Chemistry Curriculum
Through lectures, laboratory work, research, and seminars, the program of the Department of Chemistry provides students with a basic knowledge and conceptual understanding of matter: its structure and properties and the nature, energetics, and dynamics of its transformations.
The Department maintains small lecture and laboratory sections to ensure that students have extensive access to its faculty and to its exceptional facilities and instrumentation.
Qualified majors have the opportunity of serving as laboratory assistants and tutors.
The Department encourages and aids in the placement of students into summer research programs, which can, with permission from the Department, be used to partially fulfill the requirements for the senior program.
Degree Requirements
Course Catalog
Course Offerings
Below is a list of available courses offered by the Chemistry Department. Consult the Registrar’s Office and the College Catalog for registration information.
CHEM 1105 - General Chemistry
An introductory course presenting atomic and molecular structure and reactions, bonding, stoichiometry, the periodic table, energy relationships, kinetics, equilibrium, acids and bases, and electrochemistry. Credit hours: 3. Corequisite: Chemistry 1105L. Prerequisite: MATH 1119 or equivalent or placement in a higher level math course. (NS,QR)
CHEM 1105L - General Chemistry Laboratory
Laboratory experiences that supplement and illustrate the concepts presented in Chemistry 1105. Credit hours: 1. Corequisite: Chemistry 1105. (NS)
CHEM 1106 - General Chemistry Ii
An introductory course presenting atomic and molecular structure and reactions, bonding, stoichiometry, the periodic table, energy relationships, kinetics, equilibrium, acids and bases, and electrochemistry. Credit hours: 3. Corequisite: Chemistry 1106L. Prequisite: MATH 1119 or equivalent, or placement in a higher level math course. (NS,QR)
CHEM 1106L - General Chemistry Ii Laboratory
Laboratory experiences that supplement and illustrate the concepts presented in Chemistry 1106. Credit hours: 1. Corequisite: Chemistry 1106. (NS)
CHEM 1186 - Chem One Time Only
Credit hours: 4. One time only.
CHEM 2205 - Organic Chemistry
A systematic study of the compounds of carbon, with emphasis on modern electronic interpretations of reaction mechanisms and multistep organic synthesis. Credit hours: 3. Prerequisite: Chemistry 1105,1105L or the equivalent. Corequisite: Chemistry 2205L.
CHEM 2205L - Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Laboratory experiences that supplement and illustrate the concepts presented in Chemistry 2205, including a survey of the techniques of organic chemistry, the preparation of representative organic compounds, and an emphasis on instrumental techniques including gas and high performance liquid chromatography, mass, infrared, magnetic resonance and ultraviolet spectroscopy. Credit hours: 1, 1. Corequisite: CHEM 2205.
CHEM 2206 - Organic Chemistry
A systematic study of the compounds of carbon, with emphasis on modern electronic interpretations of reaction mechanisms and multistep organic synthesis. Credit hours: 3. Prerequisite: Chemistry 1105, 1105L or the equivalent. Corequisite: Chemistry 2206L.
CHEM 2206L - Organic Chemistry Laboratory
Laboratory experiences that supplement and illustrate the concepts presented in CHEM 2206 including a survey of the techniques of organic chemistry, the preparation of representative organic compounds, and an emphasis on instrumental techniques including gas and high performance liquid chromatography, mass, infrared, magnetic resonance and ultraviolet spectroscopy. Credit hours: 1. Corequisite: Chemistry 2206.
CHEM 2235 - Environmental Chemistry And Analysis
This course focuses on the complex chemistry of soils, rivers, streams, and oceans. Important topics will include acid-base chemistry, complex equilibria, redox chemistry, pE-pH diagrams, pollution, and waste water systems. Credit hours: 3. Prerequisites: CHEM 1106, 1106L.
CHEM 2235L - Environmental Chemistry And Analysis Laboratory
In this course students will gain practical experience with the sampling and analytical techniques that are essential for the chemical analysis of the environment. Credit hours: 1. Prerequisites: CHEM 1106, 1106L. Corequisite: CHEM 2235.
CHEM 2245 - Environmental Chemistry Of Energy And The Atmosphere
Career development, webinars on a variety of topics, invited speakers, and student oral presentations. Credit hours: 1. Prerequisite: permission of the Department.
CHEM 2285 - Chem One Time Only
Chemistry One Time only course
CHEM 2286 - Chem One Time Only
Chemistry one time only course
CHEM 2291 - Chemical Research
This course provides an opportunity for students to undertake an individual research project. The course will introduce students to current chemical literature, laboratory research methods, and presentation of experimental results. The research project will culminate in a written report following the guidelines of the ACS. Credit hours: 1 or 2. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. May be repeated for credit up to a maximum of four hours.
CHEM 3307 - Molecular Quantum Mechanics
This course presents a survey of quantum mechanics including properties of particles and waves, wave mechanics, model quantum-mechanical systems, the hydrogen atom, and simple molecular system. Credit hours: 3. Prerequisite: CHEM 1106, 1106L; MATH 1150R; PHYS 1116, 1116L or 1117L; or permission of the instructor. Students must complete both lecture and lab in order to receive writing intensive credit. (WI, when both lecture and lab are passed)
CHEM 3307L - Molecular Quantum Mechanics Laboratory
Laboratory experiments that supplement concepts presented in Chemistry 3307, with an emphasis on professional writing in ACS format. Credit hours: 1. Corequisite: CHEM 3307. (WI, when both lecture and lab are passed)
CHEM 3335 - Biochemistry
The chemistry of substances of biological importance and reactions involved in biological processes, including protein structure and function, metabolic pathways, and an introduction to the chemistry of genetic material. Credit hours: 3. Prerequisite: Chemistry 2206, 2206L.
CHEM 3335L - Biochemistry Laboratory
Laboratory experiences that supplement and illustrate the concepts presented in Chemistry 3335, including basic biochemical techniques and procedures. Credit hours: 1. Corequisite or prerequisite: Chemistry 3335.
CHEM 3378 - Classical And Statistical Thermodynamics
An introduction to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, including review of important topics from statistics and probability, statistical description of particle systems, calculation of thermodynamic quantities, quantum statistics of ideal gases, and other basic methods and results of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Credit hours: 3. Prerequisite: MATH 1150R and PHYS 1116 and 1116L or 1117L. Identical with PHYS 3378. (WI, when both lecture and lab are passed)
CHEM 3378L - Classical And Statistical Thermodynamics Laboratory
Laboratory experiments that supplement and illustrate concepts presented in Chemistry/Physics 3378. Credit hours: 1. Corequisite: CHEM/PHYS 3378. Identical with PHYS 3378. (WI, when both lecture and lab are passed)
CHEM 3391 - Graduate And Professional Development
Career development, webinars on a variety of topics, invited speakers, and student oral presentations. Credit hours: 1. Prerequisite: permission of the Department.
CHEM 3392 - Information Literacy And Digital Competence
Literature searching techniques, digital age literacy, use of chemical software and electronic research tools. Credit hours: 1. Prerequisite: permission of the department.
CHEM 4425 - Inorganic Chemistry
A survey of topics in inorganic chemistry, including the fundamentals of atomic structure, bonding theory, nomenclature, coordination chemistry, descriptive chemistry, and an introduction to the current literature in inorganic chemistry. Credit hours: 3. Prerequisite: CHEM 3307 and permission of the instructor.
CHEM 4425L - Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory
Laboratory experiences that supplement and illustrate the concepts presented in Chemistry 4425, including the preparation and characterization of inorganic compounds. Credit hours: 1. Corequisite: CHEM 4425.
CHEM 4494 - Research Project
A senior project requiring intensive library research will be developed and conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. Credit hours: 1 Prerequisite: permission of the Department. Only BA chemistry majors not reading for Honors take this course.
CHEM 4496 - Laboratory Research Ii
A senior project reflecting intensive laboratory research will be developed and conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. Credit hours: 1. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: permission of the Department. Only BS chemistry majors not reading for Honors take these courses.
CHEM 4497H - Honors In The Major
CHEM 4498H - Honors In The Major
CHEM 4499 - Senior Capstone
A senior paper summarizing the work of the senior project will be presented for evaluation by all members of the Department. Students will also present their work orally, including a final public presentatIon before a group of faculty representing different area colleges. Credit hours: 1. Prerequisite: permission of the Department.