Instructor: Dr. Gregory L. Milligan
Class days: M, W, F 12:00-12:50 R 11:00-11:50
Classroom: Room 100
Office: Room 103
Office hours: M, W, R, F 11:00-11:50; U, H 12:00 – 12:50
Textbook: Organic Chemistry Sixth Edition; John McMurry
Website: http://homepages.stmartin.edu/fac_staff/gmilligan/
Quiz dates: 1/26, 2/9, 2/23, 3/30, 4/13, 4/27
Cumulative exam dates: 3/7. 5/3
Final exam date: TBA (Final is optional!)
Grading: 6 Quizzes @ 50 points = 300 points
2 Cumulative exams @ 100 points = 200 points
8 Homeworks @ 10 points = 80
Total 580 points
The understanding of organic chemistry derives from a few key concepts. Once these concepts are mastered, the student is prepared to tackle all facets of organic chemistry. Extensive memorization is not only unnecessary, but can be counter-productive.
The learning style will be interactive; we will spend substantial class time doing problems from the book. When appropriate, there will be periods of lecture, during which you should take careful notes. I will ask questions periodically. We will be using a "Personal Response System" during class. A small remote has been bundled with your textbook; be sure to bring it to every class! Extra credit will be available from time to time through use of the PRS system. You may at times be asked to work problems at the board. These are meant to be learning situations, not punishments! You may feel uneasy about this, but it is important to be able to "think on your feet". Students who are not at the board should be providing helpful comments or probing questions, not sitting silently.
The exam schedule may be different from what you are used to. There will be no midterm exams (not exactly, anyway), and the final exam is optional. Instead, there will be a quiz on every other week (more or less. See the schedule). These quizzes are worth 50 points each and will cover the material assigned since the previous quiz. During the semester, there will also be two "Cume" exams. They will be cumulative; the first exam will cover material from the beginning of the course up to the exam, and the second will test material covered after the first exam. Think of them as two "half finals", held during the semester. The final exam, a comprehensive exam worth 100 points, is optional. If taken, the score on the final (if high enough) will be used to replace either the lowest two of the student’s Cume or quiz scores, whichever is more beneficial.
I intend for my grading to be "tough but fair". Partial credit will be given according to my best judgment. Educated guesses will be worth something; wild guesses won't. I do not ask "trick" questions, or even particularly complicated ones, but you need to understand the concept being probed. Questions will usually draw upon material
covered in lecture, but the student is also responsible for knowing the material in the assigned reading. Lastly, be sure to read the questions carefully, and make sure you answer them! Grades will be assigned according to the "old fashioned" formula: 90-100% = "A", 80-89% = "B", 70-79% = "C", 60-69% = "D", and below 59% = "F".
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have medical and/or safety concerns to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as-soon-as possible.
Schedule
Weeks of 1/15 & 1/22 Acids and bases, overview of
organic reactions, alkene reactivity and preparation
Weeks of 1/29 & 2/5 Alkene reactivity and preparation cont., alkyne reactions and organic synthesis
Weeks of 2/12 & 2/19 Alkyl halide reactions, substitution and elimination reactions
Weeks of 2/26 & 3/5 Conjugated systems, aromaticity and reactions of aromatic compounds
Weeks of 3/19 & 3/26 Alcohol, phenol, ether and epoxide synthesis and reactivity
Weeks of 4/2 & 4/9 Aldehyde, ketone, carboxylic acid, and nitrile synthesis and
reactivity
Weeks of 4/16 & 4/23 Nucleophilic acyl substitution, enolate reactions
Week of 4/30 Carbonyl condensations, amine synthesis and reactions
Weeks of 1/15 & 1/22 Ch 2.7 – 2.11, Ch 5, 6
Weeks of 1/29 & 2/5 Ch 7, 8
Weeks of 2/12 & 2/19 Ch 10, 11
Weeks of 2/26 & 3/5 Ch 14, 15, 16
Weeks of 3/19 & 3/26 Ch 17, 18
Weeks of 4/2 & 4/9 Ch 19, 20
Weeks of 4/16 & 4/23 Ch 21, 22
Week of 4/30 Ch 23, 24
Homework
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