First-Year Chemistry Courses

Introductory chemistry explores the basic tools of chemistry from a molecular perspective, and introduces these to students in such a way that makes connections to the world around us. By exploring the building blocks of matter, we understand how the assembly of molecules from atoms leads to the familiar substances we can see, touch and feel. By exploring the central concept of energy within a chemical context, we begin to understand and predict reasons why substances such as water are liquids, how and why batteries work, and many other daily phenomena from a simple chemical perspective.

The first-year Chemistry courses are required in the following Bachelor of Science programs: Chemistry, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Chemical Physics, Environmental Chemistry, Biology (single-major Honours and General), and Forensic Science. It is a prerequisite for some courses in the B.Sc. program in Environmental & Resource Science.

CHEM 1000H – Introductory chemistry I

Essential aspects of general, molecular and intermolecular chemistry. Topics include atomic structure, bonding, equilibrium, acids-bases, gases, liquids, solutions and the solid state. Emphasis is on the relation between molecular and physical properties.  

CHEM 1010H – Introductory chemistry II

Essential aspects of physical, inorganic, organic and biological chemistry. Topics include redox chemistry, kinetics, thermodynamics and an introduction to inorganic, environmental, organic and biological chemistry.

Prerequisites

A 4U Chemistry or equivalent is a prerequisite for CHEM 1000H and 1010H. Students without this prerequisite should contact the departmental office for advice before Early Registration. CHEM 1000H or permission of the instructor is a prerequisite for 1010H.

We highly recommend U-level (or the equivalent from other provinces/countries). If you do not have this, or if it’s been several years since you took high school chemistry, contact the Chemistry department to receive the instructor's permission on a case-by-case basis.

Course Format

A typical week in first-year Chemistry consists of 3 hours of lectures and a 2-hour tutorial or a 3-hour lab. The tutorial and lab sections are quite small (20 to 30 students). There is ample opportunity for one-on-one interaction with the professor or teaching assistants. There is also a lab report that takes various forms but is typically due one week after you have completed an experiment.

Lectures are held in Wenjack Theatre (OC W101.2). The lab is located in the Chemical Sciences Building (CSB). Students are scheduled into lab sections according to their timetables. Labs typically run either from 9 AM to 12 PM or 1 PM to 4 PM. The lab manual is available online through Web CT for students registered in the courses.

Course Text

The text for the course is Chemistry: A molecular approach  by Nivaldo Tro, 2nd edition, available in the Trent University Bookstore.

Additional Requirements

A class response "Clicker", lab coat, safety glasses and lab notebook are also required for participation in the courses. All of these can also be purchased at the Trent University Bookstore.

Topics

These are the topics we will cover over the course of the year:

Basic Concepts: Atomic theory, isotopes, atomic weight scale, molecular weight, the mole, stoichiometry

Gases: Ideal gas laws, gas constant (R), Dalton's law, kinetic molecular theory, kinetic energy and temperature, non-ideal gas law

Liquids: Vapour pressure and boiling point, heat of vaporisation/freezing, phase diagrams

Solutions: Solubility, concentration, Raoult's Law, vapour pressure lowering, boiling point elevation, freezing point depression, electrolytes, Arrhenius theory

Chemical Equilibrium: Equilibrium constants (gas phase and solution), external effects, solubility product constant, acids and bases, buffers, hydrolysis, complex ion formation

Atomic Structure: Bohr's theory, wave nature of matter, Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, Schrodinger's Equation, quantum numbers, atomic orbitals, Pauli Exclusion Principle, ionisation energy, electron affinity, atomic radius

Chemical Bonding: Ionic bonding, covalent bonding, molecular orbital theory, molecular orbitals, molecular shape, Lewis structures, hybridisation

Solids: Simple lattices, unit cell, coordination number, holes, intermolecular bonding

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Sample Course Syllabus:     CHEM 1000H

                                            CHEM 1010H

Course notes, assignments, and other details are available to students enrolled in CHEM 1000H and 1010H via myTrent >> learning system. For more information regarding these course offerings or if you have any other questions, please contact the Chemistry department.