples and take questions from you.

• SGTAs (Tutorials): SGTAs will be held on-campus. During the SGTAs, you will work through problems (the SGTA Problem Set) with your classmates in a collaborative and interactive manner. You will be using an online system, so you must bring a device that can be used to give you access to the internet. A laptop is best. Mobiles phones can be used but you may experience some difficulty in manipulating some of the items in the questions.

• Practicals: The practical classes for CHEM1001 are run in 14SCO 308. It is very important that you understand that you will not be allowed to attend the laboratory if you do not have a laboratory coat (“lab coat”), safety glasses and enclosed, study footwear (e.g. ugg boots are not acceptable). For hygiene reasons the Department does not provide lab coats, safety glasses or footwear. Disposable gloves are supplied. It is also important that you understand that the doors to the laboratory will be closed 15 minutes after the official start of the class. Entry to the class will not be permitted after this time.

You are required to undertake prelaboratory exercises (prelabs) before coming to the session, to help you prepare for the lab. During the lab you will be assessed on general behaviour and competence, as well as the quality of your results. You are to submit a report (“lab report”) that summaries the outcomes of your investigation. There are post-laboratory exercises to be completed within a week of the lab session (“post-labs”).

Teaching and Learning Strategy

CHEM1001 is a 10 credit-point, half-year unit and will require, on average, 10 hours study per week (contact hours plus self-study time).

CHEM1001 is designed to introduce you to the principles of the molecular sciences, including developing an understanding of the practical skills required to undertake simple chemistry experiments in an efficient and safe manner. The lecture materials, tutorials and practical classes complement each other, and along with quizzes, have been developed to increase your understanding of the topics so that you can achieve the learning outcomes.

The unit expectation is that you will:

• Watch the pre-recorded lecture videos and attend all lectures.
• Actively engage in the SGTA classes and attempt the set exercises.
• Demonstrate competence in all practical exercises.
• Spend an average of no less than 3 hours per week of private study in addition to class contact.

If you prepare, study and attend all components of the unit and work consistently and continuously throughout the session, you should be able to develop a strong understanding of the general and organic chemistry presented, and perform well in this unit and develop a deep understanding of the concepts covered. Students who fail to do this and try to cram just before the exam will not do well in this unit.

• Lectures: You are required to view and take notes on the lecture videos provided. In addition to the topic lectures, recordings of the "live lectures" from Session will be available. In these live lectures the lecturers spent time explaining key concepts and demonstrating how to perform important methods (calculations, interpretations, drawing representations, etc). Based on observations of related units, we emphasise that watching the lectures videos is essential to prevent falling behind and performing poorly. Learning is an active process, and as such, you must engage with the material. Reviewing lecture notes and relevant sections of the textbook (and beyond) before and after lectures is strongly recommended.

• SGTA (Tutorial) classes are run to assist your understanding of the course material. Experience has demonstrated that there is a strong correlation between participation in all activities, including the tutorial classes, and success in the unit and. During tutorials, we will use an online question system. The problems assigned for that week’s tutorial will be undertaken during the class. This will give you an opportunity to seek help on areas you are having difficulty with. A minimum standard must be achieved to be seen to have reached competency in the topic covered by the tutorial. If this is not achieved, further questions will be automatically assigned by Mastering Chemistry. The SGTA Problem Set questions do not contribute to the overall unit mark but participation in the SGTA is a HURDLE requirement. Participation will be assessed by attendance at the class and achieving competency in the topic.  
•  Practical classes are designed to develop basic laboratory skills, general safety practices, as well as critical and analytical thought. Pre-practical questions are designed to make sure you are ready for the practical work and have grasped the relevant theory and necessary safety practices. In-lab work is designed to teach you to appropriately record your experimental observations and to present your calculations in a detailed manner. Post-lab exercises are designed to assess your understanding of the theory behind the experiments conducted.

Provided Textbook: 

• Chemistry: The Central Science in SI Units, Expanded Edition, Global Edition, 15th edition, By Theodore L. Brown, H. Eugene LeMay, Bruce E. Bursten, Catherine Murphy, Patrick Woodward, Steven Langford, Dalius Sagatys, Adrian George
• N.B. Mastering Chemistry is strongly aligned to this textbook. The Department has bought you your license for Mastering Chemistry, which includes the textbook itself. You may wish to purchase a hardcopy or e-text for yourself, if you find it easier to use and if you wish to keep the text beyond this unit. If you do so, do not by the MasteringChemistry license as you already have this.

Other Recommended Texts:

• Highly Recommended: Pushing electrons: a guide for students of organic chemistry by Daniel P. Weeks, Fourth Edition, 2014, Brooks/Cole,C engage Learning. (https://au.cengage.com/c/isbn/9781133951889/) (QD476 .W38 2014)
• Openstax Chemistry 2e (free) Download or view at no cost at https://openstax.org/details/books/chemistry-2e
• Fundamentals of organic chemistry by John McMurry. 7th ed., Belmont, CA:Brooks/Cole,C 2011 (QD251.2.M4 2011)
• Introductory Chemistry by Nivaldo J. Tro, Fifth Edition (Pearson New International Edition), 2015, Pearson Education (QD33.2 .T76 2015)

Other general and organic chemistry textbooks are useful substitutes.

 

The following schedule is indicative only and may change.

CHEM1001 S2 2022 Schedule

Week 1

1. Introductions, Administration (Practical Classes, etc), Tools (Textbook, Mastering Chemistry)
2. Introduction to Chemistry – definitions: matter, states, reactions

Week 2

1. The Periodic Table - Structure of Atoms, emphasis on Electron Number, electron arrangement (shells), Trends Periods and Groups in the Periodic Table – atomic radius, ionic radius, electronegativity, ionisation energy, reactivity
2. Matter and Change – definitions of Chemistry, molecules/compounds, representations of Chemistry: chemical equations, balancing equations, Naming binary and simple polyatomic inorganic compounds.

Week 3

1. Quantification – significant figures, scientific notation. The mole and molar mass; conversions between amount (molecular) and amount (molar) and between amount and mass.
2. Quantification – concentration and dilutions

Week 4

1. Equilibria – concept, expression as K_c (use K_eq). K_sp, K_a, K_b as examples of K_eq under specific contexts.
2. Acids and Bases – examples of equilibria. K_a, K_b, K_w; pH etc.

Week 5

1. Buffers – concepts, quantification, Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation
2. Molecular Shape – Lewis Diagrams and VSEPR

Week 6

1. Organic Chemistry: Functional Groups and Drawing Structures
2. Organic Compound Naming

Week 7

1. Conformations, Isomerism and Stereochemistry
2. Predicting Reactivity and Electron Pushing

Week 8

1. Alkanes, Alkenes and Alkynes - Reactivities
2. Aromatic Compounds - Properties and Reactivities

Week 9

1. Alkyl halides - Reactivities Part 1
2. Alkyl halides - Reactivities Part 2

Week 10

1. Alcohols - Reactivities
2. Aldehydes and Ketones - Reactivities

Week 11

1. Carboxylic Acids and Derivatives - Properties and Reactivities
2. Biomolecules Part 1 - Carbohydrates

Week 12

1. Biomolecules Part 2 - Amines, Amino Acids, Peptides and Proteins
2. Biomolecules Part 3 - Nucleic acids

Week 13

1. Revision
2. Revision