ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I
Chemistry 211
Gordon College, Fall 2008


Irvin J. Levy
Professor of Chemistry and Computer Science
Office Hours:
MWF, 8:00-9:00am, 12:30-1:00pm
T, 8:00-9:30am
Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Emery anymore.

The two semester course in Organic Chemistry will seek to develop an appreciation of the importance of carbon chemistry in our lives and in our world. In a practical light, we will endeavor to acquire a level of expertise in the theoretical and actual manipulation of carbon compounds.

TEXTS

1. Organic Chemistry, 9th ed., Graham Solomons & Craig Fryhle
2. The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual, 7th ed., Zubrick
(Recommended) Study Guide to Organic Chemistry, 9th ed., Solomons & Fryhle

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

1. Bound notebook for laboratory
2. Safety goggles as required by Department
3. Protective gloves
(Recommended) Darling Flexible Stereochemical Models

MODES OF EVALUATION

Organic Chemistry is very much like a language. As with any language, mastery is only possible with regular practice. Accordingly, homework assignments following the enclosed Class Schedule will be given daily. It is expected that the assignment will be completed before the next lecture. Homework will be assigned to help clarify important concepts; however, homework will not be collected and will not directly affect the course grade. Homework does, of course, affect the grade in that it is unlikely that the course content can be mastered without significant practice. Self-evaluation of homework will be possible through the use of the Study Guide.

A brief quiz covering recent lecture material will normally be given at the beginning of every other class period. The first quiz will occur on the fourth day of class. Regular attendance is, thus, necessary to achieve success in the course. The three lowest quiz scores will be discarded when calculating the final quiz score. Make-up quizzes will not be administered under any circumstances. All quizzes are closed-book, closed notes.

Three Opportunities will be administered on the dates listed below. Make-ups will be given only under extreme circumstances (illness, serious personal difficulty). The third opportunity will occur during the final examination period established by the Registrar. This opportunity will be cumulative over all reactions covered during the semester and will also include sections regarding theory from the chapters which were not previously covered in Opportunity #1 or #2. All opportunities are closed-book, closed-notes.

Laboratory work will be assessed in the following way. A student is expected to attend all labs (or makeup assignment if missed through excusable absence), properly utilize a laboratory notebook (which will be subject to examination without notice), show evidence of preparation for lab (through lab quizzes, flowcharts, etc.), and strictly adhere to all chemical hygiene rules. It is usually very difficult to make up missed labs, thus it is essential that lab attendance be very faithful. The lab grade begins at 100% and will be decreased by 10% for each nonperformance of the expected standards. After a one time grace period (no penalty), upon violation of a chemical hygiene rule, the student will be asked to leave the lab for the remainder of the class period. This will result in two reductions to the lab grade (chemical hygiene violation, nonexcused absence).

Laboratory notebooks will be prepared by the student and will be assessed by a combination of self-evaluation and peer-evaluation (neither of which will affect the actual grade in the course) and by evaluation by the lab instructor. Students who perform all laboratory work, observe all chemical safety regulations, and maintain an acceptable laboratory notebook will receive full credit for laboratory effort (representing 67% of the lab grade). During the final laboratory session, a laboratory examination will be administered. The score on this examination represents 33% of the lab grade.

Scores on graded materials are not curved. Final grades will be computed as follows:

      45% - Three Opportunities
      30% - Quizzes (drop three low scores)
      25% - Laboratory (includes lab exam)

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

Make-up quizzes are not administered under any circumstances.

Make-up examinations will be allowed only if the absence is previously cleared with the instructor or in the event of an emergency. In the case of illness, a written excuse from the health center is required. In the case of a personal emergency, a note from the Center for Student Development is required.

Gordon College is committed to assisting students with documented disabilities (see Academic Catalog Appendix C, for documentation guidelines). A student with a disability who may need academic accommodations should follow this procedure:

1. Meet with a staff person from the Academic Support Center (Jenks 412 X4746) to:

a. make sure documentation of your disability is on file in the ASC,
b. discuss the accommodations for which you are eligible,
c. discuss the procedures for obtaining the accommodations, and
d. obtain a Faculty Notification Form.
2. Deliver a Faculty Notification Form to each course professor within the first full week of the semester; at that time make an appointment to discuss your needs with each professor.

Failure to register in time with your professor and the ASC may compromise our ability to provide the accommodations. Questions or disputes about accommodations should be immediately referred to the Academic Support Center. (See also Grievance Procedures in Student Handbook.)

USEFUL WEB RESOURCES




Tentative Class Schedule


For each date below, the assigned reading should be read before coming to class on that day. Occasionally we will spend more (or less) time on a topic than indicated below. Accordingly, variations in the reading schedule may occur as announced in class.

Laboratories during the first semester focus on development of techniques commonly used in the organic chemistry laboratory. Through these experiences we will learn to perform organic chemical reactions as well as some organic laboratory operations, such as use of ground glass chemical apparatus, melting point determination, recrystallization, decolorization, vacuum filtration, distillation (several types), extraction, drying, evaporation, gas chromatography and infrared spectroscopy.

Note: Laboratory is preceeded by a mandatory pre-lab lecture. Reading: chapter numbers below refer to reading required from The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual before arriving on the lab day. Handouts will be provided online (links below) or in hard copy. Failure to read the required material before arrival at lab may result in a reduction in the laboratory grade. Unannounced laboratory quizzes will be used as necessary. These will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Passing grades will not affect the laboratory grade; however, each failing grade will reduce the final laboratory score by 1/2 letter grade.

Date  Reading  
(before class)
  Topic
Aug 27---Syllabus and Introduction
Aug 291.1-7Carbon, bonds & charge
Sep 1---NO CLASS TODAY
Labor Day
Sep 2


1, 2,
handout #1
handout #2
FW calculator
Check-in, Orientation
"Powers of Observation"
Review of Chemical Calculations

Sep 31.9-14
1.16,17, 2.1-4
Collected Homework:
Organic Calculations
Due in one week
Orbitals and hybridization
Molecular geometry; Representation of molecules
Sep 52.5-9Structure vs. behavior: Introduction to functional groups
Sep 82.10-13Carbonyl compounds
Sep 93,12, handout Melting Point Determination and Significance
Candle lab report due (one per team)
Sep 102.14,15Relationships Between Physical Properties
and Molecular Structure
Sep 123.1-6Acidity and Basicity
Sep 153.12-15Acids and bases in organic chemistry
Sep 1634, handout,
Solomons 2.16  
Infrared Spectroscopy: Functional group probe
Sep 174.1-7Alkanes: Nomenclature and Properties
Sep 194.1-7Alkanes: Nomenclature and Properties
Sep 22---Synthesis, Backwards first!
Sep 23

4, 19, 20 (class 1),
handout
Simple Distillation
Boiling Point Determination
Sep 244.16-19Synthesis, then Forward!
Sep 26---NO CLASS TODAY
Team synthesis project
Sep 29---* * * OPPORTUNITY #1 * * *
Sep 30


4, 19, 20 (class 3),
Dist. handout
TopoCalc handout
Fractional Distillation
Topological Indices as Predictors of Physical Properties

Oct 14.8,9Conformational analysis of linear alkanes
Oct 34.10,11Ring strain
Oct 64.12-14Conformational analysis of cyclohexanes
Oct 7

32, handout #1
handout #2
Gas Chromatography of Distillate Fractions
Country Chemistry: Ma Pearl's Oatmeal Soap
Oct 84.12-14Conformational analysis of cyclohexanes
Oct 105.1-6Stereochemistry: Chirality
Oct 135.7Stereochemistry: Nomenclature
Oct 14No handoutA Green Metaexperiment: Comparative Ecotoxicity of Organic Solvents
Optional, Browse:
The Science of Chemical Safety
Essential Toxicology
Oct 155.8-11Stereochemistry: Optical activity
Oct 17---No class, quad break
Oct 205.12-14Conclusion, Stereochemistry
Oct 21

6, 9, 11, 13, 17, 18,
handout
Synthesis and purification of an organic solid

Oct 226.1-4,14Reaction types: Nucleophilic substitution
Oct 246.5-8Mechanism: The SN2 mechanism
Oct 276.10-12The SN1 mechanism
Oct 2820 (class 3),
handout
Dehydration of 2-Methylcyclohexanol
Oct 296.13Competition: SN2 vs. SN1
Oct 316.15-19Competition between types: Substitution vs. Elimination
Nov 37.1-4Alkenes and alkynes: Nomenclature and stability
Nov 4--- No lab: Day of prayer
Nov 57.5-8Alkene synthesis: Zaitsev's rule
Nov 77.9-11Alkyne synthesis
Nov 107.12-14Hydrogenation revisited
Nov 11---GC of dehydration product
Nov 12---Catch up and preparation for opportunity
Nov 14---* * * OPPORTUNITY #2 * * *
Nov 178.12-14Alkene halogenation
Nov 18

3, handout

SciFinder: Using the Chemical Literature
Drawing Structures with ChemSketch, (download now)
Nov 19---No class, Prepare for Thanksgiving
Nov 21---No class, Recuperate from Thanksgiving
Nov 248.1-5Alkenes and alkynes: Ionic addition; Markovnikov's rule
Nov 25handout - See ProfessorGreen chemistry: Bromination of an alkene
Nov 268.6Oxymercuration/demercuration
Nov 288.7-11Organoborane chemistry
Dec 18.15-17Alkene reactions with carbene; Oxidation
Dec 2handout - See ProfessorSynthesis of an alkyne: Diphenylacetylene
Dec 38.18-21Alkyne reactions
Dec 511.1-6,10Alcohols: Reactions involving the O-H bond
Dec 811.7-9,11,13Alcohols: Reactions involving the R-O bond
Ethers
Dec 9--- Laboratory Exam; Check-out
Dec 1011.12,14,15,17Ether reactions
Dec 16TUESDAY 2:00 - 4:00pm* * * OPPORTUNITY #3 * * *