Chemistry
Room 119 Schmucker Science Center II
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-2631
Dr. Frost, Chairperson
Professors [top]
Felix Goodson, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Michael Moran, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
John Townsend, Ph.D., Cornell University
Associate Professors
Mahrukh Azam, Ph.D., Seton Hall University
Roger Barth, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Melissa Betz Cichowicz, Ph.D., University of Maryland
Blaise Frost, Ph.D., University of South Dakota
Kurt Kolasinski, Ph.D., Stanford University
Joel Ressner, Ph.D., Lehigh University
Timothy Starn, Ph.D., Indiana University
Karyn M. Usher, Ph.D., Florida State University
Assistant Professor
Monica Joshi, Ph.D., Florida International University
James R. Pruitt, Ph.D., University of California
Programs of Study [top]
There are no programs leading to a graduate degree in chemistry.
Course Descriptions [top]
Chemistry
Symbol: CHE unless otherwise shown. CRL indicates laboratory.
500 Fundamentals of Radioisotope Techniques (3) Biological, chemical, environmental, and physical effects of nuclear radiation. Radiation detection instrumentation and radio tracer methodology.
503 Chemistry of the Environment (3) The chemistry of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere; man's impact on these areas. (Not for M.S. in chemistry.)
505 Fundamental Topics in Chemistry (2-6) Basic-level elective courses in chemistry for professional growth. (Not for M.S. in chemistry.) PREREQ: General chemistry. This course may be taken again for credit.
509 Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry (3) The emphasis of this course is on periodic properties of the representative elements, the structure of inorganic solids, the chemistry of aqueous and nonaqueous solutions, and the study of some transition metals. Lathanides and actinides also are studied. (Not for M.S. in chemistry.) PREREQ: CHE 103/104.
511 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry I (3) Structure and properties of the elements and their compounds from a theoretical point of view; the periodic law, acids and bases, structure and reactivity of metal compounds and main group compounds. PREREQ: CHE 341.
515 Topics in Inorganic Chemistry (3) Topics of current interest in inorganic chemistry. Topic to be announced prior to registration. This course may be taken again for credit.
517 History of Chemistry (1) The history of chemistry and its predecessors from ancient times to the present.
518 Literature of Chemistry (1) Instruction in the use of a modern chemical library, reference and data acquisition, synthetic procedures, and computer data bases. PREREQ: CHE 231.
519 Ethics and Human Values in Science (1) A one-semester course for science majors to acquaint students with potential ethical problems in their professional careers.
524 Analytical Chemistry II (3) Basic principles of applied instrumental analysis. Special emphasis on the use of spectrophotometric, electroanalytical, and chromatographic instrumentation. PREREQ: CHE 321 and CHE 341.
CRL 524 Analytical Chemistry II Laboratory (2) Practical experience in the choice and application of instrumental methods to chemical systems. CONCURRENT or PREREQ: CHE 524.
525 Topics in Analytical Chemistry (3) In-depth examination of current topics in instrumental or wet chemical analysis. Special emphasis on state-of-the-art development and applications. Topic announced prior to registration. This course may be taken again for credit.
531 Organic Reaction Mechanisms (3) Theoretical treatment of selected organic reactions. Emphasis on bonding theory, structural relationship, equilibria, and free-energy relationships.
533 Topics in Organic Chemistry (3) Topics of current interest in organic chemistry. Topic announced prior to registration. This course may be taken again for credit.
536 Polymer Chemistry (3) Polymerization kinetics, rheology of polymer melts, crystallization parameters, and monomer reactivity in copolymerization.
CRL 536 Polymer Chemistry Laboratory (2) A course designed to introduce the advanced student to the synthesis of polymers and the study of the molecular, physical, and thermal properties of these compounds. PREREQ: CHE 232/CRL 232. COREQ: CHE 536.
540 Chemical Thermodynamics (3) Laws and functions of thermodynamics and their applications: introduction to statistical thermodynamics.
543 Quantum Chemistry (3) Basic quantum chemistry, including the hydrogen atom problem, chemical bonding, spectroscopic concepts, and group theory.
544 Topics in Physical Chemistry (3) Topics of current interest in physical chemistry. Topic announced prior to registration. This course may be taken again for credit.
548 Clinical Biochemistry (3) A one-semester course on the biochemical basis of disease. Case histories are discussed with emphasis on the clinical interpretation of laboratory data. PREREQ: CHE 581.
550 Internship in Chemistry (3-6) A full- or part-time work/study appointment in a hospital, commercial, governmental, or industrial laboratory supervised jointly by an on-site supervisor and a chemistry department faculty member. PREREQ: Permission of the department internship committee.
555 Quantitative Clinical Methods (3) A course on the mathematical aspects of clinical laboratory science. Statistics and laboratory uses for computers are stressed. PREREQ: CHE 581.
560 Advanced Organic Spectroscopy (3) An advanced course in organic spectroscopy dealing with IR, NMR, and MS techniques. PREREQ: CHE 531.
571 Fundamentals of Biochemistry (3) Structure and chemistry of proteins and nucleic acids; molecular biology, physio-chemical methods for biomacromolecules, enzymes, and the molecular basis for some physiological phenomena. Lab: CRL 571. PREREQ: Physical chemistry.
CRL 571 Experimental Biochemistry (2) Laboratory exercises in the fundamentals of biochemistry. CONCURRENT or PREREQ: CHE 571.
CRL 572 Experimental Biochemistry II (2) A second-semester laboratory course in biochemistry that stresses the use of advanced analytical instruments to characterize biologically important molecules and to eludicate their mechanism of action.
575 Topics in Biochemistry (3) Topics of current interest in biochemistry. Topic announced prior to registration.
576 Biochemistry I (3) A two-semester course in biochemistry. The first part shows how the chemistry of amino acids, proteins, enzymes, carbohydrates, lipids, and membranes enables living organisms to perform biological functions. PREREQ: CHE 232 and physical chemistry.
577 Biochemistry II (3) The second part of biochemistry covers the biosynthesis of diverse molecules, DNA structure and function, and molecular physiology, including immunoglobulins, hormones, nutrition, and nerve action. Chemistry will be related to normal and pathological biological functions. PREREQ: CHE 576.
579 Chemical Toxicology (3) A one-semester course in the basic principles of toxicological analysis. Special emphasis will be placed on documentation, sampling, and verification of laboratory materials and results. The environmental and physiological aspects of chemical toxicity will be explored.
CRL 579 Chemical Toxicology Laboratory (2) A one-semester course in the basic principles of toxicological analysis. CONCURRENT or PREREQ: CHE 579.
580 Research in Chemistry (3-6) Independent research in chemistry, under the direction of a member of the chemistry faculty. This course may be taken again for credit.
581 Clinical Chemistry (3) Analysis of biological fluids. Clinical significance of enzyme, electrolyte, protein, carbohydrate, and hormone analysis. Requires permission of instructor or undergraduate preparation in organic chemistry and quantitative analysis. CONCURRENT or PREREQ: CHE 571; PREREQ: CHE 321.
582 Advanced Clinical Chemistry (3) A one-semester course with emphasis on new clinical tests, instrumentation, and methodologies in clinical chemistry. PREREQ: CHE 571 and 581.
583 Clinical Chemistry Seminar (2) A course emphasizing the recent literature in clinical chemistry. Student lecture presentations and round table discussions are used. PREREQ: CHE 581.
591 Seminar (2) Topics of current interest in chemistry.
610 Thesis (3)
SCC 570 Science and Human Values (3) Not for M.S. in chemistry.
