Required materials for lecture (see comments at bottom)
Organic Chemistry 2e by T.N. Sorrell (University Science Books, 2006)
Sapling online homework
Clicker (Turning Technology QT2 response device)
Required materials for lab (see lab manual for more information)
Lab Notebook
Waterproof pen
Recommended for lecture or lab (see comments at bottom)
Solutions to Exercises, Organic Chemistry 2e by T.N. Sorrell (University Science Books, 2006)
Making the Connections: A How-To Guide for Organic Chemistry Lab Techniques by Padias (any edition, recommended for lab)
Plastic model kit (more info)
Comments
Textbook & solutions manual. Everyone should buy these books. I believe both are available in several formats: print (new and used) and electronic (check if the e-book can also be purchased as a ‘bundle’ with the Sapling online homework at a discount). The folks in the Bookstore can help you locate the version you want.
I can’t tell you which option will work best for you. The e-book is considerably lighter than the paper version, but will expire. Chemistry majors might want something more lasting.
While I think every student should own a personal copy of the textbook while they are enrolled in Chem 201 and 202, it may be possible to make satisfactory arrangements for sharing a copy of the solutions manual. But make no mistake: serious study requires doing lots of problems found in the textbook and then checking your answers against those in the solutions manual. You will need almost daily access to both books.
Sapling online homework. Online homework will be assigned and graded regularly throughout the semester. We are using the Sapling Learning system which requires a modest purchase. A number of purchasing options are available: standalone, bundle with e-book, semester-by-semester or the entire academic year. (get started here)
While there are obvious advantages to online homework – do it when and where you want, as often as you want, receive hints and instant feedback – it may not be a perfect replacement for traditional homework. I see two problems with online homework:
First, the online problems are of easy-medium difficulty. They won’t challenge you enough. And they don’t cover all the topics in the book.
Second, the online problems are heavily weighted towards little widgets that keep you from getting practice at making drawings (you can sabotage Sapling by drawing all of your answers on paper, even multiple-choice answers, before you enter them into Sapling).
Drawings are vital. Recent research shows that drawing creates special neural pathways, i.e., you “learn” differently (and better) when you draw. Also, exams require drawing. You need to learn to make easy-to-read drawings efficiently, and without errors.
So don’t rely solely on online problems. Do the textbook problems (especially the more difficult ones). And practice drawing.
Clickers (Turning Technology QT2 response devices). These devices, which sport a complete alphanumeric keypad and LCD screen, were introduced in 2017-8 in Chem 101-102. If you held on to your device, you may need to replace the battery (go to the Bookstore).
If you opted instead to use a mobile device such as a smartphone in Chem 101-102, this option will not be available in Chem 201-202. You will need to purchase a QT2 response device from the Bookstore (used devices can be sold back to the Bookstore when you complete Chem 201-202).
We will use ‘clickers’ every day starting on Day #1 and clicker responses will be graded. So bring your clicker to every class.