Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Chemistry
Courses of Instruction
Chemistry (CHEM)
The terms indicated are expected but are not guaranteed. For the courses offered during any given term, consult the Schedule of Classes.
CHEM 050x General Chemistry Tutorial (2 ) Weekly tutorial for selected students in CHEM 105aL. Strong emphasis on chemical mathematics and key concepts in general chemistry. Topics parallel lectures in CHEM 105aL. Not available for degree credit. Graded CR/NC. Discussion, 2 hours. Concurrent enrollment: CHEM 105aL.
CHEM 051x General Chemistry Tutorial (2) Structured tutorial for selected students in CHEM 105bL. Strong emphasis on chemical mathematics and key concepts in general chemistry. Topics parallel lectures in CHEM 105bL. Graded CR/NC. Not available for degree credit. Prerequisite: CHEM 105a; concurrent enrollment: CHEM 105bL.
CHEM 102 The Molecular World (4) Basic chemistry and its impact on the contemporary world. Topics include: structures and reactions of molecules, stoichiometry, nomenclature, gases, solutions.
CHEM 103Lxg General Chemistry for the Environment and Life (4) Chemistry for environmental studies, neuroscience and other life sciences: organic and inorganic structures, nomenclature, stoichiometry, solutions, gases, non-covalent interactions, equilibria, acid-base and redox reactions. Not for major credit in chemistry.
CHEM 105aLg-bL General Chemistry (4-4, FaSpSm) Fundamental principles and laws of chemistry; laboratory work emphasizes quantitative procedures. Prerequisite to all more advanced courses in chemistry. Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory and discussion, 4 hours. Quiz, 1 hour. (Duplicates credit in CHEM 115aL or CHEM 115bL.) Prerequisite for aL: CHEM 050 or passing of placement test; for bL: CHEM 105aL or CHEM 115aL.
CHEM 115aLg-bL Advanced General Chemistry (4-4, a: Fa; b: Sp) Equivalent to 105aLg-bL, but taught at a higher level for exceptionally well-prepared students. Admission to course by departmental approval only. Lecture, 3 hours; lab and discussion, 4 hours; quiz, 1 hour. (Duplicates credit in CHEM 105aL or CHEM 105bL.) Prerequisite for bL: CHEM 115aL.
CHEM 201Lgx Chemistry in the Environment, Energy and Society (4) A range of issues where chemistry impacts society will be explored. Topics such as global warming, pollution, energy utilization and genetic engineering will be covered. Students who have taken CHEM 105ab previously or concurrently with CHEM 201 will not receive credit for CHEM 201.
CHEM 203Lxg Chemistry in Life: AIDS Drug Discovery and Development (4, Fa) Scientific principles underlying molecular approaches to diagnosis and treatment of diseases, using specific models within a societal (business, legal, ethical) context. Not available for major credit.
CHEM 205Lxg Chemical Forensics: The Science and Its Impact (4, Sp) Scientific principles underlying forensic approaches to the investigation of crimes and its societal impact on law, culture and media. Not available for major credit.
CHEM 221x Organic Chemistry Problem Solving Workshop (2, Sp) Distance learning course designed to bridge the gap between general and organic chemistry. Focus on problem solving and understanding the language of organic chemistry. Not for major credit for chemistry, chemistry (chemical nanoscience), chemistry (chemical physics), chemistry (research) or chemistry (chemical biology) majors. Graded CR/NC. Prerequisite: CHEM 105b.
CHEM 290abcd Special Laboratory (1-1-1-1, FaSpSm) Laboratory component for CHEM 105a, 105b, 322, or 322b for students with equivalent lecture credit from another institution. Prerequisite: consent of department head.
CHEM 292 Supervised Research (2, max 4, FaSpSm) Supervised undergraduate research experience. Corequisite: CHEM 105a or CHEM 115a.
CHEM 294 Undergraduate Research Seminar (1, max 4, FaSp) Seminars in current research in the chemical and molecular sciences. Corequisite: CHEM 105a or CHEM 115a.
CHEM 300L Analytical Chemistry (4, FaSp) Theory and practice in chemical analysis, emphasizing instrumental techniques; error analysis, fractional distillation, extraction; chromatography; visible, ultraviolet, and infrared spectroscopy; introductions to electrochemistry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Lecture, 2 hours; laboratory and discussion. Prerequisite: CHEM 105bL or CHEM 115bL.
CHEM 322abL Organic Chemistry (4-4, FaSpSm) Chemistry of the carbon compounds of the aliphatic and aromatic series; laboratory preparation of typical compounds of both series. Lecture, 3 hours jointly with 325abL; laboratory and discussion, 4 hours. For premedical and predental students and some categories of biology majors and engineers. Prerequisite for aL: CHEM 105bL or CHEM 115bL; for bL: CHEM 322aL.
CHEM 325abL Organic Chemistry (4-4, a: Fa; b: Sp) Required of majors in chemistry. Lecture, 3 hours a week with 322abL; laboratory and discussion, 7 hours. Prerequisite for aL: CHEM 105bL or CHEM 115bL; for bL: CHEM 325aL.
CHEM 332L Physical Chemical Measurements (4, Sp) Experimental study of topics discussed in 430ab; adsorption, magnetic susceptibility; electron spin resonance, kinetics, equilibria, molecular spectra and structure, viscosity, dielectric properties. Discussion, 1 hour; laboratory, 9 hours. Corequisite: CHEM 430b.
CHEM 390 Special Problems (1–4) Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.
CHEM 423L Advanced Laboratory Techniques in Organic and Inorganic Chemistry (4, Sp) Advanced synthetic, analytical, and physical measurement techniques in organic and inorganic chemistry. Emphasis on laboratory work with discussion of theoretical background. Lecture, 2 hours; discussion, 1 hour; laboratory, 8 hours. Prerequisite: CHEM 300L, CHEM 322bL or CHEM 325bL.
CHEM 426 Advanced Organic Chemistry (4, Fa) Advanced treatment of organic chemistry from a mechanistic point of view according to the following topics: polar and isopolar reactions, intermediates. Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite: CHEM 322bL or CHEM 325bL.
CHEM 430ab Physical Chemistry (4-4, a: Fa; b: Sp) Kinetic theory; equations of state; thermodynamics; phase equilibria; chemical equilibrium; nuclear chemistry, wave mechanics; spectroscopy; statistical thermodynamics; kinetics; electrochemistry; surface and colloid chemistry. Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite for a: CHEM 300L or CHEM 322aL or CHEM 325aL; MATH 225 or MATH 226; PHYS 151; for b: CHEM 430a or CHEM 432 and PHYS 152.
CHEM 432 Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences (4, Fa) Principles of physical chemistry relevant for the life sciences: thermodynamics, chemical equilibria, molecular dynamics, kinetics, molecular structures and interactions, spectroscopy, statistical thermodynamics and macromolecular structures. (Duplicates credit in CHEM 430a.) Prerequisite: CHEM 300L or CHEM 322aL or CHEM 325aL; MATH 126; PHYS 135aL or PHYS 151L.
CHEM 453 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (4, Sp) Atomic structure, theory of bonding, molecular structure, metallic state, coordination compounds, transition and nontransition metals, magnetic and optical properties, crystal field theory, mechanism of reactions. Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite: CHEM 105bL or CHEM 115bL and CHEM 322aL or CHEM 325aL.
CHEM 455 Chemical Nanotechnology (4, Fa) Studies in the fundamental principles governing nanoscale materials. Structure and chemical bonding, preparative methods, and electrical, optical and magnetic properties of nanoscale materials and applications. Prerequisite: CHEM 453.
CHEM 463L Chemical Nanotechnology Laboratory (2, Sp) Experimental techniques in the synthesis and characterization of nanoscale materials. Emphasis on examining size-dependent properties of various nanoscale materials using spectroscopic techniques. Prerequisite: CHEM 453.
CHEM 465L Chemical Instrumentation (4, Fa) Principles of operation of instruments used in physical sciences. Basic electronics, interconnection of building blocks, data acquisition and data reduction, noise, instrument systems. Lecture, 2 hours; laboratory, 6 hours. Prerequisite: CHEM 332L or CHEM 430b.
CHEM 467L Advanced Chemical Biology Laboratory (2, Fa) Principles, methods and protocols of chemical biology through experimentation focusing on the interactions of small molecules with bio-macromolecules such as proteins and DNA. Prerequisite: CHEM 322b or CHEM 325b; corequisite: CHEM 300.
CHEM 488 Introduction to Theory and Practice of X-ray Crystallography (4, Fa) Introduction to single crystal X-ray diffraction theory and its extension to two-dimensional diffraction. Application of modern instrumentation and software techniques to problems of current chemical interest. Prerequisite: CHEM 300; CHEM 322a or CHEM 325a; and CHEM 322b or CHEM 325b.
CHEM 490x Directed Research (1–8, max 12, FaSpSm) Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.
CHEM 494x Advanced Research Experience (2, 4, max 4, FaSpSm) Directed undergraduate research supervised by faculty, with advanced capstone research experience. Not available for credit to graduate students. Prerequisite: CHEM 490.
CHEM 499 Special Topics (2–4, max 8) Lectures and discussions on specialized topics in chemistry. Prerequisite: CHEM 300L; CHEM 322abL or CHEM 325abL.
CHEM 510x Alternative Energy Technologies and Options (4) Introduce the essential scientific background to understand complex issues involving energy use and its environmental consequences. Critically analyze energy issues that will shape policy decisions. Not available for credit for doctoral students in chemistry.
CHEM 515 Structure and Bonding in Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry (4) An integrated core course of structure and bonding in inorganic, coordination and organometallic chemistry within an oxidation state framework. Symmetry, electronic properties.
CHEM 516 Synthesis, Reactivity, and Mechanism in Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry (4) A reactivity framework for inorganic and organometallic chemistry. Synthesis, reaction mechanisms and energetics. Homogeneous catalysis. Prerequisite: CHEM 515.
CHEM 519 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: An Introduction for Chemists (4) Amino acids and peptides; protein structure and function; enzyme kinetics; structure, analysis and synthesis of nucleic acids; chemical biology of DNA and RNA; biotechnology.
CHEM 521 Basic Principles of Physical Methods in Biochemistry (2) Principles underlying physical analytical methods commonly utilized in research in biochemistry and molecular biology.
CHEM 524 Inorganic Materials Chemistry (2) Studies in the fundamental principles governing inorganic materials. Structure and chemical bonding, preparative methods, and electrical, optical and magnetic properties of inorganic materials and applications. Prerequisite: CHEM 515.
CHEM 526 Structure and Mechanism in Organic Chemistry (4) Review of modern structural theory of organic chemistry; and relation to the mechanisms of organic chemical reactions.
CHEM 527 Synthetic Organic Chemistry (4) A survey of representative groups of widely used synthetic organic reactions; emphasis on scope, limitations, and stereochemical consequences.
CHEM 535 Introduction to Molecular Spectroscopy (4) Theory and experimental methods of molecular spectroscopy and applications to chemistry. Rotational, vibrational, electronic and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. Prerequisite: CHEM 544.
CHEM 536 Molecular Dynamics (2 or 4) Potential energy surfaces, reaction dynamics, scattering theories, classical trajectories, statistical theories, molecular energy transfer, photodissociation dynamics, gas-surface interactions, experimental results, beam and laser techniques.
CHEM 538 Mathematical Techniques of Physical Chemistry (4) Fundamentals and techniques of mathematics and physics. Linear algebra, differential equations, mechanics, electricity and magnetism. Applications to physical chemistry/chemical physics.
CHEM 539 Surface Chemistry (4) Physical and chemical properties of solid surfaces; thermodynamics and kinetics of gas chemisorption; chemical bonding at surfaces; applications to catalysis and electronic materials.
CHEM 540 Introduction to Statistical Mechanics (4) Study of macroscopic systems from molecular viewpoint using statistical mechanics: ensembles, fluctuations, gases, gas-solid interfaces, crystals, polymers, critical phenomena, non-equilibrium systems.
CHEM 544 Introduction to Quantum Chemistry (4) Basic principles of quantum mechanics and their application to chemistry. Electronic structure of atoms and molecules.
CHEM 545 Theory and Practice of Molecular Electronic Structure (4) Provide working knowledge and hands-on experience in current quantum chemical methods for chemists who would like to employ these techniques in their own research. Prerequisite: CHEM 538, CHEM 544.
CHEM 548 Computer Simulations of Chemical and Biological Systems (4) Key aspects of the rapidly growing field of computer simulation of molecular systems in general and biological molecules in particular. Recommended preparation: undergraduate course in physical chemistry or equivalent.
CHEM 550 Special Topics in Chemical Physics (2–4, max 8) Study of selected areas of chemical physics. Critical evaluation of recent advances in the field.
CHEM 555 Computational Quantum Chemistry: Methods and Applications (4) Introduction to modern computational quantum chemistry. Prediction of molecular structure, molecular spectra and molecular reaction mechanisms using ab initio and semi-empirical methods. Prerequisite: CHEM 430b; recommended preparation: CHEM 544.
CHEM 561 Polymer Synthesis (4) Concepts of polymer structure and stereochemistry. Organic chemistry of polymerization reactions with emphasis on condensation, radical, cationic, anionic, and coordination-metathesis polymerization.
CHEM 565L Advanced Practical Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (2) Application of multidimensional and time resolved NMR spectroscopy to problems in structure determination and thermochemistry. Prerequisite: CHEM 322b or CHEM 325b; recommended preparation: CHEM 625.
CHEM 570 Seminar in Chemical Biology (2, max 4) Introduce students to emerging research areas in chemical biology through a thorough discussion of seminal research articles and presentations of current research topics. Recommended preparation: some research experience and familiarity with literature search.
CHEM 575 Modern Trends in Physical Chemistry (2) Emerging research areas in physical and theoretical chemistry through a thorough discussion of seminal research articles and presentations of current research topics. Recommended preparation: some research experience and familiarity with literature search.
CHEM 577ab Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design (2-2) a: Introduction to fundamentals of medicinal chemistry with special attention to the drug discovery process. Recommended preparation: PSCI 664 and CHEM 519. b: Concepts, methods and examples of current approaches to drug design including computer-based molecular modeling techniques. Recommended preparation: PSCI 664.
CHEM 580 Current Topics in Inorganic Chemistry and Nanoscience (2, max 4) Introduction to emerging research areas in inorganic chemistry and nanoscience through a discussion of seminal research articles and presentations of current research topics.
CHEM 588ab X-ray Crystallography (2-2) a: Single-crystal X-ray diffraction theory and experimental methods. b: Application of diffraction techniques to problems of current chemical and biological interest. Prerequisite: CHEM 588a before b.
CHEM 590 Directed Research (1–12, FaSpSm) Research leading to the master’s degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.
CHEM 593 Practicum in Teaching the Liberal Arts (2, FaSp) (Enroll in MDA 593)
CHEM 594abz Master’s Thesis (2-2-0, FaSpSm) Credit on acceptance of thesis. Graded IP/CR/NC.
CHEM 599 Special Topics (2–4, max 8) Special topics in chemistry.
CHEM 625 Chemical Applications of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (4) Elementary theory of magnetic resonance spectroscopy, methods of spectral analysis, treatment of Fourier Transform methods and time dependent phenomena; recent applications in organic chemistry.
CHEM 626 Natural Products Chemistry (2) Survey of the chemistry and biogenesis of the major classes of secondary metabolites along biogenetic lines: terpenes, aceto genins, and alkaloids.
CHEM 661 Selected Topics in Polymer Synthesis (2–4, max 8) Advanced level study in selected areas of polymer synthesis. Critical evaluation of recent advances. Topic examples: ionic polymerization; stereo chemistry of polymers; silicon polymers; ladder polymers.
CHEM 790 Research (1–12, FaSpSm) Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.
CHEM 794abcdz Doctoral Dissertation (2-2-2-2-0, FaSpSm) Credit on acceptance of dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.