© 1997 Rainer Glaser. All rights reserved.

The University of Missouri at Columbia
Chemistry 416 - Organic Spectroscopy - Fall Semester 1997

Course Materials I. Books and Model Sets.

Some of the content of this course is taken directly from the primary literature. You will be given reading lists for the various chapters containing the references to the literature discussed in this course. You will also be given a list of pertinent books on the various areas of spectroscopy. Many of these books are recent and up-to-date. Consult them for details, references, and later on in your own research. Required texts follow:

(1) Required Text: Spectrometric Identification of Organic Compounds, Silverstein, R. M.; Bassler, G. C.; Morrill, T. C.; 5. ed.; Wiley & Sons 1991. ISBN 0471 634 042. Cost US$ 83.95. -- As of 12/97, there exists a new edition: Spectrometric Identification of Organic Compounds, Silverstein, R. M.; Webster, F. X.; 6. ed.; Wiley & Sons 1997. ISBN 0-471-13457-0.

(2) Required Text: Introduction to Organic Spectroscopy, Lambert, J. B.; Shurvell, H. F.; Lightner, D. A.; Cooks, R. G.; Macmillan Publishing Co., New York, 1987. ISBN 002 367 3001. Cost US$ 78.00.

(3) Required Text: Tables of Spectral Data for Structure Determination of Organic Compounds, Pretch, E.; Clerc, T.; Simon, W.; Seibl, J. Springer-Verlag, 2nd ed.; 1989. ISBN 3-540-51202-0 and 0-387-51202-0. Cost US$ 59.95.

(4) Required Text: Basic One- and Two-Dimensional NMR Spectroscopy, Friebolin, H.; VCH Publishers, New York, 2nd ed., 1993. ISBN 3527290591. Cost US$ 49.95.

(5) Required Text: Organic Structures from Spectra, Field, L. D.; Sternhall, S.; Kalman, J. R.; John Wiley & Sons, 2nd ed., 1995. ISBN 0471 956317. Cost US$ 34.95.

(6) Recommended Text: Guide to Spectroscopic Identification of Organic Compounds, Feinstein, K.; CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1994. ISBN 0849394481. Cost US$ 19.95.

Course Materials II. Software Options.

An attempt is made at integrating computer software into Chemistry 416. Inside and outside of the classroom, we will make use of the world wide web as a tool for instruction. The following software pieces will be used in some fashion during the course.

(1) Recommended computer tutorial: Organic Chemistry: Spectra of Compounds. Authored by Schatz. Distributed by Falcon Software. MAC ISBN 1-886959-08-0. WIN ISBN 1-886959-09-9. Suggested student price US$ 39.95.

Prerequisites

It is assumed that you are familiar with the concepts and principles covered in Chemistry 233, Physical Chemistry (Continuation of 231. Covers wave mechanics, bonding, molecular spectroscopy, and statistical mechanics.) While this course will focus on applications of spectroscopy to Organic Chemistry, applications always do require a certain level of understanding of the theoretical principles involved. The material covered in this course is quite extensive and there will be little time to refresh the very basics. Make sure to review topics that you are not comfortable with at the appropriate time by yourself.

Activities

I. Lectures

It is very important that you come to class well prepared! Do read the background material before it is covered in class. The lecture will be much more beneficial to you if you do. One of the advantages of being well prepared is simply that you need to write much less during the lecture and, instead, you will be able to follow the lecture intellectually. After the lecture, read the material again and test yourself, possibly in small groups. If uncertainties remain, review the material again or come to office hours.

II. Exercises - General, Specific and Online

General Exercises: Throughout the semester and starting in the second week of FS97, you will be given assignments of sets of 5 problems from the book "Organic Structures from Spectra" by Field, Sternhall, and Kalman. Draw on your existing knowledge of spectroscopy to solve these problems. Use the textbooks as leading references. As the semester progresses and the problems become more difficult, we will be covering more and more of the relevant topics in the lecture. Learning is not a linear sequential process and you should not be bothered by the fact that you will need to apply some knowledge of areas to be covered later in the lecture. The discussion list will be used to discuss these problems and specific instructions concerning the organization of the problem solving process are available.

Specific Exercises: I will generate and distribute (in hardcopy or electronic form) problems relating to specific topics discussed in lecture. Assignments will be posted on the Chemistry 416 Course Web Site. You are not required to return the answers but you will be given an opportunity to discuss the problems in review/discussion sections.

Online Exercises: There are quite a few spectroscopy related web sites out there and some are useful. We shall harvest whatever knowledge can be gained from such sources. Assignments will be posted on the Chemistry 416 Course Web Site. Eventually, there will be a little collection of interesting sites added to the Chemistry 416 Course Web Site. Feel free to inform me about sites you would like to have added.

III. Group Projects and Peer Review

Spectroscopy is a big topic and our time is limited. Thus, there is not enough time to discuss many worthwhile aspects in class. One of the aspects that is usually not dealt with in sufficient detail relates to practical aspects of instrumentation. Project #1 is designed to address this issue.

Case studies are the best way to exercise the concepts discussed in the lecture. The identification of application of modern spectroscopic methods in the current literature and the creation of a problem assignment are the subject of Project #2.

Both Collaborative Term Projects will be conducted in groups and they will be evaluated via peer review. Aside from learning content, you will be learning about the process of working in groups and to judge / be judged via peer review. Both of these skills will, certainly no less than content knowledge, affect your success in future.

IV. Reviews - Discussion List

If necessary and desired, discussion/review sessions will be scheduled in the evening in order to fit in with your schedules. These sessions are intended to serve three purposes: First, further discussion of the more difficult topics presented in class (not additional material), secondly, discussions of problems, and - most importantly - general Q&A and problem solving strategies. Dates will be announced in class as required. See also link reviews.

To encourage discussions amongst yourselves, you will be subscribed to an electronic discussion list. Details about the discussion lists will be given in lecture. See also links to showme accounts and discussion list.

Examinations and Grading

The Greek philosopher Socrates argued that the unexamined life is not worth living. Accordingly, there will be three 1-hour-examinations (100 points each), three quizzes (2 @ 30 points and 1 @ 40 points), two term papers (@ 100 points each), and a comprehensive final (200 points, take-home if we all can agree on that) for a total of 800 points. The 1-hour-examinations will focus on the materials covered recently, but it is expected that you recall the fundamentals of previously studied chapters.

Quizzes are limited to inquiring facts dealt with in the lecture or in homework. Tests will assess your level of understanding of the material covered in the lecture. The tests will contain but are not limited to lecture material and homework material. In tests you are expected to abstract from the latter and apply it to different scenarios.

No grades will be assigned to individual tests, quizzes and projects. After each examination you will be given a graph representing the performance of the class that will enable you to assess your relative performance. Grades will then be assigned on the basis of the average and the distribution width of the normed course performance diagram (frequency of score versus scores) such as to realize a B+ grade point average. You may take a look at the instructor's Chemistry 210 WS97 site to find a previous implementation of this grading scheme. (Note one difference, however, in that the point-grade relation will be settled after all tests, quizzes, projects and the final are completed. A normed total score distribution will be made available after all tests and quizzes and including scores for project #1.)

Deadlines for submissions of semester projects and for the submission of peer reviews are specified on the assignments and also can be found on the Chemistry 416 Schedule. Unless there exists a good reason, submissions received after the deadline will not be graded and automatically receive a score of zero points.

In concert with the policy of the Department of Chemistry, there will be no make up exams. If a test is missed for a legitimate reason (sickness and the like with some type of acceptable written proof), a score will be determined for this missed test that is based on your average overall performance. If you know in advance, that you will not be able to take an exam for a certain reason, talk to the instructor before the date of that test. If you do miss a test without a legitimate reason, you will receive a score of zero points for that test.

Time and date of the final examination are determined by Article V of the Academic Regulations which are designed to protect students from irregularities in the administration of final examinations. The following two excerpts from Article V are relevant to this graduate class.
(1) No teacher will hold an examination during any time other than the regular meeting time of the class or the time as approved by the Registrar for both final and multi-section examinations. The only exception is that examinations in courses numbered 400 and above may be conducted at any time agreeable to both the teacher and the students.
(2) No examination may be held during Stop Day.

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is fundamental to activities and principles of a university. All members of the academic community must be confident that each person's work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from probation to expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, consult the course instructor. Proven academic dishonesty will be reported to the Provost for Academic Affairs and the studentŐs Dean.

Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act

If you have special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and need accommodations (for example, extended testing time, note takers, large print materials), please inform your instructor privately as soon as possible. In most circumstances, students with disabilities seeking academic accommodations should also register with the Access Office, A048 Brady Commons, 882-4696. As necessary, the Access Office will review documentation about your disability and about the need for accommodations you are requesting. The Access office will then assist in planning for any necessary accommodations.

Excellence is a Habit