Chemistry 310 - Chemical Calculations

Course Topics

The topics for this course are typically allocated as follows (approximate number of lecture and lab hours spent on each topic are shown in the left columns):

Lec	Lab	Topic
3	0	Introduction; math skills for chemistry; purpose and functional use of science in general chemistry; a short introduction to the scientific method.
6	0	Mathematics as a basic tool of science and its application to measurement; a scientific approach to problem solving; the metric system and scientific notation.
6	0	Matter and Energy; Atomic Theory; the historical development of the concept of matter; modern symbolism and formulas in terms of the fundamental laws of conservation of mass and definite composition; basic survey of the classifications of matter and a study of the interaction of matter.
3	0	Periodicity; historical development of periodic classification and its significance in the interpretation of chemical data; the trends associated with the Periodic Table.
6	0	Chemical Composition and Nomenclature; concept of empirical formulas, molecular formulas, percent composition, atom, mole, and mass relationships; study of chemical formulas (names, symbols) and the language used to describe them.
6	0	Chemical Equations; common reaction types and tools necessary to predict the products and balance these reactions.
6	0	Stoichiometry; mole to mole relationships; mole to mass, and mass to mass relationships for chemical reactions; mole to volume relationships and mass to volume relationships for gases at standard conditions with calculations.
6	0	Chemical Bonding; covalent and ionic bonding and the properties associated with each; draw electron dot structures for atoms and compounds; assign oxidation numbers to an atom present in compounds or ions.
6	0	Solutions: Acids, Bases, Salts; percent by weight and by volume and molarity and associated calculations; theories of acids and bases; pH (as an application of logarithms) and associated calculations; strong, weak, and non electrolytes; writing ionic and net ionic equations.
3	0	Gas Laws; the relationships between temperature, pressure, and volume for gases; Molecular Theory of Gases, Boyle's Law, Charles' Law, Gay Lussac's Law, Combined Gas Law, Ideal Gas Equation, molar volume of a gas, Avogadro's Hypothesis, and associated calculations.
3	0	Synthesis of chemistry topics and comprehensive final.
0	3	Lab orientation, lab safety, and locker check-in.
0	3	Physical and chemical changes; identification of unknown sample based on the profiles of known samples.
0	6	Mass, length, volume measurements; density calculations in various units; density determinations from volumetric, gravimetric, and graphing techniques.
0	3	Phase changes; freezing and melting points of a solid from graphing data.
0	3	Some Periodicity of the elements.
0	6	Nomenclature conventions of inorganic chemistry; observations of some chemical reactions; translation of observations into balanced chemical equations.
0	3	Percent of water in an unknown hydrate using gravimeteric techniques.
0	3	Simplest formula of a compound; determination of the molar mass of an unknown hydrate from gravimeteric analysis.
0	3	Analysis of solid mixture by three different methods: selective decomposition, solubility difference, and gravimetric precipitation.
0	6	Molar volume of a gas; determination of the atomic mass of an unknown metal.
0	9	Preparation of a standardize solution of sodium hydroxide using titration techniques; determination of the molar mass of an unknown acid; and analysis of a vinegar solution.
0	3	Formulas of reactants and products involved in several types of reactions; balancing chemical equations.
0	3	Checkout

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

solve chemical calculation problems, for example, unit conversion and theoretical yield calculations, in a clear and logical fashion.

describe and explain organizational trends of the periodic table, for example, atomic mass, periods and groups, metals, nonmetals, metalloids, atom size.

describe the structure of an atom and predict common ions formed.

formulate the name of inorganic molecular and ionic compounds, and acids.

identify the type of chemical reaction given reactant(s) and product(s) and balance the chemical reaction using coefficients.

predict the products of inorganic chemical reactions using solubility rules.

use the ideal gas law and the gas laws to predict temperature, pressure, volume, mass, or molar quantity of a gas.

perform calculations involving mass percents, molarity, solution stoichiometry, and pH.

complete lab experiments in a safe and timely manner, after receiving written and/or verbal instructions.

demonstrate the proper use of laboratory glassware and equipment by collecting and recording scientific measurements in data tables with the correct number of units and significant figures (i.e. graduated cylinder, balances, thermometer, buret, pipet, and metric ruler), and the recording of observations (physical and chemical changes and properties).