DO NOT USE WAIT LISTS FOR CHEM CLASSES!

Do NOT sign up on waiting lists for Chem 121 or Chem 125 courses or labs!  If the course or lab that you NEED is unavailable, and none of the available sections will work, come to the faculty tables at registration and talk to a Chemistry Department representative. 

WE CAN HELP YOU WHILE YOU’RE STILL REGISTERING

 

Level I Chemistry Courses—Fall 2007

 

            The St. Olaf Chemistry Department offers two level I courses each fall: Chemistry 121 and Chemistry 125 and participates in the offering of the Chem-Bio 125 course as well.  All of these courses are designed primarily for students planning to take additional chemistry courses, but also satisfy the college’s Studies in Natural Sciences with Laboratory requirement.  Students not interested in a science major will usually choose to take Chemistry 121 or another course designed exclusively for non-science majors (see Interim and Spring offerings).  These students need not take the placement test. More information about chemistry majors can be found at the department’s course web site, http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/chemistry/courses .

 

            Chemistry 121/123 and 125 both lead to Chemistry 126. For students interested in taking Chemistry 126, which is a prerequisite for all level II and III chemistry courses and is OFFERED SPRING TERM ONLY, there are two routes:  taking Chemistry 125 in the fall followed by Chemistry 126 in the spring, or taking Chemistry 121 in the fall, Chemistry 123 (Chemical Structure) during interim, and Chemistry 126 in the spring.  Note that both Chemistry 121 and Chemistry 125 are ONLY OFFERED IN THE FALL. 

 

 

Both 125 and the 121/123 combination prepare students for Chemistry 126 (Energies and Rates of Chemical Reactions).  Both 125 and 121/123 cover an equivalent set of topics, including:

 

Chemical Reactions

Acids and Bases

Mass and Mole Relationships

The Periodic Table

Solutions

Atomic Structure

Gases

Chemical Bonding and Molecular Structure

Chemical Equilibrium

Coordination Chemistry

 

Chemistry 125 covers all these topics in a single semester.  Chemistry 121 covers primarily the first seven topics, at a slightly slower pace than 125;  Chemistry 123 emphasizes atomic and molecular structure, chemical bonding, and coordination chemistry.

 

            An alternative route through the level one Chemistry curriculum is to commit to the Integrated Chemistry-Biology Sequence of courses by registering for CH/BI 125 in the fall.  These courses meet fall, interim and spring term and are an equivalent experience to Chem 125, Chem 126 and Bio 125.  If you choose to register for this sequence, make sure that you have alternative schedules that include Chem 125, (in case CH/BI 125 closes before you register).  More information about these courses is available following the boxed Class & Lab Schedule, below.

 

            Calculus is a prerequisite for Chemistry 126 and CH/BI 126.  If you are planning to take Chemistry 126 or CH/BI 126 this school year, be sure to take Math 120 (or beyond) this fall, according to the recommendation of the Math department. 

 

            Chemistry placement recommendations should be considered. The results of the placement exam and information on your high school background will enable us to recommend the most appropriate beginning chemistry level for you.  Please follow our recommendation. Experience has shown that students who are placed into Chemistry 125 usually do well in this course; however, those who are placed into Chemistry 121 but insist on taking Chemistry 125 usually do poorly.  Likewise it is not advisable to take Chemistry 121 if you are placed into Chemistry 125. You may well be bored, you will likely develop poor study habits, and your grade in the course will suffer. Better to be an enthusiastic hard worker in Chemistry 125 than a bored “coaster” in Chemistry 121.

 

            Your placement results will be available to you and your advisor in the SIS system at the Registrar’s website. If you have serious reservations about your placement, seek the counsel of a chemistry faculty member.

 

            Any chemistry professor will be happy to discuss any questions you may have about the St. Olaf Chemistry program with you individually. Simply stop on by or make an appointment.

 

            An equation-solving calculator is required for Chemistry 121, 125, 126 and CH/BI 125 and 126. Chemists use a variety of mathematical expressions and models to aid them in their study of matter.  Consequently, the calculator and computer are professional tools that pervade investigations of chemical systems and theory.  Students enrolling in various chemistry courses learn to employ these tools as an integral part of their educational experience. In particular,  students enrolling in level one Chemistry and CH/BI courses are required to use calculators that are capable of solving equations such as "PV=nRT" or "(0.01+x)(x)/(0.01-x) = 1E-3" for one variable when all others are known (that is, to get real solutions such as P=0.3456 or x=8.4E-4). Calculators known to be capable of such equation solving and advanced features include Texas Instruments models TI-85, 86, 89, 92, and the Hewlett Packard 48G and 49G. Other calculators may be available that perform these functions satisfactorily. Students having questions about the functionality and applicability of a calculator should consult the user's manual,  http://education.ti.com/global/gmtrx.html, http://www.hp.com/calculators/graphing, and/or chemistry department faculty members.

 

            Class Sections and Lab Sections are Linked. Chemistry 121, Chemistry 125 and CH/BI 125 include laboratory programs that meets once a week, with times listed in the Class and Laboratory Schedule.  Every student registering for the course must also register for an appropriate laboratory section.  Chemistry 125 registrants must be careful:  students taking the 8:00 Chemistry 125 course (section A) must take lab on Thursday (section FL or GL); students taking the 9:05 or 10:45 Chemistry 125 courses (sections B or C) must take lab on Monday (section AL) or Tuesday (sections BL, CL or DL). This semester’s schedule of classes and labs for Chemistry 121, Chemistry 125, and CH/BI 125 is shown below.  Classes are in bold.

 

Class & Lab Schedule, Fall 2007

 

Course                                                                   Instructor                      Meeting Time               Lab Choices                                                        

 

  Chemistry 121A:  General Chemistry         Keussman                     MWF 10:45-11:40        any 121 lab

 

  Chemistry 121B:  General Chemistry         Keussman                     MWF 11:50-12:45        any 121 lab

 

                     Chem 121 AL                                                                           Monday 2:00-5:00

                                                                                                                                                               

                     Chem 121 BL                                                                            Tuesday 8:00-11:00

                     

                     Chem 121 CL                                                                            Tuesday 11:45-2:45

                                                                                  

                     Chem 121 DL                                                                            Tuesday  3:00-6:00

 

  Chemistry 125A:  Struct Chem and Eq        Schaefle                        MWF 8:00-8:55             lab FL or GL

 

  Chemistry 125B:  Struct Chem & Eq           Miessler                        MWF 9:05-10:00          lab AL, BL, CL or DL

 

  Chemistry 125C:  Struct Chem & Eq           Miessler                        MWF 10:45-11:40        lab AL, BL, CL or DL

 

                     Chem 125 AL                                                                           Monday 2:00-5:00

                                                                                                                                                               

                     Chem 125 BL                                                                            Tuesday 8:00-11:00

                     

                     Chem 125 CL                                                                            Tuesday 11:45-2:45

                                                                                  

                     Chem 125 DL                                                                            Tuesday  3:00-6:00

                   

                     Chem 125 FL                                                                             Thursday 8:00-11:00

                                                                                  

                     Chem 125 GL                                                                            Thursday  12:50-3:50

 

Chemistry-Biology 125:  Integrated               Abdella                          MWF 11:50-12:45           CH/BI 125 L

 

                     CH/BI 125 L                                                                              Thursday 8:00-11:00

                                                                                                                       

*Chemistry 121, when combined with the Interim course Chemistry 123, is equivalent to Chemistry 125.

*Chem-Bio 125, when combined with the Interim course Chem-Bio 126 and the second semester course Chem-Bio 127, is equivalent to Chemistry 125, Chemistry 126 and Biology 125.

 

 

More Information about the Integrated Chemistry-Biology Courses

 

            During the 2007-2008 academic year the Chemistry and Biology Departments are introducing a new sequence of courses for first year students.  Developed by faculty from both departments with grant support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, these courses will provide an interdisciplinary introduction to chemistry and biology, in contrast to the more disciplinary focus of the traditional introductory courses (Chem 125, Chem 126, Bio 125).  The new courses are:

                                                                                      G.E.             When

Course Number and Title                                                                      Satisfied         Offered         Instructor

 

CH/BI 125:  Integrated Chemistry/Biology I:  Fundamental         NSC, NSL      Fall                Abdella

Chemical Concepts and Their Biological Applications (SED, IST)

 

CH/BI 126:  Integrated Chemistry/Biology II:  Chemical                                      Interim          Schwinefus

Thermodynamics, Kinetics, and Biological Relevance

 

CH/BI 127:  Integrated Chemistry/Biology III:  Molecular          NSC, NSL      Spring          Kandl

and Cellular Biology                                                                              (SED, IST)

 

            The new courses will emphasize the common features of chemistry and biology and how these disciplines build upon each other.  A key aspect of the courses will be an interdisciplinary laboratory program in which students will engage in experiences that will help them to see connections between the disciplines as well as learn the essential methods and procedures of each.   

 

            Schedule planning note:  The CH/BI 125/126/127 sequence provides the necessary background to take more advanced courses in both Chemistry and Biology following students’ first college year.  Here are some features of these new offerings for 2007-2008:

 

·        A single class section of each course will be offered, with a class size of approximately 25. 

 

·        A Chemistry Placement Exam recommendation of Chemistry 125 is required.

 

·        Students enrolling in CH/BI 125 will be expected to be committed to completing the entire 3-course CH/BI sequence.

 

·        CH/BI 125 is a prerequisite for CH/BI 126, which in turn is a prerequisite for CH/BI 127.

 

·        Completion of CH/BI 127 will serve as prerequisite for courses for which Chem 126 and Bio 125 are prerequisites.

 

·        These are not honors courses; they are taught at the same level of academic expectation as Chem 125, Chem 126, and Bio 125.

 

·        Students who do not take CH/BI 125 will not be able to enter the sequence during a later term.

 

            We anticipate that the new courses will be attractive both to students who wish to pursue interests in biology and chemistry and to students having interdisciplinary interests—for example, in environmental science, biomolecular science, neuroscience, and medically related fields; we feel that these new courses can serve a broad range of students well.

 

            Descriptions of these courses follow:

 

Chemistry/Biology 125:  Integrated Chemistry/Biology I:  Fundamental Chemical Concepts and Their Biological Applications

 

This course introduces chemical concepts that are important for students pursuing a study of chemistry or biology.  Topics include atomic structure, the Periodic Table, bonding interactions within and between particles, water and its solutions, biological membranes, chemical reaction types, chemical stoichiometry, equilibrium systems, acids and bases, introduction to protein structure.  Examples are often pulled from the realm of biological molecules and processes.  Students attend three classes and one 3-hour laboratory each week.  Offered Fall Semester.  General Education requirements satisfied:  NSC/NSL (will satisfy the new SED and IST requirements). 

 

            Fall Semester Schedule:      Class:     11:50-12:45 Monday, Wednesday, Friday

                                                                Lab:        8:00-11:00 Thursday

 

 

Chemistry/Biology 126:  Integrated Chemistry/Biology II:  Chemical Thermodynamics, Kinetics, and Biological Relevance

 

This course introduces physical chemistry with an emphasis on the thermodynamics and kinetics of biological chemical reactions. Topics include probability as the driving force for chemical reactions; the relationship between chemical bonding energetics, entropy, and equilibria; oxidation-reduction reactions and electrochemistry; and rates of reactions, including enzyme-catalyzed reactions.  Laboratory experiments and activities illustrate lecture topics and introduce new concepts.  Offered during Interim.

 

 

Chemistry/Biology 127:  Integrated Chemistry/Biology III:  Molecular and Cellular Biology

 

      This course builds on the principles learned in ID125/126 and explores how chemistry informs major principles of cellular and molecular biology and genetics.  Topics include cell structure, metabolism, movement, signaling, division, and molecular and Mendelian inheritance.  The course will emphasize problem-solving, quantitative reasoning, the scientific method, and scientific writing through lectures, discussions, readings, writing assignments, and laboratory work.  Students attend three classes and one 3-hour laboratory each week.  Offered Spring Semester.  General Education requirements satisfied:  NSC/NSL (will satisfy the new SED and IST requirements).

 

 

For Further Information:  Please contact one of the 2007-2008 course instructors (Beth Abdella, Jeff Schwinefus, and Kim Kandl) or another member of the course committee (Kevin Crisp, Gary Miessler, and John Schade).