Alex Bredar
General Chemistry I
CHEM 0103General Chemistry I Major topics will include atomic theory and atomic structure; chemical bonding; stoichiometry; introduction to chemical thermodynamics. States of matter; solutions and nuclear chemistry. Laboratory work deals with testing of theories by various quantitative methods. Students with strong secondary school preparation are encouraged to consult the department chair for permission to elect CHEM 0104 or CHEM 0107 in place of this course. CHEM 0103 is also an appropriate course for a student with little or no prior preparation in chemistry who would like to learn about basic chemical principles while fulfilling the SCI or DED distribution requirement.
2 reviewsS25Inorganic & Physical Chemistry
CHEM 0312Inorganic and Physical Chemistry Laboratory In this course students will carry out experiments in the field of inorganic and physical chemistry and write journal-style reports based on their results. In the first half of the semester students will conduct a multi-step synthesis and characterization of a Mo-Mo complex with a quadruple bond. Students will learn inert atmosphere synthetic techniques and how to use a glove box. The synthesized Mo-Mo complex will be characterized by UV-Vis, IR, 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopies, and cyclic voltammetry. In the second half of the semester students will conduct two physical chemistry experiments. First students will carry out a kinetic study of the isomerization of the Mo-Mo (alpha to beta or beta to alpha) complex by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Finally, students will obtain the high-resolution IR spectra of acetylene and deuterated acetylene and analyze the rotation-vibration spectra using statistical and quantum mechanics to obtain structural data and interpret the peak intensities. In addition to the laboratory activities, there will be lectures on metal quadruple bonds, principles of UV-Vis , IR, 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry, and statistical mechanics.
1 reviewS25Professor Bredar is really nice and passionate! Sometimes her explanations in class can be confusing but office hours are helpful. The class starts off easy and gradually builds up, overall manageable as an intro class.
Professor Bredar is super smart! While I never attended her office hours the first block of the semester, she knew my name, and all the students even if they hadn't properly introduced themselves. The class is very fast-paced and very confusing sometimes. Exams felt really hard, as well as homework, but going to office hours and TA hours help a lot. I disliked the lab portion though (with a different professor).
Professor Bredar is super smart! While I never attended her office hours the first block of the semester, she knew my name, and all the students even if they hadn't properly introduced themselves. The class is very fast-paced and very confusing sometimes. Exams felt really hard, as well as homework, but going to office hours and TA h …Read more
Fun course! The professors are clearly very smart and passionate about their work. We did lots of labs that connected the dots of a lot of different fields of chemistry. It was a good chance to get more comfortable with chemical characterization as well.