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Here is a list of our general expectations of what a student should be able to do by the end of the course based on the content of all the course components. The amount of work required to meet these expectations is different for each student, and it is upto each individual to determine just what it will take for them to reach our expectations.
Note the Chem 353 focuses on the organic chemistry of molecules with pi systems : C=C/C≡C in alkenes, alkynes, and aromatics and C=O in aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and their derivatives (including nitriles C≡N). We also talk about the chemistry of epoxides because they are typically derived from alkenes, and they have reactivity similar to C=O). This means preparations and reactions of these functional groups.
1. Given the structural formula or name of any of a large assortment
of organic compounds, account for
(a) the detailed three dimensional structure of the molecule
(b) the relationship between starting materials, reagents and products
arising from with a variety of reactions
(c) the way in which bonds are made and broken to bring about product
formation in these reactions (that is, the reaction mechanism)
(d) the effect of structural variations on reactivity (rate
or position of equilibrium) in these reactions.
2. Understand the language and diagrammatic notation of organic chemistry and be able to communicate this knowledge.
3. Deduce the structural formula of an unknown organic compound from spectroscopic or chemical data.
4. Predict very roughly the physical properties of an organic compound given its structural formula.
5. Demonstrate some knowledge of the sources of and uses for organic compounds in the practical world.
6. Design reactions paths by which a great variety of moderately complex organic compounds could be prepared from simple, readily available compounds.
Laboratory Skills
The laboratory course is designed to offer you a variety of experiences - some are practice in techniques, others are more illustrative of concepts we will discuss in lectures, while others offer you the opportunity to work with some of the new instrumental techniques. The laboratory portion will be challenging because your experience in laboratories up to this point likely has not been so extensive. Some of you are planning a career that will require you work as a practising laboratory scientist, and so I challenge you to seize this opportunity to develop manual manipulative skills. Some students find it difficult to complete experiments in the allowed time. The primary reasons for this are lack of confidence (which we will try to improve) and poor preparation (make sure you read the laboratory manual before each experiment).
Team / Cooperative Skills
In the market place more and more emphasis is being placed on the skills appropriate to the successful completion of team-based projects. This has not always been the main modus operandi in universities, where individual achievement is often recognised and rewarded. You will still be required to complete many of the exercises in this course by yourself. However certain course components have been designed that require a team effort for their successful completion.