Chem 353 provides an introduction to instrumental methods of analysis with a focus this semester on atomic and molecular spectroscopy, and the analysis of surfaces. As we move through the semester we will:

• examine common instrumental designs and explore how they produce a useful analytical signal
• consider the problem of noise in analytical signals
• explore the relationship between an instrument's signal, the sample's matrix, and/or the analyte's concentration
• review, where appropriate, the quantitative and qualitative application of instrumental methods
• learn how to characterize an analytical method's advantages and disadvantages
• become familiar with the primary analytical literature

There is no primary textbook for this course. A copy of Modern Analytical Chemistry is on reserve in the library and other sources will either be on reserve or available electronically.

Reading Assignments. Daily suggested reading assignments are updated weekly on the course’s web page. The suggested reading covers material for that day's class. You may wish to read the material before class, after class, or both before and after class.

Suggested Problems. Suggested problems provide you with an opportunity to evaluate your understanding of basic skills and concepts; they are not, however, representative of exam problems. If you complete and truly understand the suggested problems, then you have every reason to expect at least a C in this course. You must be able to apply these skills to new problems and in new contexts if you expect to earn an A or a B.

Graded Assignments: Your progress in class is evaluated through a combination of two exams (tentative dates are the week of March 10th and Monday, May 12th), and any or all of the following, depending upon how the spirit moves us during the term: problem sets, mini-experiments, data analysis projects, short papers, oral presentations, participation in discussion, or other as yet undreamt of assignments.

The two exams are equally weighted and count for 75% of your final grade. The remaining 25% of your grade will come from all other assignments.

Grades are assigned using the following scale

Final averages are not rounded; to earn a grade of B, for example, your final average must be ≥ 83.0... and < 86.0... These ranges are fixed with the following caveats - At the instructor's discretion, grades on a borderline may be moved up or down by a maximum of 1 point to account for intangible factors; thus, for example, a 79.7 (C+) may become an 80.7 (B-), or an 83.7 (B) may become a 82.7 (B-). Intangible factors that may affect your grade include, but are not limited to, a steady improvement or decline in performance during the term or a particularly strong or weak contribution to the class. Such adjustments are not common.

I do not limit office hours to a few times scattered throughout the week. Instead, my office door is usually open and you are encouraged to stop by whenever you have free time. Shown below are times when I am unavailable due to classes, labs or other commitments.

If you are uncomfortable just dropping by or wish to ensure that I will be available, feel free to schedule an appointment; my contact information is at the beginning of the syllabus. My home phone number is listed at the beginning of the syllabus should you need to reach me in the evenings (before 10 PM) or on the weekends.

Due dates are intended to keep you from falling behind in your work. Because I value thoughtful, well-written work more than absolute deadlines, these due dates are intentionally flexible. Unless otherwise specified, there is no penalty for turning work in late if I am still in the process of grading the assignment; however, once I finish grading a set of assignments, any missing work receives a grade of 0 (zero) – no exceptions.

Flexibility in due dates is not a license to procrastinate and abuse of this policy will result in your loss of this privilege. To take advantage of this policy you must consult with me before the assignment is due and show evidence of having made significant progress.

Although I do not require attendance during class meetings, I encourage you to take advantage of class time as an opportunity to more fully engage yourself with the material.

If you do need to miss class for legitimate reasons, or if you simply don’t feel like coming, it is your responsibility to know and understand what was covered. Ask a classmate for a copy of his or her notes, drop by my office or visit the course’s web-site. We cannot take class time to review material for students who were unable to attend class.

Although you may make frequent use of external resources (e.g. the internet, the library, other students) when preparing lab reports, it is important that the work you submit represents your understanding of the experiment on which you are reporting. Failure to do so is unethical and a serious breach of academic integrity. Be sure to review DePauw's guidelines for academic integrity, which are included in the Student Handbook; in particular, review the examples of plagiarism. Although often unintentional, plagiarism is nevertheless a serious violation and can result in a significant reduction in your grade for an assignment or for the course. Follow this link to the Writing Center's guide to avoiding plagiarism.

A potential problem in science labs occurs when you collect data as a group but are responsible for preparing an individual report. In such cases, it is not acceptable to share calculations, spreadsheets or figures. You may discuss how to analyze the data, but the work you turn in must represent you analysis of the data and interpretation of the results.

Be sure to consult with your instructor if you are unsure about any issue concerning academic integrity.

Collected here are miscellaneous class handouts; see the Worksheets tab for copies of worksheets and their answer keys.

Answer keys to worksheets are posted on the weekend.

Answer keys to the suggested problems are grouped by chapter.

If you find an error in an answer key, please email the instructor!

Collected here are review sheets for the hour exams and sample exams (and keys).

Review Sheets for: First Exam, Second Exam

Sample exams: These exams will give you with a sense of the format and length of exams, and provide you with some additional practice problems. Please note that because the course varies a bit each semester, there may be a poor correlation between these exams and those for this semester.

• Spectroscopy exam (key)
• Surface analysis exam (key)