Why is chemistry important to other sciences, technology, and society? What processes do chemists use when dealing with real problems?
What conceptual models do chemists use to understand and explain their observations? The focus of this course is on the reasons for doing science,
the intellectual and instrumental tools used, the models developed to solve new problems and the assertion that chemistry has a tremendous effect o
n your personal life and on the decisions made by society. Along the way we will cover atoms, molecules, ions, and periodic properties;
chemical equations, stoichiometry and moles; Lewis structures and VSEPR model of bonding; reactivity and functional groups; states of matter and
intermolecular forces; relationships between structure and properties. Three two-hour class periods per week of combined lecture, laboratory, and discussion.
Prerequisite: Facility with algebra. Note: Students with a strong prior background in chemistry are encouraged to consult with the department about placement into a more advanced chemistry course.
I. Why is the Climate Changing?
Macroscopic, atomic/molecular, and symbolic languages of chemistry.
Chemical formulas, equations, and mole calculations. Gases.
Chemical formulas, equations, and mole calculations. Gases.
Chemistry Languages
What is happening to the polar ice?
-
Cryosphere (NSIDC, PSC, NASA, NOAA, GCRP, EPA Data and Figures)
How much is the climate changing?
-
Energy Budget, Radiative Forcing, and Temperature (IPCC, NASA, NOAA, GCRP Data and Figures)
Climate indicators (IPCC, NASA, NOAA, GCRP, EPA Data and Figures)
Climate Futures Infographic (IPCC 2021 pdf)
How much does air weigh?
-
Laboratory Glassware
Pumping up the bottle (prelab 0:53 Movie)
Using a tire gauge (prelab 0:35 Movie)
How are gas volume and pressure related?
How are gas volume and temperature related?
-
Using a syringe and scale (prelab 0:30 Movie)
Changing temperature (prelab 2:14 Movie)
Significant digits (Figures)
Kinetic-Molecular Theory of Gases
Pressure and number of particles (Animation)
Properties of gases (Figures)
Gas properties (link to PhET simulation).
Gas velocity (Figures)
How are the atoms connected within atmospheric gas molecules?
What are the shapes of atmospheric gas molecules?
-
Lewis Dot and VSEPR (Figures)
Greenhouse Gas Molecules Interactive Models (jsmol)
Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) Interactive Models (jsmol)
VSEPR Molecular Shapes (link to PhET simulation).
Choose model option then drag atoms or lone pairs to the center atom and see the lowest energy shape.
Lewis Dot and Formal Charge (Tutorials)
Which gases absorb infrared waves?
-
Infrared Spectra of Gases in Balloons (prelab Figures and Movies)
Greenhouse Gases and Electronegativity (Figures)
How does an infrared spectrum of CO2 change with concentration? atm or mm Hg (Movie)
Do CO2, N2O, CH4, CF3CH2F and H2O absorb the same frequency of infrared radiation? (Movie)
Infrared Spectra of Gases in Balloons (Data)
Molecular Bond Vibrations (Animations)
Resonance Frequency and Energy Coupling (1:56 Classic video)
Carbon dioxide absorbs infrared radiation (1:36 Video)
VSEPR, Electronegativity, Polar Molecules and the Greenhouse Effect (Tutorials)
What do atmospheric concentrations tell us about sources and sinks of greenhouse gases?
-
Gas Concentrations, Global Warming Potential, and Atmospheric Lifetime (table, jsmol, Movies)
Oxygen Concentrations (Scripps)
Sources and Sinks (Figures)
Methane Supercharges Climate Change, Living on Earth, September 2022 (Audio)
Methane, The Other Important Greenhouse Gas, C&E News, October 25, 2021 (pdf)
Cows and methane (Video)
Permafrost and methane (Video)
No laughing matter: nitrous oxide - another climate enemy (Video)
Are we stuck with cement? (link to The Outline, June 2018)
Can planting trees solve the climate crisis? BBC CrowdScience, January 2024 (20:00 Audio)
What happens when you breathe into water?
How do we balance the source and sink equations?
-
Balancing Chemical Equations (Figures)
Balancing Equations (link to PhET simulation)
Which recipe gives the most precipitate?
-
Lead nitrate plus potassium iodide (prelab 0:52 Movie)
Using a chemical reagent bottle (prelab 0:12 Movie)
Limiting Reactant (Figures)
Limiting Reactant Spreadsheet.xlsm (Instructor Excel template)
How much do sources and sinks contribute to rising greenhouse gas concentrations?
What are your personal contributions to CO2 emissions?
-
Moles (Figures)
Periodic Table, click image to toggle zoom
Chemical Calculations (reference)
Unit Conversions (examples for writing calculations in one line)
Historical CO2 emissions by fuel type (animations)
Demo: How much carbon dioxide is a mole?
-
A mole of carbon dioxide (7:44 Video)
How much carbon dioxide do you exhale in a year?
-
Available equipment (prelab)
Summary How should we keep cool?
-
Background readings (skim before class)
"Ozone Layer Protection," US EPA, 2023
"Twenty Questions and Answers About the Ozone Layer" (pdf), WMO, UNEP, DOC, NASA, EC, 2023
"Climate friendly mobile air conditioning for buses," Umweltbundesamt, 2015
"Fluorinated greenhouse gases," European Commission
"Bans on F gas in new equipment," UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, 2023
"Kigali ammendment to phase-out super greenhouse gases," UN News, October, 2016
"Kigali ammendment ratification," Wikipedia, 2024
"About CO2 refrigeration" (pdf), R744.com, 2023
"The Rising Threat of HFOs and TFA to Health and the Environment" (pdf), R744.com, 2022
"Projected increases in emissions of high global warming potential fluorinated gases in China (pdf)," Communications Earth & Environment, 2023
How we Solved the Problem with the Ozone Hole (12:00 Video, History Scope, 2019)
Remembering Mario Molina (6:31 Audio, Living on Earth, October 2020)
South Pole Every Two Weeks (NASA TOMS Movie, 1978-2005)
Gas Concentrations, Ozone Depletion Potential, and Atmospheric Lifetime (table, jsmol, Movies)
This weeks images (link to NASA)
Refrigerants (Figures)
Ozone Layer (Figures)
Project What is the empirical formula of my cool blue copper compound?
-
First day
Measuring cup squeeze dispenser (prelab 0:22 Movie)
Suction filtration and washing (prelab 2:26 Movie)
Second day
Weighing by difference (prelab 1:53 Movie)
Filling a buret (prelab 0:33 Movie)
Reading a buret (prelab 2:03 Movie)
Third day
Using a volumetric flask (prelab 2:29 Movie with audio)
Changing solutions in spectrometer (prelab 1:02 Movie)
Titrations (Figures)
Beer's Law (Figures)
Beer's Law (link to PhET simulation).
Choose Beer's Law (not Concentration) then turn on light source. Adjust concentration or try variable wavelength.
Writing a scientific report
II. Food and Fuel: Which Energy Sources Should We Use?
Covalent molecules and how they are transformed through chemical reactions.
Intermolecular forces and functional groups. Bond strengths and calorimetry. Liquids.
Intermolecular forces and functional groups. Bond strengths and calorimetry. Liquids.
How do chemists represent the structure of molecules?
-
What is Gasoline?
-
Virtual field trip to a gas station near Los Angeles (1:12 Movie starring Brock Spencer)
Trip to a gas station (1:18 Zoolander video clip)
Gasoline (Figures)
Lessons from the warning signs at gas stations (Chicago Tribune) or pdf copy
Combustion of ethanol vapor (0:54 Movie)
-
Chemical Formulas (reference)
Hydrocarbon Formulas (Figures)
What molecule is C5H12? (jsmol)
What molecule is C5H12O? (jsmol)
How do Chemists Represent the Structures of Organic Molecules? (jsmol)
How much heat is released upon fuel combustion?
Fuel Calorimetry
-
Heat (Figures)
Tinder Chips (Movie), May 2014
Heat Capacity and Water (link to USGS)
Specific Heat (link to Concord Consortium simulation)
Why do we make so much CO2?
-
Bond Energies (Animation)
Bond Energies (Figures)
What are some alternative fuels we could use?
-
Alternative Fuels and Prices (data)
Department of Energy Alternative Fuels page (link to afdc)
FAME and Biodiesel (Figures)
What are biofuels? (Movie), ExxonMobil, May 2016
Turning Algae into Energy (Movie), Los Alamos NationalLab , May 2013
Algae for Fuel (Movie), NETNebraska, July 2011
Cellulosic Ethanol (Denmark) (Movie), January 2012
Biodiesel: The afterlife of cooking oil (Movie) TED-Ed, 2014
Food (Figures)
Fryer Oil Thieves (pdf) New York Times, January 2012
Biogeochemical Paleothermometry (Figures)
PVC Plasticizers (Figures)
What does an internal combustion engine produce besides CO2 and H2O?
-
Deconstructed: Catalytic Converter (Video)
Catalytic Converter Demonstration (Movies)
"Gasoline and Air Quality" (pdf) from the Chevron Motor Gasolines Technical Review (2009)
Volkswagen's Big Diesel Cheat (Audio and figures, 2015)
Preparation of a Hydrogen Fuel Cell
-
Fuel Cells (Figures)
Multimeter (Figures)
Video Procedure (Movies)
How Fuel Cells Work (Movie)
Wind to Hydrogen (Movie)
Artificial Leaf (Movie)
Energy Density (Table)
Toyota Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle (link)
What functional groups are in foods?
-
Functional Groups (Figures)
Food (Figures)
Which household chemicals react the same way?
Can "like-attracts-like" be used to rank polarity?
-
Hydrophobic Materials (Figures)
Water is Polar (1:14 Movie)
Polar/Nonpolar Disk Game (3:22 Movie)
Superhydrophobic Materials (Movies)
How are functional groups, molecular sizes, and boiling points related?
-
Intermolecular Forces (Figures)
States of Matter Review (Figures)
Intermolecular Attractions and States of Matter (link to Concord Consortium simulation)
States of Matter (link to PhET simulation)
Polar Molecule Review (Figures)
Boiling Point Data (Movie)
Intermolecular Forces (Tutorials)
What is Hydraulic Fracturing?
-
Hydraulic Fracturing (Figures)
Ethane and the Plastics Boom, NPR Morning Edition, November 2019 (Audio)
Fracking boom tied to methane spike in Earth's atmosphere, National Geographic, August 2019 (pdf)
How does vegetable oil change when hydrogenated?
-
Hydrogenation (prelab 1:31 Movie)
Infrared Spectroscopy of oil (prelab 1:02 Movie)
Hydrogenation (Figures)
Lab Results (Movies)
What is the difference between a fat and an oil?
-
Fats and Oils (Figures)
Intro to Fatty Acids (jsmol)
Structures of Fats (jsmol)
Melting Point Data (Movie)
How the Russians Saved America's Sunflower (NPR Audio, 2012)
Project Synthesis and Analysis: Is my Aspirin Pure?
-
First day
Aspirin (Figures)
Suction Filtration (prelab 2:26 Movie)
Color test for salicylate (prelab 1:00 Movie)
Second day
Titrations (Figures)
Titration using a buret (prelab 4:13 Movie)
Filling a buret (prelab 0:33 Movie)
Reading a buret (prelab 2:03 Movie)
Measuring cup squeeze dispenser (prelab 0:22 Movie)
Loading infrared samples (prelab 3:55 Movie)
How do vibrations change with mass and force constant? (Demonstrations)
Infrared Spectra of Reference Compounds (pdf)
Third day
Weighing by difference (prelab 1:53 Movie)
Loading NMR samples (prelab 0:35 Movie)
How do frequencies change with magnetic field and shielding? (Demonstrations)
NMR Spectra of Reference Compounds (pdf)
Fourth Day
Aspirin (Figures)
American Chemical Society (search link) or (Click here for off-campus Beloit login)
Aspirin storage (link to MedlinePlus)
Color test for salicylate (prelab 1:00 Movie)
Is My Aspirin Stable?
-
Aspirin stability (Figures)
Aspirin storage (link to MedlinePlus)
Serial Dilution and Beer's Law (Figures)
III. What Changes Can We Make to Decrease Environmental Impact?
Chemical periodicity, metals and ions, and light. Solids.
- "A brilliant new approach," The Economist, March 19, 2009
- "Green Promise Seen in Switch to LED Lighting," The New York Times, May 30, 2009
- "Europe's Ban on Old-Style Bulbs Begins," The New York Times, September 1, 2009
- "Tiny semiconductor crystals, called quantum dots, enable new forms of energy-efficient lighting," The Economist, March 4, 2010
- "LED Lighting: Blue + Yellow = White" and "The Light bulb that really is a better idea," IEEE Spectrum, January 2011
- "Seeing the Light: LED technology moves into the mainstream and delivers improved efficiencies," Signage Solutions, Nov/Dec 2011
- "What it takes to change all the street lights in New York City," Greenbiz, April 17, 2013 and October 29, 2013
- "This Little LED of Mine," The New York Times, November 2, 2013
- "Efficient, useful blue-light LED draws Nobel Prize in physics," CNET, October 7, 2014
- "Benefits and Disadvantages of LED Lighting," LED Technology, 2012, and Luminanz Ltd, 2011, and Pulse, 2015
- "Science advances in matching LED lighting to horticultural needs ," LEDs Magazine, 20 Sept 2016
- "LED Streetlights Are Giving Neighborhoods the Blues," IEEE Spectrum, 22 Sept 2016
- "The search for better white light," C&E News, November 19, 2018
- "America's Light Bulb Revolution," The New York Times, March 8, 2019
- "Household lighting consumption driven by bulb choice and bulb count," U.S. Energy Information Administration, February 25, 2019
- "White House to Relax Energy Efficiency Rules for Light Bulbs," The New York Times, September 4, 2019
- "The History of Lighting," Traditional Building, May 13, 2020
- "Old-Fashioned, Inefficient Light Bulbs Live On at the Nation's Dollar Stores," New York Times, January 23, 2022
- "Biden flips the switch on Trump's incandescent light bulb plan," CNN, April 26, 2022
- "LED Headlights," Hella Tech World, 2017
- "LED Basics," US Department of Energy
- "Savings Calculator," Bulbs.com
Why have metals been used through the ages? (Logan Museum)
-
Properties of Metals (Movies)
How well do different materials conduct heat?
-
Measuring thermal conductivity (prelab 0:13 Movie)
Lab Data (Movies)
Which elements in the periodic table are metals?
Alternative Fuels
-
Turning Algae into Energy (Movie), Los Alamos NationalLab , May 2013
Wind to Hydrogen (Movie)
Artificial Leaf (Movie)
Energy Density (Table)
Fuel Cells (Figures)
How should we make light?
Reading Groups: AEIMNR, BFJMOT, CGKMPS, DHLMQU (pdf)Earlier articles do a better job explaining but remember to watch dates for the readings, especially when considering prices which dropped by more than 100x.
Changing Light and Energy Sources (Figures)
Light (Figures)
Light from Solids (Movies)
Chemical Light (Movies)
Glowsticks, C&E News, October 25, 2021 (pdf)
Blackbody Radiation (Movies)
Blackbody (link to PhET simulation)
The Incandescent Bulb (Movies)
Why does a light bulb burn out? (pdf), INVSEE, Arizona State University (0:16 Movie)
An incandescent light bulb has been burning for 100 years: Mythbusters Visit Livermore (0:54 Video) 2006
Discovery/Science Channel How It's Made: The Incandescent Bulb (5:00 Video)
The origin of quantum mechanics: blackbody radiation and the light bulb (4:19 Video)
Color from Electronic Transitions (Movies)
LED Quantum Dots (7:05 Video)
Benefits of LED Lighting (2:17 Video)
LED Application Notes (pdf)
Transportation Lights (Movies)
How can you identify different incandescent, atomic, or semiconductor sources of light?
-
Three Types of Lighting (Movies)
Absorption and Emission Spectra of the Elements (Movies)
Lab Data (Movies)
What is the net ionic equation?
How can we represent solids?
-
Bonding types (Table)
Covalent, Ionic, Metallic Solids (Figures)
Unit Cells (Figures)
How are structure and properties of solids related?
-
Solid State Model Kit (Movies)
Interactive Unit Cells (jsmol)
Unit Cell Problems (jsmol)
Structure & Properties (Movies)
What controls the properties of elements?
-
Periodic properties (Figures)
How can you get a specific color of light from a solid?
Periodic Properties and LEDs
-
LEDs and periodic properties (Figures and Movies)
Multimeters (Figures)
The Man Who Lit Up the World (9:59 Video) 2010
LED Quantum Dots (7:05 Video) 3/3/2010
Miami Tower Revitalized (3:36 Video) 12/11/2012
London Tower Bridge Diamond Jubilee (1:52 Video) 6/4/2012
New York Empire State Building's colorful new look (3:22 Video) 1/1/2013
San Francisco Bay Bridge Lights (3:52 Video) 3/5/2013
Confederation of Danish Industry, Copenhagen (3:22 Video) 10/3/2013
Banco de Credito del Peru (BCP) building in Lima (4:14 Video) 7/15/2014
LED Filament Bulbs (1:33 Video) 1/26/2015
Empire State Building Light Show with music by the Grateful Dead (4:40 Video) 7/4/2015
Ketra Natural Light (2:26 Video) 2017
How do we know how atoms are arranged in solids?
-
Discovery Slide (Figure)
Diffraction (Figures)
Crystalline structures and diffraction of chocolate
-
Chocolate, link to Eric's Apple (2013) or pdf
Exploring the polymorphic structures in Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Butter, Imperial College (2014) or pdf
Advances in Lipids Crystallization Technology (pdf) or Intechopen (2015)
Structures of Fats (jsmol)
Synthesis and Characterization of CH3NH3Pb(I1-xBrx)3 Solid Solution Perovskite Semiconductors
-
Prelab Preparation and Diffraction (Figures)
Video Procedure (Movies)
NREL Solar Cell Efficiencies (link to interactive graph)
Summary Lighting
-
Sheep Art (2:44 Video) 3/16/2009
It is time (0:26 Video) 4/13/2013
Project Design: Is my soil contaminated? Lead in soil
-
The background readings are in chronological order.
Checking only the first few will give an out-of-date picture but the older ones do provide context.
Background Readings and representative figures
Search Wisconsin Historical Society records and Wisconsin Assessor Records
(We are in Rock County. Type address into the search box).
National Lead Company and Ethyl Corporation Advertisements, 1910-1950
Lead Use in 1985
Project Collect Soil Samples
Project Preparation of Lead Samples and Standards
Project Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy of Lead Samples & Standards
Writing a report: Lead in soil
-
Example data (Figures)
Environmental & Climate Justice
-
Environmental Justice and Energy Futures (Figures)
Kate Marvel Guest Essay, NYT November 2023 (pdf with links to National Climate Assessment)
How Electricity Is Changing, Country by Country, NYT November 2023 (pdf with links or interactive)
The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood, Mapped, NYT December 2022 (pdf or interactive)
What is Environmental Justice? NRDC 2017 (1:56 Video)
Environmental Justice Index, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry
The Environmental Justice Movement, link to NRDC (2023)
Environmental and Climate Justice, link to NAACP
The rise of environmental justice, C&E News, August 24, 2020 (pdf)
Social Justice, Energy, Economics, and the Paris Agreement (2017)
-
Race and Climate Change, Gregory. A. Margida (pdf)
Climate Change: Global Inequalities and Poverty, Christopher Tonnu Jackson (pdf)
Green Cooling and Heating for Public Housing, Living on Earth, February 2024 (12:52 audio)
Sustainable Development Goals, link to United Nations
Diversity, Inclusion & Respect, link to American Chemical Society (2021)
Ban Ki-moon, Energy for all, NPR, June 2012 (2:51 audio)
Mario Molina, Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative, April 2018 (52:26 video) youtube
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, link to United Nations (2020)
Synthesis of an Aqueous-Based Ferrofluid
Putting it all together
-
HDI and kWh (Figure)
United Nations Climate Report, CBS News, November 2019 (Video)
How much time is left? UN Emissions Gap Report, November 2019 (Video)
India's Renewable Energy Revolution, August 2018 (Audio)
Bill McKibben, September 2013 (Audio)
Stabilization Wedges (Figure)
Periodic Table Song (Video)
Lab Rules (Video)
Chemists Know (Video)
This page last modified August 27, 2025
Link to this page