Reactivity III: An Advanced Course in Integrated Organic, Inorganic, and Biochemistry

Abstract

Reactivity III is a new course that presents chemical reactions from the domains of organic, inorganic, and biochemistry that are not readily categorized by electrophile–nucleophile interactions. Many of these reactions involve the transfer of a single electron, in either an intermolecular fashion in the case of oxidation/reduction reactions or an intramolecular fashion in the case of photochemical events. Others, such as pericyclic reactions, involve movement of electron pairs but lack obvious acid/base analogies and build on an understanding of photochemistry.

Fundamentals of Macroscopic Chemical Analysis: A Foundation-Level Course for a New Chemistry Curriculum

“…Over past few years, we have reported the development of our new curriculum, the introductory course, three courses in the reactivity sequence, − and our laboratory curriculum . In this paper, we report the development, implementation, and assessment of our first course in the quantitation area (Chem 255).…”

Chemistry Unbound: Designing a New Four-Year Undergraduate Curriculum

“…John’s University (CSB/SJU) have implemented an entirely new undergraduate chemistry curriculum based on the larger themes of structure, reactivity, and quantitation. Their stated goal is to present a “more unified view of how traditional subdisciplines of chemistry relate to each other.” The foundation level consists of six courses, with each course tying to the three larger themes. − These courses prepare students to take a variety of upper-level, special topics courses based on student career interests and choice of major. CSB/SJU has also implemented a redesigned laboratory curriculum independent of their lecture courses, with themes of purification, synthesis, and measurement …”

Laboratory Curriculum for a Structure, Reactivity, and Quantitation Sequence in Chemistry

“…8 Parallels are drawn between nucleophilic substitutions of alkyl halides and ligand substitutions in transition metal complexes, for example, and these reactions are used as the basis for studying kinetics. Chemistry and biochemistry majors take a third course in the series, Reactivity III, 9 which deals with single electron chemistry, including radicals, electron transfer, and photochemistry; once again, this course crosses organic, inorganic, and biochemistry.…”