Important inquiries and advising information for students

Departmental

Certain student requests are handled internally in the Department:

• Add or remove a Minor
• Change program (Major, Specialization or Honours)
• Change program to Chemistry or Biochemistry from another department.

IMPORTANT

Honours programs - You must be in Acceptable Standing, your GPA must be at least 3.3 in program courses, and Department Permission is required.

Major and specialization programs - You must be in Acceptable Standing, your GPA must be at least 2.0 in program courses, and Department Permission is required.

(To change to a program given by another department, students must see an advisor in that department.)

• Waive course prerequisites

Fill in a departmental student request form

• Request a lab exemption if you are repeating a course taken no more than 2 years ago for which you passed the lab component (policy).
  

  Please note. There are strict deadlines for applications from registered students because labs start in the second week of term:

  • Summer term courses: May 2022
    
  • Fall term courses: September 2022
    
  • Winter term courses: January 2023
  • *Note the deadline for Fall 2022 term is Friday, September 9th at 4pm.  Once completed, please send form to elizabeth.montesano@concordia.ca                                                                                       

Fill in a departmental lab exemption request form.

Note: Depending on your browser configuration, you may have to save the blank form, fill in the saved copy, and then re-save it to preserve the information you entered. Here is how to fill in PDF forms

1. Make sure you have a recent version of Acrobat.
2. Click on the link to open the form in your browser.
3. Right click on it and save it somewhere convenient.
4. Open it using Acrobat.
5. Fill it in.
6. Click the "Sign" button (top right). A side panel should open.
7. Click "Signed. Proceed to Send".
8. Click "Save a copy".
9. Print or send the saved copy after making sure it is still filled in

Please make sure you do not e-mail a blank form!

Faculty

Certain student requests are handled by the Faculty of Arts and Science, but require a departmental advisor's signature for processing. For more information and forms, see the faculty web site. Such requests include:

• Late registration, late withdrawal, or late discontinue
• Credit overloads
• Extention of late completion deadline
• Transfer of external credits
• Course substitutions
• Remove exemptions
• Retain credit
• Waive 24-credit rule
• Waive general education requirements

If you think you have done one or more program courses elswhere, which have not already been recognised as part of your admission conditions, and you wish to apply for transfer credit for them, you need to fill in the application form, and provide the department with as much information about the courses as possible.

A brief calendar description is usually not adequate. Return the form and supporting materials to the departmental office.

CHEM 419 (Independent Study) or CHEM 450 (Honours Thesis)

These forms are available from the Departmental Office SP-201-01 or from the files below:

If you are Chemistry student, choose one of these two options:

CHEM 419 (CHEMISTRY SPECIALIZATION)

CHEM 450 (HONOURS CHEMISTRY)

If you are a Biochemistry student, choose one of these two options:

CHEM 419 (BIOCHEMISTRY SPECIALIZATION)

CHEM 450 (HONOURS BIOCHEMISTRY)

Most professors in the Department recommmend, and many require students taking their courses to attend a seminar and take an on-line quiz about plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty.

Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty

The academic code of conduct can be found in of the University Calendar. Any form of unauthorized collaboration, cheating, copying or plagiarism which are suspected will be reported, and the appropriate sanctions applied.

The seminar the Department offers is a clear and fair opportunity to learn what our faculty regards as academic misconduct. Failure to take part in this learning opportunity and thus ignorance of these regulations is no excuse and will not result in a reduced sanction in any case where academic misconduct is observed.

The Academic Code for students taking chemistry or biochemistry courses

As part of most courses given by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, you are required to:

• Attend a Chemistry and Biochemistry Departmental Seminar on the academic conduct code and the appropriate use of information sources. Several are given near the start of each term.
• Pass the online quiz associated with this seminar (note: the passing grade for the quiz is 100%).
  Note: This is NOT the University's quiz you may have been asked to take when you first registered and logged into the myConcordia portal; the one you must take is similar, but graded by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and you cannot take it until after you have attended a seminar.

The aim of this seminar is to clarify the academic conduct code in terms of what practices will be considered unacceptable with regards to work submitted for grading in Chemistry and Biochemistry courses. You are only exempt from repeating the seminar and the quiz if you have done both in within the past five years. If this is the case, you will find your ID number on the compliance list.  If your ID number is not on the list, you are required to repeat both seminar and quiz this term. If your ID is there but you did not get 100% on the quiz, see items 8 and 9 in the FAQ below.

This short seminar (less than 1 hour) will be held at the following times and locations. Note that late-comers will not be admitted.

*THE SIGN-UP PROCEDURE FOR FALL 2022 WILL BE COMMUNICATED BY E-MAIL TO ALL FALL STUDENTS*

[Sign-up procedure in a regular term:  As space for each of the seminars is limited by the room size, please sign up for your preferred time. Sign up sheets will be available outside SP 201.01 (Departmental office) after the beginning of the term. Note:You will be asked to sign an attendance sheet at the seminar to prove you really did attend.]

If you do not complete this course requirement, at the discretion of your professor, your final grade for the course may be lowered by as much as one full letter grade with an incomplete notation until such time as this requirement is completed. Please refer to the undergraduate calendar and the FAQ below for details on removal of an incomplete notation.

**The FALL 2022 quiz closes at 23:55 on Sunday, October 9th, 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

1. I keep trying the quiz but I can never get 110/110. Is there something I am doing wrong, or is there a bug in the quiz?
   

   You have probably not read any of the warnings (and there are several) about questions with two acceptable answers. For such questions you must select both these answers to get full marks. It is possible to check more than one box.

2. When I finished the quiz, I think it told me I got 110/110 but now I am no longer sure. Is there any way I can check my mark?
   

   Yes, just go back to the quiz and you can view the record of your score(s) and even your answers, with the feedback, at each attempt.

3. The grade I got in my CHEM course is much lower than I expected. Is it because I did not get 100% on the quiz?  

   Possibly, but you would also have received an INC notation if that was an issue. There may be many other reasons, so please check with your course instructor/professor.

4. I got 102.5/110 on the quiz. Surely that is good enough?  

   No, it is not. If it is a CHEM course requirement, you have to get 100%. The consequences of a misunderstanding of what is, and what is not, permitted under the University's Academic Code of Conduct can be very serious. We want to make sure you know all the rules.

5. I received an INC grade last term because I had not attended the seminar. What must I do to get it removed?  

   You will have a chance to attend one of a number of seminars in the coming term. You must attend one, and inform your professor when you have done so. You will also have to go to the Registrar's Services (Birks Student Service Centre downtown), and apply for a "late completion grade": your Professor(s) cannot put through a grade change unless you have completed this formality (which will cost $30 per course). Check the deadlines, which are reproduced below from the University calendar: it may already be too late. If so, see question 7 below.

Deadlines for late completion application:

Fall term: February 1st 
Winter term: May 15th 
Summer term: September 1st

6. I received an INC grade last term because I had not done the quiz. What must I do to get it removed?  

   You must get yourself registered to do the quiz: contact Prof. H.M. Muchall, but read first question 9 below. Then, do the quiz as soon as possible, and inform your Professor when you have got 100% (110/110). You will also have to go to the Registrar's Services (Birks Student Service Centre downtown), and apply for a "late completion grade": your Professor(s) cannot put through a grade change unless you have completed this formality (which will cost you $25 per course). Check the deadlines in question 5 above: it may already be too late. If so, see question 7 below.

7. I only just noticed that I got an INC, and the deadline for late completion has passed. What can I do now?  

   You will have to get permission from the Faculty of Arts and Science (Student Services) before Registrar's Services will allow you to apply late for a "late completion grade". Go to room AD 202, or to the Chemistry Department office (SP 201.01), and pick up a Faculty of Arts and Science Student Request Form. Fill it in, and see Prof. H.M. Muchall in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry for a supporting note. Then take both to AD 202.

8. I did the seminar and quiz a year ago. Must I do them again?  

   No, you have to have done both within the last five years. In that case, you can find your student ID on this regularly updated compliance list, with a blank entry under "quiz". If your "quiz" entry is not blank, you attempted the quiz but did not pass it (you did not get 100%), and you will have to do the quiz again: see question 9 below. If you are not on this list, then you've lost track of time, and you did it more than five years ago. In that case, you will have to do both seminar and quiz again.

9. I did the seminar in a previous term, but never did the quiz, and now I cannot access it. What must I do?

   You should e-mail Prof. H.M. Muchall who can confirm that you have attended the seminar within 5 years, and then register you for the quiz. Please be sure to give your student ID number, and say in which year/term you attended the seminar.

10. I have forgotten if I already did the seminar and/or quiz. How can I find out?

    If you cannot remember whether you did these, you probably cannot remember what was covered either and should probably do them again! But see question 8 above on how to find out.

11. I am an engineering student taking one pre-requisite CHEM course. Surely I do not have to do the seminar and quiz?

    Oh yes, you do!

These are courses given only occasionally, and which are not described in the Undergraduate Calendar. 

For additional details on time and location, please consult the Class Schedules

FALL 2022

CHEM 415/612                   ANALYTICAL SEPARATIONS
Prerequisites:  CHEM 218, 312
High performance liquid separations on an analytical (non-preparative) scale are surveyed.  Fundamental separation mechanisms and application of the techniques are discussed.  Emphasis is placed on capillary electrophoretic separations of biologically relevant analytes which include peptides, proteins and nucleic acids.

**CHEM 424/623              ORGANIC SYNTHESIS
Prerequisites: CHEM 222, 235, 324
This course is concerned with synthetic strategy and design. Applications of modern synthetic methods and reagents are exemplified by synthesis of natural products, peptides, nucleic acids, and novel chemotherapeutic agents.

CHEM 477                ADVANCED LABORATORY IN BIOCHEMISTRY
Pre-requisites:  CHEM 271, 375
Theory and practice of techniques in enzymology and protein chemistry including steady-state and stopped-flow enzyme kinetics, ligand binding, immunological techniques, proteomics, computer modelling, and chemical modification of proteins.  Tutorials and laboratory.

CHEM 495                 MODERN SPECTROSCOPY
Prerequisites: CHEM 234, 241, 333 (CHEM 293 is highly recommended)
This course presents advanced techniques to characterize the geometric and electronic structures of molecules. This includes spectroscopic (rotational, vibrational, electronic, photoelectron, NMR, EPR, Mossbauer), diffraction and electrochemical methods. The course introduces the techniques and applies them to concrete case studies.

## / **CHEM 498/670              BIOSYNTHESIS
Prerequisites: CHEM 324, 375
Focusing on compounds with historical and medicinal value, this course will examine the biosynthesis of complex organic molecules by bacteria, fungi, plants and animals.

Students may not take both this course and 498/670 - Secondary metabolism for credit.

CHEM 498/630                 ORGANIC SEMICONDUCTORS
Prerequisites: Open to all Science and Engineering Students with a minimum of 45 University credits (not including Science Profile courses) or permission of the Department
This course covers conjugated organic materials (small molecules and polymers), which are employed as semiconductors in organic and hybrid electronics. We will mainly deal with the structural, (opto-)electronic and electrical properties of organic semiconductors and their application as active materials in (flexible) organic electronics. This includes light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), solar cells, transistors, sensors, etc. Furthermore, the fundamentals of organic conductors as well as modern thin-film processing and characterization techniques (for structural, electronic, optical, and electrical properties) are covered. We will focus on the current literature and novel developments in this field.

CHEM 498/630                  SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION
Prerequisites: CHEM 234, 241
This course will explore how chemistry enables solar energy conversion (as a source of alternative energy) through photochemistry/photobiology and photovoltaics (solar cells). In the first subject area, solar energy conversion through artificial photosynthesis, solar fuels catalysis, and photobiological fuel production will be examined. In the second subject area, the fundamental principles governing solar energy to electricity conversion, efficiency of solar cells, different photovoltaic implementations (inorganic, organic, hybrid) and charge separation/transport will be explored. Special focus topics include the design, synthesis and spectroscopic tools needed to study inorganic molecules and materials for solar fuels catalysis.

## 400 - LEVEL BIOCHEMISTRY COURSES
**ORGANIC REPLACEMENT

WINTER 2023

## / **CHEM 425/625               NUCLEIC ACID CHEMISTRY
Prerequisites: CHEM 221, 222, 271
This course introduces students to various topics in nucleic acid chemistry. The topics include nomenclature, structure and function of RNA and DNA; techniques and methods to investigate nucleic acid structure; DNA damage and repair; interaction of small molecules and proteins with nucleic acids; oligonucleotide-based therapeutics (antisense, antigene, RNA); synthesis of purines, pyrimidines and nucleosides; and solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis.

CHEM 431/631                  COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY
Course Prerequisite: CHEM333, CHEM234, CHEM241
This course presents the concepts, tools, and techniques of modern computational chemistry, and provides a very broad overview of the various fields of application across chemistry and biochemistry. The course is divided into two parts: 1) Molecular structure, which covers molecular mechanics and elementary electronic structure theory of atoms and molecules; and 2) Chemical reactivity, which covers applications of quantum chemistry and molecular dynamics techniques to studies of chemical reactions. The applications discussed include organic molecules and their reactions, peptides and proteins, drug design, DNA, polymers, inorganics, and materials. The course includes a practical component where students acquire hands-on experience with commonly used computational chemistry computer software. Lectures and laboratory.
Prerequisite: CHEM 234, 241, 333 or permission of the Department.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for this topic under a CHEM 498 number may not take this course for credit.

CHEM 458/658                   AQUATIC BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
Prerequisites:  CHEM 217, 218 and 312, or with permission of the instructor.
The major aim of this course is to present a quantitative treatment of the variables that determine the composition of natural waters by drawing upon basic chemical principles.  Chemical equilibrium is thus one of the central themes of the course, but its focus also includes biochemical and geochemical processes (biogeochemistry) controlling the composition of natural waters, and the impact of anthropogenic forcing on water availability and quality (climate change, pollution, etc.).

CHEM 498/610-01             ADVANCED DATA ANALYSIS
Prerequisites: CHEM312 previously or concurrently; or permission of the Department
Presents current methods of univariate, multivariate data analysis and experimental design. The introduction will cover the use of R and how prerequisite statistics knowledge is conducted in R. You will explore your own experimental data or data provided to obtain answers to research questions in a hands-on approach. Focus will be on the validation of models and a discussion of their limitations. The section on experimental design will introduce students to current methods using Modde software. Applications will be illustrated through discussion of the peer-reviewed literature, published methods and results.

##CHEM 498/670   – PROTEIN STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND DYNAMICS
Prerequisite: CHEM 271, 375
Our knowledge of protein structural principles has exploded over the past 30 years. We have now solved over 100,000 protein structures using techniques such as X-ray crystallography and NMR. More recently, we have gained a deeper understanding of dynamic aspects of proteins in aqueous environments: how proteins adopt multiple conformations in solution through inherent flexibilities in the polypeptide backbone and amino acid side chains. This course will focus on advanced aspects of the interplay between protein structure, function and dynamics. Topics will include (among others): protein secondary and tertiary structure; characteristic protein fold motifs; energetics of protein folding and unfolding; dynamics of the folded state; domain motions involved in protein function; experimental approaches to determining protein structure and dynamics (e.g., X-ray crystallography, NMR, spectroscopic approaches, etc.); intrinsically disordered proteins. As an advanced course, there will also be a major focus on recent literature related to lecture topics covered.

CHEM 498/640  FROM ADSORBENTS TO CATALYSTS: THE CHEMISTRY AND APPLICATION OF POROUS MATERIALS
Prerequisites: CHEM 222, 241 (CHEM 242 and 341 are recommended)
This course gives an overview of functional porous materials including porous carbons, porous organic polymers (POPs), zeolites, covalent–organic frameworks (COFs), and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Recent literature will be used to highlight potential applications and key advances relevant to each class of porous materials. Topics include: synthetic techniques commonly utilized in the field of porous materials such as de novo methods (solvothermal, mechanochemical, electrochemical), and post-synthetic approaches (metal exchange, ligand exchange); nomenclature and topology; and a brief introduction to various characterization methods including gas adsorption, X-ray crystallography, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy.

CHEM 498/650        NANOMATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION
Prerequisites: 30 credits in CHEM, including CHEM 293 or 335
This course covers state-of-the-art nanomaterials physical characterization techniques including but not limited to: dynamic light scattering, transmission and scanning electronic microscopies (size and morphology), X-ray powder and electron diffraction (crystallinity and phase identification), Fourier transform/attenuated total reflectance infrared, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies (surface chemical state and chemical composition), differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis (polymorphism, moisture content and weight loss), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis (surface area), nuclear magnetic resonance (chemical bonding and nuclei interactions). Lectures only and laboratory demonstrations.

## 400-LEVEL BIOCHEMISTRY COURSES
**ORGANIC REPLACEMENT

Below you will find some sample, recent course outlines to help guide you in selecting courses. Since professors and instructors change, do not use them for professor/instructor information. The professor or instructor teaching that course can be searched in this link.   

Course No:            Course Title:

CHEM 203            Forensic Analysis  
CHEM 205            General Chemistry I 
CHEM 206            General Chemistry II   
CHEM 208            Chemistry in our Lives
CHEM 209            Discovering Biotechnology
CHEM 212            Analytical Chemistry for Biologists
CHEM 217            Introductory Analytical Chemistry I - GK
CHEM 217            Introductory Analytical Chemistry I - YG                 
CHEM 218            Introductory Analytical Chemistry II
CHEM 221            Introductory Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 222            Introductory Organic Chemistry II                
CHEM 234            Thermodynamics                  
CHEM 235            Physical Chemistry II:  Kinetics of Chemical Reactions
CHEM 241            Inorganic Chemistry I: Intro to Periodicity and Valence Theory
CHEM 242            Inorganic Chemistry II: The Chemistry of the Main Group Elements
CHEM 271            Biochemistry I
CHEM 293            Spectroscopy and Structure of Organic Compounds
CHEM 298 (203)   Forensic Analysis
CHEM 312            Intermediate Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 324            Organic Chemistry III:  Organic Reactions
CHEM 325            Organic Chemistry IV: Organic Structure and Stereochemistry
CHEM 333            Introduction to Quantum Theory
CHEM 341            Inorganic Chemistry III:  The Transition Metals
CHEM 375            Biochemistry II
CHEM 424            Organic Synthesis
CHEM 425            Nucleic Acid Chemistry   
CHEM 426            Reactive Intermediates
CHEM 427            Advanced Topic in Chemistry - Polymer Chemistry and Nanotechnology
CHEM 431            Computational Chemistry for Chemists and Biochemists
CHEM 443            Organometallic Chemistry
CHEM 451            Nanochemistry
CHEM 470            Environmental Biochemistry
CHEM 477            Advanced Laboratory in Biochemistry
CHEM 495            Advanced Molecular Characterization
CHEM 498            Noncovalent Interactions
CHEM 498            Green Chemistry
CHEM 498            Chemical Biology of Natural Products
CHEM 498U          Advanced Bioanalytical Chemistry