CHEMISTRY 370 – SPRING 2014
Organic Chemistry
Dr. Christopher J. Nichols
PHSC 308
Ph 898-5541
e-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.csuchico.edu/~cjnichols
Office Hours
M 4-5; Th 12-2; F 11-1
Prerequisites
CHEM 370 is the second part of a 2-semester sequence of organic chemistry for chemistry, biochemistry, and
biology majors as well as many pre-professional programs. CHEM 270 is the first part of that sequence and so a
grade of C-minus or better in CHEM 270 (or an equivalent class at another institution) is the prerequisite for
CHEM 370. Please come and see Dr. Nichols if you are not sure if the classes you have taken meet this prerequisite.
CHEM 370 will be taught assuming everyone has completed and understood the material from general chemistry
and from CHEM 270.
Textbooks:
• Wade, “Organic Chemistry”, 8th edition, (2013) ISBN 978-0-321-76841-4 REQUIRED. Available at
bookstore or online. Older editions of this same textbook are acceptable.
• Nichols, “Chemistry 370: Clicker Questions, Handouts, and Problem Sets” (2013, 2nd ed.) ISBN 978-1-46524001-9 REQUIRED. Available through the bookstore only.
• i>clicker2 – REQUIRED. Available at the bookstore.
Curriculum
CHEM 370 is intended for majors in chemistry, biology, and for most students who will attend medical, dental,
veterinary, and chiropractic colleges.
CHEM 370 covers topics included in Chapters 14-25 in Wade. We will not be doing Chapter 26. The topics are
listed on the lecture schedule page. By the end of the semester you will have learned about the structure, function,
and reactivity of all of the major functional groups in organic chemistry as well as some biological applications of
organic chemistry.
Laboratory
CHEM 370 does NOT have a lab component. Two stand-alone organic lab courses are offered. They can be taken
either concurrently with CHEM 370 or after completion of CHEM 370.
• CHEM 370L is a 3-hour per week (1 unit) lab course. It is required for chemistry minors and some majors in
Biological Sciences and other departments. Chemistry and biochemistry majors should NOT take CHEM 370L.
• CHEM 370M is a 6-hour per week (2 units) lab course. It is required for chemistry and biochemistry majors.
Other students are welcome to take it but please note that it has a fairly heavy workload for a 2-unit course.
i>clickers
• You are required to purchase an i>clicker (the new standard one used by our campus) for CHEM 370. Every
class day (except for exams and the first week) I will use them multiple times to get feedback from you – to
determine whether or not most students understand a particular chemical concept.
• Your clicker must be registered through the Bb Learn link provided on the home page.
• I expect everyone to bring their clicker to class each day and answer questions when prompted. One point is
given for participation with the clicker each day.
• The Friday of the first week (Jan 24) we will have a short tutorial on how to use the clicker. Starting the
following class (Mon Jan 27), students will accumulate points based on their participation with the clickers.
Please download the tutorial and bring it to class on Jan 24 if you haven’t used i>clicker before.
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Homework and Participation
• To help keep everyone in the class learning as the semester progresses, homework sets will be assigned for each
chapter.
• The homework sets are in the “Chemistry 370: Clicker Questions, Handouts, and Homework Sets” book.
• Assignments and due dates will be announced in class and posted on the “calendar” section of Bb Learn.
• In some cases, all of the questions in the assignment will be graded, and in other cases only a select number of
problems will be graded.
• Answers will be made available after the homework is due.
• There are a total of 12 homework assignments, worth 5 points each.
• Homework is due IN CLASS on the due date: it will be considered late if handed in after class.
• Late homework is accepted up to 1 week past the due date but for no more than half credit.
Bb Learn
The Bb Learn site will be used for a calendar of assignments and to post answers to the homework, quizzes, and
exams. You will also find copies of old exam questions that you can download to help you prepare for the exams
this semester.
Exams:
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•
•
•
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MIDTERM I – Wednesday, February 12
MIDTERM II – Friday, March 14
MIDTERM III – Monday, April 21
FINAL EXAM – Friday, May 16, 8:00 am
Please show up on time for each exam. You do not get extra time if you arrive late.
Notes and textbooks are not permitted on exams.
Students who need special accommodations for exams must have proper authorization from Disability Support
Services (DSS). Contact the DSS office 898-5959 for more information.
Questions from exams from previous years will be posted on the Bb Learn site for you to download. The
answers to those questions will also be posted in the days preceding each exam.
There will be no opportunity for a make-up exam once the class has taken the exam. Please don’t ask.
Early exam-taking will only be permitted under rare circumstances. If you will be unable to take an exam as
scheduled please contact Dr. Nichols as soon as possible. All reasons for early exam-taking must be verified in
writing. Acceptable reasons include road trips for intercollegiate athletics. Unacceptable reasons include
doctor’s appointments and multiple exams on the same day.
Requests for re-grading questions on exams are limited to 1 week after the exam is returned.
Evaluation:
Grading
Homework
Clickers
Midterms (3 @100 pts each)
FINAL
TOTAL
85-100%
80-84%
75-79%
70-74%
65-69%
60 points
40 points
300 points
200 points
600 points
A
AB+
B
B-
60-64%
55-59%
50-54%
40-49%
0-39%
C+
C
CD
F
Important note! A grade of C-minus or better in CHEM 370 is a prerequisite for Biochemistry, CHEM 451. If you
earn a D or an F in CHEM 370 you will not be allowed to enroll in CHEM 451.
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What I Expect in Chemistry 370

Keep up! Falling behind early will lead to real trouble, particularly since the final exam is comprehensive.

Attend all lectures. Even though no credit is directly given for attending lectures, studies show that attendance
directly affects performance. Don’t forget your clicker.

Do the assignments and do them on time. The assignments are worth only a few points, but more importantly
they are practice for the exams, which are worth plenty of points. Copying homework answers from your
friends may get you the 10 points the homework assignment is worth, but since you wouldn’t be taking the time
to learn the material, your performance on the exams will suffer. Don’t fall into the trap of not actively doing
homework.

Read the textbook and keep up with the lectures. The topics under discussion each week are laid out in the
calendar so there is no excuse for not being prepared for class.

Plan to invest 6-8 hours per week out of class to studying for CHEM 370 in order to succeed. Successful
studying involves ACTIVE learning: by doing problems, asking questions, and so on.

Turn your cell phones and pagers OFF during class hours. A cell phone which rings during class or lab is
disruptive and impolite. If there is a circumstance (emergency) that requires you to leave your phone on please
inform me at the beginning of the class.

Be prepared to participate in class. You may be invited to the board occasionally to do problems.

If you are confused about something in class, ASK! If you are still confused after class, ask again, in office
hours, in lab, by e-mail, or however, until you are satisfied.

Work together! Obviously on exams you are working on your own, but studies show that studying together and
doing homework together are excellent ways for everyone to earn higher grades. You and the other students are
not competing with each other: the grades in the class are not on a "curve".

Be honest. Copying answers during exams and other forms of academic dishonesty are serious offenses and
will not be tolerated. Instances of cheating will be reported to Student Judicial Affairs, and serious academic
penalties are possible. Please refer to the catalog for further information. I will take several precautions to help
prevent cheating, including:
• Giving out different versions of exams and quizzes, which contain different questions.
• Noting who sits next to whom in an exam setting and cross-checking answers. If you studied
with someone do not sit next to them in the exam: it can lead to suspicion.
• Checking ID of students during exams.

The largest part of the subject matter in this class deals with reactions in which one organic molecule is
transformed into another: how well you understand these transformations at the end of the semester will be
directly reflected in the grade you earn:
• To earn a D, you will need to know some of the reactions.
• To earn a C, you will need to know all of the reactions.
• To earn a B, you will need to know the mechanisms of all of the reactions.
• To earn an A, you will need to UNDERSTAND all of the reactions, and be able to explain
aspects of a reaction like stereoselectivity, kinetic vs. thermodynamic control, etc.
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CHEMISTRY 370 CALENDAR SPRING 2014
MONDAY
Martin Luther
King Day
No classes
Jan 27
Chapter 14
Epoxides
Feb 3
Chapter 15
Conjugation
Feb 10
Chapter 16
Aromaticity
Feb 17
Chapter 17
Aromatic Rxns
Feb 24
Chapter 17
Aromatic Rxns
Mar 3
Chapter 18
Aldehyde/Ketone
Mar 10
Chapter 19
Amines
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
Jan 22
Intro and Review
Jan 29
Chapter 15
Conjugation
Feb 5
Chapter 16
Aromaticity
Feb 12
EXAM I
Feb 19
Chapter 17
Aromatic Rxns
Feb 26
Chapter 18
Aldehyde/Ketone
Mar 5
Chapter 18
Aldehyde/Ketone
Mar 12
Chapter 19
Amines
Spring
Mar 24
Chapter 20
Carboxylic Acids
Cesar Chavez
Day
No classes
Apr 7
Chapter 21
Carb. Acid Derivs.
Apr 14
Chapter 22
Condensations
Apr 21
EXAM III
Apr 28
Chapter 23
Carbohydrates
May 5
Chapter 24
Proteins
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Jan 24
Clickers and
Ch 14 - Ethers
Jan 31
Chapter 15
Conjugation
Feb 7
Chapter 16
Aromaticity
Feb 14
Chapter 17
Aromatic Rxns
Feb 21
Chapter 17
Aromatic Rxns
Feb 28
Chapter 18
Aldehyde/Ketone
Mar 7
Chapter 19
Amines
Mar 14
EXAM II
Break
Mar 26
Chapter 20
Carboxylic Acids
Apr 2
Chapter 21
Carb. Acid Derivs.
Apr 9
Chapter 21
Carb. Acid Derivs.
Apr 16
Chapter 22
Condensations
Apr 23
Chapter 23
Carbohydrates
Apr 30
Chapter 23
Nucleic Acids
May 7
Chapter 25
Lipids
Mar 28
Chapter 20
Carboxylic Acids
Apr 4
Chapter 21
Carb. Acid Derivs.
Apr 11
Chapter 22
Condensations
Apr 18
Chapter 22
Condensations
Apr 25
Chapter 23
Carbohydrates
May 2
Chapter 24
Amino Acids
May 9
Review for Final
May 16
FINAL EXAM
8:00 – 9:50
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