Professor Sinex
Syllabus as Google Doc (Spring 2020)
Textbook: Halpern, Sinex, and Johnson (2016) General Chemistry for Engineering, UCDavis LibreTexts (open source) [shown as "HSJ" below]
all PGCC links DO NOT function!
Periodic Table - WebElements
Data Analysis:
Density Data for Graphing - click here (In Google Sheets: Go to File > Make a copy...)
Calibration of a Plastic Pilsner Glass - click here Google Sheets interactive spreadsheet - click here
Is it really linear? Project Google Sheets interactive spreadsheet - click here (In Google Sheets: Go to File > Make a copy...)
Temperature Scales Project - click here Excelet
Atomic Structure:
Atomic Structure Review HW (atomic book keeping)
Structure of Atom - Rutherford Scattering (PhET HTML5 Sim)
Generating Atomic Line Spectra (Excel) HW - "Calculating" tab
Orbitron - atomic orbitals Image of orbitals - click here
Electron Configuration - interactive diagram Static diagram - click here
Periodic Table of the Elements (PowerPoint summary)
Periodic Trends I
Shielding (Screening) of Electrons - Effective Nuclear Charge (Excel)
Periodic Trends II
Chemical Bonding:
Ionic and Covalent - Chemical Bonding (PowerPoint) (pdf slides) (pdf worksheet) Table of Pauling Electronegativites - click here
Metallic - click here The Ingenious Design of the Aluminum Beverage Can - YouTube video
Metallic Hydrogen - Does it exist? Another try: Metallic deuterium made at pressures rivalling those found at the centre of a planet NEW
Bonding Triangle or Tetrahedra (from Chemogenesis web-book) YouTube video Make your own - click here
Structure, Bonding & Material Type Synthlet Homework using the synthlet - click here
Molecular Structure: More Molecular Geometry activities - click here
IT'S ALL IN THE SHAPE: Covalent Bonding and Molecular Geometry (discovering the ideal geometries) online version - click here (GDoc)
IT'S ALL IN THE SHAPE: II. Discovering the Behavior of Polar Molecules (real-world and distortion)
Drawing 3D Molecular Structures in 2D on Paper - click here (pdf)
PhET sims (HTML5): Molecular Shape: The Basics (ideal world) Molecular Shape (real world and distortion)
Molecular Polarity - steps to determine if molecule is a polar molecule PhET sims (HTML5): Molecular Polarity
Molecular Geometry practice - click here Key
Using Avogadro Software:
Get the open source software (go to download at top of page)
User Guide (pdf)
In-class Lab (GDoc)
Project (out of class) (GDoc)
Class Collaborative activity (GDoc) Data base in Google Sheets (all students can edit)
States of Matter:
Gases and Liquids - States of Matter (PhET HTML5 sim)
Ideal and real gases - Excelet
Real Gases Project van der Waals data table in GSheets (In Google Sheets: Go to File > Make a copy...)
Review HSJ Ch. 6.3 and 6.4
Reactions and Stoichiometry:
Reaction Energetics Bond Energy Calculator Wired Chemist (for bond energies)
Chemical Calculations (PowerPoint)
Graphene Synthesis by Chemical Vapor Deposition (lab)
Review HSJ Ch. 11.4
Stoichiometry Review - click here
The Density of a Binary Metal Alloy: Google Sheets Project - click here
Chemical Kinetics:
Kinetics data for a simple reaction (Excel)
An Interactive Graphical Approach to Chemical Kinetics - explores order of reactions and a variety of plots
Chemical Kinetics Simulator - an interactive Excel spreadsheet exploring a variety of plots for various reaction orders with review questions of material covered in class ( pdf activity) (pdf key) (assess tab KEY).
Potential Energy Diagram - an interactive Excel spreadsheet exploring activation energy, rate constants, velocity distributions, and an Arrhenius plot ( pdf review).
Arrhenius Equation - an interactive Excel spreadsheet exploring rate constants as a function of temperature for reversible reactions, the temperature dependence of the equilibrium constant, and more about the Arrhenius plot.
Burning Candle Kinetics (lab) Developing a Mathematical Model for a Burning Candle Burning Candle Excelet
Kinetics of Multi-step Reactions - an interactive Excel spreadsheet exploring consecutive and competing reactions with an activity (pdf activity).
Review HSJ Ch. 13.3 and 13.4
Chemical Equilibrium:
Chemical Equilibrium: The Kinetics of Reversible Reactions - concentration vs. time, rate vs. time, concentration ratios, and temperature effects
Approaching Equilibrium from the Forward and Backward Directions - click here (In Google Sheets: Go to File > Make a copy...)
Developing a Problem Solving Strategy for Chemical Equilibrium Problems (ICE chart) - click here (pdf) A very helpful handout!!!
Le Chatelier's Principle and Applying Stress to a System at Equilibrium - STELLA models (self-extracting zip file) (need STELLA Player to run model - click here)
Le Chatelier Meter (Excelet)
Haber-Bosch Process (a marvel of engineering!) Environmental Questions HW
Review HSJ Ch. 14.3 and 14.5
Spectrophotometry - A Powerful Analytical Tool:
Lights, Color, Absorption (lab) - click here Discovering Beer's Law by a Simulation-based Laboratory - click here NEW & REMOTE
Beer's Law Lab (PhET HTML5 sim) - click here
Beer's Law Simulator in Excel - click here handout - investigating multivariable approach (pdf)
Electrochemistry:
Industrial Production of Chlorine Comparison of Production Methods HW
Corrosion (NASA) - an engineer's nightmare!
Point Pleasant (WVa) Silver Bridge - Three YouTube Videos: Part I Part II Part III
Aluminum: From Cradle to Grave - click here NEW - introduction to sustainability
Availability and Sustainability of 90 Natural Elements - click here NEW
Thermodynamics:
Heat of Vaporization of Water Project Google Sheets Data File - click here (In Google Sheets: Go to File > Make a copy...)
Pyrite in coal combustion - Thermo practice
Nuclear Chemistry:
Flipping M&M's: Demonstrating Radioactive Decay Pooling the data in Google Sheets - click here
Exploring the Behavior of Radioactive Decay GDoc activity - click here Interactive Google Sheets - click here In Google Sheets - go to File > Make a copy...
Radioactive Decay Kinetics in HSJ - see HSJ Ch. 13.5
Difference between a nuclear reactor and a nuclear weapon - click here (U-235 fission) In Google Sheets - go to File > Make a copy...
Nuclear Reactor Fuel - click here In Google Sheets - go to File > Make a copy...
Radioactivity and Distance: Parting is Not Such Sweet Sorrow! Simulation version - click here (GDoc)
Shielding of Ionizing Radiation
Attenuation of Radiation in Solid Materials: I. Shielding of Radiation II. Thickness Gauging in Paper and Metal Sheets
Nuclear reactor disasters video (~one hour but very interesting covering Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima)
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG): Using Radioactive Decay Heat to Generate Electrical Power GDoc activity - click here Interactive Google Sheets - click here In Google Sheets - go to File > Make a copy...
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator: II Examining Thermal Power over Time and Radioisotope Selection GDoc activity - click here Interactive Google Sheets - click here NEW