Students in majors requiring more than one semester of chemistry should take CEM 111 and 112. Topics include atomic structure, the periodic law, chemical bonding and molecular structure, chemical reactions, stoichiometry, solutions, and acid-base reactions. Fundamental concepts and principles are emphasized during the first semester.
Emphasis is placed on structure, nomenclature, oxidation numbers and the mole concept.
The second semester includes solutions, behavior of electrolytes, ionic and molecular equilibria, and nuclear chemistry. Also, there is a brief introduction to the chemistry of carbon and its compounds included in the second semester. The student selects a topic for independent study and conducts a literature survey and a laboratory investigation relative to this topic. Classical methods of analysis are emphasized. Lectures cover stoichiometry, statistics, solutions, acidimetry, oxidation-reduction, indicators, solubility products, and quantitative methods.