Below is a central repository that contains class format information for the Spring 2021 Chemistry Department schedule including the mode of delivery, assessment, and learning objectives. This information is intended to facilitate Spring 2021 registration decisions. This information will be updated as needed throughout the semester.
5.03 Principles of Inorganic Chemistry I
Lectures will be held synchronously (TR, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm) via Zoom. Recordings will be posted online. Office hours and recitations will also be held virtually.
5.061 Principles of Organometallic Chemistry
We will explore the principles of transition-metal organometallic chemistry as exemplified by the classic molecules of this discipline. Particular emphasis will be on synthesis, structure, bonding, and key reactions with mechanistic analysis. The class will meet virtually, and synchronously, twice weekly, during the first half of the semester. Emphasis will be on in-class discussion of pre-assigned readings from the primary literature. Evaluation will be based upon in-class participation together with a new collaborative writing project.
5.068 Physical Inorganic Chemistry
5.068 will be fully virtual. Powerpoint files with audio content will be provided for each lecture, and live (Zoom) class sessions will consist of discussion based on questions submitted by students after watching/listening to the lecture files prior to class. Attendance at all class sessions is mandatory.
5.069 Crystal Structure Analysis
PENDING.
5.08 Fundamentals of Chemical Biology
Lectures will be MW at 11 am -12.30 pm EST. They will be synchronous and asynchronous depending on topic. Regardless, all lectures will be recorded and provided for later viewing. Q&A will be provided during class via TA-monitored “chat” function. Recitations will be live via Zoom on Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday and held at different times of the day to accommodate different time zones. Recitation attendance is strongly recommended for 5.08/7.08, however, reasonable exceptions (i.e. internet issues, emergencies, health issues, etc.) will be made.
5.111 Principles of Chemical Science
Virtual lectures will be MWF at 12-1 pm EST. They will be synchronous and asynchronous, depending on the lecture topic. Regardless, all lectures will be recorded and provided for later viewing. Recitations will be live via Zoom.
5.12 Organic Chemistry I
Lectures will be held synchronously (MWF, 12 pm – 1 pm ET) via Zoom, but recordings of these lectures will also be posted to Canvas to accommodate those in difficult timezones. Office hours and recitations will be given live via Zoom. While recitation attendance is strongly recommended, reasonable exceptions (i.e. internet issues, emergencies, health issues, etc.) will be made. Students should reach out to their TA should these issues arise.
5.310 Laboratory Chemistry
5.310 will take place on campus. Laboratory experiments will be completed in person in the teaching lab either MW or TTh from 1-5 pm. Lectures for the course will take place over Zoom from 12-1pm on Tuesday and Thursday. The lectures will be recorded for asynchronous viewing but synchronous attendance is strongly recommended to participate in active learning activities and prepare for experiments. Some course meetings to revise writing assignments will happen in groups over zoom. Professors and TAs will have weekly office hours and help sessions via Zoom. Students will complete three lab reports, a ten-minute oral presentation, and a paper that will be revised over the course of the semester. There will be an online quiz associated with each lab as well as pre-lab notebook preparation. There is no final exam.
5.S310 Laboratory Chemistry Remote
5.310R will be virtual. Students will engage with experiments virtually with videos and/or live streaming. It is anticipated that these will be supplemented with small at-home components of labs. Lectures for the course will take place over Zoom from 12-1pm on Tuesday and Thursday. The lectures will be recorded for asynchronous viewing but synchronous attendance is strongly recommended to participate in active learning activities and prepare for experiments. Some course meetings to revise writing assignments will happen in groups over zoom. Professors and TAs will have weekly office hours and help sessions via Zoom. Assignments will be the same as for 5.310; students will complete three lab reports, a ten-minute oral presentation, and a paper that will be revised over the course of the semester. There will be an online quiz associated with each lab as well as pre-lab notebook preparation. There is no final exam.
5.351 Fundamentals of Spectroscopy
5.351 will take place on-campus with live labs. Several lectures and a numerical calculation workshop will take place online over zoom on T & TH at 9:00 AM, with the first lecture scheduled for February 23. Participation and questions during the lectures are important, so in-person attendance is required. Pre-lab and Post-lab discussions, office hours, presentations, assignments, quizzes will all be online. Students must attend one of the two virtual safety lectures, Tuesday February 16 at 1:00 PM or Wednesday February 17 at 1:00 PM, preferably for the lab section MW or TR that you want to be in. Two four hour labs weekly. Live lab check-in will be on either MW or TR each day from 1:10 to 1:30 PM (students will be emailed their arrival times), the labs ending at 5:00 PM. Experiments for Module 1 (5.351) will start on February 24/25 online and continue live with the last scheduled lab on March 24/25. https://canvas.mit.edu/courses/7481.
5.352 Synthesis of Coordination Compounds and Kinetics
5.352 will take place on-campus with live labs. This course includes a CI-M component all online. Lectures will be virtual online, take place over zoom on T & TH at 9:00 AM, with the first course lecture scheduled for March 30. Participation and questions during the lectures are important, so in-person attendance is required. Recordings of the lectures will also be available afterwards. Pre-lab and Post-lab discussions, office hours, presentations, assignments, quizzes will all be online. Students must attend one of the two virtual safety lectures, Tuesday February 16 at 1:00 PM or Wednesday February 17 at 1:00 PM, preferably for the lab section MW or TR that you want to be in. Two four hour live labs weekly. Live lab check-in will be on either MW or TR each day from 1:10 to 1:30 PM (students will be emailed their arrival times), the labs ending at 5:00 PM. Experiments for Module 2 (5.352) will start on March 29/30 and end on April 21/22 with the final presentations scheduled online. https://canvas.mit.edu/courses/7483.
5.353 Macromolecular Prodrugs
5.353 will take place on-campus with live labs. Lectures will be virtual online, take place over zoom on T & TH at 9:00 AM, with the first course lecture scheduled for April 27. Participation and questions during the lectures are important, so in-person attendance is required. Recordings of the lectures will also be available afterwards. Pre-lab and Post-lab discussions, office hours, presentations, assignments, quizzes will all be online. Students must attend one of the two virtual safety lectures, Tuesday February 16 at 1:00 PM or Wednesday February 17 at 1:00 PM, preferably for the lab section MW or TR that you want to be in. Two four hour labs weekly. Live lab check-in will be on either MW or TR each day from 1:10 to 1:30 PM (students will be emailed their arrival times), the labs ending at 5:00 PM. Experiments for Module 3 (5.353) will start on April 26/27 and end on May 19/20, with the final assignments scheduled online. https://canvas.mit.edu/courses/7486.
5.361 Expression and Purification of Enzyme Mutants
5.361 will take place on-campus with live labs. Lectures will be virtual online, take place over zoom on T & TH at 10:00 AM, with the first course lecture scheduled for March 2. Participation and questions during the lectures are important, so in-person attendance is required. Recordings of the lectures will also be available afterwards. Pre-lab and Post-lab discussions, office hours, presentations, assignments, quizzes will all be online. Students must attend one of the two virtual safety lectures, Tuesday February 16 at 1:00 PM or Wednesday February 17 at 1:00 PM, preferably for the lab section MW or TR that you want to be in. Also, students must attend the Biological Safety Course lecture at 10:00 AM on February 25. Two four hour labs weekly. Live lab check-in will be on either MW or TR each day from 1:10 to 1:30 PM (students will be emailed their arrival times), the labs ending at 5:00 PM. Experiments for Module 4 (5.361) will start on March 1/2 and end on March 29/30 with the final assignments scheduled online. https://canvas.mit.edu/courses/7489.
5.362 Kinetics of Enzyme Inhibition
5.362 will take place on-campus with live labs. This course includes a CI-M component. Lectures will be virtual online, take place over zoom on T & TH at 10:00 AM, with the first course lecture scheduled for March 2. Participation and questions during the lectures are important, so in-person attendance is required. Recordings of the lectures will also be available afterwards. Pre-lab and Post-lab discussions, office hours, presentations, assignments, quizzes will all be online. Students must attend one of the two virtual safety lectures, Tuesday February 16 at 1:00 PM or Wednesday February 17 at 1:00 PM, preferably for the lab section MW or TR that you want to be in. Also, students must attend the Biological Safety Course lecture at 10:00 AM on February 25. Two four-hour labs weekly. Live lab check-in will be on either MW or TR each day from 1:10 to 1:30 PM (students will be emailed their arrival times), the labs ending at 5:00 PM. Experiments for Module 5 (5.362) will start on March 31/April 1 and end on April 21/22 with the final mini-review article and the final lab report due as scheduled online. https://canvas.mit.edu/courses/7492.
5.371 Continuous Flow Chemistry: Sustainable Conversion of Reclaimed Vegetable Oil into Biodiesel
5.371 will take place on-campus with live labs. Lectures will be virtual online, take place over zoom on T & TH at 10:00 AM, with the first course lecture scheduled for April 22. Participation and questions during the lectures are important, so in-person attendance is required. Recordings of the lectures will also be available afterwards. Pre-lab and Post-lab discussions, office hours, presentations, assignments, quizzes will all be online. Students must attend one of the two virtual safety lectures, Tuesday February 16 at 1:00 PM or Wednesday February 17 at 1:00 PM, preferably for the lab section MW or TR that you want to be in. Two four hour labs weekly. Live lab check-in will be on either MW or TR each day from 1:10 to 1:30 PM (students will be emailed their arrival times), the labs ending at 5:00 PM. Experiments for Module 7 (5.371) will start on April 26/27 and end on May 19/20 with the final assignments scheduled online. https://canvas.mit.edu/courses/7493.
5.381 Quantum Dots
5.381 will take place on-campus with live labs. Lectures will be virtual online, take place over zoom on T & TH at 11:00 AM, with the first course lecture scheduled for March 2. Participation and questions during the lectures are important, so in-person attendance is required. Recordings of the lectures will also be available afterwards. Pre-lab and Post-lab discussions, office hours, presentations, assignments, quizzes will all be online. Students must attend one of the two virtual safety lectures, Tuesday February 16 at 1:00 PM or Wednesday February 17 at 1:00 PM, preferably for the lab section MW or TR that you want to be in. In addition, students must attend the laser safety lecture at 11:00 AM on February 25. Two four hour labs weekly. Live lab check-in will be on either MW or TR each day from 1:10 to 1:30 PM (students will be emailed their arrival times), the labs ending at 5:00 PM. Experiments for Module 10 (5.381) will start on March 1/2 and end on March 29/30 with the final assignments scheduled online. https://canvas.mit.edu/courses/7496.
5.382 Time- and Frequency-resolved Spectroscopy of Photosynthesis
5.382 will take place on-campus with live labs. This course includes a CI-M component. Lectures will be virtual online, take place over zoom on T & TH at 11:00 AM, with the first course lecture scheduled for April 29. Participation and questions during the lectures are important, so in-person attendance is required. Recordings of the lectures will also be available afterwards. Pre-lab and Post-lab discussions, office hours, presentations, assignments, quizzes will all be online. Students must attend one of the two virtual safety lectures, Tuesday February 16 at 1:00 PM or Wednesday February 17 at 1:00 PM, preferably for the lab section MW or TR that you want to be in. In addition, students must also attend the laser safety lecture at 11:00 AM on April 15. Two four-hour labs weekly. Live lab check-in will be on either MW or TR each day from 1:10 to 1:30 PM (students will be emailed their arrival times), the labs ending at 5:00 PM. Experiments for Module 11 (5.382) will start on April 28/29 and end on May 19/20 with the final assignments scheduled online. https://canvas.mit.edu/courses/7497.
5.383 Fast-flow Peptide and Protein Synthesis
5.383 will take place on-campus with live labs. Lectures will be virtual online, take place over zoom on T & TH at 11:00 AM, with the first course lecture scheduled for April 1. Participation and questions during the lectures are important, so in-person attendance is required. Recordings of the lectures will also be available afterwards. Pre-lab and Post-lab discussions, office hours, presentations, assignments, quizzes will all be online. Students must attend one of the two virtual safety lectures, Tuesday February 16 at 1:00 PM or Wednesday February 17 at 1:00 PM, preferably for the lab section MW or TR that you want to be in. Students must also attend the Biological Safety Lecture at 11:00 AM on March 30. Two four- hour labs weekly. Live lab check-in will be on either MW or TR each day from 1:10 to 1:30 PM (students will be emailed their arrival times), the labs ending at 5:00 PM. Experiments for Module 12 (5.383) will start on March 31/April 1 and end on April 26/27 with the final assignments scheduled online. https://canvas.mit.edu/courses/7500.
5.39 Research and Communication in Chemistry
5.39 will meet via Zoom once per week (F 1-3 PM). This class includes a significant CI-M component; oral presentations and participation in group discussions are therefore an essential element of the class. To encourage participation in group discussions and peer review exercises, class sessions will not be recorded. Synchronous online attendance will be required. Office hours and TA meetings will be scheduled individually; all will be conducted online via Zoom. Students will be expected to pursue a continuing UROP research project, either in lab or remotely as warranted by the individual project. There are no exams, but written, reading, and oral exercises (including participation in a virtual UROP symposium) will form the basis for assessment.
5.45 Heterocyclic Chemistry
5.45 will be taught virtually with lectures being WF from 9-10:30 am during the first half of the spring 2020-2021 semester. Participation from the students is essential. Part of class time will be spent doing problem solving by the students. There will be a midterm (during class time), final and a literature-based project.
5.46 NMR Spectroscopy and Organic Structure Determination
5.46 will be offered as a real-time, fully-virtual class. In the course, we will work through a progressively more complex series of organic structure determination problems, using data acquired in the DCIF as a basis for analysis. Working from the raw data, we will discuss the basic principles behind typical 1D and 2D NMR experiments, paying particular attention to the interplay between the type of molecule and NMR parameters to optimize to achieve the best possible sensitivity and resolution, and ultimately, the fastest and most accurate ways to solve a structure. The course will survey a wide variety of NMR active nuclei, but the focus will be on 1H, 13C, and 15N in organic systems. Class session will typically involve interactive, shared analysis of NMR spectra, both individually and in groups. All assigned work, except for the final exam, will be open-world and can be done in (remote) groups; the final exam will be individual effort. WF 9:00-10:30am Eastern time, second half of the spring semester.
5.512 Synthetic Organic Chemistry II
Prereq: Chem 5.511. The class is intended primarily for first-year graduate students with a strong interest in synthetic organic chemistry. A series of important topics in modern synthetic organic chemistry along with representative case studies will be presented and discussed. Class sessions will be held in the second half of the Spring semester. Participation and live discussion is an essential part of this graduate-level course and critical to virtual presentation and discussion of total synthesis proposals. This course focuses on strategies and tactics for the design of syntheses for complex organic compounds. There will be two midterm exams, student presentations, and a synthesis proposal. There will be no final exam.
5.601 Thermodynamics I
5.60 (5.601 and 5.602) in the spring of 2021 will be fully virtual. 5.601 covers statistical and classical thermodynamics, including the first, second and third laws, heat, work, entropy, and criteria for spontaneity. 5.602 is devoted to essential applications of thermodynamics, such as phase behavior and chemical equilibria, and chemical kinetics. Live lectures are scheduled for MWF 10:00-11:00 EST, and attendance at the lectures is a strongly recommended part of this undergraduate course. The lectures will be recorded during class and made available for later viewing. Virtual recitation sections will meet twice weekly where lecture material and PSets will be discussed. Assignments include eight PSets for the full course (4 PSets for each half-term course) and 4 exams for the full course (2 exams for each half-term course including a final).
5.602 Thermodynamics II and Kinetics
5.60 (5.601 and 5.602) in the spring of 2021 will be fully virtual. 5.601 covers statistical and classical thermodynamics, including the first, second and third laws, heat, work, entropy, and criteria for spontaneity. 5.602 is devoted to essential applications of thermodynamics, such as phase behavior and chemical equilibria, and chemical kinetics. Live lectures are scheduled for MWF 10:00-11:00 EST, and attendance at the lectures is a strongly recommended part of this undergraduate course. The lectures will be recorded during class and made available for later viewing. Virtual recitation sections will meet twice weekly where lecture material and PSets will be discussed. Assignments include eight PSets for the full course (4 PSets for each half-term course) and 4 exams for the full course (2 exams for each half-term course including a final).
5.62 Physical Chemistry
5.62 will be fully virtual. Class sessions will be held Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30am-1:00pm Eastern Time via Zoom. Participation is an essential part of this advanced course, so on-line attendance is strongly recommended. The lectures will be recorded during class and made available for later viewing. Recitation sessions will be held weekly and virtually. Assignments will include weekly problem sets, 2 in-class exams, and a final exam.
5.64 Frontiers of Interdisciplinary Science in Human Health and Disease
5.64/HST.539 will be fully virtual. Class sessions will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00-12:30 Eastern Time. Participation is an essential part of this graduate-level course, so in-person virtual attendance is strongly recommended. The lectures/ will be recorded during class and made available for later viewing. Assignments will include two presentations on primary literature and a final project proposal.
5.74 Introductory Quantum Mechanics II
Lectures and discussion of content will be held synchronously via Zoom and recordings will be provided for additional viewing. Participation is an essential part of this graduate-level course, so in-person attendance is strongly recommended. Assignments will include weekly problem sets and a mid term “take-home” exam. A final project will include a report and a presentation during the class period.