CHEM 001. Chemistry in Context:Applying Chemistry to Society.
This course covers a series of real-world issues with significant
chemical content. The four main topic areas are environment, energy sources,
materials and human health. Many of the topics (e.g., global warming, acid
rain, alternative fuels and drug design) have public policy implications.
The course seeks to develop in students the ability to make informed decisions
about issues that intersect with technology. Students may not receive credit
for CHEM 001 if they have received credit for CHEM 010 or CHEM 010H. One
laboratory period every second week.
Natural Sciences and Engineering practicum. 1 credit.
Spring 2009. Holliday.
CHEM 003. General Chemistry (two semesters), Part I
A study of the general concepts and basic principles of chemistry, including
atomic and molecular structure, bonding theory, molecular interactions,
and the role of energy in chemical reactions. CHEM 003 and 004 represent
a somewhat enriched but more leisurely approach to the general concepts
and basic principles of chemistry than does CHEM 010. CHEM 003 is a spring
semester offering intended for students not prepared for the CHEM 010 experience.
The course is offered in lecture format plus one afternoon workshop per
week. It does not fulfill the NSEP distribution requirement.
1 credit.
Spring 2009. Howard.
CHEM 004. General Chemistry (two semesters), Part II
A continuation of CHEM 003. CHEM 004 satisfies the prerequisite requirement
for CHEM 022, although the usual pathway to CHEM 022 is via CHEM 010 or
CHEM 010H. The CHEM 003/CHEM 004 combination can stand in place of CHEM
010 for meeting the requirements of the major. CHEM 004 is offered in lecture
format plus one laboratory period per week.
One laboratory period weekly.
Prerequisite: CHEM 003.
Natural sciences and engineering practicum.
1 credit.
Fall 2008. Holliday.
CHEM 010. General Chemistry.
A study of the general concepts and basic principles of chemistry; atomic
and molecular structure, bonding theory, molecular interactions and the
role of energy in chemical reactions. Applications will be drawn from current
issues in fields such as environmental, transition metal, and biological
chemistry. CHEM 010 is the normal point of entry for the chemistry and biochemistry
curriculum.
Fall: One section will be offered in lecture format and is open to all students. One section will be offered in seminar format and is open to first-year students only.
Spring: One lecture section will be offered in the spring semester with enrollment limited to 16.
One laboratory period weekly.
Natural Sciences and Engineering practicum.
1 credit.
Fall 2008. Pasternack (lecture); Hutchison (seminar).
Spring 2009. Hutchison.
CHEM 010H. General Chemistry: Honors Course.
Topics will be drawn from the traditional General Chemistry
curriculum, but discussed in greater detail and with a higher degree of
mathematical rigor. Special emphasis will be placed on the correlation of
molecular structure and reactivity, with examples drawn from such fields
as biological, organic, polymer, transition metal, and/or environmental
chemistry.
Open to first-year students only.
One laboratory period weekly.
Prerequisites: A score of 5 on the Advanced Placement Chemistry exam (received
no earlier than the 11th grade) or at least 6 on the International Baccalaureate
Advanced Chemistry exam or equivalent performance on the departmental placement
exam or permission of the instructor.
Natural Sciences and Engineering practicum.
1 credit.
Fall 2008. Yatsunyk.
CHEM 022. Organic Chemistry I.
An introduction to the chemistry of some of the more important
classes of organic compounds; nomenclature, structure, physical and spectroscopic
properties, methods of preparation and reactions of aliphatic and aromatic
hydrocarbons, halides and monofunctional oxygen compounds, with an emphasis
on ionic reaction mechanisms.
One section will be offered in lecture format and is open to all students; one section will be offered in seminar format and is open to first-year students only.
One laboratory period weekly.
Prerequisite: CHEM 010 or 010H or CHEM 004 or the equivalent.
Natural Sciences and Engineering practicum.
1 credit.
Spring 2009. Rablen (lecture); Rablen (seminar).
CHEM 032. Organic Chemistry II.
A continuation of Chemistry 22 with emphasis on more advanced
aspects of the chemistry of monofunctional and polyfunctional organic compounds,
multi-step methods of synthesis, and an introduction to bioorganic chemistry.
One laboratory period weekly.
Prerequisite: CHEM 022.
Natural Sciences and Engineering practicum.
1 credit.
Fall 2008. Paley.
CHEM 038. Biological Chemistry.
An introduction to the chemistry of living systems: protein
conformation, principles of biochemical preparation techniques, enzyme mechanisms
and kinetics, bioenergetics, intermediary metabolism, and molecular genetics.
One laboratory period weekly.
Prerequisite: CHEM 032.
Natural Sciences and Engineering practicum.
1 credit.
Spring 2009. Miller.
CHEM 043. Analytical Methods and Instrumentation
An introduction to the techniques and instrumentation used for the separation,
identification, and quantification of chemical species. Special emphasis
will be placed on the means to select a technique and how to interpret and
evaluate the resulting data. Topics will include sampling, statistical analysis,
spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and separation methods.
One laboratory period weekly.
Prerequisites: CHEM 022, plus two more semesters of college-level laboratory
work in chemistry; at the discretion of the instructor, a semester of laboratory
work in another discipline may substitute for one of the required semesters
of chemistry laboratory.
Natural sciences and engineering practicum.
1 credit.
Fall 2008. Holliday.
CHEM 044. Physical Chemistry: Atoms Molecules and Spectroscopy
A quantitative approach to the description of structure in chemical and biochemical systems. Topics will include introductory quantum mechanics, atomic/molecular structure, a range of spectroscopic methods and statistical mechanics. Systems of interest will range from gas-phase single molecules to condensed-phase macromolecular assemblies.
One laboratory period weekly.
Prerequisites: CHEM 010/010H; MATH 015, 025 (or 025S or 026); and PHYS 003, 004 (or 003, 004L, or 007, 008). Prior enrollment in MATH 033 or 034 or 035 is recommended.
Natural sciences and engineering practicum.
1 credit.
Fall 2008. Howard.
CHEM 045. Physical Chemistry: Energy and Change
A quantitative approach to the role that energy and entropy play in chemical and biochemical systems. Topics include states of matter, the laws of thermodynamics, chemical equilibria, electrochemistry, the thermodynamics of solutions and phases and chemical kinetics/dynamics. Examples will be drawn from both real and ideal systems in chemistry and biochemistry.
One laboratory period weekly.
Prerequisites: CHEM 010/010H; MATH 015, 025 (or 025S or 026), 033 (or 034 or 035); and PHYS 003, 004 (or 003, 004L, or 007, 008).
Natural sciences and engineering practicum.
1 credit.
Spring 2009. Stephenson.
CHEM 46. Inorganic Chemistry.
A study of the structure, bonding, and reactivity of inorganic
compounds with emphasis on the transition metals. Included in the syllabus
are discussions of crystal and ligand field theories, organometallic chemistry
and bioinorganic chemistry. The laboratory component emphasizes the synthesis,
spectroscopy, and magnetic properties of transition metal complexes including
organometallic substances and ones of biochemical interest.
One laboratory period weekly.
Prerequisites: CHEM 034; CHEM 038 highly recommended.
Natural Sciences and Engineering practicum.
1 credit.
Spring 2008. Yatsunyk.
All students should note that CHEM 010, 022, and 034 constitute a minimum set of prerequisites for enrollment in any Chemistry/Biochemistry Department seminar. Individual seminars carry additional prerequisites as listed below.
CHEM 102. Topics in Modern Organic Chemistry.
This course will address selected advanced topics of current
interest in the fields of synthetic and bioorganic chemistry. Materials
will be drawn both from textbooks and from the current research literature,
and will cover such topics as methods for forming carbon-carbon bonds, control
of relative and absolute stereochemistry, the use of "organocatalysts"
and carbohydrates. The total synthesis of architecturally challenging natural
products will serve to highlight the application of these technologies.
Additional Prerequisite: CHEM 032.
1 credit.
Spring 2009. Paley.
CHEM 103. Topics in Environmental Chemistry
This course will focus on the use of fundamental chemical principles to
understand the source, distribution, impact, and possible remediation of
anthropogenic pollutants in the environment. Discussions will center on
environmental issues raised in both popular media and current scientific
literature. Topics may include air pollution, greenhouse gases, ozone depletion,
acid rain, and water and soil pollutants, such as heavy metals and pesticides.
Additional prerequisite: CHEM 043.
1 credit.
Not offered 2008-2009.
CHEM 105. Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy.
Advanced consideration of topics in quantum mechanics including
the harmonic oscillator, angular momentum, perturbation theory, and electron
spin. These concepts, along with molecular symmetry and group theory, will
be applied to the study of atomic and molecular spectroscopy.
Additional Prerequisite: MATH 033 (or 034 or 035). Familiarity with linear
algebra will be useful.
1 credit.
Not offered 2008-2009.
CHEM 106. Topics in Bioinorganic Chemistry
This seminar will start with a brief review of the basic principles of inorganic
and biological chemistry as well as an overview of relevant biophysical
techniques. Materials will be drawn largely from the primary literature.
Students will be challenged to read and evaluate scientific papers critically.
The main topics of this course will have to do with the function and coordination
of metals in biological systems: important cofactors and metal clusters
that carry out catalysis and electron transfer reactions, metal homeostasis,
metals in medicine, and the importance of inorganic model compounds to understand
the function of biological systems.
Additional prerequisite: CHEM 038, CHEM 046, and BIOL 001.
1 credit.
Not offered 2008–2009.
CHEM 108. Topics in Biochemistry.
Physical methods used to study high resolution biomacromolecular
structure will be discussed, using examples from the primary literature.
Techniques used to measure the forces stabilizing intramolecular and intermolecular
interactions and their application to proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates
and lipid membranes will be included.
Recent developments in the rational design of ligands for biological receptors, based on results from the physical methods described previously, will be used to highlight the importance of diverse approaches to the study of biomolecular recognition.
Additional Prerequisites: CHEM 038 and BIOL 001. Prior
or concurrent enrollment in BIOL 010 or 014 or 016 or 017 and/or CHEM 45 is recommended.
1 credit.
Fall 2008. Miller.
CHEM 110. Topics in Modern Biophysical Chemistry.
Topics will be discussed from the interdisciplinary field
of biophysical chemistry in which biological systems are explored using
the perspective of the physical scientist.
Additional Prerequisite: CHEM 038. Prior or concurrent enrollment in CHEM
45 is recommended.
1 credit.
Spring 2009. Howard..
All students who enroll in one or more research courses during the academic year are required to attend weekly colloquium meetings and to present the results of their work during the spring semester.
CHEM 094. Research Project.
This course provides the opportunity for qualified students to participate
in research with individual faculty members. Students who propose to take
this course should consult with faculty during the preceding semester concerning
problem areas under study. This course may be elected more than once.
0.5 or 1 credit
Each semester. Staff.
CHEM 096. Research Thesis.
Chemistry and biochemistry majors will be provided with
an option of writing a senior research thesis in lieu of taking comprehensive
examinations. Students are strongly urged to participate in on-campus research
during the summer between their junior and senior years. The student will
form an advisory committee to consist of (but not be limited to) two members
of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, one of whom is to act as the
student's research mentor. Whereas the details of the research thesis program
will be determined by the committee and the student, certain minimum requirements
must be met by all students selecting this option:
i) A minimum of two credits of CHEM 096 to be taken during the last three semesters of the student's residence at Swarthmore.
ii) A thesis based upon the student's research activity to be submitted prior to the last week of classes of the final semester. Guidelines for the preparation of the thesis will be provided to the student.
1 credit.
Each semester. Staff.
CHEM 180. Research Thesis.
An opportunity for students in the External Examination
program to participate in research with individual staff members. The thesis
topic must be chosen in consultation with some member of the faculty and
approved early in the semester preceding the one in which the work is to
be done.
1 credit.
Each semester. Staff.