“The essence of chemistry is not only to discover but to invent, and above all to create.

The book of chemistry

is not only to be read but to be written! The score of chemistry is not only to be played but to be composed!”
- Jean-Marie Lehn, French chemist

CH153K Physical Chemistry Laboratory I

Spring 2021
Instructor Dr. Matt Worden
Office: WEL 4.132C
mworden@austin.utexas.edu

Office Hours
Online Mondays and Tuesdays from 12:30 – 2. Send an email at any time in there and I will send
a zoom link for a meeting.

Teaching Assistants
Atlantis Frost ayfrost@utexas.edu Garrett Edmonds garrett_edmonds@utexas.edu
Lei Pan panlei@utexas.edu Michael Floto mfloto@utexas.edu
Mai Nguyen maiiihn@utexas.edu

Check the schedule on Canvas to see which TA is assigned to your section.

TA Office Hours
By appointment. Contact your TA to arrange a meeting.

Prerequisites
CH 353 or CH 353M and their prerequisites: CH 302, 6 hours of calculus, and the 2nd semester
physics lecture and lab.
If you don’t have one of the necessary prereqs for the class but still wish to take the course, please
contact me. Students in this situation will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Course Material and website

All required material, announcements, lab manuals, discussions, etc. will be on Canvas.
Gradescope will be used for online submission and grading of reports.

Course overview and objectives

1. This course is designed to teach you experimental and theoretical methods used by physical
chemists. You will study physical properties and chemical reactions of molecules and more
complex chemical and biological systems. You will learn to:
 practice critical thinking and problem solving skills within the framework of physical
chemistry concepts
 develop an understanding of the principles of optics and electronics
 make reliable, accurate, quantitative measurements
 interpret your results using the theoretical concepts and methods of physical chemistry
 communicate the results of your work to other scientists both verbally and in writing
2. Experiments will both complement and supplement the material presented in our CH 353,
CH 354 and CH 354L lecture courses, focusing, in particular on the optical properties of
materials, the structures of solid surfaces and adsorbed monolayers, the thermodynamics of phase
transitions, and transport and binding in lipid bilayers, which serve as models of biological
membranes.
3. There are a total of four experiments, each lasting 3 sessions. The first two sessions of each
experiment cycle are devoted to new investigations and data collection. The third session is
devoted to data analysis, report writing, and redoing any parts of the experiment from previous
weeks as necessary.
4. A prelab summary (found on Canvas under: course overview > prelab summary) is due for each
in-person lab you are scheduled for. It is graded for completion. If it is not complete you will be
deducted points from your preparedness grade and be asked to leave the lab until you have
properly completed the prelab. If you are not scheduled to be in the lab in-person, you do not
need to complete this.

Assessment and Grading

Lab reports: Due according to the schedule in the course calendar. You will write four lab
reports following the format described on Canvas. Go to: “Modules”  “Writing style
guides and tips” for more specific information.
Preparedness/Participation: Individual grade assigned over the course of the term by TAs
based on how prepared you are for lab (including prelab assignments), competency and
safety in lab, attendance, and teamwork.
Quizzes: each experiment has at least one associated quiz. Each quiz is based on the information
provided in the experiment manual and the procedure videos posted on Canvas. The main
purpose of these quizzes is to give an incentive to those who are not present for in-person
experiments to still engage with the material that week. The timing of the quizzes will
depend on the experiment schedule for each student group.

Quizzes 10%
Preparedness/participation 10%
Lab Reports (four total) 80%
Total 100%

Final % to letter grade determination:

A ≥90 C 73 - <77
A- 88 - <90 C- 70 - <73
B+ 86 - <88 D+ 65 - <70
B 82 - <86 D 60 - <65
B- 80 - <82 D- 55 - <60
C+ 77 - <80 F < 55

Grades are not curved; therefore we expect an absolute level of achievement to attain a certain
grade. There is no final exam for this course.

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This course carries the Writing Flag. Writing Flag courses are designed to give students experience
with writing in an academic discipline. In this class, you can expect to write regularly during the
semester, complete substantial writing projects, and receive feedback from your instructor to help
you improve your writing. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come
from your written work.

Turn-in Procedures and Late Policies

A link for uploading a digital copy of your reports is provided through the Canvas website. Check
the course calendar for relevant due dates.

Late reports will not be accepted. Weekends, school holidays, or emergency closures of the
University do not count as late days. If the University is closed when an assignment is due, then it
will be due on the first day the school reopens.

Once your report is turned in, it will be given to the grading TA and it should be graded in no
more than 2 sessions and returned to you. You MAY keep it, provided you have submitted a copy
to Canvas. If you do not get it back in a timely fashion, please let the Lab Director know which
report and due date seem to be missing.

Course structure changes due to Covid-19

For the fall semester, the course is designed as a hybrid with some in-person components and
some online components. Due to the limited space in the lab because of social-distancing
protocols, only a maximum of four students will be allowed in the lab at any one time. As such,
you will not be required to complete every experiment in-person. Instead, you will work in groups
of three or four and only one person from that group will be required to come into the lab each
week to collect the data necessary for that experiment. That person will then share data with the
rest of the group, and the group will then work with each other and their TA in online discussion
sessions to interpret the data and complete their reports.
Course safety considerations due to Covid-19
 Every student must wear a cloth face-covering properly in class and in all campus buildings
at all times.
 Students who are scheduled to participate in-person must use the “Protect Texas
Together” app to document any symptoms they may have. You must fill out the app
questionnaire before you arrive to class, and every time you do so.
 To help keep everyone at UT and in our community safe, it is critical that students report
COVID-19 symptoms and testing, regardless of test results, to University Health Services,
and faculty and staff report to the HealthPoint Occupational Health Program (OHP) as
soon as possible. (https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/occupational-health-program) In
addition, to help understand what to do if a fellow student in the class (or the instructor or
TA) tests positive for COVID, see this University Health Services link
(https://healthyhorns.utexas.edu/coronavirus_exposure_action_chart.html)
Make-Up Policies
NOTHING will be accepted after 5 p.m. on Monday, May 3rd. NO EXCEPTIONS.

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If there is a conflict with an exam for another class per CNS policy it is expected that the other
professor offer a make-up time as they scheduled their exam outside of the scheduled class time.
You are registered for this class at this time and this takes precedence.

Academic Integrity
Scholastic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this course. For definitions of unacceptable behavior,
such as plagiarism, and the UT policy regarding such activities, see the Student Judicial Services
website:
http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/academicintegrity.html

Sharing of Course Materials is Prohibited: No materials used in this class, including, but not
limited to, lecture hand-outs, videos, assessments (quizzes, exams, papers, projects, homework
assignments), in-class materials, review sheets, and additional problem sets, may be shared online
or with anyone outside of the class unless you have my explicit, written permission. Unauthorized
sharing of materials promotes cheating. It is a violation of the University’s Student Honor Code
and an act of academic dishonesty. I am well aware of the sites used for sharing materials, and any
materials found online that are associated with you, or any suspected unauthorized sharing of
materials, will be reported to Student Conduct and Academic Integrity in the Office of the Dean of
Students. These reports can result in sanctions, including failure in the course.

Accommodations
Please notify me of any modification/adaptation you may require to accommodate a disability-
related need. You will be requested to provide documentation to the Dean of Students' office, in
order that the most appropriate accommodations can be determined.