CHEM 105: chemistry i (science majors), lecture

The main text for CHEM 105 is Chemistry Atoms First 2e by Paul Flowers, et al (2019). This OpenStax book is free to download.

• Students do not need to purchase an iClicker for CHEM 105.

• Online version (please use this if 18 or older): https://bit.ly/CHEM105consent

  • Make sure you are logged in to your Nicholls email!

• Paper version, also available on the syllabus (please use this if 17 or younger): click here

We will regularly use POGIL—Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning—as a core part of CHEM 106. At least once a week, class time will be devoted to small-group activities rather than traditional lectures. Guided worksheets (with scaffolded questions) are designed to help you explore, understand, and apply key chemistry concepts through inquiry and collaboration. Instead of passively receiving information, you will actively construct knowledge while our learning assistants (LAs) and I serve as facilitators to support your learning. The LAs and I will be present to guide your thinking and help keep your group on track, but we will not simply give you the answers—you’ll learn by doing. As a result, there will be limited traditional lecturing in this course.

During POGIL sessions, each student will take on a rotating role—such as Manager, Recorder, Presenter, or Reflector—to help the group function effectively and ensure that all voices are heard. Each group will consist of a maximum of four students, to allow for meaningful participation and collaboration. These roles are intended to support the development of essential process skills like communication, teamwork, management, information processing, critical thinking, problem-solving, and metacognition—skills that are not only crucial for success in chemistry, but also highly valued by employers in any profession.

1. Module 1: the chemistry toolkit

   • Chapter 1 of Flowers, et al.
   • Chapters R to 1.2 of Zumdahl, et al.
2. Module 2: subatomic particles and nuclear transformations

   • Chapters 2.1 to 2.3, 3.6, 20.2, and 20.3 of Flowers, et al.
   • Chapters 1.4 to 1.6, 5.2, 18.1, 18.3, and 18.6 of Zumdahl, et al.
3. Module 3: electrons and light

   • Chapters 3.1 to 3.3b, and 3.3d of Flowers, et al.
   • Chapters 2.1 to 2.7a of Zumdahl, et al.
4. Module 4: electronic structure of atoms

   • Chapters 3.3c to 3.5b and 3.5d of Flowers, et al.
   • Chapters 2.7b to 2.12  of Zumdahl, et al.
5. Module 5: salts and covalent compounds

   • Chapters 3.5c, 3.7, and 4.1 to 4.5 of Flowers, et al.
   • Chapter 3 of Zumdahl, et al.
6. Module 6: molecular geometry in covalent compounds

   • Chapters 4.6a to 4.6e and 5.1 to 5.4b of Flowers, et al.
   • Chapters 4.1 to  4.4a of Zumdahl, et al.
7. Module 7: molecular polarity and intermolecular forces

   • Chapters 4.6f, 4.6g, 10.1 to 10.4, and 11.3 of Flowers, et al.
   • Chapters 9.1, 9.3a, 10.2, and 10.3a of Zumdahl, et al.
8. ModuIe 8: composition of substances and mixtures

   • Chapters 2.4, 6, 11.1, and 11.2 of Flowers, et al.
   • Chapters 5.4 to 5.7, 6.1 to 6.3, and 10.1  of Zumdahl, et al.
9. Module 9: chemical reactions and stoichiometry

   • Chapters 7.1 to 7.2c, 7.3, and 7.4 of Flowers, et al.
   • Chapters 5.8 to 5.11 and 6.4 to 6.8 of Zumdahl, et al.
10. Module 10: properties of gases

    • Chapters 8.1 to 8.3, 8.5, and 8.6 of Flowers, et al.
    • Chapters 8.1 to 8.6 to 8.8 of Zumdahl, et al.
11. Module 11: colligative properties of solutions

    • Chapter 11.4 of Flowers, et al.
    • Chapters 10.5 to 10.7 of Zumdahl, et al.

Download the appropriate calculator—do not ask for permission to edit:

• If you take CHEM 105 in the Fall or Spring semesters, download it here.

• If you take CHEM 105 in the Winter semester, download it here.

• If you take CHEM 105 in Summer Term A, download it here.