ORGANIC CHEMISTRY UN2444

Spring 2018, Dr. Doubleday

Schedule and grading policy
Text: McMurry, 9th Ed.

Lecture/exam date * Chapter, topic

Jan 17 14 Conjugation; Diels-Alder reaction (review)
17 15 Benzene and aromaticity
24 30 Pericyclic reactions
31 16 Substitution on aromatic molecules
Feb 7 17 Alcohols and phenols
12 Exam 1: Ch 15, 16, 30 (65 minutes)
19 18 Ethers and epoxides; thiols and sulfides
21 19 Aldehydes and ketones
28 20 Carboxylic acids and nitriles
Mar 5 Exam 2: Ch 17, 18, 19 (65 minutes)
7 21 Carboxylic acid derivatives
12 Spring break
21 22 Carbonyl a-substitution reactions
28 23 Carbonyl condensation reactions
Apr 4 24 Amines and heterocycles
11 25 Carbohydrates
16 Exam 3: Ch 20, 21, 22, 23 (65 minutes)
23 26 Amino acids, peptides and proteins
30 Last lecture class – review

*For lectures, this is the date on which the chapter is started. Other dates are not listed.

Recitation: Six short recitation quizzes will be held during the weeks of Jan 29, Feb 5, 19, 26, Mar
26, and Apr 2. The two lowest of the six scores will be dropped and the remaining four
averaged. This quiz average will contribute 10% to the course grade only if it helps your
grade. Otherwise, the course grade is based on midterm exams plus final exam.
Final exam: consists of 3 sections, each approximately equivalent to a midterm exam. First section
covers Ch 24, 25, 26; remaining two sections cover the entire semester. Final exam
problems can be worked in any order but will be graded as 3 separate exams. The
registrar has tentatively set the final exam for Monday May 7. The schedule of all final
exams, including this course, will be posted on the registrar’s website in April.
Grade: 3 midterm exams plus a 3-section final exam = 6 exam scores of 100 points each. The
exam average is computed by dropping the lowest of the 6 scores and averaging the
remaining 5. If your recitation quiz average is lower than your exam average, the course
grade is based on the exam average alone. If your recitation quiz average is higher than
your exam average, the course grade is based on the formula
0.9 ´ exam_average + 0.1 ´ quiz_average.
NOTE: There are no make-up midterm exams or quizzes. A missed midterm exam or quiz will
be the one that is dropped prior to averaging.
 Piazza Guidelines
1. When asking about a problem or the answer key, from McMurry or a past exam, please include a
picture of the question/answer. The person responding usually does not have a copy at hand.
2. Please check to make sure your question has not already been answered. Duplicate questions will
get answered eventually, but other questions have higher priority.

Academic Integrity
Students are expected to adhere to Columbia’s policy on academic integrity as described in the
Columbia University Undergraduate Guide to Academic Integrity at
college.columbia.edu/academics/integrity and the faculty statement on academic integrity at
college.columbia.edu/faculty/resourcesforinstructors/academicintegrity/statement.
Suspected occurrences of cheating are referred to the Office of Judicial Affairs.

Disability Services
To receive disability accommodations, students must first be registered with Disability Services (DS).
More information on the DS registration process is available at health.columbia.edu/disability-
services. Registered students must contact DS to arrange accommodations for this course, including
accommodations for exams and quizzes. Students do not need to provide an accommodation
letter to the professor or the Chemistry department for this course.

Students who have, or think they may have, a disability are invited to contact DS for a confidential
discussion at 212-854-2388 (voice), 212-854-3448 (fax) or by email at disability@columbia.edu.