Fall 2006

Administrative Information

Class meets: MWF 1:25-2:20 pm in ST130
Class Text: Inorganic Chemistry, 3rd ed. Gary L. Miessler and Donald A.Tarr
On reserve: Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, 5th ed. F. Albert Cotton and Geoffrey Wilkinson
                   A Short Guide to Writing About Chemistry, 2nd ed. Herbert Beall and John Trimbur

Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Kua
Office: ST 381
Phone:  (619) 260-7970
E-mail:
Office hours: M 2:30-4pm, Tu 2:30-4pm, W 10-11am, Th 2-3pm
Class web site:  http://home.sandiego.edu/~jkua/chem440fall06/

Course goals: To learn about the wide world of inorganic chemistry including all those other elements in the periodic table that you always wondered about. The course will cover symmetry, group theory, the fundamentals of chemical bonding (with an emphasis on molecular orbital theory), acid-base chemistry, coordination chemistry, and special topics.

Course requirements:
1. There will be three in-class hour long exams. There will be six problem sets spread out over the semester composed of a mixture of assigned questions both from the text and from me. There will also be two written assignments, and two presentations based on your choice of a single paper topic related to inorganic chemistry.

2. A good grasp of general chemistry is important for understanding the material and completing the problem sets and exams. Since quantum chemistry (Chem311) is a pre- or co-requisite, I will be making reference to material you have learnt or are learning from that class. It is your responsibility to refamiliarize yourself with your other chemistry texts if you need a refresher.

3a. Collaboration is allowed (and even encouraged) on problem sets but each student must write up their own work.
3b. There will be NO collaboration on any exam.
3c. Each student will have their own unique specific topic for the written assignments and presentations.

4a. Grade breakdown is as follows:
     18%      6 Problem Sets @ 3% each
     54%      3 Exams @ 18% each
              Paper Topic:
       3%      Written Topic Proposal (1 page)
       2%      Soundbyte Presentation (2 minutes)
       8%      Feature Presentation (15 minutes)
     10%      Written Critique of Topic (5-8 pages)
       5%      Class Participation - Evaluating Feature Presentations of peers
4b. Failure to Schedule your Presentations by the due date will result in a penalty.
4c. Tentative Grading Scale (subject to change by the instructor at any time)
                A     85-100%
                B       70-84%
                C       55-69%
                D       40-54%
                F          0-39%
Appended + and - will approximately constitute 3% widths at either end of the scale for A-D grades.

5a. Late problem sets will receive no credit (although I will go through your answers with comments).
5b. There are no make-up exams. If you have a very good reason for missing an exam you have to let me know beforehand or as soon as possible. If I judge the reason to be valid and you did let me know beforehand or ASAP, an alternative will be available (probably in the form of an oral exam where I ask you anything I would have expected you to know on the exam).
5c. Late written assignments will receive reduced credit with a half-life of 1 day. This expires after two half-lives and no credit is received beyond that. Due dates for written assignments are posted in the syllabus below.

6. For detailed information on paper topics and proposals see link below.

7. Students are most welcome to come in during office hours. Outside of my office hours, if I'm in my office and not swamped with work, I will be happy to answer questions and discuss coursework. I check my e-mail reasonably often during working hours so you can contact me that way too. (Don't expect replies on weekends and evenings; you might get lucky, or you might not.)

8. All students are expected to adhere strictly to the Academic Integrity policy. Violations will be dealt with through the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, in accordance with the University of San Diego policy on academic integrity.