Chemistry
Office: 314 Seely G. Mudd Chemistry Bldg.,
Website: depts.vassar.edu/~chem,
Phone: (845)437-5730, e-mail: chemistry@vassar.edu
Associate Professors: Marianne H. Begemann, Stuart
L. Belli (Chair), Miriam Rossi; Assistant Professors:
Eric S. Eberhardt, Maria A. Gomez, Sarjit Kaur, Brian W.
Pfenniga, Christopher J. Smart; Lecturer and
Coordinator of Laboratory Instruction: Christina N.
Hammond; Lecturer and Curator of Instrumentation:
Edith C. Stout; Research Professor: Curt W. Beck.
Requirements for Concentration: Chemistry 108/109
or 110/111 or the equivalent as approved by the department;
Chemistry 244 and 245 or the equivalent as approved by the
department; 8 units to include Chemistry 300, 350, 352, 353,
354, 362, and 2 units of additional graded 300-level
courses, one of which must be taken senior year. Chemistry
198, 298, and 399 do not count toward these 8 units.
Mathematics 140/141 or 145; Physics 113/114. No courses
required for the chemistry major may be elected on an NRO
basis.
Recommendations: A reading knowledge of French,
German, Russian, or Japanese, and courses in allied
sciences. Students who wish to graduate with certification
by the American Chemical Society should consult the
department. Entering students who plan to concentrate in
chemistry are advised to elect both chemistry and
mathematics in the freshman year and physics in the freshman
or sophomore year.
Teaching Certification: Students who wish to
obtain secondary certification in Chemistry should consult
both the Chemistry and Education Departments for appropriate
course requirements.
Requirements for B.A.-M.A.: The candidate must
satisfy all requirements for the B.A. degree as described
above. In addition, 8 units of advanced work are required as
follows: 3 to 5 units of 300-level courses; 2 units of
400-level courses; 1 to 3 units will be credited for the
thesis, which will be based on a research project normally
carried out during the fourth year. Chemistry 326, 342, 357,
or 450, must be included among the advanced courses elected
to fulfill the requirements of the joint degree. For
students selecting thesis research in biochemistry or an
inter-disciplinary area, advanced courses in biology,
biochemistry, mathematics, and physics may, with the
permission of the adviser, be substituted for some of the
required courses in chemistry. Further information regarding
the thesis may be found in the separate publication,
"Graduate Study in Chemistry at Vassar College.'' Consult
the graduate student adviser in the department, Mr.
Belli.
Advisers: Class of 2001, Ms. Begemann; Class of
2002, Mr. Smart; Class of 2003, Mr. Belli; Class of 2004,
Ms. Gomez.
Correlate Sequence in Chemistry: A correlate
sequence in chemistry provides students interested in
careers ranging from public health to patent law an
excellent complement to their major field of study. The
chemistry correlate sequence is designed to combine a basic
foundation in chemistry with the flexibility to choose
upper-level chemistry courses relevant to the student's
particular interests. Students considering careers in such
areas as art conservation, public policy relating to the
sciences, scientific ethics, archeochemistry, the history of
science, law or public health may benefit from a course of
study in chemistry. This correlate is not intended for
students majoring in closely related disciplines, such as
biology or biochemistry, and therefore not more than one
course can be credited towards both the correlate and the
student's major. The correlate consists of 61/2
units distributed as follows:
Required Courses: Units
General Chemistry with lab (Chemistry 108/109 or 110/111)
2
Organic Chemistry with lab (Chemistry 244/245) 2
Two classes from the following: (2)
Chemistry 272 Biochemistry
Chemistry 323 Protein Chemistry
Chemistry 326 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
Chemistry 335 Advanced Environmental Chemistry
Chemistry 342 Advanced Organic Chemistry
Chemistry 350 Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics and
Chemical Kinetics
Chemistry 352 Physical Chemistry: Molecular Structure
Chemistry 357 Chemical Physics
Chemistry 362 Instrumental Analysis (1.5 units)
One half unit of laboratory work at the advanced level:
(1/2)
(Completion of chemistry 362 from the previous list
satisfies this requirement)
Chemistry 298 Independent Research
Chemistry 370 Advanced Laboratory
Chemistry 353 or 354 Physical Chemistry Laboratory
Chemistry 328 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory
I. Introductory
108a/109b. General Chemistry (1)
This course covers fundamental aspects of general
chemistry, including descriptive chemistry, chemical
reactions, stoichiometry, atomic and molecular structure,
states of matter, properties of solutions, thermodynamics,
kinetics, equilibria, elec-trochemistry, and nuclear
chemistry. Most of the work is quantitative in nature. The
department.
Three 50-minute lectures; one 4-hour laboratory.
110a/111b. Chemistry: The Central Science (1)
Topics from Chemistry 108/109 are covered in greater
depth for students with a strong chemistry background. The
course also includes an introduction to organic chemistry,
coordination chemistry, biochemistry, environmental
chemistry, and relevant current topics. Most of the work is
quantative in nature. The department.
Prerequisite: Strong background in chemistry at high
school level.
Three 50-minute lectures; one 4-hour laboratory.
198a or b. Freshmen Independent Research
(1/2)
Students perform independent chemistry research under the
direction of a faculty member of their choosing. Attendance
at regularly scheduled department seminars/events is
required to satisfactorily complete the course. The
department.
Open only to freshmen.
II. Intermediate
244a. Organic Chemistry: Structure and Properties
(1)
An introduction to the structure of organic molecules and
to their nomenclature. Among the properties of organic
compounds, shape, charge distribution, and spectroscopic
properties are emphasized. Laboratory work includes
isolation, physical transformations and identification of
organic compounds including the application of gas
chromatography and infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance
spectroscopy. Ms. Kaur, Mr. Smart.
Prerequisite: Chemistry 109 or 111.
Three 50-minute lectures; one 4-hour laboratory.
245b. Organic Chemistry: Reactions and Mechanisms
(1)
A study of the reactions of organic compounds from a
mechanistic point of view. Laboratory work includes
synthesis, qualitative analysis, and quantitative
investigation of reaction rates and equilibria which
emphasize mechanistic considerations. Ms. Kaur, Mr.
Smart.
Prerequisite: Chemistry 244.
Three 50-minute lectures; one 4-hour laboratory.
272b. Biochemistry (1)
(Same as Biology 272)
297. Reading Course
(1/2)
298. Independent Research (1/2 or
1)
Students perform independent chemistry research under the
direction of a faculty member of their choosing. Attendance
at regularly scheduled department seminars/events is
required to satisfactorily complete the course. The
department.
III. Advanced
300a or b. Senior Thesis (1)
323a. Protein Chemistry (1)
A detailed study of the structure and function of
proteins. Structure determination, mechanisms of catalysis
and regulation, and the interactions of enzymes in complex
systems will be treated. Mr. Eberhardt.
Prerequisite: Chemistry 350 (may be corequisite), or
272.
324. Molecular Biology (1)
(Same as Biology 324)
326a. Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (1)
An introduction to structure and reactivity of inorganic,
coordination, and organometallic compounds, including the
following topics: chemical applications of group theory,
atomic and molecular structure, theories of bonding, the
solid state, coordination chemistry, inorganic reaction
mechanisms, and organometallic chemistry. Ms. Rossi.
Prerequisite: Chemistry 352, or permission of instructor.
Corequisite for Chemistry majors: Chemistry 328.
[328a. Advanced Inorganic Laboratory]
(1/2)
Students choose from a number of experiments which
reinforce the concepts learned in Chemistry 326. Depending
on which experiments are elected, the following techniques
or methods of characterization are performed: multistep
syntheses of organometallic or coordination compounds,
air-sensitive techniques, NMR, IR, UV-vis, near-IR,
fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, laser spectroscopy, and
magnetic susceptability.
Corequisite for chemistry majors: Chemistry 326.
Not offered in 2000/01.
335a or b. Advanced Environmental Chemistry
(1)
Physical and chemical mechanisms for delineating the fate
of pollutants are theoretically defined and applied to model
environmental systems. Consideration is also given to
characterizing the chemistry of natural systems. Topics
covered include: thermodynamics and equilibria of complex
systems; chemodynamics; photochemical reaction mechanisms,
redox chemistry in natural waters; and chemical reactions in
the air, soil, and water environments. Ms. Begemann.
Prerequisites: Chemistry 350 or permission of
instructor.
Three 50-minute classes.
342a. Advanced Organic Chemistry (1)
Selected topics in organic chemistry such as
stereochemistry, conformational analysis, carbanions,
carbocations, radicals, kinetic and thermodynamic control of
reactions, mechanisms, synthesis. Mr. Smart.
Prerequisites: Chemistry 245, 350, or permission of
instructor.
350a. Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics and Chemical
Kinetics (1)
Equations of state for gases; the laws of thermodynamics;
solutions and phase equilibria; chemical equilibrium and
chemical kinetics. Ms. Gomez.
Prerequisites: Chemistry 245; Physics 113, 114;
Mathematics 140/141 or 145.
352b. Physical Chemistry: Molecular Structure
(1)
Introductory wave mechanics and bonding theories;
electrical and magnetic properties of molecules;
spectroscopy; statistical mechanics. Ms. Begemann.
Prerequisites: Chemistry 245; Physics 113, 114;
Mathematics 140/141 or 145.
353a, 354b. Physical Chemistry: Laboratory
(1/2)
Selected experiments to teach techniques and to
demonstrate principles introduced in the lectures. Ms.
Begemann, Ms. Gomez.
Corequisites: Chemistry 350, 352.
One 4-hour laboratory.
357a or b. Chemical Physics (1)
The course includes selected topics which are of interest
to chemistry majors as well as biochemistry and physics
majors. Possible topics include applications of group
theory, interaction of radiation with matter, molecular
spectroscopy, reaction kinetics, reaction rate theory, and
statistical mechanics. The material covered in any
particular semester will depend on the mutual interests of
the instructor and the students. Ms. Begemann
Prerequisites: Chemistry 350 and 352 or by permission of
instructor.
362b. Instrumental Analysis (11/2)
An introduction to chemical analysis, this course covers
the theoretical and practical aspects of spectroscopic,
electrochemical, and chromatographic methods, including
topics in instrumentation, statistics, and chemometrics. Mr.
Belli.
Prerequisite: Chemistry 350 or permission of
instructor.
Includes one 4-hour laboratory.
370a or b. Advanced Laboratory
(1/2)
Advanced laboratory work may be elected in the field of
organic, analytical, physical, inorganic, biochemistry, or
environmental chemistry. The department.
Prerequisite or corequisite: a 300-level course in the
pertinent field.
One 4-hour laboratory.
[382b. Special Topics in Organic Chemistry:
Introduction] (1)
to Polymer Chemistry
Properties and uses of selected polymers (thermally
stable, conducting, and biodegradable). This course includes
organic and kinetic aspects of polymerizations,
characterization techniques for structure determination,
thermal and mechanical properties, and measurement of
molecular weight and distribution. Laboratory techniques and
experiments leading to synthesis, characterization and
physical properties of selected polymers (synthesized or
commercially available polymers) are emphasized. Ms.
Kaur.
Prerequisites: Chemistry 244/245 or permission of
instructor.
Two 50-minute lectures; one 4-hour laboratory.
Not offered in 2000/01.
[384b. Structural Chemistry and Biochemistry]
(1)
(Same as Bichemistry 384) In this course, principles and
methods regarding the structure of molecules and
macromolecules will be studied with an emphasis on selected
topics in chemistry and biochemistry. Ms. Rossi.
Prerequisite: 350 or permission of instructor.
Two 75-minute lectures.
Not offered in 2000/01.
386b. Inorganic and Organometallic Photochemistry
(1)
The interaction of light with molecules which contain a
metal center: an overview of photophysical pathways and the
methods chemists use to study these processes, properties of
excited states, nonradiative and radiative decay processes,
photochemical reactions in coordination and organometallic
compounds, supramolecular photochemistry, and applications
of photochemical reactions. Mr. Pfennig.
Prerequisites: Chemistry 350 or permission of
instructor.
399. Senior Independent Research (1/2 or
1)
Students perform independent chemistry research under the
direction of a faculty member of their choosing. Attendance
at regularly scheduled department seminars/events is
required to satisfactorily complete the course. The
department.
Open only to seniors.
IV. Graduate
Advanced courses in the following areas will be offered
at the discretion of the department and according to the
needs of graduate students.
426. Advanced Inorganic Chemistry: Special Topics
(1)
440. Synthetic Organic Chemistry (1)
441. Environmental Chemistry: Special Topics
(1)
445. Theoretical Organic Chemistry (1)
450. Physical Chemistry (1)
463. Analytical Chemistry: Special Topics (1)
472. Biochemistry: Special Topics (1)