Chemistry Major
Foundation Courses
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CHEM051 HM Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics and Kinetics
Credits: 3
Instructor: Karukstis and Van Hecke
Offered: Fall
Description: Applications of thermodynamics to chemical and phase equilibria. Chemical kinetics in the gas phase, in solution and on solid surfaces.
Prerequisites: CHEM024 HM and CHEM042 HM
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CHEM056 HM Organic Chemistry I
Credits: 3
Instructors: Brucks, Haushalter, Vosburg
Offered: Fall
Description: A systematic study of the chemistry of carbon-containing compounds, emphasizing synthesis, reaction mechanisms, and the relation of structure to observable physical and chemical properties.
Prerequisites: CHEM042 HM and CHEM024 HM
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CHEM103 HM Chemical Analysis
Credits: 3
Instructors: Hawkins, Van Ryswyk
Offered: Fall
Description: Applications of chemical equilibria in qualitative and quantitative analysis with emphasis on inorganic systems. Introduction to electrochemistry, mass spectrometry, and chromatography.
Prerequisites: CHEM042 HM and CHEM024 HM
Concurrent requisites: CHEM109 HM is recommended
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CHEM104 HM Inorganic Chemistry
Credits: 3
Instructors: Johnson, Van Heuvelen, Van Hecke
Offered: Spring
Description: Systematic study of the preparation, properties, structures, analysis, and reactions of inorganic compounds.
Prerequisites: CHEM056 HM; CHEM052 HM recommended
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CHEM182 HM Biochemistry
Credits: 3
Instructors: Brucks, Haushalter, Vosburg
Offered: Spring
Description: Relation of molecular structure and energy flow to metabolic reactions, signal transduction, and transport across membranes in living systems.
Prerequisites: CHEM056 HM
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PHYS051 HM Electromagnetic Theory and Optics
Credits: 3
Instructors: Breznay, Donnelly, Eckert, Gerbode, Sahakian
Offered: Fall
Description: An introduction to electricity and magnetism leading to Maxwell’s electromagnetic equations in differential and integral form. Selected topics in classical and quantum optics.
Prerequisites: PHYS023 HM and PHYS024 HM
Corequisites: MATH082 HM
One Mathematics Course
One mathematics course chosen from the following:
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BIOL154 HM Biostatistics
Credits: 3
Instructors: Donaldson-Matasci, Stoebel
Offered: Spring
Description: Statistical techniques for analyzing biological data, including parametric, nonparametric, and randomization methods. Statistical aspects of experimental design with an emphasis on analyzing data collected in BIOL054 HM.
Prerequisites: CSCI005 HM, CSCI005GR HM, or CSCI042 HM
Corequisites: BIOL046 HM
Concurrent requisites: BIOL054 HM
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ENGR072 HM Engineering Mathematics
Credits: 1.5
Instructors: Bassman, Lape, Yong (Mathematics)
Offered: Spring, first half
Description: Applications of differential equations, linear algebra, and probability to engineering problems in multiple disciplines. Mathematical modeling, dimensional analysis, scale, approximation, model validation, Laplace Transforms.
Prerequisites: MATH019 HM, MATH073 HM, MATH082 HM, and ENGR079 HM
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MATH082 HM Differential Equations
Credits: 3
Instructor: Staff
Offered: Fall
Description: Modeling physical systems, first-order ordinary differential equations, existence, uniqueness, and long-term behavior of solutions; bifurcations; approximate solutions; second-order ordinary differential equations and their properties, applications; first-order systems of ordinary differential equations. Applications to linear systems of ordinary differential equations, matrix exponential; nonlinear systems of differential equations; equilibrium points and their stability. Additional topics.
Prerequisites: (MATH019 HM and MATH073 HM) or equivalent
Foundation Laboratories
Four Laboratory Courses taken from:
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CHEM053 HM Physical Chemistry Laboratory
Credits: 2
Instructor: Karukstis and Van Hecke
Offered: Fall
Description: Physical and chemical measurements of molecular properties.
Corequisites: CHEM051 HM
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CHEM058 HM Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
Credit: 1
Instructors: Brucks, Haushalter, Johnson, Vosburg
Offered: Fall
Description: Laboratory taken concurrently with CHEM056 HM.
Prerequisites: CHEM024 HM
Corequisites: CHEM056 HM
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CHEM109 HM Chemical Analysis Laboratory
Credit: 1
Instructors: Hawkins, Van Ryswyk
Offered: Fall
Description: Cooperative, project-based application of chemical analysis in a tropical marine ecosystem. Techniques include spectrophotometry, potentiometry, chromatography, and redox and complexometric titrations.
Corequisites: CHEM103 HM
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CHEM110 HM Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory
Credit: 1
Instructors: Johnson, Van Heuvelen
Offered: Spring
Description: Synthesis and characterization of inorganic compounds.
Prerequisites: CHEM058 HM
Corequisites: CHEM104 HM
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CHEM184 HM Biochemistry Laboratory
Credit: 1
Instructors: Brucks, Haushalter, Vosburg
Offered: Spring
Description: Experiments in biochemistry.
Corequisites: CHEM182 HM or BIOL182 HM
In-Depth Chemistry Electives
Eight to nine credits taken from:
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CHEM052 HM Physical Chemistry: Group Theory, Quantum Chemistry, and Spectroscopy
Credits: 3
Instructors: Hernandez-Castillo, Van Hecke
Offered: Spring
Description: Chemical group theory. Introduction to quantum mechanics with application to atoms and molecules. Applications of group theory and quantum mechanics to spectroscopy.
Prerequisites: CHEM051 HM and PHYS051 HM
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CHEM105 HM Organic Chemistry II
Credits: 3
Instructors: Brucks, Haushalter, Vosburg
Offered: Spring
Description: A continuation of the chemistry of carbon compounds.
Prerequisites: CHEM056 HM
Concurrent requisites: CHEM111 HM is recommended
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CHEM114 HM Advanced Analytical Chemistry
Credits: 3
Instructors: Hawkins, Van Ryswyk
Offered: Spring
Description: Fundamentals of modern instrumental design, application, and usage with an emphasis on the underlying principles of operation. Chemometrics.
Prerequisites: CHEM103 HM and PHYS051 HM; ENGR079 HM recommended
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CHEM122 HM Nanomaterials
Credits: 2
Instructor: Van Ryswyk
Offered: Fall
Description: New strategies for the synthesis and preparation of materials on the nanometer length scale, their characterization, and potential applications. Examples may include solids (insulators, semiconductors, conductors, superconductors, magnetic materials) and soft materials (polymers, gels, liquid crystals).
Prerequisites: (CHEM052 HM or ENGR086 HM or PHYS054 HM) and PHYS051 HM
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CHEM161 HM Advanced Physical Chemistry: Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics
Credits: 2
Instructor: Van Hecke
Description: Classical and statistical thermodynamics. Classical thermodynamics, a review of equilibrium thermodynamics, and an introduction to statistical thermodynamics.
Prerequisites: CHEM051 HM
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CHEM163 HM Advanced Physical Chemistry: Advanced Group Theory
Credits: 2
Instructors: Johnson, Van Hecke
Description: A survey of topics selected from: space groups and crystals; permutation groups and molecular isomerization; rotation groups and angular momenta; double groups and magnetism; groups of non-rigid molecules; the symmetry of graphs.
Prerequisites: CHEM052 HM
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CHEM164 HM Advanced Physical Chemistry: Electronic Structure Theory
Credits: 2
Instructor: Staff
Description: An examination of modern methods for approximating the solution to the electronic Schroedinger Equation and its application to chemical systems.
Prerequisites: CHEM052 HM and PHYS051 HM
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CHEM165 HM Organometallic Chemistry
Credits: 2
Instructor: Johnson
Description: Study of the metal carbon bond: synthesis, structure, bonding, reactivity, and catalysis.
Corequisites: CHEM105 HM
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CHEM166 HM Industrial Chemistry
Credits: 2
Instructor: Van Hecke
Description: Elements of chemical engineering for chemists. Organization and goals of industrial research. Readings, case studies, and seminar discussions.
Prerequisites: CHEM051 HM
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CHEM167 HM Biophysical Chemistry
Credits: 2
Instructor: Karukstis
Offered: Spring
Description: Physical chemistry applied to answer questions involving the conformation, shape, structure, dynamics, and interactions of biological macromolecules and complexes.
Prerequisites: CHEM051 HM
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CHEM168 HM Lasers in Chemistry
Credits: 2
Instructor: Staff
Offered: Fall and spring
Description: Introduction to principles of lasers and laser safety. Case studies illustrating the applications of lasers to chemical studies.
Prerequisites: CHEM051 HM and PHYS051 HM
Corequisites: Juniors and seniors only.
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CHEM171 HM Advanced Organic Chemistry: Organic Synthesis
Credits: 2
Instructors: Brucks, Vosburg
Description: Critical analysis of strategies for the preparation of medicinal natural products.
Prerequisites: CHEM056 HM and CHEM105 HM
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CHEM173 HM Advanced Organic Chemistry: Pericyclic Reactions
Credits: 2
Instructor: Vosburg
Description: The application of molecular orbital theory and symmetry considerations to certain types of organic reactions in order to gain insight on the mechanisms and stereochemistry of the processes.
Prerequisites: CHEM056 HM and CHEM105 HM
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CHEM187 HM HIV-Aids: Science, Society, and Service
Credits: 3
Instructor: Haushalter
Description: The molecular biology of HIV infection, the biochemistry of antiviral interventions, and the causes and impact of the global HIV-AIDS pandemic, including the inter-relationships among HIV-AIDS, prejudice, race, and stigma.
Prerequisites: BIOL 113 HM and (BIOL182 HM or CHEM182 HM)
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CHEM190 HM Bioinorganic Chemistry
Credits: 2
Instructor: Van Heuvelen
Description: An examination of the role of metals in biological systems. Topics may include electron transport, small molecule activation, signaling pathways, metals in medicine, metals in environmental science, metal storage and trafficking, and bioinorganic chemistry and energy.
Corequisites: CHEM104 HM
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CHEM192 HM Material Science of Energy Conversion and Storage
Credits: 2
Instructors: Saeta (Physics), Van Ryswyk
Description: Materials science of energy conversion and storage, dealing with photovoltaics, fuel cells, batteries, thermoelectrics, and other devices. Seminar format.
Prerequisites: CHEM052 HM or PHYS052 HM or ENGR086 HM
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CHEM193 HM Special Topics in Chemistry
Credits: 2
Instructor: Staff
Description: A course devoted to exploring topics of current interest. Topics announced prior to registration.
Prerequisites: Dependent on topic
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CHEM194 HM Chemistry of Modern Materials
Credits: 2
Instructor: Staff
Description: A survey of the chemistry, synthesis and physical properties,of modern materials which include, but not limited to: polymers, glasses and ceramics, alloys and composites, semiconductors and related materials, advanced materials for energy storage, membranes, optical and photonic materials, biomedical materials, nanomaterials.
Prerequisites: CHEM051 HM, CHEM056 HM, and PHYS051 HM
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CHEM195 HM Physics and Chemistry of Stuff
Credits: 2
Instructors: Van Hecke, Eckert
Description: A survey of techniques important for laboratory science in chemistry and physics including but not limited to: Vacuum pumps and vacuum systems; pressure measurement; temperature measurement; handling high pressure gases; safe material handling; safety data sheets; thermal baths and thermal control; metal, plastic, and rubber tubing; tools and their proper use. One meeting per week for the semester.
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing.
Additional Chemistry Electives
The following optional elective courses are not required for a chemistry major, but students interested in graduate study in chemistry or working on chemistry-related applications in industry are encouraged to consider taking one or more of these courses in consultation with their major advisor:
- CHEM111 HM – Organic Chemistry II Laboratory
- CHEM112 HM – Instrumental Analysis Laboratory
- CHEM114 HM – Advanced Analytical Chemistry
- CHEM189 HM – Topics in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Chemistry Seminar
Four semesters of chemistry seminar:
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CHEM199 HM Chemistry Seminar
Credit: 0.5
Instructor: Staff
Offered: Fall and spring
Description: Presentations of contemporary research by students, faculty, and visiting scientists. Attendance by junior and senior majors is required. No more than 2.0 credits can be earned for departmental seminars/colloquia.
The requirement for one semester of chemistry seminar can be waived for students studying abroad in their junior or senior years.
Capstone
Four to six credits of:
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CHEM151 HM Senior Thesis Research in Chemistry
Credits: 2-3
Instructor: Staff
Offered: Fall
Description: A yearlong experimental or computational investigation in chemistry under the direction of a faculty advisor. Two oral reports and a written thesis are required. Two or three credit hours per semester (2 credit hours equals a minimum of 6 hours of laboratory per week, 3 credit hours equals a minimum of 10 hours of laboratory per week: additional library time is required).
Prerequisites: Senior standing
AND
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CHEM152 HM Senior Thesis Research in Chemistry
Credits: 2-3
Instructor: Staff
Offered: Spring
Description: A yearlong experimental or computational investigation in chemistry under the direction of a faculty advisor. Two oral reports and a written thesis are required. Two or three credit hours per semester (2 credit hours equals a minimum of 6 hours of laboratory per week, 3 credit hours equals a minimum of 10 hours of laboratory per week: additional library time is required).
Prerequisites: Senior standing
With approval of the chemistry department chair, students may substitute ENGR112 HM and ENGR113 HM for CHEM151 HM and CHEM152 HM.