Chemistry 151- General Chemistry

Hi everyone!

Here are some reminders and updates for the following week:

Topic of Chemical Equilibrium

You may have noticed that the Bruce’s notes on Chemical Equilibrium are incomplete – Last semester as the semester progressed I converted the notes I use in face-to-face classes for this class, and during the week of chemical equilibrium I was away from teaching due to a death in the family, and the class used notes from a substitute.  I am converting my notes now to a suitable form to put online and they are not quite complete.  I have posted an outline (in red) to get you started.  Each day, as I fill out the outline and complete more, I change them to black, which indicates that portion is complete.  I will finish them over the next couple days.  Due to my getting the completed form up late, the MyLabsPlus online homework on equilibrium will not be due Sunday, April 11.  This does not mean the notes will take an entire week to post, and it does not mean you should wait until April 12th to start the next topic of Acids and bases.  Acids and bases is a longer topic and will require more time than equilibrium.

No other deadlines in the course will be changed – the Unit 4 Quiz, Acid and Base MyLabsPlus, and Unit 4 exam dates will remain the same.I moved the date to 4/11 to be consistent with the Sunday deadlines for MyLabsPlus we have had this semester.

Please let me know if you have questions and have a good weekend!

 

 

 

Hi everyone!

Here are some reminders for the following week:

Reminders for items due Sunday 3/28

1. The Chapter 8 and 9 quiz is posted on D2L in assessments/assignments (not assessments quizzes).  This is the same location as all of the quizzes this semester.  It is due Sunday 3/28
2. MyLabsPlus on Ch 8 and 9 will be due Sunday 3/28.

MyLabsPlus outage

MyLabsPlus will be down overnight tonight, specifically from 1am-9am Saturday March 27.  I doubt that many of you were planning to work on it over that time, but if you were and it will impact your ability to complete the assignment by Sunday at 11:59, just let me know and we can make arrangements.

The Unit 3 exam is Monday, March 29.  Reminders for the exam are:

1. Exam covers Chapters 6/7 (Electronic Structure of Atoms & Periodic Properties of Elements), and Chapters 8/9 (Basic Concepts of Chemical Bonding & Molecular Geometry)
2. You can take it on D2L at anytime between 8am and 11:59 pm on Monday March 29, 2021 – must be completed online by 11:59 pm on Monday, March 29, 2021.  Once you start you will only have 60 minutes (timer cannot be paused) so make sure you have an hour when you will not be interrupted.
3. It is located on D2L under the Assessments tab under Quizzes.  Click on assessments, then click on Quizzes from the pull down menu.
4. You are allowed 60 minutes and only 1 submission 
5. You are not allowed to open it multiple times, like the chapter quizzes.
6. Choose a time to take it when you will not be interrupted, as the clock begins ticking as soon as you open it.
7. Please keep track of the time counting down on your screen.  You will be flagged with 5 minutes left and the computer will not allow you save any more answers once the 60-minute timer runs out.
8. You are allowed to work backwards.  Some of you might consider starting with the 8-pt questions so that you have enough time and then finish with the multiple choice questions.  If you get stuck on a question, don’t waste too much time before moving on.  You can always come back to it.
9. For the 8 pt questions, you must submit to me your work detailed on a sheet of paper in order to receive full credit (You will type the final answer in the box of the exam to be graded, but I need to see the accompanying work so that I can reward appropriate points).  Please see the next section for Instructions for this.

Submitting work for the 8 point questions (Questions 16-20).  I do not need to see your work for the multiple choice questions (1-15)

1. The way you will submit the work for the 8 point questions is in a separate folder in the assignments tab (similar to the way you submitted the Chapter 1 and Chapter 2/3  quizzes).
2. The questions requiring submission of work are numbers 16-20 only.
3. You will type the final answer in the box of the exam to be graded, but I need to see the accompanying work so that I can reward appropriate points.  This submitted work is how I will do this.
4. To submit it, you can simply take a picture with your phone, as long as I am able to view your work clearly.
5. If possible, please use this procedure: How to Scan Documents with Apple and Android Mobile Devices for generating files to submit, rather than sending me a different file for every picture.  Once you learn it, it is less work for you and for me than uploading a separate file for each page of work!
6. Do NOT submit Word (.docx) files.
7. The submission to be uploaded immediately after submitting your exam into a drop box that you will find on D2L(Assessments tab, Assignments, Exam 2 Submissions).
8. You must upload your work to the 8-pt questions for credit.  Even if you have the correct answer, you will not receive full credit if I cannot follow your work (or you are missing units, sig figs, do not show the equation you are using).  Be thorough.
9. Submissions must be made to the Submissions folder.  Do not email your work to me.
10. Submissions must be made within 10 minutes of completing your exam.  Note that I am able to see what time you complete your exam and what time you upload your submission
11. Be sure that your answer on paper matches the answer that you type into the computer.  Be sure to include units and be conscious of sig figs.

Practice and study resources for the Exam

1. Unit 3 Exam and Exam Preparation Help SessionThere will be Review/Help Sessions provided by the Learning Commons at various dates and times.  Click on the link to see when they are and how to access them.  They are free of charge.
2. Many students find the Chapter Practice Quizzes available in the course D2L site (click on content then Unit 2) to be helpful study aids
3. There is a Unit 3 Practice Exam available in the same Unit 3 folder on D2L.  See the section titles “Practice Exam CHEM 151” in the Unit 3 – additional study resources page on this website for tips on how to best use the practice examHave a good weekend and feel free to reach out with questions or if you have difficulties as you finish up your Unit 3 assignments and prepare for the exam.

 

Two problems on this assignment require Abobe Flash Player, but it cannot be downloaded.  Pearson (the MyLabsPlus developer and publisher) has been informed of this issue.

The problem is in questions 1 and 3.  Please complete all questions that do not require the flash player and produce this error.  Please skip the ones that produce this error.  You will be credited fully for those problems.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

I hope all of you had a good spring break and are getting back into the swing of things for the second half of the semester! Here are some reminders for the next few days (from the Course Schedule)

1. The MyLabsPlus Ch 6-7 assignment is due Sunday 3/21 at 11:59 pm
2. The Ch 6-7 Quiz is also due Sunday 3/21 at 11:59 pm.  This quiz can be located by clicking Assignments, then clicking assignments again (just like for the readiness assignment and other quizzes this semester).  It is NOT located under Quizzes.

If you haven’t already, I’d recommend you get a start of reading and study of Ch 8 and 9 –Basic Concepts of Chemical Bonding & Molecular Geometry and Bonding Theory- as soon as possible.

As always, have a good weekend and feel free to reach out with questions or if you have difficulties as you finish these assignments.

Unit 2 Exam

I will complete grading Questions 16-20 on the Unit 2 exam over Spring Break and post the grade with your work in the Assignments folder as I complete them.  When I get through all of them grades will go to the D2L gradebook.

Chapter 10/5 quiz

I will complete grading these quizzes over Spring Break and post the grade with your work in the Assignments folder as I complete them.

Spring Break and Unit 3

Unit 3 began earlier this week with a study of the Electronic Structure of Atoms.  The Course Schedule lists the schedule and deadlines for Unit 3.

LCC’s Spring Break dates are Monday, March 8 through Sunday March 14.  If you wish to continue working on Unit 3 during the break, you are certainly welcome to, but there is no expectation or obligation for you to do so. If you haven’t started Unit 3 yet, Spring Break can provide an opportunity to catch up if you wish.

I will be checking email and messages periodically over break, so please feel free to contact me if needed.   Though I will likely be slower than usual in replying to messages over break I will get back to you.

Hope you have a safe and relaxing spring break.

Hi everyone!

Here are some reminders for the following week:

Reminders for items due Sunday 2/28

1. The Chapter 10 and 5 quiz is posted on D2L like the Chapter 1 and Nomenclature quiz.  It is due Sunday 2/28
2. MyLabsPlus on Thermochemistry will be due Sunday 2/28.

The Unit 1 exam is Monday, March 1.  Reminders for the exam are:

1. Exam covers Chapters 4 (Aqueous Reactions and Solution Stoichiometry), 10 (Gases), and 5 (Thermochemistry)
2. You can take it on D2L at anytime between 8am and 11:59 pm on Monday March 1, 2021 – must be completed online by 11:59 pm on Monday, March 1, 2021.  Once you start you will only have 60 minutes (timer cannot be paused) so make sure you have an hour when you will not be interrupted.
3. It is located on D2L under the Assessments tab under Quizzes.  Click on assessments, then click on Quizzes from the pull down menu.
4. You are allowed 60 minutes and only 1 submission 
5. You are not allowed to open it multiple times, like the chapter quizzes.
6. Choose a time to take it when you will not be interrupted, as the clock begins ticking as soon as you open it.
7. Please keep track of the time counting down on your screen.  You will be flagged with 5 minutes left and the computer will not allow you save any more answers once the 60-minute timer runs out.
8. You are allowed to work backwards.  Some of you might consider starting with the 8-pt questions so that you have enough time and then finish with the multiple choice questions.  If you get stuck on a question, don’t waste too much time before moving on.  You can always come back to it.
9. For the 8 pt questions, you must submit to me your work detailed on a sheet of paper in order to receive full credit (You will type the final answer in the box of the exam to be graded, but I need to see the accompanying work so that I can reward appropriate points).  Please see the next section for Instructions for this.

Submitting work for the 8 point questions (Questions 16-20).  I do not need to see your work for the multiple choice questions (1-15)

1. The way you will submit the work for the 8 point questions is in a separate folder in the assignments tab (similar to the way you submitted the Chapter 1 and Chapter 2/3  quizzes).
2. The questions requiring submission of work are numbers 16-20 only.
3. You will type the final answer in the box of the exam to be graded, but I need to see the accompanying work so that I can reward appropriate points.  This submitted work is how I will do this.
4. To submit it, you can simply take a picture with your phone, as long as I am able to view your work clearly.
5. If possible, please use this procedure: How to Scan Documents with Apple and Android Mobile Devices for generating files to submit, rather than sending me a different file for every picture.  Once you learn it, it is less work for you and for me than uploading a separate file for each page of work!
6. Do NOT submit Word (.docx) files.
7. The submission to be uploaded immediately after submitting your exam into a drop box that you will find on D2L(Assessments tab, Assignments, Exam 2 Submissions).
8. You must upload your work to the 8-pt questions for credit.  Even if you have the correct answer, you will not receive full credit if I cannot follow your work (or you are missing units, sig figs, do not show the equation you are using).  Be thorough.
9. Submissions must be made to the Submissions folder.  Do not email your work to me.
10. Submissions must be made within 10 minutes of completing your exam.  Note that I am able to see what time you complete your exam and what time you upload your submission
11. Be sure that your answer on paper matches the answer that you type into the computer.  Be sure to include units and be conscious of sig figs.

Practice and study resources for the Exam

1. Unit 2 Exam and Exam Preparation Help Session

   There will be Review/Help Session provided by the Learning Commons at this date and time:

   3/1/2021, Mon 8-10AM, on webex (https://lccedu.webex.com/meet/kaj) by Jaejin Ka

3/1/2021, Mon 12-2PM, on webex (https://lccedu.webex.com/meet/farda) by Abbas Fard

 

These questions will be covered in the review sessions (as well as any other questions students might have) so you might find it useful to review/try these sets of questions before attending the sessions:

• Exam 2 review Questions
• Practice exam

Please feel free to attend either or both of those sessions.

1. Many students find the Chapter Practice Quizzes available in the course D2L site (click on content then Unit 2) to be helpful study aids
2. There is a Unit 2 Practice Exam available in the same Unit 2 folder on D2L.  See the section titles “Practice Exam CHEM 151” in the Unit 2 – additional study resources page on this website for tips on how to best use the practice exam

Hi everyone!

Here are some updates and reminders for this week:

Chapter 2 and 3 Quiz:

Last week, I asked you to tell me how (if you did) you arrived at an answer of 28 electrons for the number of electrons in an iron-58 atom (the correct number is 26).  Thanks to your classmate who passed along to me the likely source of this error (this student did not make the error by the way):

This definitely looks like the likely source of the error.  I’m not going to tell you not to google to try to find chemistry help or answers — for better and worse it’s how we get a lot of our information these days, and you probably wouldn’t listen to me anyway :).  I will point out some problems/cautions with this approach:

1. No doubt google searches can be helpful, but you have to dig a little deeper, read the links the google search gives you and consider the question you are being asked as well as the source writing it.  Clicking on the link or reading below said there were 28 electrons in Fe^2-.  The question wasn’t about an Fe^2- ion, it was about an Fe atom.
2. Google searches do not always save you time.  If you understood that in a neutral atom the number of protons equals the number of electrons and that the atomic number is the number of protons, a quick look at a periodic table would tell you that an iron atom has 26 protons (element 26) and therefore 26 electrons,  This would have been faster than a google search.

It will be helpful for you to think about this as you choose how much to incorporate (or not) google searches into your studies (in addition to looking through the provided material) as you progress through the course.

Chapter 10 and 5 Quiz: 

The Chapter 10 and 5 quiz is now available on D2L.  Click on Assessments then select Assignments from the pull down menu.  it is the same in format as the earlier quizzes this semester and is due Sunday, 2/28 at 11:59 pm.

Chapter 5 MyLabsPlus:

Is due Sunday, 2/28 at 11:59 pm.

Unit 2 Exam and Exam Preparation Help Sessions

The Unit 2 exam, covering all of Unit 2, will be held on D2L next Monday, March 1.  There will be Review/Help Sessions provided by Jaejin Ka of the Learning Commons at these dates and times:

2/25/2021, Thu 9-11AM, on webex (https://lccedu.webex.com/meet/kaj) by Jaejin Ka

3/1/2021, Mon 8-10AM, on webex (https://lccedu.webex.com/meet/kaj) by Jaejin Ka

These questions will be covered in the review sessions (as well as any other questions students might have) so you might find it useful to review/try these sets of questions before attending the sessions:

• Exam 2 review Questions
• Practice exam

Please feel free to attend either or both of those sessions.

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have questions or difficulties.

 

Hi everyone!

Here are some updates and reminders for this week:

Chapter 2 and 3 Quiz

The chapter 2 and 3 quiz has been graded and grades posted in D2L.  I do have one comment about a common error on the quiz.

Question 2 asked for the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an iron-58 atom.  Several of you answered 26 protons (correct), 32 neutrons (correct) and 28 electrons (incorrect).  Some of you explained that it was Fe^2-.  An Fe atom is neutral (zero charge) by definition.  Only an ion has a charge.  In a neutral atom, the number of protons and electrons are the same, so the correct number of electrons is 26.  If one of you (there were a lot of you)  that answered 28 electrons would be willing to tell me ehere and how you arrived at 28 I’d appreciate it as it would help me clean up the misconception for this and future classes.

Showing work on quizzes and exams

A number of you did not turn in your shown work for questions 16-20 on the unit 1 exam and/or simply wrote answers for some of the problems on the chapter 2 and 3 quiz without showing work.  If you supplied the correct answer without showing any work, I awarded you half credit for the problem for this assignments.  I did that since in an online course it is easy to forget early in the semester. At this point, you should remember. On future assignments, zero credit will be given for problems if work is not shown, even if the answer is correct.  If you have questions on what “showing work” means, please contact me.

 

Reminders for this week:

1. The MyLabsPlus Chapter 10 Homework (Gases)is also due Sunday 2/21 at 11:59 pm.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or difficulties.

 

Hi everyone!

Here are some reminders for the following week:

The Unit 1 exam is Monday, Nov 23.  Reminders for the exam are:

1. Exam covers Chapters 1 (Matter and Measurement), 2 (Atoms, Molecules, and Ions), and 3 (Stoichiometry)
2. You can take it on D2L at anytime between 8am and 11:59 pm on Monday Feb 1, 2021 – must be completed online by 11:59 pm on Monday, February 1, 2021.  Once you start you will only have 60 minutes (timer cannot be paused) so make sure you have an hour when you will not be interrupted.
3. It is located on D2L under the Assessments tab under Quizzes.  Click on assessments, then click on Quizzes from the pull down menu.
4. You are allowed 60 minutes and only 1 submission 
5. You are not allowed to open it multiple times, like the chapter quizzes.
6. Choose a time to take it when you will not be interrupted, as the clock begins ticking as soon as you open it.
7. Please keep track of the time counting down on your screen.  You will be flagged with 5 minutes left and the computer will not allow you save any more answers once the 60-minute timer runs out.
8. You are allowed to work backwards.  Some of you might consider starting with the 8-pt questions so that you have enough time and then finish with the multiple choice questions.  If you get stuck on a question, don’t waste too much time before moving on.  You can always come back to it.
9. For the 8 pt questions, you must submit to me your work detailed on a sheet of paper in order to receive full credit (You will type the final answer in the box of the exam to be graded, but I need to see the accompanying work so that I can reward appropriate points).  Please see the next section for Instructions for this

Submitting work for the 8 point questions (Questions 16-20).  I do not need to see your work for the multiple choice questions (1-15)

1. The way you will submit the work for the 8 point questions is in a separate folder in the assignments tab (similar to the way you submitted the Chapter 1 and Chapter 2/3  quizzes).
2. The questions requiring submission of work are numbers 16-20 only.
3. You will type the final answer in the box of the exam to be graded, but I need to see the accompanying work so that I can reward appropriate points.  This submitted work is how I will do this.
4. To submit it, you can simply take a picture with your phone, as long as I am able to view your work clearly.
5. If possible, please use this procedure: How to Scan Documents with Apple and Android Mobile Devices for generating files to submit, rather than sending me a different file for every picture.  Once you learn it, it is less work for you and for me than uploading a separate file for each page of work!
6. Do NOT submit Word (.docx) files.
7. The submission to be uploaded immediately after submitting your exam into a drop box that you will find on D2L(Assessments tab, Assignments, Exam 1 Submissions).
8. You must upload your work to the 8-pt questions for credit.  Even if you have the correct answer, you will not receive full credit if I cannot follow your work (or you are missing units, sig figs, do not show the equation you are using).  Be thorough.
9. Submissions must be made to the Submissions folder.  Do not email your work to me.
10. Submissions must be made within 10 minutes of completing your exam.  Note that I am able to see what time you complete your exam and what time you upload your submission
11. Be sure that your answer on paper matches the answer that you type into the computer.  Be sure to include units and be conscious of sig figs.

Practice and study resources for the Exam

1. Many students find the Chapter Practice Quizzes available in the course D2L site (click on content then Unit 1) to be helpful study aids
2. There is a Unit 1 Practice Exam available in the same Unit 1 folder on D2L.  See the section titles “Practice Exam CHEM 151” in the Unit 1 – additional study resources page on this website for tips on how to best use the practice exam
3. There is a second practice exam for the Unit 1 exam.  It is located on D2L.  To access it, click assessments then quizzes from the pull down menu (same location as the actual exam). It will provide practice on how the exam will look and how you will enter answers.  Like all practice exams, It does NOT mean that your real exam will contain the same questions or very similar questions with the numbers changed.  It will likely not be helpful to you to memorize the questions on the practice exam in the hope that you will get the same or similar questions on the real exam.

Reminders for items due Sunday 11/22

1. The Chapter 2 and 3 quiz is posted on D2L like the Chapter 1 and Nomenclature quiz.  It is due Sunday 1/31
2. MyLabsPlus on acids and bases will be due Sunday 1/31.

Have a good weekend and feel free to reach out with questions or if you have difficulties as you finish up your Unit 1 assignments and prepare for the exam.

Here are some reminders and updates in the course for the end of week 2 and the beginning of week 3 (Jan 25-31)

My Office Hours for the semester

Thanks to all of you who responded to the office hours survey I sent out the first week of class.  Based on your responses, my regular weekly office hours for the semester will be:

1. Mondays 12-1pm
2. Wednesdays 9-10 am
3. Wednesdays 7-8 pm
4. Fridays 8-9 am

Link to office hours (when in session): https://lccedu.webex.com/meet/farrisb

I know these hours will not work for some of you and I apologize.  The availability of students at times was quite different from student to student, and with about 100 students this semester it was impossible to select hours that worked for everyone.  If you need to meet with me virtually and you are one of the unlucky students for which these times don’t work (or just need to meet outside of these hours), just contact me and we will set something up.

Assignments graded and returned this week

The readiness assignment and Chapter 1/Nomenclature quiz were returned to you.  Grades should be in the D2L gradebook (you can check individual and overall grades there). Graded files are available in D2L with feedback for you to see.  Feel free to ask me (or a classmate) if you have trouble finding this.

For the readiness assignment, I assigned full credit (10/10) if you turned it in — I did not grade your response to the technical questions — so a grade of 10/10 does not mean you got them correct.  By the end of next week, you shpould know whether or not they are correct — if not, ask me, your classmates, or a chem tutor for help.

For the quiz, the only general comment I have is on the nomenclature questions.  Some of you, for Iron(III) cyanide, listed the formula as C₃FeN₃ , which shows up fairly high on a google search (at the PubChem NIH site).  I would STRONGLY encourage you use the Formula and Nomenclature handout for learning and understanding chemical formulas as written on the handout, where the correct formula would be Fe(CN)₃.  The reason for this is that the Fe(CN)₃ form will allow you to much easier how it will react in dissociation and double replacement reactions, understand its bonding, and understand and predict much morse about its chemistry in topics we study the rest of the semester.

Assignments and topics for next week (see the Course Schedule)

• MyLabsPlus for Atoms, Molecules, and Ions (Ch 2) due 1/24
• Begin working through the final topic in Unit 1 – Stoichiometry (Ch3)
• MyLabsPlus for Atoms, Molecules, and Ions (Ch 3) due 1/31
• Quiz 2 (covers Atoms, Molecules, and Ions and Stoichiometry) due 1/31.  It will be available on D2L in the same place as the readiness assignment and quiz 1 on 1/25.

I will not be available via text message Sunday morning or afternoon, but will Sunday evening – so feel free to leave messages on Sunday but don’t worry if I don’t get to them until Sunday evening.

Have a good weekend and feel free to reach out with questions or if you have difficulties.