Chem
537: Quantum Chemistry (3 cr.)
Fall 2006
Instructor: Prof. S.N. Smirnov
CB202, Phone 6-1547, E-mail:
This course will cover the fundamentals of quantum mechanics as they apply to chemistry. It is offered as a CORE PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY COURSE primarily to graduate students but upper level undergraduate students (seniors and juniors) specializing in chemistry, physics or engineering are also encouraged to take it. Undergraduate students will designate the course as CHEM 451-Special Topics with 3 cr. hours.
It will be assumed that the students are reasonably familiar with the topics covered in Chemistry 433 and 434, or their equivalents in other departments but none of it is considered as a prerequisite. See instructor for discussion of whether this is a suitable course for you.
Lectures:
Tuesday and Thursday, 10:30-11:45 a.m., in room CB 201.
Optional
Problem Solving Sessions will be arranged
Office Hours: Tuesday
and Thursday, 11:45-12:45 in CB 202, or by appointment
Recommended Texts:
Introduction
to Quantum Mechanics in Chemistry (ISBN: 0-13-895491-7,
Prentice Hall, 2001) by Mark A. Ratner, George C. Schatz
Elements
of Quantum Mechanics (ISBN: 0195141954 , Oxford University
Press, 2001) by Michael D. Fayer
Molecular
Quantum Mechanics: 4e (ISBN: 0199274983, Oxford University
Press, 2005) by Atkins & Friedman
Quantum
Mechanics, (ISBN: 0-471-56952-6, Wiley, 1992) by Claude
Cohen-Tannoudji, Bernard Diu, Frank Laloe
Web Page: http://www.chemistry.nmsu.edu/studntres/chem537/
Topics to be Covered (Quantum
mechanics and its application to chemistry in particular )
:
Grading in this class will be on an absolute scale based
on performance on midterms, homework, class participation and
exams. A total of 500 points will be awarded broken down as
follows:
At any time during the semester students are encouraged to check their point totals on the web. Students can request regrading for exams and problem sets if they feel that an error was made. Regrades will only be accepted up to one week after returning the assignment, except in the case of the final where requests must be made within 24 hours.
Exams will include a cumulative final exam and two midterm exams. The first exam will be a take-home test. The second exam will be a 2 hour in class exam closed note and closed book. The final exam will also be a 3 hour in class exam, closed book and notes. Exam Dates, and Times are as follows:
Midterm 1: take home. This exam can
be picked up starting Friday, October 6 at noon and must be
turned in by Monday October 9 at 4pm. It will be also available
on the web, check the Syllabus on
Oct.6 at noon.
Midterm 2: 2.5-hour open book,
Tuesday, November 14, 4-6:30 pm. Room CB 201.
Final: 2-hour closed book, Thursday, December 14, 10:30-12:30 pm. Room CB 201.
If you have a problem with any of these times and wish to negotiate rescheduling you must see me before September 21. Arrangements for make-up exams after this date will only be made under the most extreme of circumstances.
Homework is essential part of your learning process, and it is the best way to master this class. There will be 10 assigned problem sets which will be handed out on Thursdays and will be due in a week. Shortly after the due date the solutions will be posted on the course web page. Homework received after noon on the due date will automatically be deducted 50%. Optional problem solving sessions will be arranged.
Class participation points will be awarded based on participation in the class. Students will be expected to keep up with assigned reading and come prepared to discuss the material. In addition, to encourage involvement in the course, points will be awarded for attendance at office hours, problem solving sessions, or e-mail questions and responses. The instructor will keep track of attendance and assign points at the end of the semester.
Quizzes will be posted on the course web page once a week on Thursday. Each student who completes the quiz before the following Tuesday will receive 1 or 2 extra credit points. These quizzes are not intended to be tests, but rather to help the instructor evaluate comprehention of the material discussed that week in lecture. They presume to require less than 10 minutes for an average student for answering. Any points gained on these quizzes will be added directly to the point totals of the student.
The web page will be maintained and be accessible from any computer on campus. Problems sets, handouts, quizzes and other important announcements will be on this page. Note that problem set solutions will only be available for approximately a week after the turn in date.
Plagiarism and other forms of cheating. Any activities normally considered cheating (plagiarism, making up data etc.) are prohibited and are treated as academic misconduct. Please review the student code of conduct if you need refreshing. If you are confused by what is considered plagiarism (intentional or unintentional), please refer to NMSU library site on plagiarism. In case you you want to know how the cases of misconduct are handled, you can find answers at the University site on academic misconduct.
ADA. Feel free to call Jerry Nevarez, Director of Institutional Equity, at 505-646-3635 with any questions you may have about NMSU's Non-Discrimination Policy and complaints of discrimination, including sexual harassment. Feel free to call Michael Armendariz, Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities, at 505-646-6840 with any questions you may have on student issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All medical information will be treated confidentially.
Last updated on 08/04/06