(1) Exams: Three (3) "hour" exams (75 minutes, 1 class period) will be given on the following days:

Thursday, Sept. 30, 1999 (covers material through lecture of 9/23/99)

Thursday, Nov. 4, 1999 (covers material through lecture of 10/21/99)

Thursday, Dec. 2, 1999 (covers material through lecture of 11/23/99)

(2) Recitations: There will be a required weekly recitation, Monday, 4-6 p.m., Wednesday, 6-8 p.m., or Friday, 10 a.m.-12 noon or 2-4 p.m. These will be run by our graduate teaching assistants, Yuling An ([email protected], 854-8471, mail box #3131, Havemeyer Hall) and Isabelle VuTrieu ([email protected], mail box #3164, Havemeyer Hall). Use the phone registration system to sign up for these recitations.

(3) Grades: The final exam will be counted 36%, each "hour" exam 18%, and recitation 10% in determining your final grade for the course.

(4) Absence from Exams: There are no make-up exams for the "hour" (class period) exams. If you miss one of these exams with a valid excuse (illness, etc.), see me and I will excuse you from the exam. Each of the class period exams you take will then count 22.5% with the final 45% and recitation 10%. If you miss two hour exams with a valid excuse, the final will count 60%, the remaining exam 30% and recitation 10%.

(5) Final Exam: Final exams are given in December just before Christmas break. If you have an "official" conflict (defined on page 93 of the Columbia College 1999-00 Bulletin as 3 exams on the same day or two exams at the same time) that prevents you from taking the exam at the regularly scheduled time, you should:

...See me immediately.

If you miss or expect to miss the exam for any other reason, you must request the grade of INC from the Dean�s Office in your school (see pages 94,95 of the Columbia College Bulletin for 1999-00). I am powerless to grant INC�s! The Dean�s Office will be very sympathetic to illness or family emergencies as reasons to miss final exams. Make-up final exams for INC grades (once granted by the Dean�s Office) have to be arranged with me for early in the spring term (late January or early February).

(6) Office Hours: My office is located in 508 Havemeyer Extension and my mailbox is 3109 in Havemeyer. My University telephone number is 854 4162; FAX: 860 6988; Email: [email protected]. Office hours will be held immediately after class on TTh (2:30-3:00) or by appointment. If you would like to see me, please stop after lecture or telephone and make an appointment. I will be happy to talk with you.

(7) Homework: Problem assignments are suggested about every 10-20 days. Solutions to the odd numbered problems are in the Study Guide and Student Solutions Manual (see item 9, "Texts", below). Solutions to even numbered problems from the text or other assigned problems not in the text will be posted on the course web site. Problem sets are not collected. Occasionally homework problems will appear verbatim on exams.

(8) Regrading of Exams: Sometimes exam graders make mistakes. Regrading of hour exams will be allowed with the following rules:

(a) Clerical, addition, or numerical errors will be rechecked upon request without penalty.

(b) Other requests for regrading of any kind will result in regrading of the entire exam.

(c) If you decide to hand in your exam for regrading be sure NOT to ALTER it in ANY WAY. We Xerox a large fraction of the exams before returning them to you in order to discourage that small fraction of students who might be tempted to "bend the rules in their favor."

(9) Texts: The required text for this course is Principles of Modern Chemistry 4th Ed., by Oxtoby, Gillis, and Nachtrieb, Saunders, 1999. A text which you may also find useful is University Chemistry, 3rd Ed. by B. H. Mahan, Addison Wesley, 1969. We used this text for about 20 years and generally liked it very much. However, the book is rather old in both style and content. The main advantage of this text is its rigor and a really superb set of challenging problems.

During the last quarter of the term, when I discuss chemical bonding, you may find useful a little book Solids and Surfaces: A Chemist�s View of Bonding in Extended Structures by Roald Hoffmann, VCH Publishers, 1988, New York. Roald graduated from Columbia back in the late 50�s and had the good taste and intelligence to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry! Another useful book on chemical bonding is the paperback text Chemical Bonds: An Introduction to Atomic and Molecular Structure by Harry B. Gray, Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co. 1973. Harry taught chemistry at Columbia during the halcyon days of the early and mid 60�s.

In addition I would strongly urge you to purchase the Study Guide and Student Solutions Manual (to Principles of Modern Chemistry) by Wade A. Freeman, Saunders, 1999. This book contains detailed solutions to odd numbered problems in Principles of Modern Chemistry.

I would urge you not to buy any texts other than Principles of Modern Chemistry, and the Study Guide and Student Solutions Manual. Use other books to clarify points not clear in Principles of Modern Chemistry, or to expand on material that interests you. All these books are on reserve in the Chemistry Library, 4th Floor Chandler Hall.

(11) Suggested Method of Study: Many of you have excellent study habits; others do not. My own formula for success in science courses is a simple one:

(a) Come to class (I will try to make it interesting).

(b) Take good notes (You will need to be awake to do this).

(c) Read the text only when you did not understand the lecture or when you need help doing the homework problems.

(d) DO THE ASSIGNED HOMEWORK PROBLEMS.

(e) Do the homework problems again shortly before the exam but use no props such as the text, the solutions, or your own notes to help. At least 2-3 days should elapse between (d) and (e).

(f) Take the exams and be as relaxed as possible when you do so. Do not stay up all night studying.

(g) If at all possible, try to "get into" the material (i.e., ENJOY!).

Good Luck
George Flynn