SUMMER 2020

CHM 136: INTRODUCTORY ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

CONTACT INFORMATION AND TEACHING TEAM

INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Loïse Perruchoud (course coordinator)
loise.perruchoud@utoronto.ca

CHM136 Discord Server : https://discord.gg/DgBFndY

Online office hours: Fridays 12-1 pm, link to access office hours available through the course
website (note: extra office hours will be provided closer to the tests) or email to set up an
appointment.

LAB CO-ORDINATOR
Dr. Marvin Morales
marvin.morales@utoronto.ca

Online office hours: email Dr. Morales to set up an appointment.

ADMINISTRATOR
Dr. Susha Chulliparambil
Susha.chulliparambil@utoronto.ca

Online office hours: contact Dr. Chulliparambil directly through email.

GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION
On behalf of the Department of Chemistry, we would like to welcome you to your first-year
course in introductory organic chemistry. This outline is designed to provide you with
information about the course, to let you know what we intend to do and to emphasize what we
expect from you.
The two chemistry courses CHM 135H (Chemistry: Physical Principles) and CHM 136H
(Introductory Organic Chemistry I) are designed to jointly provide a general introduction to
chemistry for students who intend to follow a science program, primarily in the Life or Health
Sciences. They are also the recommended courses for those applying for entry into professional
programs. CHM 135H and CHM 136H are also acceptable in the Chemistry specialist, major and
minor programs of study, although CHM 151Y (Chemistry: The Molecular Science) is the highly
recommended course for entry into these programs.
COURSE OVERVIEW
CHM 136H provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of structure, bonding and
reactivity of organic molecules. In this course, a working knowledge of chemistry at the Grade
12/OAC level will be assumed. We trust that you will find this course both interesting and
challenging. We maintain that CHM 136H, along with CHM 135H, will prepare you well for other
chemistry courses in later years. If these are to be your only courses in chemistry you will have
gained some understanding of the breadth of the subject and of its importance in a wide
variety of other areas of science.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE COURSE

LECTURE MATERIAL AND CLASS MEETINGS

All classes have been pre-recorded and will become available through the course website
(Quercus/Canvas) on a weekly basis. Classes are divided into chapters, two of which will be
released every week: one on Monday and one on Friday. You have to watch the videos on your
own time.

Webinars will take place twice a week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10 am on Blackboard
Collaborate. The webinars are live online meetings to get instant access to your instructor. In
the webinars, you will work though practice problems which are directly related to the course
material presented in the videos to help consolidate your learning. Attendance at webinars is
required as some of the problems presented are not mentioned in the pre-recorded videos or
webinar notes. The link to access the webinar will be available through the course website in
the appropriate module section and the recording of the webinars will be available after each
webinar.

BRIEF (incomplete) course notes for both pre-recorded lectures and webinars will be available
on the CHM 136H course website on Quercus/Canvas ahead of time. These notes do not
represent all the concepts and problems discussed in videos and webinars, and as such you
should watch all CHM 136H class videos and attend all webinars since it is here that
fundamental course content will be presented and elucidated. Be prepared to take notes and
work on problems while watching the videos and attending webinars on the material
discussed, as this is a key component of active learning.

Because the course will be delivered entirely online, it is important that you use the appropriate
browser in order to have the best learning experience. Google Chrome (version 80 & 81) or
Mozilla Firefox (version 74 & 75) are recommended for use with Quercus. Please use these
browsers anytime you access a synchronous session and refrain from using Safari if you are a
mac user as you will encounter issues during live sessions and assessments.

TEXTBOOKS FOR CHM 136H

The required textbook for CHM 136H is "Organic Chemistry, 9th Edition" by John McMurry
(Nelson, 2015). There is also a supplement to this text: Study Guide with Solutions Manual by
Susan McMurry that contains complete solutions to the problems found in the main text. While

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you are not required to purchase the supplement, we highly recommend you use the Solutions
Manual with the main text. Please note that any previous editions of the course textbook (e.g.
8th, 7th, 6th) are NOT supported in CHM 136H. The purchase of a molecular model kit is also
very strongly recommended.

The textbook for this semester is conveniently included in the purchase of OWL. See below for
OWL purchase.

TUTORIALS
Tutorials meet online on Blackboard Collaborate every Tuesday and Thursday at 9, 1 or 4 pm for
the duration of the course. Tutorials begin on Thursday July 9th. You will need to sign up to
tutorials on your own starting at 10 am on Friday July 3rd through Quercus. Tutorials spaces
will be available on a first come first serve basis. Once signed up, your assigned tutorial group
number and time will be available on Quercus. Attendance to tutorial is mandatory: you need
to attend at least 8 tutorials (in the correct tutorial section). If you miss more than 3 tutorials,
you will lose all the marks from your online homework (5% of your final mark).

Throughout the semester, questions that will help you assess and improve your understanding
of the course material will be posted on the course website. The majority of these questions
will be selected from the end of each chapter of the textbook. Do the questions for your next
tutorial class. At that class, your teaching assistant (TA) will answer any questions that you may
have concerning the assigned exercises and assist you in understanding the important concepts
of the course material.

Here are your options concerning OWL purchase:

1. Purchase, McMurry, Organic Chem 9e OWLv2 with complete ebook (Digital only – 6
months access): go to UT Bookstore to receive the special pricing of
$64.95.  https://uoftbookstore.com/textbook_express.asp?mode=2&step=2
2. Purchase, McMurry, Organic Chem 9e OWLv2 with complete ebook and PRINT text: go
to UT Bookstore  https://uoftbookstore.com/textbook_express.asp?mode=2&step=2
3. Purchase, Organic Chem 9e OWLv2 with complete ebook (Digital only also with Student
Solutions Manual 24 months Instant Access (9781305671881): $99.95 go to
https://www.nelsonbrain.com/shop/isbn/9781305671881.

Online homeworks
Starting at 8 pm on the day before each tutorial class (except tutorial 1), you will need to
complete an online homework through OWLv2. The online homework consists of a few short
questions based on the content of the previous week’s material. The quizzes will count for
credit towards your final mark. You must write the quiz when it becomes available the day
before your tutorial as no exceptions are made to this policy and no make ups will be
allowed. The quiz will be available between 8 and 9 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. If you
are not enrolled in a TUT section by Monday July 6th 5 pm, please contact Dr. Chulliparambil by
email (susha.chulliparambil@utoronto.ca).
The 5% for your online homeworks will be calculated as follow: best 8 out of 10 quizzes, each
quiz is weighted equally.

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LABORATORIES
Lab sections meet online through Blackboard Collaborate every Tuesday (PRA0101),
Wednesday (PRA0201), or Thursday (PRA0301) at 2:30pm. You will attend your first laboratory
class the week of July 13th on the day you chose when you enrolled in the P-section of CHM
136H on ROSI/ACORN. Your laboratory group number will be posted on Quercus.

The online labs will consist of (a) a computation exercise and report, (b) 4 quizzes (each 10
minutes long), (c) watching videos of the experiments, (d) 45-60 minute online sessions with
your lab TA (attending these sessions is mandatory; attendance and participation will be noted),
and (e) one-paragraph response notes about the major points of the lab. If you miss an online
session, you must contact Dr. Morales as soon as possible.

Materials will be posted on the lecture course card and your practical course card on Quercus;
make sure to check both often. Lab quizzes and assignments will be available on, and should
submitted through, your practical course card.

A reminder: all students will perform the computation exercise as the first lab class.

As part of your preparation, be sure to read the "Policy Regarding Laboratory Academic
Discipline."

Please contact Dr. Morales if you have any questions concerning material covered in
laboratories.

“Normally, students will be required to submit their course essays to Turnitin.com for a
review of textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will
allow their essays to be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference
database, where they will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms
that apply to the University’s use of the Turnitin.com service are described on the
Turnitin.com web site”. 

GENERAL ASSISTANCE
For assistance with administrative issues (e.g. requests to change tutorial sections, or lab
sections), please contact the course administrator, Dr. Susha Chulliparambil. For information
concerning class material, please contact Dr. Perruchoud. She has set aside specific times when
she is available to discuss the course material with you. Your tutorial teaching assistants, the
laboratory instructor and laboratory demonstrators will also help as much as they possibly can.
They do have other things to do, however, and cannot be available at all times. Try to be
reasonable, make appointments (and keep them!) and you will find that a LOT of extra help is
there. You can contact your instructors via email at the addresses provided on the first page.
When you email them, please remember to do the following:
1. address your enquiry only to one instructor, making sure to send it from your UTORid
email address.
2. include your full name and student number;
3. include the course code (CHM136) in the subject of your email;
4. use common sense and courtesy in constructing your email, keeping the language and
tenor of your email appropriately professional;
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 5. use proper sentences to help ensure that your email content is unambiguous;
Please keep expectations concerning a reply to your enquiry reasonable: do not expect a
detailed answer, and allow at least 24-48 hours for a reply. It is not recommended that you ask
detailed course content questions by email – organic chemistry is much better discussed in a
video call. If you have content questions, attend office hours or email your instructor to
schedule an appointment.

DISCUSSION BOARDS
Discussion boards have been set up on Quercus. This is a great resource for you to ask
questions and get answers quickly. Please use the appropriate discussion group chapter when
asking your questions and remember that this is professional space, so be respectful, polite and
use proper grammar/spelling.

ABSENCES
If you miss a test or a significant period of class work through illness or a related reason, you
should request consideration by submitting a completed University of Toronto Verification of
Student Illness or Injury Form which is available at the Faculty of Arts and Science web site:
www.illnessverification.utoronto.ca
The document must be presented within one week of the date of absence. Only serious illness
(or equivalent reasons) will be accepted as justification for absence (note: the U of T
Verification of Student Illness or Injury Form, filled out by your doctor, stating that you saw
him/her on a given day is not adequate. Your doctor must certify that you were too sick to
attend the test, etc.). The form of consideration extended for a particular item of missed work
will be explained to you when you submit the form; however, no make-up tests can be offered.
For more information regarding missed work, consult the 2019-2020 Arts & Science Calendar. If
you miss a laboratory, contact Dr. Morales as soon as possible.

ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS
The University of Toronto is committed to accessibility. If you require accommodations for a
disability, or have any accessibility concerns about the course, the classes or course materials,
please contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible:
accessibility.services@utoronto.ca or https://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/as

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Official announcements regarding tests, material covered for each test and other important
announcements will be posted on the CHM 136H Quercus course website. It is ABSOLUTELY
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to check these postings regularly for important announcements - it is
essential university practice to access Quercus and your UofT email daily!

TESTS, ASSESSEMENTS AND MARKING SCHEME

Two tests will be held outside of class time, according to the schedule below. Test times will be
announced closer to the tests and the date of the final assessment will be determined soon.
The final examination will cover the entire course work, including laboratory work.

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TENTATIVE TEST SCHEDULE
First Test: Friday, July 24th, 2020, time TBD.
Second Test: Friday, August 7th, 2020, time TBD.
Final Assessment: To be scheduled during the final assessment period, August 19th to 27th,
2020. The actual date of the assessment will be set by the Faculty of Arts & Science and could
occur on the first or the last date mentioned.

All tests will be done online through Quercus. A rehearsal test will be provided before the first
test to give you the opportunity to practice completing an online assignment using Quercus and
give you a sense of how the course content questions can be asked. Make sure that you have a
stable WIFI connection, that your computer is charged and to use the latest version of Google
Chrome (version 80 & 81 or Mozilla Firefox version 74 & 75) as your browser to avoid any
technical issues with taking the tests online.

The tests will consist of multiple choice questions and a few written questions which you will
upload as a picture. You are allowed to have your textbook and notes available for exams.
However, we discourage you from relying on 'looking things up' during the tests because this
will take up valuable time. Your preparation for the final assignment should be the same as if
you were taking it in person. More information about the tests will be available on Quercus
closer to test dates.

If you have a questions or concerns about tests, please let Dr. Chulliparambil know as soon as
possible and no later than July 10th.

COURSE MARKING SCHEME

A B
‡
laboratory 20% 20%
best 8 out of 10 tutorial quizzes 5% 5%
two tests 40% or 25%
final examination 35% 50%
final mark 100% 100%
‡
A bonus of 2 marks will be added to the lab mark of every student who participates in the
Chemistry Department’s on-line evaluation of BOTH the lab and the tutorial TA's. Details will be
announced near the end of session. All assigned marks will be scaled to fit into this scheme.

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COURSE OUTLINE
The following outline gives a brief overview of the textbook material which will be covered*:
Chapter Topic Approx. no. of pre-
recorded lecture Hrs.
1 Structure and Bonding 1.5
2 Polar Covalent Bonds; Acids and Bases 1.5
3 Organic Compounds: Alkanes and Their Stereochemistry 1.5
4 Organic Compounds: Cycloalkanes and Their Stereochemistry 1.5
5 Stereochemistry at Tetrahedral Centres 1.5
6 An Overview of Organic Reactions 1.5
7 Alkenes: Structure and Reactivity 1.5
8 Alkenes: Reactions and Synthesis 1.5
10 Organohalides 1
11 Reactions of Alkyl Halides: Nucleophilic Substitutions and Eliminations 2
15 Benzene and Aromaticity 1
17/12 Alcohols and IR Spectroscopy 1.5
*Please note that you are responsible not only for the material covered in the textbook but also
for additional material presented in videos and webinars and the accompanying Quercus web
notes.

CHM 136H COURSE WEBSITE

The course website will serve as the primary source for updated information that every
CHM 136H student requires. Incomplete course notes, tutorial assignments, test information,
and other course material will be posted frequently on the website as the course progresses.
Visit the course website on a daily basis! To access the CHM 136H website, or other Quercus-
based course sites, go to:
https://q.utoronto.ca/
and log in using your UTORid and password. Once you have logged in, you'll find, under 'My
Courses', the link to the CHM 136H course website as well as your other course sites that use
Quercus. If you have not activated your UTORid account, please do so via the UTORid website
(www.utorid.utoronto.ca): click on the appropriate link under 'First Time Users'.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The University of Toronto is committed to equity, human rights and respect for diversity. All
members of the learning environment in this course should strive to create an atmosphere of
mutual respect where all members of our community can express themselves, engage with
each other, and respect one another’s differences. U of T does not condone discrimination or
harassment against any persons or communities.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity is fundamental to learning and scholarship at the University of Toronto.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in this academic community ensures
that the U of T degree that you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual
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academic achievement, and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
Familiarize yourself with the University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters
(www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies/behaveac.htm). It is the rule book for academic
behaviour at the U of T, and you are required to know the rules. If you have any concerns or
need for clarification about aspects of the Code, please contact Dr. Perruchoud.

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