undergraduate course descriptions
CHGN111. INTRODUCTORY CHEMISTRY (S) Introductory college chemistry. Elementary atomic structure and the periodic chart, chemical bonding, chemical bonding, chemical reactions and stoichiometry of chemi cal reactions, chemical equilibrium, thermochemistry, and properties of gases. Must not be used for elective credit. Does not apply toward undergraduate degree. 3 hours lecture and 3 hours lab; 3 semester hours.
CHGN121. PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY I (I, II) Study of matter and energy based on atomic structure, correlation of properties of elements with position in periodic chart, chemical bonding, geometry of molecules, phase changes, stoichiometry, solution chemistry, gas laws, and thermochemistry. 3 hours lecture, 3 hours lab; 4 semester hours. Approved for Colorado Guaranteed General Education transfer. Equivalency for GT-SC1.
CHGN124. PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY II (I, II, S) Continuation of CHGN121 concentrating on chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, organic nomenclature, and chemical equilibrium (acid- base, solubility, complexation, and redox). Prerequisite: Credit in CHGN121. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN126. QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL MEASUREMENTS (I, II, S) Experiments emphasizing quantitative chemical measurements. Prerequisite: Credit in or concurrent enrollment in CHGN124. 3 hours lab; 1 semester hour.
CHGN198. SPECIAL TOPICS IN CHEMISTRY (I, II) Pilot course or special topics course. Topics chosen from special interests of instructor(s) and student(s). Usually the course is offered only once. Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Variable credit; 1 to 6 credit hours. Repeatable for credit under different titles.
CHGN199. INDEPENDENT STUDY (I, II) Individual research or special problem projects supervised by a faculty member, also, when a student and instructor agree on a subject matter, content, and credit hours. Prerequisite: “Independent Study” form must be completed and submitted to the Registrar. Variable credit; 1 to 6 credit hours. Repeatable for credit.
CHGN201. CHEMICAL THERMODYNAMICS LABORATORY (II) Experiments in determining enthalpy, entropy, free energy, equilibrium constants, reaction rates, colligative properties. Prerequisites DCGN209 or concurrent enrollment. 3 hours lab; 1 semester hour.
CHGN221. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I (I) Structure, properties, and reactions of the important classes of organic compounds, introduction to reaction mechanisms. Prerequisites: CHGN124, CHGN126. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN223. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY (I,II) Laboratory exercises including purification techniques, synthesis, and characterization. Experiments are designed to support concepts presented in the CHGN221. Students are introduced to Green Chemistry principles and methods of synthesis and the use of computational software. Prerequisites: CHGN221 or concurrent enrollment. 3 hours laboratory, 1 semester hour.
CHGN222. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II (II) Continuation of CHGN221. Prerequisites: CHGN221. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN224. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II LABORATORY (II) Laboratory exercises using more advanced synthesis techniques. Experiments are designed to support concepts presented in CHGN222. Prerequisites: CHGN221, CHGN223, and CHGN222 or concurrent enrollment. 3 hours laboratory, 1 semester hour.
CHGN298. SPECIAL TOPICS IN CHEMISTRY (I, II) Pilot course or special topics course. Topics chosen from special interests of instructor(s) and student(s). Usually the course is offered only once. Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Variable credit; 1 to 6 credit hours. Repeatable for credit under different titles.
CHGN299. INDEPENDENT STUDY (I, II) Individual research or special problem projects supervised by a faculty member, also, when a student and instructor agree on a subject matter, content, and credit hours. Prerequisite: “Independent Study” form must be completed and submitted to the Registrar. Variable credit; 1 to 6 credit hours. Repeatable for credit.
CHGN323. QUALITATIVE ORGANIC ANALYSIS (II) Identification, separation and purification of organic compounds including use of modern physical and instrumental methods. Prerequisite: CHGN222, CHGN224. 1 hour lecture; 3 hours lab; 2 semester hours.
CHGN335. INSTRUMENTAL ANALYSIS (II) Principles of AAS, AES, Visible-UV, IR, NMR, XRF, XRD, XPS, electron, and mass spectroscopy; gas and liquid chromatography; data interpretation. Prerequisite: DCGN209, MATH112. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN336. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (I) Theory and techniques of gravimetry, titrimetry (acid-base, complexometric, redox, precipitation), electrochemical analysis, chemical separations; statistical evaluation of data. Prerequisite: DCGN209, CHGN335. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN337. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY (I) (WI) Laboratory exercises emphasizing sample preparation and instrumental methods of analysis. Prerequisite: CHGN335, CHGN336 or concurrent enrollment. 3 hours lab; 1 semester hour.
CHGN340. COOPERATIVE EDUCATION (I, II, S) Supervised, full-time, chemistry-related employment for a continuous six-month period (or its equivalent) in which specific educational objectives are achieved. Prerequisite: Second semester sophomore status and a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.00. 0 to 3 semester hours. Cooperative Education credit does not count toward graduation except under special conditions.
CHGN341. DESCRIPTIVE INORGANIC CHEMISTRY (II) The chemistry of the elements and periodic trends in reactivity discussed in relation to the preparation and use of inorganic chemicals in industry and the environment. Prerequisite: CHGN222, DCGN209. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN351. PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY: A MOLECULAR PERSPECTIVE I (I) A study of chemical systems from a molecular physical chemistry perspective. Includes an introduction to quantum mechanics, atoms and molecules, spectroscopy, bonding and symmetry, and an introduction to modern computational chemistry. Prerequisite: CHGN124, DCGN209, MATH225, PHGN200. 3 hours lecture; 3 hours laboratory; 4 semester hours.
CHGN353. PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY: A MOLECULAR PERSPECTIVE II (II) A continuation of CHGN351. Includes statistical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, chemical reaction mechanisms, electrochemistry, and selected additional topics. Prerequisite: CHGN351. 3 hours lecture; 3 hours laboratory; 4 semester hours.
CHGN395. INTRODUCTION TO UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH (I, II, S) (WI) Introduction to Undergraduate Research is designed to prepare students to pursue their senior research projects prior to enrollment in CHGN495 (Undergraduate Research). Students will attend lectures and research presentations, the student, in consultation with their research advisor, will select a research area, perform literature research, design a research project and prepare a research proposal. Prerequisites: Completion of the chemistry curriculum through the Fall semester of the junior year or permission of the department head. Credit: 1 semester hour.
CHGN398. SPECIAL TOPICS IN CHEMISTRY (I, II) Pilot course or special topics course. Topics chosen from special interests of instructor(s) and student(s). Usually the course is offered only once. Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Variable credit; 1 to 6 credit hours. Repeatable for credit under different titles.
CHGN399. INDEPENDENT STUDY (I, II) Individual research or special problem projects supervised by a faculty member, also, when a student and instructor agree on a subject matter, content, and credit hours. Prerequisite: “Independent Study” form must be completed and submitted to the Registrar. Variable credit; 1 to 6 credit hours. Repeatable for credit.
CHGN401. THEORETICAL INORGANIC CHEMISTRY (II) Periodic properties of the elements. Bonding in ionic and metallic crystals. Acid-base theories. Inorganic stereochemistry. Nonaqueous solvents. Coordination chemistry and ligand field theory. Prerequisite: CHGN341 or consent of instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN402. BONDING THEORY AND SYMMETRY (II) Introduction to valence bond and molecular orbital theories, symmetry; introduction to group theory; applications of group theory and symmetry concepts to molecular orbital and ligand field theories. Prerequisite: CHGN341 or consent of instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN/ESGN403. INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY (II) Processes by which natural and anthropogenic chemicals interact, react and are transformed and redistributed in various environmental compartments. Air, soil and aqueous (fresh and saline surface and groundwaters) environments are covered, along with specialized environments such as waste treatment facilities and the upper atmosphere. Prerequisites: SYGN101, DCGN209, CHGN222. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN410/MLGN510. SURFACE CHEMISTRY (II) Introduction to colloid systems, capillarity, surface tension and contact angle, adsorption from solution, micelles and microemulsions, the solid/gas interface, surface analytical techniques, van der Waal forces, electrical properties and colloid stability, some specific colloid systems (clays, foams and emulsions). Students enrolled for graduate credit in MLGN510 must complete a special project. Prerequisite: DCGN209 or consent of instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN422. POLYMER CHEMISTRY LABORATORY (I) Prerequisites: CHGN221, CHGN223. 3 hours lab; 1 semester hour.
CHGN428. BIOCHEMISTRY I (I) Introductory study of the major molecules of biochemistry-amino acids, proteins, enzymes, nucleic acids, lipids, and saccharides- their structure, chemistry, biological function, and biosynthesis. Stresses bioenergetics and the cell as a biological unit of organization. Discussion of classical genetics, molecular genetics, and protein synthesis. Prerequisite: CHGN222 or permission of instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN429. BIOCHEMISTRY II (II) A continuation of CHGN428. Topics include: nucleotide synthesis; DNA repair, replication and recombination; transcription, translation and regulation; proteomics; lipid and amino acid synthesis; protein target and degradation; membranes; receptors and signal transduction. Prerequisites: CHGN428 or permission of instructor. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN430/MLGN530. INTRODUCTION TO POLYMER SCIENCE (I) An introduction to the chemistry and physics of macromolecules. Topics include the properties and statistics of polymer solutions, measurements of molecular weights, molecular weight distributions, properties of bulk polymers, mechanisms of polymer formation, and properties of thermosets and thermoplasts including elastomers. Prerequisite: CHGN222 or permission of instructor. 3 hour lecture, 3 semester hours.
CHGN462. MICROBIOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT This course will cover the basic fundamentals of microbiology, such as structure and function of procaryotic versus eucaryotic cells; viruses; classification of micro-organisms; microbial metabolism, energetics, genetics, growth and diversity, microbial interactions with plants, animals, and other microbes. Additional topics covered will include various aspects of environmental microbiology such as global biogeochemical cycles, bioleaching, bioremediation, and wastewater treatment. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor 3 hours lecture, 3 semester hours. Offered in alternate years.
CHGN475. COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY (II) This class provides a survey of techniques of computational chemistry, including quantum mechanics (both Hartree-Fock and density functional approaches) and molecular dynamics. Emphasis is given to the integration of these techniques with experimental programs of molecular design and development. Prerequisites: CHGN351, CHGN401. 3 hours lecture; 3 semester hours.
CHGN490. SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION (WI) Advanced methods of organic and inorganic synthesis; high-temperature, high-pressure, inert-atmosphere, vacuum-line, and electrolytic methods. Prerequisites: CHGN323, CHGN341 and EPIC251. 6-week summer field session; 6 semester hours.
CHGN495. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH (I, II, S) (WI) Individual research project under direction of a member of the Departmental faculty. Prerequisites: selection of a research topic and advisor, preparation and approval of a research proposal, completion of chemistry curriculum through the junior year or permission of the department head. Variable credit; 1 to 5 credit hours.
CHGN497. INTERNSHIP (I, II, S) Individual internship experience with an industrial, academic, or governmental host supervised by a Departmental faculty member. Prerequisites: Completion of chemistry curriculum through the junior year or permission of the department head. Variable credit; 1 to 6 credit hours.
CHGN498. SPECIAL TOPICS IN CHEMISTRY (I, II) Pilot course or special topics course. Topics chosen from special interests of instructor(s) and student(s). Usually the course is offered only once. Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Variable credit; 1 to 6 credit hours. Repeatable for credit under different titles.
CHGN499. INDEPENDENT STUDY (I, II) Individual research or special problem projects supervised by a faculty member, also, when a student and instructor agree on a subject matter, content, and credit hours. Prerequisite: “Independent Study” form must be completed and submitted to the Registrar. Variable credit; 1 to 6 credit hours. Repeatable for credit.