Graduate/Undergraduate Courses
Courses for Graduate Students Only
Lower-Division Courses
CHEM 101. The Science of Chemistry (3). General education introductory course. Teaches the basic concepts of chemistry that will aid in understanding the physical world. No attempt to teach basic computational or laboratory skills; instead emphasizes such concepts as atomic and molecular theory, energy, structures, and theories regarding why reactions occur.
CHEM 103. Introductory Chemistry (5). 3R; 4L. General education introductory course. A survey of inorganic, organic, nuclear, and biological chemistry. Recommended for the student who plans to take only one course in chemistry. Students who expect to major in the natural sciences should take the CHEM 211-212 sequence. Credit is not granted for both CHEM 103 and 211. Prerequisite: one year of high school algebra or MATH 011.
CHEM 110. Preparatory Chemistry (3). A general chemistry course for students who have not had adequate preparation in chemistry or physics. Enables students to improve their problem-solving skills and to briefly review mathematics relevant to general chemistry. Introduces the basic chemical concepts of atoms, molecules, chemical reactions, chemical equations, gas laws, and solutions. Credit is allowed in only one of the following: CHEM 103, 110, or 211. Prerequisites: one and a half units of high school algebra or MATH 011.
CHEM 211. General Chemistry I (5). 3R; 4L. General education introductory course. An introduction to the general concepts of chemistry. Includes chemical stoichiometry, atomic and molecular structure, bonding, gas laws, states of matter, and chemical periodicity. CHEM 211-212 meets the needs of students who may wish to take more than one course in chemistry. Credit is allowed in only one of the following: CHEM 211, 103, or 110. Prerequisites: a college-level chemistry course such as CHEM 110, 101, or 103, or high school chemistry or physics; and concurrent enrollment in MATH 111 or two units of high school algebra or MATH 011.
CHEM 212. General Chemistry II (5). 3R; 4L. General education further study course. Continuation of CHEM 211. Includes thermodynamics, gaseous and ionic equilibria, kinetics, nuclear chemistry, electrochemistry, qualitative analysis, and an introduction to theories of bonding. Prerequisite: CHEM 211 with a grade of C or better.
CHEM 301. Issues and Perspectives in Chemistry (3). Students explore the chemical concepts involved in a minimum of four current national and international scientific, social, and economic issues, and analyze the complexity of the possible solutions of these issues. Prerequisites: CHEM 101, 103, or 211
CHEM 481. Cooperative Education in Chemistry (1-4). Permits chemistry students to participate in the Cooperative Education program. Offered Cr/NCr only. Courses for Graduate/Undergraduate Credit
Courses for Graduate/Undergraduate Credit
CHEM 514. Inorganic Chemistry (3). General education further study course. Basic inorganic chemistry emphasizing molecular symmetry and structure, fundamental bonding concepts, ionic interactions, periodicity of the elements, systematics of the chemistry of the elements, acid-base chemistry and non-aqueous solvents, classical coordination chemistry, and introductory bioinorganic chemistry. Prerequisite: CHEM 212 with a C or better.
CHEM 523. Analytical Chemistry (4). 2R; 6L. General education further study course. Evaluation of data, theory and application of gravimetric analysis and precipitation, neutralization, and oxidation-reduction volumetric analysis. Prerequisite: CHEM 212 with a C or better.
CHEM 524. Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis (4). 2R; 6L. Introduction to electroanalytical chemistry and optical method of analysis and analysis and separation of complex mixtures, both inorganic and organic. Also discusses basic computer programming as it applies to analytical chemistry. Prerequisite: CHEM 523.
CHEM 531. Organic Chemistry I (5). 3R; 6L. General education further study course. An introduction to the study of carbon compounds emphasizing reaction mechanisms, stereochemistry, and spectrographic analysis. Prerequisite: CHEM 212 with a C or better.
CHEM 532. Organic Chemistry II (5). 3R; 6L. A continuation of CHEM 531 emphasizing the structure and reactions of principal functional groups and compounds of biological interest. Prerequisite: CHEM 531 with a grade of C or better.
CHEM 546. Physical Chemistry I (3). Kinetic theory, kinetics, transport phenomena, quantum theory, spectroscopy, and statistical thermodynamics. Prerequisites: CHEM 212 with a grade of C or better, one year of college physics, and MATH 344 or its equivalent.
CHEM 547. Physical Chemistry Laboratory (2). 6L. Physical chemistry experiments that illustrate principles learned in CHEM 546 and 548. Prerequisite or co-requisite: CHEM 546.
CHEM 548. Physical Chemistry II (3). A continuation of CHEM 546 focusing on macroscopic physical theories in chemistry and their relation to quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. Postulates of thermodynamics. The first law of thermodynamics. Thermochemistry. Thermodynamic cycles. Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. Microscopic interpretation of entropy. The third law of thermodynamics. Absolute entropies, Free energies. Standard states. Method of thermodynamic potentials. Phase equilibria. Solution. Activity. Electrolyte solutions and Debye-Huckle theory. Chemical equilibrium. Direction of reaction spontaneity.
Equilibrium constants in terms of standard free energies and partition functions. Reaction rate laws. Experimental methods in chemical kinetics. Reaction mechanisms. Preequilibrium and steady state approximation. Chain reactions. Catalysis. Gas-phase dynamics. Potential energy surfaces. Transition state theory. Reaction kinetics in solution. Prerequisites CHEM 546.
CHEM 602. Numerical Methods (2). Application of numerical methods to problems in chemistry and physics. Roots of equations; curve fitting; interpolation, extrapolation, and smoothing of experimental data; numerical differentiation and integration; and computer programming. Prerequisite: instructor's consent.
CHEM 603. Industrial and Polymer Chemistry (3). Bridges the industrial-academic gap. Includes petroleum refining processes and distillation technology. Inorganic topics include glass technology, electro-refining and electroplating, and battery chemistry. Discusses cellulose(biomass)- based products such as gelling polysaccharides and natural fibers along with industrial adsorbents (clays, zeolites, ion exchange resins, carbon blacks), and emulsion technology. Topics in polymer chemistry include ways of making polymers, resins, elastomers, and synthetic fibers; methods of polymer analysis, structure-property correlations (how structure influences physical properties) plastics recycling, and methods of plastics and composites processing. Prerequisite or co-requisite: CHEM 532.
CHEM 605. Medicinal Chemistry (3). For students interested in chemistry related to the design, development, and mode of action of drugs. Course describes those organic substances used as medicinal agents and explains the mode of action and chemical reactions of drugs in the body; illustrates the importance and relevance of chemical reactions as a basis of pharmacological activity, drug toxicity, allergic reactions, carcinogenicity, etc; and brings about a better understanding of
drugs. Includes transport, basic receptor theory, metabolic transformation of drugs, discussion of physical and chemical properties in relation to biological activity, drug design, structure-activity relationships, and discussion of a select number of organic medicinal agents. Prerequisites: CHEM 532 or equivalent; a semester of biochemistry (CHEM 661 or 662) and a year of biology are strongly recommended.
CHEM 615. Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (3). Includes modern bonding theories, structure and spectra of inorganic compounds, coordination and organometallic chemistry, boranes, inorganic ring systems and polymers, inorganic environmental chemistry, mechanisms of inorganic reactions, and solid state chemistry. Prerequisites: CHEM 514 and 546.
CHEM 616. Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory (2). 6L. Experimental methods of inorganic chemistry. Prerequisite or co-requisite: CHEM 615. CHEM 641. Advanced Physical Chemistry (3). Quantum chemistry, atomic and molecular spectra, statistical thermodynamics, and reaction rate theory. Prerequisite: CHEM
548.
CHEM 661. Introductory Biochemistry (3). General education further study course. An introductory course for chemistry majors including chemistry/business majors and students in life sciences. Not recommended for the BS in chemistry for health sciences or biochemistry field majors for whom CHEM 662 and 663 are required. Introduces thermodynamics and biological oxidation-reduction reactions; structure, metabolism, and synthesis of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids; enzyme kinetics, photosynthesis, and transfer of genetic information. Prerequisite: CHEM 532. CHEM 662. Biochemistry I (3). Study of major constituents of the cell: protein, carbohydrate, glycoprotein, lipid, nucleic acid, nucleoprotein; enzyme catalysis; biological oxidations; photosynthesis; and introduction to intermediary metabolism. A fundamental background of biology or microbiology is recommended but not essential. Prerequisites: CHEM 523 and 532 or equivalents.
CHEM 663. Biochemistry II (3). Study of metabolism and control of carbohydrates, lipids, phosphoglycerides, spingolipids, sterols, amino acids and proteins; synthesis of porphyrins, amides and polyamines; synthesis and metabolism of purines, pyrimidines, and nucleotides; synthesis and structure of DNAs, RNAs and proteins; organization and functioning of genes; evolution of proteins and nucleic acids; hereditary disorders of metabolism; biochemistry of endocrine glands; major nutrients and vitamins; body fluids and generalized tissues. A fundamental background of biology or microbiology is recommended but not essential. Prerequisite: CHEM 662.
CHEM 664. Biochemistry Laboratory (3). 1R; 6L. Practical training in biochemical procedures and literature searching; experiments include isolation, characterization and assay of biomolecules and use of centrifugation, chromatography, electrophoresis, spectrophotometry, enzyme kinetics, and radioactive labeling techniques. Should be taken concurrently with CHEM 662 or CHEM 663. Prerequisite: CHEM 532 or equivalent.
CHEM 666. Special Topics in Biochemistry (3). (Offered fall semester in even-numbered years.) Discusses a small number of current problems in biochemistry in depth. Requires reading of published research in the field. Prerequisites: BIOL 211 and CHEM 662 and 663.
CHEM 669. Research in Biochemistry (2). Cross-listed as BIOL 669. S/U grade only. Students in the biochemistry field major participate in a biochemistry research project under the direction of a faculty member. Requires a written report summarizing the results. May be repeated once for credit. Prerequisites: BIOL 420 and CHEM 662 or 663 and 664.
CHEM 690. Independent Study and Research (2-3). Studies performed must be directed by a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry. Repeatable for credit. Amaximum LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES 141 of 3 credit hours may be counted toward graduation. Prerequisite: departmental consent.
CHEM 700. Chemistry Seminar (1). S/U grade only. Students give seminars on either papers recently published in the literature or on their own research. Repeatable for credit.
CHEM 701. Chemistry Colloquium (1). S/U grade only. Speakers for the colloquium consist of outstanding chemists from other institutions and faculty. Repeatable for credit.
CHEM 702. Environmental Science I (4). 2R; 3L. Cross-listedas BIOL 702 and GEOL 702. Advanced theoretical and applied principles of the interdisciplinary study of environmental science. Includes chemical cycling, atmospheric chemistry, aquatic chemistry, and phase interactions. Prerequisite: acceptance into the master's program in environmental science or instructor's consent.
CHEM 703. Environmental Science II (4). 2R; 3L. Cross-listed as BIOL 703 and GEOL 703. Advanced theoretical and applied principles of the interdisciplinary study of environmental science. Includes environmental chemical analysis, environmental toxicology, aquatic microbial biochemistry, environmental biochemistry, water treatment, photochemical smog, and hazardous waste chemistry. Prerequisite: acceptance in the master's program in environmental science or instructor's consent.
CHEM 704. Environmental Science Colloquium (1). Crosslisted as BIOL 704 and GEOL 704. Students in the master's program in environmental science are required to enroll each semester (maximum 4 credit hours). Includes presentations by guest speakers and required readings for class discussion. May also include student involvement in environmentally related community groups and projects.
CHEM 706. Environmental Science Internship (3-6). Cross-listed as BIOL 706 and GEOL 706. Students in the master's program in environmental science may gain interdisciplinary skills in environmental science by participating in applied and/or basic research internship projects with local business, industry, or government agencies. Internship option is an alternative to thesis research for degree requirements. Enrollment in internship projects requires an approved proposal. Completion of an internship for graduation requires a formal oral presentation of the internship activity and a written report. Prerequisites: CHEM 702 and 703.
CHEM 709. Special Topics in Chemistry (2-3). A discussion of topics of a special significance and interest to faculty and students. Offerings announced in advance. Repeatable for credit.
CHEM 712. Coordination Chemistry (3). The study of the synthesis, characterization, and properties of coordination compounds. Includes nomenclature, fundamental bonding concepts, principles of synthesis, mechanisms of substitution and electron transfer reactions, catalysis, and solid-state phenomena. Prerequisite: CHEM 615 or equivalent.
CHEM 713. Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry (3). An introduction to electronic and vibrational spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility, EPR, NMR, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography as applied to inorganic systems. Emphasis on interpretation of results for understanding the electronic and molecular structure of compounds.
CHEM 731. Physical Organic Chemistry (3). Discussion of advanced topics in stereochemistry and conformational analysis and organic reaction mechanisms. Prerequisite:CHEM 532.
CHEM 732. Advanced Organic Synthesis (3). Discussion of modern synthetic methods in organic chemistry, including carbon-carbon forming reactions, oxidation and reduction reactions, protective groups, and organometallic chemistry. Prerequisite: CHEM 532.
CHEM 738. Structure Determination and Spectral Analysis of Organic Compounds (3). Discusses chiroptical techniques, infrared, ultraviolet, nuclear magnetic and electron spin resonance and mass spectroscopy, and their practical utilization in structure determination. Prerequisite: CHEM 532.
CHEM 741. Quantum Chemistry (3). Theoretical basis of atomic and molecular structure. Includes the postulates of quantum mechanics, exact solutions for the particle-in-a-box and the hydrogen atom, variation and perturbation techniques, electron spin, Hartree-Fock and configuration-interaction methods, molecular orbital and valence-bond wave functions, and virial and Helimann-Feynman theorems. Prerequisites: CHEM 546, MATH 344 or equivalent. Co-requisite: CHEM 705 or equivalent.
CHEM 744. Computational Quantum Chemistry (3). An introduction to molecular orbital procedures and methods for calculating a wide range of physical, chemical, and electronic properties of systems large enough to be of interest to inorganic, organic, and biochemists. Using commercial molecular orbital software programs such as MOPAC, SPARTAN, and GAUSSIAN, students learn to select appropriate "model" computational procedures to predict properties of molecules and reactions. By comparison with experiment, students learn to assess the range of applicability and accuracy of the "model" methods as applied to various categories of chemical systems. Properties considered include energies and structures of molecules, ions, and transition states; vibrational frequencies, IE and RAMAN spectra; Thermochemical properties, heat of formation, bond and reaction energies, isomerization energy barriers; reaction pathways; molecular orbitals, atomic charges, dipole and multipole moments, ionization potentials, bond orders; orbital energies and photoelectron spectroscopy; excited state properties, singlet and triplet surfaces. Prerequisite: CHEM 546 or equivalent (MATH 344 is necessary.)
CHEM 751. Chain Growth Polymerization (3). Mechanisms, kinetic, and thermodynamic aspects of polymerization processes which proceed by a chain growth mechanism, free radical, anionic, cationic, and Zeigler Natta and group transfer polymerization. Prerequisites: CHEM 531 and 548.
CHEM 752. Step Growth Polymerization (3). Polymerization process which proceed by a step growth or ring-opening mechanism. Preparation of thermoplastics, including relationships between molecular weight and reaction condition. Preparation of thermosets including relationships between structure, conversion, and gelation. Discusses individual systems such as nylon, epoxy resin, and polymides in detail. Prerequisites: CHEM 531 and 548.
Courses for Graduate Students Only
CHEM 809. Special Studies in Chemistry. (2-3). Systematic study in selected areas of chemistry. Repeatable for credit. Course content differs from one offering to the next.
CHEM 814. Organometallic Chemistry. (3). A study of the synthesis, structure, bonding, reactivity and industrial applications of organotransition and nontransition metal compounds. Prerequisite: Chem. 615 or equivalent.
CHEM 815. Bioinorganic Chemistry. (3). The study of the role of inorganic chemistry in biological systems. Includes electron transport, biological catalysis mediated by metal ions, metal storage and transport, ion transport and the role of transition metals in metabolism. Prerequisites: Chem. 615 and 663 or equivalents.
CHEM 822. Analytical Separations. (3). The theory and practice of analytical separation methods including gas and liquid chromatography, ion exchange and electrophoresis. Prerequisite: Chem. 524 or equivalent.
CHEM 823. Analytical Spectroscopy. (3). Absorption (UV visible, IR and atomic); emission: flame emission and atomic absorption spectrometry, molecular fluorescence and phosphorescence methods; Raman, nuclear magnetic resonance and electron spin resonance spectroscopy; X-ray methods. Lectures and discussions on theory and practice. Particular emphasis on instrumentation and the acquisition of artifact-free data. Prerequisite: Chem. 524 or equivalent.
CHEM 824. Electro analytical Chemistry. (3). Includes voltammetry, polarography, chromoamperometry and coulometry; reversible and irreversible diffusion controlled processes; CE (chemical reaction before electrical reaction), EC (electrical reaction before chemical reaction) and catalytic reaction; and organic polarography and voltammetry. Prerequisite: Chem. 524 or equivalent.
CHEM 831. Advanced Physical Organic Chemistry. (3). Includes molecular orbital theory, sigma tropic rearrangements, electrocyclic reactions, cycloadditions, reactive intermediates and photochemistry. Prerequisite: Chem. 731.
CHEM 832. Modern Synthetic Methods. (3). Discussion of retrosynthetic analysis, applications, asymmetric syntheses and stereo-chemistry. Prerequisite: Chem. 732.
CHEM 834. Heterocyclic Chemistry. (3). An account of the physical and chemical properties of the main classes of heterocyclic compounds. Prerequisite: Chem. 732.
CHEM 835. Bioorganic Chemistry. (3). Includes the chemistry of amino acids and peptides, enzyme structure and function and inhibitor design. Prerequisites: Chem. 662, 663 and 732 or 662 and concurrent enrollment in 663 and 732.
CHEM 841. Advanced Quantum Chemistry. (3). Considers advanced applications of quantum mechanics to atomic and molecular problems. Includes determinant wave-functions, angular momentum coupling, time-dependent perturbation theory, relativity considerations, tensor operators and molecular orbital calculations. Prerequisites: Chem. 705 and 741 or equivalents.
CHEM 842. Chemical Kinetics. (3). A description of reacting systems, including the mathematical and experimental characteristics of simple and complex kinetic systems. Discusses the theories of chemical kinetics, as well as the kinetics of homogeneous reactions in the gas phase, the kinetic aspects of solution reactions, heterogeneous reactions and selected topics of current interest. Prerequisite: Chem. 546 or equivalent.
CHEM 843. Statistical Thermodynamics. (3). Develops Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac and Boise-Einstein statistical mechanics with applications to gaseous-state and solid-state chemical problems. Emphasizes the relationship of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. Considers applications of statistical thermodynamics to polymers. Prerequisites: Chem. 546, 845 or equivalents.
CHEM 845. Chemical Thermodynamics. (3). A presentation of the basic three laws of thermodynamics in a classical framework to increase understanding of real physical systems. Emphasizes theory and its application to chemical systems. Prerequisites: Chem. 545, 546 and Math. 344 or equivalents.
CHEM 846. Molecular Spectroscopy. (3). The theoretical basis for spectroscopy and spectroscopic determinations of molecular structure. Includes polyelectronic atoms, time-dependent perturbation theory, vibration and rotation of diatomic molecules, vibration and rotation of polyatomic molecules, electronic spectra and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Prerequisites: Chem. 741 or its equivalent and Chem. 705 or its equivalent.
CHEM 852. Techniques of Polymer Characterization. (3). A study of physical, spectroscopic and diffraction techniques to determine the size, structure and morphology of polymers.
CHEM 853. Polymer Properties. (3). Kinetics and thermodynamics of the crystallization process and the influence of sample history on the gross morphology of the crystallites. Structural features which preclude the development of polymer crystals and encourage amorphous character, relationships between structure, Tm and Tg, theoretical strengths of materials, the time dependent mechanical behavior of polymers and the Maxwell and Voigt models of viscoelasticity. The Boltzman superposition principle and how it can be used to predict creep behavior, mechanisms of deformation, yielding and fracture in polymers. Prerequisite: degree in chemistry or related subject.
CHEM 861. Enzyme Mechanisms. (3). An introduction to the study of enzyme mechanisms. Modern approaches include steady-state, relaxation and chemical modification methods. Prerequisite: Chem. 662 or 663 or equivalent.
CHEM 863. Analytical Biochemistry. (3). A review of modern analytical methods used in biochemistry and molecular biology including absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy chromatography (affinity, gel-filtration, HPLC, ion-exchange, ion-pair), gel electrophoresis, radioactive tracer methods; cloning, sequencing and recombinant DNA procedures. Prerequisites: Biol. 203 and 204 and Chem. 662 or 663 or equivalents.
CHEM 864. Nucleic Acids: Structure, Chemistry and Function. (3). A comprehensive examination of the structure and conformation of DNA, RNA, and their components. Studies reactivity and modification of nucleotides and polynucleotides for different chemicals and mutagens. Reviews chemical synthesis of polynucleotides and sequence analysis of nucleic acids, including site-specific mutagenesis. Studies nucleic acid functions and information transfer in biochemical systems. Also studies major nucleases and discusses DNA-protein interactions.
CHEM 890. Research in Chemistry. (2-12). S/U grade only. Research for the student planning to receive an MS. Research is directed by a faculty member. Repeatable for credit.
CHEM 990. Research in Chemistry. (2-16). S/U grade only. Research for the student planning to receive the PhD. Research is directed by a faculty member. Repeatable for credit.
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