Chemistry 304B is a new offering in the Chemistry Department, designed to give students a choice in the style and content of Organic Chemistry II. It is designed to mesh smoothly with Chemistry 303, Organic Chemistry I.

CONTENT:

Organic Chemistry II involves applications and extensions of the basic concepts presented in Chemistry 303, with a few additional new concepts. Both Chemistry 304 and 304B will cover the standard range of basic applications and concepts. In 304B, the examples will be more often drawn from the chemical mechanisms important in biology, including explicit coverage of the chemistry relating to proteins, DNA, and carbohydrates. The concept of molecular association [hydrogen bonding, dipole interactions, hydrophobic effects] will play a larger role in Chemistry 304B. There will be a case study of how an enzyme works in chemical detail. The level of the course will be the same as for Chemistry 304. It is expected that the topics and style will overlap well with the interests of biology majors and premedical students. As in Chemistry 303/304, memorization will be de-emphasized (see "Exams" below) and mastering concepts will be the focus.

STAFF:

M. F. Semmelhack taught a course equivalent to the sequence Chemistry 303/304 at Cornell University during 1968-1978. He moved to Princeton in 1978, and has taught Chemistry 303 seven times, most recently in 1994-1996. He also taught Chemistry 201, Chemistry 403 and assorted graduate courses in organic chemistry. His research interests focus on organic synthesis, with applications in biological chemistry. Reviews of his teaching efforts are available in old editions of the Student Course Guide.

Henry Gingrich needs no introduction!

Graduate Teaching Assistants will supervise the lab as usual, and a selected pair will work with Professor Semmelhack in presenting the material in the Classes.

LECTURES:

The lectures will be held MWF at 9:00 am. For each lecture, partially completed notes will be available at this Web Site and will also be handed out. They will serve as the basis of overhead slides for the lecture itself. Attendance at lecture is strongly recommended since the material will diverge from the text at times and the notes will be incomplete unless filled in from the lecture presentation.

CLASSES:

The classes or precepts will be presented by experienced graduate students and Professor Semmelhack, and are designed to amplify the concepts presented in lecture through problem solving and further examples. Once per week, optional.

 

TEXT:

The textbooks for Chemistry 303 will be used again in Chemistry 304B. No new purchases will be required. The same applies to the molecular models, and they will be useful in Chem 304B.

EXAMS:

There will be three exams during the semester, of which the best two will be averaged into the final grade, together accounting for 40%. The final examination will count 40%, and the laboratory will add in 20%. In order to minimize the role of memorization, the examinations will be "OPEN NOTES", which means you can use for the exams anything which is not alive. While this may sound like a drastic difference from the conventional Orgo exams, you will find that it makes little difference but perhaps adds a sense of security that you can look up some odd fact if necessary.

PROBLEM SETS:

There will be a problem set handed out each week. It will be important to work these diligently, especially as the material diverges from the text. They will not be graded, but several will be required to be turned in just to reinforce the sense that it is important to do them regularly.

LABORATORY:

The laboratory will be identical to the lab for Chem 304, and in the same style as for Chem 303.

GRADING:

The final grade distribution will be approximately the same as has been historically the case for Chemistry 304.

MORE INFORMATION: Please contact Professor Semmelhack by phone, email, or a visit.

M. F. Semmelhack

tel 258-5501

email: mfshack@princeton.edu

Rm 67 Frick Lab (behind the Orgo Lab)

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Last Updated November 16, 1998
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