CHEM 123

Course Description

• CHEM 123 is in sequence with CHEM 121. The course is divided into two parts: Physical Chemistry & Organic Chemistry.

• The physical chemistry part focuses on acid-base chemistry, thermodynamics and kinetics.

• Organic Chemistry focuses on nomenclature, organic acid-base mechanisms, Newman Projections, Structural Diagrams, Fischer Projections, R/S Configuration, Chair Conformations, and other topics.

Types of Assignments To Expect

• Engagement Surveys: This type of assignment was recently included for my class and it was a very fun assignment to complete. It always took less than 5 minutes and it was delightful knowing that professors value our opinion about the class structure and organization of this course and want to get to know us better.

• Assignments: There are three attempts for each assignment. It is recommended to open the assignment long before the due date. Canvas saves your progress when you leave the assignment.

• Acid-Base Assessment & Organic Chem Assessment: These assessments are different from the assignments because they have more questions and they have an unlimited amount of attempts before the due date.
  

• Midterms: There is a mix of multiple-choice/select all that apply, numeric response, and written response. Midterm 1 is based on acid-base chemistry and thermochemistry. Midterm 2 is based on kinetics, thermodynamics, and organic chemistry basics.

• Laboratory Portion: There is a lab portion of this course if you are taking the 4-credit version of CHEM 123. Most of the CHEM 123 lab course is similar to CHEM 121 except that now there are lab reports.

• Final Exam: Similar format to the midterms except with a significant emphasis on the later content of the course.

Advice/Study Tips

• Do the practice problem sets before attempting the assignments.

• A lot of the formulas needed for this course are not on the formula sheet. Make a separate formula sheet to remember all of the formulas and diagrams that are not on the formula sheet.

• Practice memorizing theoretical properties. They can be tested on multiple-choice questions.

• This course is notorious for its organic chemistry portion! The organic chem problem sets will most likely take a longer time to complete and this portion of the course relies on a more conceptual understanding. You NEED a molecular modelling kit. A molecular modelling kit not only helps you visualize common diagrams used in organic chemistry but also improves the accuracy of your drawings.

• The midterms will mostly focus on thermochemistry, kinetics, and the basics of organic chemistry such as nomenclature and acid-base mechanisms. However, the learning curve gets steeper as most of the final exam is based on the more difficult parts of organic chemistry (Newman projections, R/S configuration, SN1 and SN2 mechanisms).

• When studying for the final exam, mostly focus on organic chemistry. About 70-75% of your studying for the final exam should focus on the organic chemistry portion and the rest on thermodynamics, acid-base chemistry, and kinetics.

• The course is mostly well-organized. The lecture notes are very important to review before assessments and the textbook has very excellent exam-like examples to follow.

• The teaching team has taken a lot of heat for incorrectly grading midterms. Always make sure to compare your midterms to the answer key and if you feel that your exam was marked unfairly, send a polite re-grade request to explain why you should earn more marks for certain questions.

• Diagrams are extremely important in this class to understand physical and organic chemistry. You will be asked multiple-choice/written response questions that require you to analyze diagrams, even if not asked explicitly!

• Before submitting the assignment, take a break and come back to check your answers. You will be more conscious of your mistakes and you won't waste time re-doing the whole assignment. It can very frustrating to incorrectly answer questions you know how to do because of a calculation error or misreading the question.

Resources

1. Melissa Maribel - A youtube channel that is helpful for Chemistry I, Chemistry II, and organic chemistry concepts.

Melissa Maribel

2. A Complete Guide to Organic Chemistry by Organic Chem Tutor

Organic Chemistry Guide

The Organic Chem Tutor also has useful videos for Kinetics, Acid-Base Chemistry, & Thermodynamics as well.

3. Master Organic Chemistry:

Master Organic Chemistry (Youtube)

Master Organic Chemistry (Website)

4. CHEM 123 has a free, open-source textbook that is very useful to accompany your studies.

CHEM 123 Textbook