Advice to Students Concerning
200 Level Organic Chemistry Courses

 Over the last few years there has been a proliferation of organic chemistry courses offered at the 200-level. This has led to some confusion among students and advisors about appropriate courses for their particular plan of study. This document describes the current undergraduate offerings in organic chemistry with recommendations to students about course appropriateness for various majors, thematic sequences, etc.

 CHM 231/231.L: a one semester four credit lecture/lab combination that can only be taken as a package. This is a survey course that cannot serve as a prerequisite to higher-level organic chemistry courses. It can serve as a course in both Thematic Sequences offered by Chemistry and Biochemistry, although it is an appropriate background course only for the one semester biochemistry survey course CHM 332/332L. It is currently the preferred organic chemistry course for students in Nutrition and Exercise Science as designated by their departments. It is also one of the possible options for certain majors programs in the biological sciences. This is not a preferred course for pre-medical students. Medical schools require a one-year course in Organic Chemistry

 CHM 241 and 242:a year-long lecture course in organic chemistry, three credits each term. These courses are meant to be taken concurrently with the CHM 244/245 laboratory sequence. While designed for non-majors, some AB majors in Chemistry or Biochemistry do take this course. It is an acceptable substitute for CHM 251/252 for AB majors. Most majors programs in the biological sciences recommend or require this sequence. The Chemical Engineering Department originally recommended that their students take the CHM 251/252 sequence, but recently that department has been recommending the CHM 241/242 sequence to their students. Both options provide similar preparation, but see below concerning the advisability of shifting sequences in mid-year. The CHM 241/242 sequence is approved for both Chemistry and Biochemistry Thematic Sequences. This course is an appropriate background to the Biochemistry courses CHM 332/332.L, CHM 432 and the year long CHM 433/434 sequence. This is the most commonly taken organic chemistry sequence among pre-medical students, although the CHM 251/252 sequence also suffices.

 As part of an attempt to improve retention in this course, we have been experimenting with an alternative course organization in CHM 241/242. The first semester (241) is now taught as a survey similar to CHM 231, and the second semester course (242) is a more in-depth treatment of selected topics. Although CHM 241/242 eventually covers the same material as our other one-year lecture courses, neither CHM 241H/242H nor CHM 251/252 are currently taught in this hierarchical fashion. Therefore, at the present time we do not recommend mid-term switching into our out of this sequence from the other two sequences because of the content mismatch at the mid-year point.

 CHM 241H and 242H: the honors versions of CHM 241/242. These courses are meant as honors options for non-majors. There is a separate honors option for majors within the CHM 251/252 sequence. Currently, this course is not offered in the same hierarchical sequence as CHM 241/242. This year-long sequence should be considered a package. Once you are in a this sequence, you should stay there because of the content mismatch described above

 CHM 244: first semester two credit lab to accompany CHM 241, CHM 241H and CHM 251 for AB Chemistry and Biochemistry majors. Graded separately, but should be taken concurrently with the lecture course. Students may drop the lecture without dropping the lab or vice-versa. However, we have found that students who drop lecture usually tail off in the laboratory course. It is not clear whether this is primarily due to unfamiliarity with material covered in the lecture or lack of motivation on the part of the student once the decision to drop the lecture course has been made. Occasionally students have dropped the lab course in either the first or second semester, while staying in the corresponding lecture course The ACS final usually given at the end of CHM 242 does have spectroscopy questions that are covered in the laboratory component of our course sequence. Students who do not take the lecture and laboratory courses concurrently appear to be at a competitive disadvantage based on historical data. 

CHM 245: the second semester two credit lab to accompany CHM 242 or CHM 252 for AB Chemistry and Biochemistry majors. The Chemical Engineering Department does not require that their majors take this laboratory course. See the comment above concerning the CHM 242 final. 

CHM 245H: honors version of CHM 245. Currently the honors program feels that students in this course should also be in CHM 242H. The organic division does not require that CHM 242H and CHM 245H be coupled, although both are only open to honors students. Some CHM 242H students cannot schedule the honors lab because of conflicts with other courses. These students should take the regular CHM 245 lab. 

CHM 251 and 252: majors year-long lecture sequence. This is the required sequence for BS majors and one of two options (CHM 241/242 is the other) for AB majors. At the present time, this should be considered a year-long course with no mid-year switch to or from CHM 241/242. While we highly recommend that all majors take this course, we do permit the CHM 241/242 series to count as a substitute for AB majors, and for BS majors who declare after taking organic chemistry. See the requirements for laboratory courses for late declaring BS majors below. This is an appropriate year-long sequence for chemistry and biochemistry majors who are interested in applying to medical school.

 CHM 251H and 252H: the honors options for CHM 251/252. Honors students taking this option are in the same lecture course with the other majors, but they are required to perform additional work from a series of options listed below. These options are under the control of the individual instructor, and not all options will necessarily be available every semester. The options that may be available in a given semester are limited to the following: 

• Honors students attend the weekly Department seminars that have an organic theme, or the organic divisional seminar when graduate seminars are given, and write reaction papers to a select number of the seminars.
• Honors students perform a literature search on a crucial lecture topic prior to selected exams, and write a critique of one of the papers found.
• Honors students who are also doing research in the area of Organic chemistry may present a seminar of their research topic in the organic divisional seminar environment (this is probably only viable in the second semester).
• Honors students write a hot topic paper for an area of active research in organic chemistry with the intention of submission of the paper to Wikipedia.
• Honors students do advanced problems in spectroscopic problem solving that are beyond the scope of those done by students in CHM 254/255.

 CHM 254 and 255: five credit (3/2) year-long BS majors lab course. For students moving into or out of the BS major, CHM 254 is considered to be equivalent to CHM 244 plus CHM 245. Late declaring BS majors are required to take CHM 255 to complete their organic requirement. Pre-medical students, or perhaps other professional or graduate school type students who move from the BS to AB program at mid-term are advised to evaluate whether their transcript needs to read a full year of lab or not. If the student needs a full year and only has CHM 254, it may be advisable to take CHM 245. Students also have the option of remaining in CHM 255 as AB majors.

  This page was last modified on June 17, 2008.