Undergraduate Program
Placement
Math.
Normal progress toward the bachelor’s degree in chemistry requires the completion of Mathematics 1210 (Calculus I) by the end of the freshman year, meaning that entering freshmen must be able to pass the University’s mathematics placement examination in college algebra. Otherwise, deficiencies in mathematics should be made up as soon as possible prior to entering the second year of study. Consult with the Mathematics and Physics departments for proper placement in courses based on performance on AP examinations in those subjects.
Chemistry.
A score of 3 or 4 on the AP Chemistry Exam normally will earn 6 semester hours of credit, while a score of 5 will earn 8, equivalent to Chemistry 1210 and 1220. Students earning a 4 or 5 on the Chemistry AP exam may register for CHEM 1210, 1220, or 2310. Students earning a 3 on the Chemistry AP exam may register for either CHEM 1210 or 1220. However, students may wish to consult with Professor Charles Atwood at 801-581-4383, for proper placement. Preprofessional students should be aware that many professional schools will not accept a score of 3 on this exam, may require one or both semesters of general chemistry, and also may encourage students to take additional upper-division chemistry courses. Such students should therefore consult with their preprofessional advisor concerning their course selection. Note that AP placement does not affect the requirement to take the accompanying lab classes, 1215 and 1225. Documentation of comparable lab experience may be presented to Professor Charles H. Atwood in order to place out of these labs.
Course Prerequisites
Students who register for any chemistry class who have not satisfied the stated prerequisite(s) may be dropped from the class at the instructor’s discretion. Courses substituted for those specifically listed as prerequisites, including courses in allied areas, should be approved by the instructor prior to registration. Specific course prerequisites are listed in the course descriptions later in this section.
Introductory Courses
Chemistry 1010, 1020, 1030, 1040, and 1050 are designed for non-science majors and satisfy the University’s science intellectual explorations requirement. Chemistry 1200 is a preparatory course for students with a weak background in high school chemistry who plan to take the general chemistry sequence. The Chemistry 1110, 1120 sequence is primarily for students in nursing and other allied health areas requiring a one-year introductory sequence in general, organic, and biochemistry. This sequence also satisfies the science intellectual explorations requirement. None of the above courses satisfy any requirements for the chemistry or other science majors.
Science majors should begin the general chemistry sequence with Chemistry 1210 and its associated laboratory course, Chemistry 1215. Students wishing an early exposure to organic chemistry may then take the CHEM 2310, 2320 sequence (with labs CHEM 2315, 2325) and then conclude their introductory studies with CHEM 1220 (and lab CHEM 1225). Alternatively, students may complete the full general chemistry sequence (CHEM 1210, 1220, 1215, 1225) in the first year and then organic chemistry (CHEM 2310, 2320, 2315, 2325) in the second year. Honors courses for the second semester of general chemistry (CHEM 1221) and for organic chemistry (CHEM 2311, 2321) may be identified by their course number, which ends in one (1). In addition, the undergraduate research section for Honors students is numbered CHEM 4999.
General Requriements
Chemistry majors must complete all university wide graduation requirements, including those in the following areas: writing (WRTG 2010), intellectual explorations [eight 3-semester-hour courses with two in each of fine arts, humanities, physical and life sciences (courses in the chemistry major may satisfy this requirement), and social sciences], American institutions (one 3-semester-hour course from an approved list), international, and diversity (one 3-semester-hour course from an approved list). An appropriately chosen diversity course can double count as an intellectual explorations course. Any two 3-semester-hour mathematics courses numbered above 1100 will meet the 6-semester-hour quantitative/reasoning requirement (for example, the calculus sequence MATH 1210 and 1220). The communication/writing requirement is met by CHEM 3000, which is designated as a writing intensive course, as is CHEM 5700. However, we encourage students to consider upper-division writing courses such as WRTG 3400 (Professional Writing) to hone their skills in this important area. Those seeking the B.A. degree must complete 16 semester hours split evenly between first-year and second-year language courses. Most chemistry majors earn a B.S. degree, which requires 6 semester hours of upper-division quantitatively intensive courses (CHEM 3000, 3060, 3070, and 3090 meet these criteria).
The above section is designed to guide chemistry majors in meeting University graduation requirements, and does not supersede or replace any such rules. Students should consult with the University College, 450 SSB, for assistance in meeting these and other university wide requirements.
A minimum of 122 semester hours is required to graduate and at least 40 semester hours must be in upper-division courses numbered 3000 and above. Most of the chemistry degree programs require about 32 upper-division hours; thus, students should plan to take additional upper-division work in chemistry, physics, or mathematics, or in their general education courses to meet this 40-semester-hour standard. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 based on University of Utah work only is required by the University. In addition, the department requires a minimum GPA of 2.00 based on all courses taken in the College of Science at the University of Utah for the particular degree option chosen, and a minimum grade of C- in specific chemistry requirements. Transfer courses related to chemistry requirements should be at least a C. Generally, online chemistry classes will not be counted. A minimum of 12 upper-division semester hours of chemistry courses must be taken in residence at the University of Utah. Finally, all chemistry majors must pass four of the five departmental comprehensive exams in analytical, biological, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry, which are normally given a couple times each semester. These will normally be announced via e-mail to the chemistry majors list. Students may begin taking these exams following one full semester after completion of the 2300 level organic chemistry classes.
Preparatory Courses
Chemistry 1200 is a preparatory course for students with a weak background in high school chemistry who plan to take the general chemistry sequence. Chem 1208 and Chem 2308 are completely online preparatory course for General and Organic Chemistry, respectively. These courses are designed to help students review the basics and build the confidence required to succeed before entering the mainstream courses (1210 or 2310).
Courses for Nurses and Allied Health Students: The Chemistry 1110, 1120 sequence is primarily for students in nursing and other allied health areas requiring a one-year introductory sequence in general, organic, and biochemistry. This sequence also satisfies the science intellectual explorations requirement.
None of the above courses satisfy any requirements for the chemistry or other science majors.
Science majors should begin the general chemistry sequence with Chemistry 1210 and its associated laboratory course, Chemistry 1215. Students wishing an early exposure to organic chemistry may then take the CHEM 2310, 2320 sequence (with labs CHEM 2315, 2325) and then conclude their introductory studies with CHEM 1220 (and lab CHEM 1215). Alternatively, students may complete the full general chemistry sequence (CHEM 1210, 1220, 1215, 1225) in the first year and then organic chemistry (CHEM 2310, 2320, 2315, 2325) in the second year.
Honors courses for the second semester of general chemistry (CHEM 1221) and for organic chemistry (CHEM 2311, 2321) may be identified by their course number, which ends in one (1). In addition, the undergraduate research section for Honors students is numbered CHEM 4999.
Course descriptions
Below is a listing of the undergraduate courses with course descriptions, when a previous syllabus is available a link has been provided. Please be aware that the syllabi available on this site is only an example and does not represent the course requirements of the current professor. Wondering which semester the courses are offered? Clicker here to see a summary of the class offerings.
1010 Chemistry, Humanity, and the Environment
See sample syllabus(3) Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
Three lectures, one discussion per week. An introduction to the concepts of chemistry and the importance of these concepts in understanding environmental and health issues.
1030 Chemistry of Drugs, Toxins, and Consumer Products
(3) Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
This course presents basic principles of chemistry through discussions of consumer products, medicine, pollution, DNA, and synthetic fibers and plastics. Specific examples demonstrate general chemical principles.
1040 Sex, Drugs and Organic Chemistry
(4) Cross listed as UGS 1040.
An elementary knowledge of structure and bonding in organic chemistry will lead to an understanding of important biomolecules and some fundamental processes in the body. This knowledge will be used to study the mode of action of important classes of drugs such as birth control drugs, antibiotics and some illegal drugs. The course will finally focus on critical evaluation of scientific claims in the popular media (e.g. newspaper, world wide web). Related to this, students will learn to make a rational evaluation of the safety and efficacy of prescription drugs, herbal remedies, and dietary supplements. Case studies (e.g. phen-fen, olestra and St. John's Wort) will illustrate the important issues. Ultimately students will become better informed consumers of scientific and psuedo-scientific information.
1050 Explosives, Propellants and Pyrotechnics
(3) An introduction to the history of energetic materials. This course will cover famous accidents, investigations, basic chemical properties of explosives and propellants, their detection, and strategies for countering terrorism.
1060 Chemistry for High-Ability High School Students
(8) Summer chemistry program for high ability high-school students who have completed one year of chemistry. Six-week program involves eight hours of lecture and discussion, 15 hrs. of laboratory, and two seminar hours weekly. Enrollment limited and by invitation only.
1070 Advanced Placement (High School) General Chemistry Laboratory I
(1) Advanced Placement (AP) laboratory program for high school students enrolled in AP courses. One hour of lecture and three hours of laboratory experience every two weeks during fall semester. Students must be recommended by high school AP teacher.
1080 Advanced Placement (High School) General Chemistry Laboratory II
(1) Prerequisite: CHEM 1070 or equivalent. Continuation of CHEM 1070. Advanced Placement (AP) laboratory program for high school students enrolled in AP courses. One hour of lecture and three hours of laboratory experience every two weeks during spring semester. Students must be recommended by high school AP teacher.
1110 Elementary Chemistry
(4) Recommended Prerequisite: Intermediate Algebra. Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
Three lectures, one discussion section and 3 hour lab per week. The first of a two semester sequence (CHEM 1110 and 1120) intended as a broad introduction to chemistry primarily for students in nursing and allied health fields. CHEM 1110 consists of an introducion to general chemistry with an emphasis on the language of chemistry and quantitative problem-solving. The semester concludes with topics in introductory organic chemistry.
1120 Elementary Bioorganic Chemistry
(4) Prerequisite: CHEM 1110. Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
Three lectures, one discussion section and 3 hour lab per week. CHEM 1120 completes the discussion of elementary organic chemistry and introduces the student to biochemistry.
1200 Preparation for General Chemistry I
(3) Recommended Co-requisite: MATH 1050.
Preparatory course for students who intend to take CHEM 1210 but feel their background or high school preparation is inadequate. Introduction to basic chemistry concepts with emphasis on problem solving.
1210 General Chemistry I
(4) Recommended Prerequisite: MATH 1050. Co-requisite: CHEM 1230. Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
Three lectures, two discussions per week. Fundamentals of chemistry emphasizing descriptive and modern applied chemistry for science and engineering majors. Topics include atomic theory, molecular bonding, and reaction chemistry.
1215 General Chemistry Laboratory I
(1) Co-requisite: CHEM 1210.
One lecture and one 3 hour lab per week. Must be taken concurrently with CHEM 1210.
1220 General Chemistry II
(4) Prerequisite: CHEM 1210. Co-requisite: CHEM 1240. Fulfills Physical/Life Science Exploration.
A continuation of CHEM 1210.
1221 Honors General Chemistry II
(4) Prerequisite: CHEM 1210 and a grade of B or better and a GPA of 3.5 and instructor's consent and a member of the Honors Program. Co-requisite: HONOR 1241 or CHEM 1241.
Three lectures, two discussions weekly. Honors section of CHEM 1220. Content and level of treatment may differ somewhat from CHEM 1220. By invitation only; apply to instructor.
1225 General Chemistry Laboratory II
(1) Co-requisite: CHEM 1220.
One lecture per week, one three-hour laboratory/discussion per week. (Must be taken concurrently with Chem. 1220.)
1241 Honors General Chemistry Laboratory II
(1) Prerequisite: Member of Honors Program. Co-requisite: HONOR 1221 or CHEM 1221.
Honors section of CHEM 1240. Content and level of treatment may differ somewhat from CHEM 1240.
2310 Organic Chemistry I
(4) Prerequisite: CHEM 1210. Co-requisite: CHEM 2330.
Topics include reactions of organic molecules, shapes of molecules, and spectroscopic methods of identifying organic molecules.
2311 Honors Organic Chemistry I
(4) Prerequisite: CHEM 1210 and a grade of B or better and a GPA of 3.5 and instructor's consent and a member of the Honors Program. Co-requisite: CHEM 2330.
Honors section of Organic Chemistry I. Content and level of treatment may differ somewhat from CHEM 2310. By invitation only; apply to instructor.
2315 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
(1) Co-requisite: CHEM 2310 or (CHEM 2311or HONOR 2311).
2320 Organic Chemistry II
(4) Prerequisite: CHEM 2310. Co-requisite: CHEM 2340.
A continuation of Organic Chemistry I emphasizing reaction chemistry and mechanisms of reactions.
2321 Honors Organic Chemistry II
(4) Prerequisite: CHEM 2311 or HONOR 2311 and a member of the Honors Program. Co-requisite: CHEM 2340.
Honors section of CHEM 2320. Content and level of treatment may differ somewhat from CHEM 2320.
2325 Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
(1) Co-requisite: CHEM 2320 or (CHEM 2321 or HONOR 2321).
2700 Introduction to Mathcad
(1) A distance-learning course offered entirely via the World Wide Web, this offering teaches skills in MathCad, a commercial mathematics and graphing program. Most of the examples and assignments are framed in the context of chemistry problems.
3000 Quantitative Analysis
(4) Prerequisite: CHEM 1220 or (CHEM 1221 or HONOR 1221). Recommended Prerequisite MATH 1220 or equivalent. Fulfills Quantitative Intensive & Communication/Writing.
Two lectures and two 4 hour labs per week. Principles of quantitative analysis, stoichiometry, equilibrium theory, and volumetric and gravimetric analysis. Introduction to instrumental analysis.
3010 Quantitative Analytical Chemistry
(2) Recommended Prerequisite: CHEM 1220.
Lecture portion of CHEM 3000. Chemistry majors must take CHEM 3000.
3060 Physical Chemistry I
(4) Prerequisite: MATH 2210 and PHYS 2220 and one of CHEM 1220 or 1221 or HONOR 1221. Recommended Prerequisite: MATH 2250. Fulfills Quantitative Intensive BS.
Topics include quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, statistical thermodynamics, and microscopic kinetics.
3070 Physical Chemistry II
(4) Prerequisite: MATH 2210 and PHYS 2220 and one of CHEM 1220 or 1221 or HONOR 1221. Recommended Prerequisite: MATH 2250. Fulfills Quantitative Intensive BS. Topics include kinetics, thermodynamics, state changes, electrochemistry, and crystal and diffraction techniques.
3090 Physical Chemistry of the Life sciences
(4)Cross listed as BIOEN 5090. Prerequisite: MATH 2210 and PHYS 2220 and one of CHEM 1220 or 1221 or HONOR 1221. Recommended Prerequisite: MATH 2250. Fulfills Quantitative Intensive BS.
Emphasizes biological and biochemical aspects of physical chemistry.
3100 Inorganic Chemistry
(5)Prerequisite: CHEM 1220 or (CHEM 1221 or HONOR 1221). Recommended Co-requisites: CHEM 2310 and 3060
Current theoretical models for correlation of inorganic systems, review of major chemical trends across the periodic table, oxidation states of elements, oxidation-reduction equilibria, and acid-base equilibria. Introduction to inorganic stereochemistry including symmetry fundamentals, coordination compounds and crystal field theory, organometallic compounds, and electron-deficient molecules.
3130 Solid-State Chemistry
(2) Prerequisite: CHEM 1210, 1220, 2310, 2320.
Meets with CHEM 6130. Course requirements will be tailored differently for graduate and undergraduate students. The course will be an introduction to topics in solid-state chemistry.
3510 Biological Chemistry I
(3) Cross listed as BIOL 3510. Prerequisite: BIOL 2020, 2030, CHEM 2320.
Structure and function of biomolecules, metabolism, and regulation.
3515 Biological Chemistry Laboratory
(2) Cross listed as BIOL 3515. Recommended Prerequisite: CHEM 3510 or BIOL 3510.
Laboratory designed to follow or be taken concurrently with CHEM/BIOL 3520. One hour lecture and one 4-hour lab per week.
3520 Biological Chemistry II
(3) Cross listed as BIOL 3520. Recommended Prerequisite: BIOL 3510 or CHEM 3510.
A continuation of Biological Chemistry I. Nucleic acid structure, protein and nucleic acid biosynthesis and signal transduction.
3525 Molecular Biology of DNA Lab
(3) Cross listed as BIOL 3525. Recommended Prerequisite: CHEM 3510 or BIOL 3510.
From the simplest bacterium to multicellular mammals, each living organism shares vital mechanisms to repair its DNA. In this lab course, we will explore the structure of DNA, mechanisms of DNA damage, consequences of un-repaired DNA damage, and how cells repair DNA.
4800 Undergraduate Research
(1 to 4) Participation in the ongoing research of any one of our faculty members.
4801 Departmental Honors Undergraduate Research
(1 to 4) Prerequisite: Must be working on a departmental honors degree.
Participate in the ongoing research of any of Chemistry's faculty members.
4810 Seminar for Departmental Honors Undergraduates
(1) Prerequisite: Must be working on a departmental honors degree.
Required for students who intend to graduate with honors in Chemistry. Content may vary, but will include both formal and informal oral and written presentations of research by dept. honors students as well as attendance at other dept. presentations.
4900 Directed Study
(1 to 4)
4999 Honors Thesis/Project
(3) Prerequisite: Restricted to Honors Program.
Restricted to students in the Honors Program working on their Honors degree.
5380 Special Topics in Modern Chemical Education
(1 to 4) For elementary and secondary school teachers specializing in science. Content varies.
5600 Specialized Laboratory Techniques
(1 to 4)
5700 Advanced Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
(2) Prerequisite: CHEM 3000. Fulfills Upper Division Communication/Writing.
Two lectures, two laboratories a week for 7.5 weeks. Introduction to advanced laboratory work in chemistry. Modern instrumental techniques including electrochemical, spectroscopic, and chromatographic analysis.
5710 Advanced Organic Chemistry Laboratory
(2) Prerequisite: CHEM 2320 or 2321.
Two lectures, two laboratories a week for 7.5 weeks. Laboratory emphasizing the use of modern instrumental techniques for the identification and characterization of organic compounds.
5720 Advanced Physical Chemistry Laboratory
(2) Prerequisite: CHEM 3060. Recommended Co-requisite CHEM 3070 or 3090.
Two lectures, two laboratories per week for 7.5 weeks. Experimental study of selected aspects of physical chemistry, with emphasis on quantitative techniques.
5730 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory
(2) Recommended Co-requisite: CHEM 3100.
Two lectures and two laboratories per week for 7.5 weeks. Laboratory in modern inorganic chemistry. Emphasis on synthetic techniques.
5810 Nanoscience: Where Biology, Chemistry and Physics Intersect
(3) Cross listed as BIOL 5810, PHYS 5810.
An introduction to the emerging fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Concepts from biology, chemistry and physics will be used to explore the special features of phenomena at the nanometer scale, and current developments in the design and construction of nanoscale devices will be discussed. Course requirements include a research paper.
