Course Meeting Times
Lecture
Class meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12:30pm - 1:20pm in Bagley Hall 131.
Lectures are recorded via Panopto and available as live streams (links in the Course Schedule)
Attendance is not monitored in lecture - in person attendance is required on exam days.
Discussion (Quiz) Sections
Thursdays
Specific times and locations for each section can be found in the UW Time Schedule.
Discussion sections are not recorded and in-person participation is expected. You are allowed to miss two discussion sections without penalty. If you need to miss discussion section for any reason, please submit a response to the Department of Chemistry absence form within 48 hours.
Lab Sections
Specific times and locations for each section can be found in the UW Time Schedule.
In-person participation is required for a lab safety orientation and 6 lab experiments. If you need to miss lab for any reason, please submit a response to the Department of Chemistry absence form within 48 hours.
Lab information (including schedule, experiments, and due dates) is maintained in a CHEM 162 Lab Canvas Site.
Office Hours / Help Sessions
Please see the Office Hours Information page for more information.
Absence and Late Work Policies
Please see the Absences and Late Work Policies page for more information.
Teaching Team
To contact us, see Course Communication or Office Hours Information
Instructor
Dr. Samantha Robinson (she/her) | sjconnel@uw.edu
Lab Instructor
Dr. Andrea Carroll (she/her) | ageddes@uw.edu
Teaching Assistants
Jakob Klein | Section BA | jpk13(AT)uw.edu
Sean Xiang | Section BB | shuyongx(AT)uw.edu
Chisa Zensho | Sections BC, BJ | chisaz(AT)uw.edu
Yarra Hassan | Section BD | yarramh(AT)uw.edu
Alexander Robinson | Section BE, BI | arobins6(AT)uw.edu
Sarah Zeitler | Section BF | szeitler(AT)uw.edu
Justin Pothoof | Section BG, BL | jpothoof(AT)uw.edu
Ryan Jiang | Section BH | rjiang2(AT)uw.edu
Michaela Gustaitis | Section BK | mcg12(AT)uw.edu
Course Materials
Textbook
- Chemical Principles, 7th Edition (Atkins, Jones, Laverman)
- ALEKS Online Homework
- Scientific (non-graphing) calculator
(There are several formats and editions of the textbook available from the bookstore and other retailers (6th edition, 7th edition, hardcover, loose-leaf, e-book rental, used, etc.) Pick whatever format will be most affordable and convenient for you. More information is available on the Textbook & Materials Information Page)
Lab Gear
- UW General Chemistry 162 Laboratory Manual (Autumn 2022-Summer 2023) - Hayden McNeil
- Lab Coat & Safety Goggles (No safety glasses or other types of goggles)
- Lab Notebook (with numbered, carbonless duplicate pages. You may continue to use a notebook from a previous quarter if it meets the criteria above and has at least 30 pages available).
- Ability to convert a sheet of paper and/or file into a pdf. Submissions cannot be a group of individual image files. Free scanning apps are available for smartphones (such as Genius Scan and Scannable) – the Gradescope instructions page of the Labs site has more details for using these apps.
(More information available on the Lab Resources Page and the 162 Lab Canvas Site)
Internet & Instructional Technology
- Access to a computer or tablet
Need a device? Try Student Technology Loan Program funded by Student Technology Fees - Daily online access
- Canvas (canvas.uw.edu)
- ALEKS Online Homework
- Gradescope (gradescope.com)
Learning Objectives
Students who successfully complete CHEM 162 will be able to:
- Explain the properties of chemical molecules using bonding models, including hybridization and molecular orbital theory, with the understanding of their limitations.
- At a beginning level, analyze spectroscopic results to determine the structure of molecules.
- Use isomerism (structural, geometric, and stereo) to explain variation in chemical and physical properties.
- Explain macroscopic properties based on intermolecular forces within the chemical system.
- Describe the structure and properties of the liquid and solid states, as well as phase changes, at the particulate and macroscopic levels.
- Explain the chemical, physical, and thermodynamic properties of solutions at the particulate and macroscopic level.
- Apply bonding models to the structural study of organic molecules and transition metal coordination complexes.
- Illustrate the concepts of kinetics, thermodynamics, and equilibria through application to organic and transition metal chemistry.
- Develop skill in visualizing the particulate level as related to the concepts above.
- Relate empirical observations, particularly in the laboratory portion of the course, to concepts listed above.
- Develop laboratory, data analysis, and scientific writing skills.
See a detailed breakdown of Course Objectives for each unit and topic in the Canvas site.
Course Components & Grading
The course consists of:
- 3 in-person class sessions per week - Live stream and recording available via Panopto.
- 1 in-person discussion section per week with a teaching assistant (sessions are not recorded)
- A Lab Safety Orientation and 6 Lab experiments over the course of the quarter (Lab Resources)
- Daily work in the ALEKS online homework platform
- In-person exams administered during the lecture time in BAG 131
- Various participation assignments: exam reflections, reading assignments, etc.
The point distribution for the evaluative components of the course is as follows:
- Final Exam (25%)
- Midterm Exams (3 midterms, 20% each, drop lowest score = 40%)
- ALEKS Online Homework (6% pie mastery + 6% module completion (drop lowest score) = 12%)
- Lab (Pre-Labs, Attendance, Reports, etc. = 15%)
- Participation (8% total)
- 10 discussion sections (0.5% each, drop 2 lowest scores = 4%)
- 21 Active Reading Assignments (drop 3 lowest scores = 3%)
- Auxiliary Participation Assignments (Exam Reflections, Syllabus Quiz, etc. = 1%)
Some additional notes on grading:
- The final median GPA in Chemistry 1x2 generally falls between 2.6-2.9.
- It is the Department of Chemistry’s policy not to make grade changes of 0.1 after final class grades are submitted to the UW Registrar.
- Your scores for the various assignments and exams will be recorded using the Canvas Gradebook. Lab scores will be available in the Lab Canvas site and/or Gradescope and migrated periodically throughout the quarter.
Additional Resources in Canvas
Course Objectives by Unit (Exam Topic List)
Keys to Success & Help Resources
Absence and Late Work Policies