COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

Chair and Coordinator: Dr. Kenneth B. Williams
Faculty: T. Anderson, Clabo, Holliman, Jason Jones, Kelley, L. Peterson, Varazo, Williams

MISSION STATEMENT

The Department of Chemistry offers lower-level courses appropriate for general education and upper-level courses for major and minor programs in chemistry. These courses also serve as foundation courses for majors in other areas such as biology, mathematics, and pre-professional programs. Topics and concepts on the fundamental laws of nature that govern the physical universe and on the methods of scientific inquiry used to investigate and develop those laws are the foundations of course content. A basic understanding of the fundamental laws of nature and a basic understanding of the process of scientific inquiry are essential parts of a liberal arts education.

The chemistry program seeks to offer courses in chemistry that are taught by full-time faculty members with appropriate advanced degrees dedicated to science education at the university level. The courses offered in the department range in level from introductory courses that expose non-science majors to scientific thought to advanced courses that cover current and complex topics in modern chemistry. The laboratory experience is required in appropriate courses to illustrate the importance of experimentation to the scientific endeavor. For the majors in chemistry, the opportunity to undertake undergraduate research is offered. Since part of research is the interpretation and communication of results, majors graduating from those programs in the department are expected to be proficient in oral and written communication, to be familiar with the scientific literature, and to be aware of the importance and usage of computers in science.

The current chemistry curriculum consists of two tracks. The first is the track leading to the basic or minimal chemistry major. The second track is the curriculum leading to the American Chemical Society (ACS) certified degree. The ACS-certified degree requires additional advanced course work in chemistry, physics, and mathematics as well as undergraduate research.

Those students completing either of the two major tracks offered by the Department of Chemistry are prepared to enter into any number of career choices. These include science education at the secondary level; work in local, regional, and national industries and with governmental agencies; and entrance into graduate or professional schools.

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MAJORS

BASIC MAJOR

A basic major in chemistry includes the following:

1. Chemistry course requirements
   1. eight hours of introductory courses: CHEM 101, 102
   2. a minimum of 28 hours beyond the 100 level, including CHEM 201-202, 203, 301-302, 303, 402, and 499
2. Minor/collateral requirements (two options)
   1. two 12-hour collaterals approved by the faculty adviser (physics, mathematics, or computer science, should be considered; pre-medical or pre-dental students should also consider biology)
   2. an 18-hour minor approved by the faculty adviser preferably from either:
      1. physics, recommended for students who plan to attend graduate school
      2. biology, recommended for pre-medical or pre-dental students
      3. mathematics or computer science
3. Other requirements for a basic major in chemistry include Mathematics 201, 202, and 203 and Physics 200, 201, and 202.
4. General Education courses for all B.S. degrees.

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ACS-CERTIFIED MAJOR

An ACS-certified major in chemistry includes the following:

1. Chemistry course requirements
   1. thirty-eight hours of core courses: CHEM 101- 102, 201-202, 203, 301-302, 303, 402, and 404
   2. a minimum of 10 hours of advance courses: CHEM 405, 407, 408, 497, and 499
2. Minor/collateral requirements (two options)
   1. two 12-hour collaterals approved by the faculty adviser (physics, mathematics, or computer science, should be considered; pre-medical or pre-dental students should also consider biology)
   2. an 18-hour minor approved by the faculty adviser preferably from either:
      1. physics, recommended for students who plan to attend graduate school
      2. biology, recommended for pre-medical or pre-dental students
      3. mathematics or computer science
3. Other requirements for an ACS-certified major in chemistry include Mathematics 201, 202, 203, 301, and 306; Physics 200, 201, and 202; and English 318.
4. General Education courses required for all B.S. degrees.

The minimum number of semester hours required in major courses for a basic major in chemistry is 36; for an ACS-certified major in chemistry, the minimum is 48. The minimum number of semester hours in all courses (major and nonmajor) required for the basic major in chemistry is 120; for the ACS-certified major in chemistry, the minimum is 132.

Students majoring in chemistry and planning to enter graduate school should take French or German. Students planning such advanced studies should consider completing the American Chemical Society approved major in chemistry.

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MINOR

A minor in chemistry requires a minimum of 19 semester hours including Chemistry 101-102 and Chemistry 201-202. Remaining hours may be taken in Chemistry 203, 301, 302, 303, 402, 404, 405, and 407. Permission of department chairperson is required before Chemistry 301-302, 303, 402, 405, and 407 may be taken without appropriate prerequisites.

COLLATERAL

A collateral in chemistry requires 12 semester hours, including Chemistry 101-102, and 201 or 203.

OTHER INFORMATION

Credit toward graduation may not be earned in both Physical Science 101, 102, or 103 and any chemistry course.

Credit toward graduation may not be earned in both Chemistry 150 and any other chemistry course.

To advance to the next chemistry course, a grade of C or higher must be earned in each prerequisite chemistry course.

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THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE OPTION IN CHEMISTRY

The Environmental Science Option in Chemistry offers students the choice of specialization in environmental science at the undergraduate level.

The Environmental Science Option will require the completion of recommended General Education courses, a required core curriculum of science and mathematics courses, and requirements for the student's major. One hundred and twenty seven to 130 semester hours of credit will be required for graduation. The curriculum for the Environmental Science Option is summarized in the following:

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CHEMISTRY COURSES (CHEM)

101 General Chemistry I: General Concepts in Chemistry (4:3-3) (Prerequisite/corequisite: MATH 111) F, SU. The states of matter, including the gas laws; stoichiometry; electronic structure and bonding; periodicity; solutions.

102 General Chemistry II: Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry (4:3-3) (Prerequisite: 101) S, SU. Oxidation-reduction, equilibria, electrochemistry, thermodynamics, acids and bases, kinetics, chemistry of the representative elements, coordination compounds of the transition elements, nuclear chemistry.

150 Chemistry for Everyday Life (4:3-3) (Corequisite/eligibility to take MATH 111 or 121) F, S, SU. The focus of this course is on the common chemical language used in general society today. Special emphasis will be placed on the basic chemistry of currently “hot topics” such as the depletion of the ozone layer and alternative energy sources. Topics such as food chemistry, agricultural chemistry, and the chemistry of household products will be also addressed. Chemical concepts including stoichiometry, atomic structure, acid-base chemistry and basic organic chemistry will be integrated throughout the course. Academic credit may not be received for CHEM 150 and CHEM 101.

201-202 Organic Chemistry I and II (4:3-3) (4:3-3) (Prerequisite: 102) 201 F, SU; 202 S, SU. The structure, properties, and important reactions of organic compounds. Major topics are hydrocarbons, aromatics, halides, alcohols, acids, esters, aldehydes and ketones, amines, stereochemistry, carbohydrates, proteins, IR and NMR spectroscopy, and chemical literature.

203 Analytical Chemistry I: Quantitative Analysis (4:3-4) (Prerequisite: 102) F. Solution equilibria; evaluation of analytical data; precipitation theory and precipitate formation; volumetric and gravimetric principles; acids, bases, and neutralization; oxidation-reduction; electroanalysis; photometry; complexation analysis; methods of separation.

297 Introduction to Research in Chemistry (1), (2), or (3) (Prerequisites: Chemistry 102 and permission of Department) F,S,SU. Students are introduced to a variety of techniques of chemical research, including synthesis, spectroscopy, chemical literature searching, and molecular modeling. The focus of the course is on using the tools of chemical research in pratical applications to problems rather than on theoretical aspects of the methods. Faculty involved in undergraduate research introduce their research interests and methods and the contributions undergraduates students could make. Students complete both a written report and an oral presentation on a research topic or method of interest. A maximum of three semester hours of credit may be earned toward graduation.

301-302 Physical Chemistry I and II (4:3-3) (4:3-3) (Prerequisite: 202, Physics 202, and MATH 202 or permission of department; Corequisite: 203 and MATH 203) 301F, 302S. The states of matter, thermodynamics, equilibria, solutions and colligative properties, phase rule, conductance and electrochemistry, kinetics, quantum chemistry, atomic and molecular structure and chemical bonding, photochemistry. [Before enrolling in Chemistry 301, a student must have a 2.0 cumulative average in all courses prerequisite to Chemistry 301. (For information, courses prerequisite to Chemistry 301 are Chemistry 101-102, 201-202, MATH 201, 202 and Physics 201-202.)

303 Analytical Chemistry II: Instrumental Analysis (4:3-4) (Prerequisite: 203, 301) S. Electroanalytical and electrogravimetric methods; potentiometric and coulometric methods; conductometric titrations; polarography and amperometric titrations; methods based on infrared, ultraviolet, and visible spectroscopy; flame photometry; atomic absorption spectrometry; gas chromatographic methods; methods based on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; fluorescence analysis; mass spectrometry.

313 Environmental Chemistry (4:3-3) (Prerequisite: 203) Introduction to the chemistry of natural systems with an emphasis on atmospheric and aquatic chemistry. Sampling and measurement techniques used to characterize the environment, particularly using electrochemical, spectroscopic, and chromatographic methods.

402 Inorganic Chemistry (3) (Prerequisite: 301 or permission of department) S. Structure of the atom, ionic and covalent bonding models; group theory; the solid state; advanced acid-base concepts; chemistry in nonaqueous solvents; structure and reactivity of coordination compounds; organometallic chemistry; bioinorganic chemistry.

404 Biochemistry I (3) (Prerequisite: 202 and one semester of biology or permission of department) F. Chemistry of biologically important processes at the molecular level: the chemistry and metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids and the action of vitamins, hormones, and enzymes.

405 Advanced Methods of Organic Synthesis and Characterization (4:2-6) (Prerequisite: 202 or permission of department). Content to be divided between three areas: synthetic organic methods stressing library and laboratory work in preparative chemistry; physical methods of characterization including systematic identification of organic compounds by interpretive spectroscopy; structure and reaction dynamics including structure and reactivity relationships, molecular rearrangements, and kinetic techniques to solve problems in reaction mechanisms.

407 Introduction to Polymer Science (3) (Prerequisite: 202 or permission of department). Emphasis on polymer synthesis, characterization and structure/property relationships; addition and step-growth polymerizations; glass transition temperature; copolymers; the amorphous and crystalline states; mechanical properties.

408 Biochemistry II (3) (Prerequisite: 301 and 404 or permission of department; Corequisite: 302) AS. Advanced principles of the structure, function, and analysis of biological molecules; chemical reactions of biomolecules including kinetics, mechanisms, and thermodynamics; regulation of chemical reactions and response to external signals by cells. Also includes advanced studies of select topics in biochemistry including bioinorganic chemistry, photochemistry, and molecular virology.

497 Special Studies (3), (2), or (1) (Prerequisite: Permission of department) F, S. Open only to juniors or seniors with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher in their major courses. A maximum of 3 semester hours may be earned. Academic Committee approval required for each seminar and practicum. All individual research projects are reviewed by three faculty members from two different disciplines. May be taken for credit (3 hours) towards the Honors degree by special arrangement.

498 Chemistry Internship (1) or (2) (Prerequisite: Chemistry 202 and permission of department) F,S,SU. Students are introduced to independent practical work under the direction of a professional chemist which may include research or other related laboratory service. Students are required to keep a daily journal and complete a final report. A maximum of three semester hours of credit may be earned toward graduation.

499 Chemistry Senior Capstone (1) (Prerequisite: at least 24 hours in chemistry) S. A required course for all senior chemistry majors as part of the assessment of the chemistry program.

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PRE-PHARMACY CURRICULUM

Coordinator: Dr. Kristofoland Varazo

The University offers a pre-pharmacy curriculum, which will prepare a student for transfer to the S.C. College of Pharmacy at either the Medical University of South Carolina or the University of South Carolina. The adviser for pre-pharmacy is assigned from the Department of Chemistry. The program leads to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree, requiring four years of study at each school.

Required courses for admission to the S. C. College of Pharmacy are the following:

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