2091 10690 CHEM 0310 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 1 2091 10690 COURSE INFORMATION Course Information Last Updated 1 September 2008 Chemistry 0310 Organic Chemistry 1 Professor Joseph J Grabowski Contact joeg pitt edu Office CSC Room 705 Office Hours Tuesday and Friday 3 00 4 00 pm or send an email to set a specific time When emailing to arrange a meeting please suggest three specifid times that you can meet I ll respond by reply email with which of those times works for me as well Please note that due to the multiple responsibilities that I have on occassion I will not be at these office hours In those cases I will try to remember to post a note on my door If my door is open come on in If my door is closed and and I expect to be back within 5 or so minutes I ll usually leave a note to that effect Class Meeting Times Lectures will begin promptly each Monday and Wednesday at 6 00 p m and will conclude at 7 15p m in Chevron Science Center Room 12 In my opinion based on many years of both being a student and teaching students ATTENDING ALL LECTURES and FAITHFULLY DOING ALL PROBLEM SETS are by far and away the most efficient ways of learning the Organic chemistry that we will be responsible for Please respect the class if you must enter the classroom after the start time see above or before the end time see above or if you must make a coffee run in the middle of lecture I request that you use the doors at the rear of the classroom Recitations will be a part of this course At each recitation we will have small group PLTL type workshops based primarily on end of chapter problems You should faithfully attend the same group each week PLTL is a well designed well researched and well documented successful strategy for substantially improving performance in Organic Chemistry for those students who avail themselves of that opportunity Tutoring is available FREE in the Virtual Fishbowl see see MyCourseWeb Organizations Virtual Fishbowl Tutoring is available FREE in the Fishbowl see http www chem pitt edu p php pid 115 or a direct link is http www chem pitt edu documents 200809041036440 Fall 202091 20Fishbowl 20Schedule pdf Tutoring is available FREE in the Academic Resources Center ARC see http www as pitt edu arc z z z z z z The Academic Resource Center provides tutorial services for undergraduates in specific Arts and Science courses Peer lead study skill workshops are also provided The fall 2091 Tutorial Schedule includes Chemistry 0310 along with many other courses Tuesdays Noon Survival Workshop Series and other Workshops will highlight skills specific to studying test taking note taking time management and more Students who would like one on one or group tutorial assistance should call the ARC 412 6487920 to check tutor availability and schedule an appointment For a full listing of courses and workshops visit http www as pitt edu arc Check out their calendar of events http calendarwiz com arcservices Private for hire tutors are listed on the Chemistry Department s web site see http www chem pitt edu p php pid 114 Course Description This two semester sequence of Chem 0310 and 0320 is a introduction to the theory and practice of organic chemistry through the study of structural principles reaction mechanisms and synthesis of all types of organic i e carbon based compounds The basic goals of the courses are to develop an appreciation of and skills at using the methods of molecular analysis which have made organic chemistry such a power intellectual discpline that leads to understanding many phenomena from the basis of cellular structure and function to how to provide specific therapeutics at affordable costs to EDIT VIEW combat a host of human ailments The two course sequence will prepare a student for advanced topics in biochemistry molecular biology medical sciences chemistry chemical engineering and material sciences to name but a few Prerequisites A storng understanding of all the topics covered in general chemisty is helpufl in Chemistry 0310 and it is impossible to master the maerial in Chemistry 0320 without having understond the principles of Chem 0310 Students who receive less than a C grade in Chem 0310 should repeat that course before attempting to take Chem 0320 Other options Have you consider taking Honors Organic Chemistry If you are interested in considering this alternative small enrollment class please see Prof G Course Rationale We believe that a course should do more than provide students with a strong background of knowledge in a field We believe that a course should enable students to use their strong backgrounds to solve problems and that a truly valuable course should focus beyond the final exam to add to students future lives abilities and skill sets and prepare students to think for themselves in the discipline after the course is over Designing such a course is a challenge and involves providing not only opportunities for students to master content but also opportunities for students to practice thinking for themselves in the discipline so that they will be prepared to do so after the course is over Tewksbury and Macdonald 2008 Science is not necessarily about absolute truths It represents our best discernment based on the results of scientific processes applied to quantifiable data Theories change and evolve over time as our understanding grows new questions are aksed experiments are perfomed and new data are gathered Science doesn t have all the answers nor does it purport to Scientists don t gather facts That said critical thinking and analysis are applied in an unbiased fashion to data gathered in response to a question posed The results have their limitations They can also illuminate startling findings e g evolution the expanding universe plate tectonics global warming Provable testable results provide strong insights into our natural world J Pedicinio 2008 Chemistry is a central science in the sense that it bridges such disparate areas as physics and biology and connects those long established sciences to the emerging disciplines of molecular biology and materials science Similarly organic chemistry sits at the center of chemistry where it acts as a kind of intellectual glue providing connections between all areas of chemistry One does not have to be a chemist or even a scientist to profit from the study of organic chemistry M Jones 1997 Course Goals We will address three big questions 1 How do I understand structure and properties of millions of compounds 2 How do I