The course syllabus of NATSCI 211 - Chemistry course in Don Bosco College Canlubang, under Engr. Jose Felimar Valenzuela

1. NAT SCI 211 - CHEMISTRY
Engr. Jose Felimar B. Valenzuela
Instructor, DBC

2. COURSE INFORMATION
 Course Code: NAT SCI 211
 Credit Units: 3 units
 No. of Hours: 3 hours per week

3.  Instructor: Engr. Jose Felimar B. Valenzuela
 Email address: jfbvalenzuela@yahoo.com
 Students are strongly encouraged to meet with the
instructor for questions, additional information or
any other related matter. Office hours are WTh,
10:30am – 12:00nn, no appointment required.
Any other time can be scheduled by appointment
(request by email or in class).

4. COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is an introductory course that focuses on the
fundamental principles of chemistry and the impact of
chemistry in society. It is intended for non-science majors
that might not have a background in chemistry. There are
three units in this course:
1. Fundamental Principles of Chemistry: introduces
students to the building blocks of matter, chemical
bonding, principles of reactivity, intermolecular forces,
solutions, thermodynamics and kinetics, as well as the
basics of nuclear, organic and biochemistry

5. 2. Health Applications of Chemistry: explains, in a
general manner, the input of chemistry in the health
sciences, ranging from the process to develop a new drug
and the mechanisms of action in the body, to chemistry in
the food industry and the molecular basis of exercise
3. Societal Applications of Chemistry: the relation
between chemistry and other sciences or areas of society
will also be discussed, like energy production, the impact
of human activity on the environment, forensic science to
study a crime scene or the chemistry behind painting a
work of art.

6. COURSE OBJECTIVES
 - To introduce students to the fundamental
principles of chemistry
 - To establish relations between learned concepts
and a series of topics on health and society
 - To promote an understanding of the importance
of chemistry in many aspects of every day life and
the implications in other fields and sciences, from
the arts to environmental science
 - To provide the student a scientific basis to help
him/her developing a critical, educated analysis of
major societal matters.

7. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Students who complete this course will be able to:
 Know and define the basic principles of chemistry
 Formulate basic chemical equations and perform
calculations with quantitative material
 Relate those concepts to other sciences and aspects of
everyday life
 Recognize and value the impact of chemistry in our society
 Distinguish between the different areas of chemistry and
their applications

8.  - Describe the chemical basis of energy production,
including some renewable sources
 - Analyze the impact of human activity on the environment
and discuss some possible ways of remediation
 - Summarize the processes for drug discovery and
development in pharmaceutical companies
 - Explain the mechanisms of action of medicinal
compounds that have a profound impact on society, from
medicinal drugs to “recreational” drugs
 - Explain the basis of cutting-age biochemical topics
(cloning, genetic engineering, etc) and discuss their
implications)

9. VALUES FORMATION
 Logical thinking
 Analytical thinking
 Diligence
 Patience
 Problem solving

10. COURSE OUTLINE
 Week 1 : Introduction , Chapter 1: Chemistry in the Sciences
 Week 2 : Chapter 2: Historic Perspective
 Week 3 : Chapter 3: Atomic Structure ; Chapter 4: Nuclear Chemistry
 Week 4 : Chapter 4: Nuclear Chemistry ; Chapter 5: Chemical Bonds
 Week 5 : Chapter 6: Mass and volume Relationships
 Test 1 (Chapters 1-6)
 Week 6 : Chapter 7: Acids and Bases ; Chapter 8: Oxidation and Reduction
 Week 7 : Chapter 8: Oxidation and Reduction ; Chapter 9: Introduction to
Organic Chemistry
 Week 8 : Chapter 10: Polymers ; Chapter 11: Metals and Minerals
 Week 9 : Chapter 11: Metals and Minerals ; Topic 1: Biochemistry
 Test 2 (Chapters 7-11)

11.  Week 10 : Topic 1: Biochemistry ; Chapter 16: Chemistry and Food
 Week 11 : Topic 2: Chemistry, Drugs and the Pharmaceutical
Industry
 Week 12 : Chapter 20: Chemistry and Toxicology
 Test 3 (Topics 1, 2 and Chapters 16, 20)
 Week 13 : Topic 3: Chemistry and Art ; Topic 4: Chemistry and
Forensic Science
 Week 14 : Topic 4: Chemistry and Forensic Science; Topic 5:
Chemistry and the Environment
 Week 15 : Topic 5: Chemistry and the Environment ; Topic 6:
Chemistry and Energy
 Week 16 : Topic 6: Chemistry and Energy
 Week 17 FINAL TEST (Topics 3, 4, 5, 6)

12. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
 Lecture
 Long Exams (Prelims, Midterms, Final)
 Quizzes
 Assignments
 Class Participation
 Group Report
 Laboratory
 Laboratory Report
 Practical Exam
 Quizzes
 Performance

13. GRADING SYSTEM
65% Class Standing
Quizzes – 15%
Participation/ Performance (Lab & Lec)– 15%
Project / Group Presentation – 10%
Assignment/Seatwork– 10%
Attendance / Behavior – 10%
Lab Report - 5%
35% Major Exams
Prelims – 10%
Midterms – 10%
Finals – 10%
Practical Exam (Lab) 5%

14. CONVERSION TABLE FOR THE FINAL GRADE
RAW SCORE FINAL GRADE
96.01 – 100.00 1.00 Outstanding
91.51 – 96.00 1.25
87.01 – 91.50 1.50
82.51 – 87.00 1.75
78.01 – 82.50 2.00 Above Average
73.51 – 78.00 2.25
69.01 – 73.50 2.50 Satisfactory
64.51 – 69.00 2.75
60.00 – 64.50 3.00 Passing
58.00 – 59.99 4.00 Conditional
LESS THAN 58 5.00 Failure

15. COURSE POLICIES
 Attendance:
 Late – the student arrives 5 minutes after the scheduled class period.
 3 tardy marks = 1 absence
 Anyone who comes in after 23 minutes is considered absent.
 The maximum number of hours of absences is 11 hours (for a 3-unit
course). Above this, the student gets a failing grade and earns no credit
for the subject.
 If a student incurs 50% of the tolerated number of absences will be
issued his/her 1st written warning by the OSA.
 Dropping of Subjects:
 Should have endorsement of the subject teacher.
 Should be done within a week after Midterm Exam.

16. REFERENCES
 Lemkin, William Ph.D. “Graphic Survey of Chemistry.” Revised and enlarged
edition. Oxford Book Company, Inc. 1971.
 Mortimer, Charles E. “Chemistry.” Sixth edition. Wadsworth Publishing
Company. 1986.
 Sienko, Michell J. & Plane, Robert A. “Chemistry.” McGraw Hill Book
Company. 1976.
 Silberberg, Martin S. “Principles of General Chemistry.” International
Edition. McGraw Hill. 2007.

17.  Course curriculum adapted from the course
CHEM 100 – Chemistry and Society of
University of Hawai’i Manoa, under Dr. Oscar
Navarro, PhD. Permission granted by the
author.