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:

• Dealing with Scientific Data in Google Sheets    NEW

• Dealing with Data in Excel 2013/2016

• Finding Regreesion /Trendlines in Excel 2013

• Graphs in Google Sheets

• 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)

• Comparing the Size of Atoms and Ions

• Spectroscopy: A Key to Chemical Identity (lab)

• Generating Atomic Line Spectra (Excel)        HW - "Calculating" tab

• Orbitron - atomic orbitals      Image of orbitals - click here

• Electron Configuration - interactive diagram  Static diagram - click here

• Quantum Numbers

• Periodic Table of the Elements (PowerPoint summary)

• Periodic Trends I

  • Prelab

  • Activity

  • Excelet

• Shielding (Screening) of Electrons - Effective Nuclear Charge (Excel)

• Periodic Trends II

  • Metal - Nonmetal Comparison 

  • Examining d and f Block Properties

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)     

  • Making Electrostatic Potential Maps (GDoc)      

  • 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:

• Comparison of the States of Matter

• Crystal Structure and Materials

• Intermolecular Forces (IMF)

• 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

• Solids

  • Cubic Unit Cells: YouTube Video

  • Packing Activity in 2D Homework

  • Vibrations in metallic solids

• Phase Diagrams

  • Homework

Reactions and Stoichiometry:

• Investigation of Chemical Reactions (lab)

• Types of Reactions and Balancing Reactions

• 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)

• Possible Concentration vs. Time graphs (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.

• Catalysts:  What do they do?

• 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

• Hydrogen Production: Natural Gas Reforming

• 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:

• Introduction to Electrochemistry and Solutions

• Discovering Electrochemial Cells

  • Electrolysis of Water

  • Discovering Faraday's Law of Electrolysis

  • Combining Half-cells 

  • Metals and Corrosion

• 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

• Electrochemical Corrosion 

• US Navy and Corrosion     Cost $$$

• Aluminum:  From Cradle to Grave - click here   NEW -  introduction to sustainability

• Availability and Sustainability of 90 Natural Elements - click here     NEW

Thermodynamics:

• Entropy

  • •  Exploring the Periodic Table:  The Entropy of the Elements (Excelet) (activity)

• Enthalpy

  • Combustion of Natural Gas HW

  • Heat of Vaporization of Water Project         Google Sheets Data File - click here    (In Google Sheets: Go to File > Make a copy...) 

• Gibbs Free Energy

  • Predicting if a chemical reaction is spontaneous

• Relating chemical equilibrium constant to...

• Pyrite in coal combustion - Thermo practice

Nuclear Chemistry:

• Flipping M&M's:  Demonstrating Radioactive Decay       Pooling the data in Google Sheets - click here

• Radioactive Decay Modes

• 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

• Nuclear Reactions and Reactors

• 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)

• Nuclear Power

  • Types of Nuclear Reactions

  • Shielding of Ionizing Radiation

    • Attenuation of Radiation in Solid Materials:     I. Shielding of Radiation      II. Thickness Gauging in Paper and Metal Sheets

  • Types of Nuclear Reactors  

  • Nuclear reactor disasters video (~one hour but very interesting covering Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima)

• World Nuclear Association Information Library

• Radioactivity in Nature

• Balancing Nuclear Reactions:     Practice      Key

• 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