Courses

CHEM 311, Quantitative Analysis

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 122 passed with grade C‐ or better

Offered fall semester; offered spring semester if sufficient demand. Fundamental theory and techniques in traditional chemical analysis. Emphasizes sampling and separation methods, measurement, statistics, volumetric and gravimetric analysis, equilibrium and pH studies, basic electrochemical techniques, and introduction to instrumentation.

 

CHEM 331, Physical Chemistry I

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisites: CHEM 122 passed with grade C‐ or better; MATH 132; PHYS 122

Offered fall semester; offered spring semester if sufficient demand. Study of the fundamental principles of thermodynamics applied to equilibria, physical states, electromotive force, solution phenomena, and reaction kinetics. Study of physical state properties.

 

CHEM 332, Physical Chemistry II

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 331 Offered spring semester

Atomic and molecular quantum theory, group theory, spectroscopy, and statistical mechanics.

 

CHEM 333, Organic Chemistry I

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 122 passed with grade C‐ or better

Offered fall semester; offered spring semester if sufficient demand. Nomenclature, properties, structure, reactions, and synthesis of carbon compounds.

 

CHEM 334, Organic Chemistry II

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 333

Offered spring semester. Continuation of CHEM 333.

 

CHEM 343, Inorganic Chemistry

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisites: CHEM 122 passed with a grade of C‐ or better

Offered spring semester; offered fall semester if sufficient demand. Basic chemistry of the main group elements. Topics include analytical, theoretical, industrial, organometallic, bio‐ inorganic and other areas of inorganic chemistry. Includes significant coverage of materials based on main‐group compounds such as borates, silicates, nanotubes, fullerenes and two‐dimensional growth materials.

CHEM 411, Advanced Instrumental Methods

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisites: CHEM 311 and 332 or consent of instructor Corequisite: CHEM 411L

Offered fall semester. Advanced techniques of chemical analysis. Emphasizes gas and liquid chromatography; electrochemistry; atomic spectrometry; ultraviolet, visible, and infrared spectroscopy; nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; mass spectroscopy, etc. 

Note: All courses numbered 500 will be offered on sufficient demand, unless noted otherwise.

 

CHEM 500, Directed Research

This course may not be used to fulfill graduate degree requirements.

 

CHEM 501 Applied Molecular Quantum Mechanics

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisites: CHEM 332, 334, and 443

Review of bonding, structure and symmetry. Application of molecular theory to contemporary problems in organic chemistry (e.g. EHMO, frontier orbital theory), inorganic chemistry (e.g. ligand field theory, Jahn‐Teller effect) and analytical chemistry (e.g. photo physicochemical processes).

 

CHEM 512, Advanced Topics in Analytical Chemistry

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 411 or consent of instructor

Study of special topics not otherwise treated in analytical chemistry. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 412, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 513, Separation Science

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 331 and 411, or consent of instructor

Theory and practice of separation science. Topics include selective mass transport, extraction, chromatography, and electrophoresis. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 413, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 522, Environmental Chemistry

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisites: Any two of the following: CHEM 311, 331, or 333 (or consent of instructor)

Offered Spring semester, even years

Application of chemical principles to the study of the environment. Includes natural processes and pollution problems related to water, air, and soil. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 422, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 522L, Environmental Chemistry Laboratory

1 credit hour, 3 lab hours; Corequisite: CHEM 422/522; a lab usage fee is charged

Offered Spring semester, even years

Laboratory experiments related to the principles in CHEM 422/522. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams. Shares lab with CHEM 422L, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 523, Applied Spectroscopy

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 332 or consent of instructor

Discussions of mass spectrometry, fluorescence, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), X‐ray (XPS, X‐ray diffraction, solid state spectroscopy), Infrared (IR), Ultraviolet/Visible spectroscopic methods and techniques, as applied to chemical and biological problems, including structure elucidation, medical diagnostics, molecular sensors. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 423, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 524 Statistical Thermodynamics

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 331 or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Entropy, randomness, the Boltzmann distribution, and the chemical potential. Translational, rotational, vibrational, and electronic contributions to the partition function. Calculation of mean energies, heat capacities, and equilibrium constants. Stability. The influence of wave function symmetry: Bose‐Einstein and Fermi‐Dirac statistics. The quantum statistical operator. Coherence and the Pauli principle. (Same as Phys 508)

 

CHEM 525, Molecular Quantum Mechanics

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 332 or consent of instructor

Molecular structure; theories of the chemical bond; perturbation and variation methods; electronic and magnetic properties of molecules. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 425, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 526, Chemical Spectroscopy

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 332 or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Principles and applications of electronic, molecular, and spin spectroscopies, laser spectroscopy; transitions; elements of group theory; quantitative correlations and analytical chemistry. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 426, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 527, Molecular Reaction Dynamics

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 332 or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Techniques in studies of chemical reaction rates. Topics commonly include: rate laws, collision theory, mechanistic studies, transition state theory, fast reactions, chemical oscillations, transport theory, and transport coefficients. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 427, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 528, Advanced Topics in Physical Chemistry

Credits to be arranged; Prerequisite: CHEM 331 and 332 or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Study of special topics not otherwise covered in physical chemistry. Shares lecture with CHEM 428, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 529 (Fall), 530 (Spring), Graduate Seminar

1 credit hour each semester

Offered Fall and Spring Semesters

All full time Chemistry graduate students must enroll in this course every fall and spring semester. Students giving a presentation must enroll for a letter grade. Other students should enroll using the S/U option.

 

CHEM 531, Chemistry of Aquatic Systems

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 311 or consent of instructor

The thermodynamics and aqueous chemistry of natural waters, with emphasis on groundwater. Chemical equilibrium concepts, surface chemistry, redox reactions, and biochemistry. The interaction of water with the atmosphere and geologic materials. Basic concepts applied to problems of groundwater quality evolution, water use, and groundwater contamination. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 431, with additional expectations for graduate credit. (Same as GEOC 507 and HYD 507.)

 

CHEM 532, Atmospheric Chemistry

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 331 or consent of instructor

Chemistry of the atmosphere. Important chemical reactions and their effects on air, soil, and surface waters. Effects of anthropogenic inputs on the atmosphere, climate change. Distribution of chemical species in the atmosphere, etc. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 432, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 533, Global Biogeochemical Cycles

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 311 or 331, or consent of instructor

Human activity is increasing the rate of addition of materials to the environment, resulting in changes to the earth’s climate. The transformation and movement of natural and anthropogenic sources of chemical substances between reservoirs in a global context. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 433, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 540, The Chemistry of Energetic Materials

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 331 and 333, or consent of instructor

The chemistry of propellants, pyrotechnics, and explosives. Material to be covered will include history, oxidation/ reduction reactivity, kinetics of decomposition, analytical characterization techniques, performance evaluation, hazards analysis, safety testing, and structure property relationships.

 

CHEM 544, Advanced Topics in Organic Chemistry

Prerequisite: CHEM 334 or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Study of special topics not otherwise covered in organic chemistry. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 444, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 545, Advanced Organic Synthesis

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 334 or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Principles and practices of organic synthesis.

 

CHEM 546, Polymer Chemistry

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 332 and 334 or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Study of the preparation, properties, and uses of macromolecules. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 446, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 547, Medicinal Chemistry

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 334 or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Molecular‐level mechanisms of drug action and rational drug design. Material is drawn from the recent primary literature. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 447, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 548, Experimental NMR Spectroscopy

Credits to be arranged; Prerequisite: CHEM 334 or equivalent, or consent of instructor A lab usage fee is charged

Introduction to NMR instrumentation, data‐acquisition, and processing.

 

CHEM 549, Organometallic Chemistry

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 334 or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Organometallic chemistry of the main group and transition elements. Ligand classification and molecular orbital description of bonding in organometallic complexes. Structure, bonding, synthesis, and properties of transition metal compounds and their derivatives. Organometallic complexes as catalysts. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 449, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 550, Physical Organic Chemistry

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 334 or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Physical aspects of organic chemistry. Emphasizes reaction mechanisms, reaction kinetics, and electronic theories. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lecture with CHEM 450, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 551, Advanced Topics in Inorganic Chemistry

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 443 or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Study of special topics otherwise not covered in inorganic. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignment and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lectures with CHEM 451, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 555, Research Proposal Writing

2 credit hours, 2 class hours; Prerequisite: COMM 575

Students will develop an original research proposal required for their candidacy examination. The written research proposal should involve a topic, which is distinct from the student’s dissertation research problem As a partial fulfillment of CHEM 555, students are required to present a 45‐minute public seminar on the original proposal. Proposal seminar will not satisfy the graduate seminar requirement (CHEM 529/530). Following the seminar, the student will defend the proposal to his or her dissertation or thesis committee. CHEM 555 will be offered in Fall and Spring semesters. Students are recommended to consult the graduate handbook for details.

 

CHEM 561, Advanced Topics in Biochemistry

3 credit hours, 3 class hours; Prerequisite: CHEM 442 or consent of instructor

Study of special topics otherwise not covered in biochemistry. The graduate and undergraduate versions of the course will differ in the assignments and exams, while sharing the same lectures. Shares lectures with CHEM 461, with additional expectations for graduate credit.

 

CHEM 581, Directed Study

Credit hours to be arranged

Study under the guidance of a member of the faculty. A topic and schedule of meetings is arranged between instructor and student early in the semester.

 

CHEM 589 Special Topics in Chemistry

Credit hours to be arranged; Topics to be arranged

CHEM 591, Thesis (master’s program)

Credit hours to be arranged

CHEM 595, Dissertation (doctoral degree program)

Credit hours to be arranged

Prerequisite: Successful completion of PhD candidacy exam and Academic Advisor recommendation for candidacy.