The American University in Cairo

School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE), Department of Chemistry

Contact Information/Office Hours:

Instructor Name: Dalia Rifaat
Title: Assistant Professor
Email address: drifaat@aucegypt.edu
Preferred method of contact: You may contact me by email: drifaat@aucegypt.edu
Lecture time: UW 8:30 am – 9:45 am Sec # 04
Online Office Hours: UW 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm by Zoom and/ or by appointment
Course Coordinators: Prof. Tarek M. Madkour
Office Location: Room 1180, Chemistry Department
Telephone: ext. 2543 WhatsApp: 01111113231
E-mail: tarekmadkour@aucegypt.edu

Course Materials:

Textbook: “Chemistry for Changing Times,” 14th Edition, John W. Hill, Terry W. McCreary, Doris K.
Kolb, Prentice Hall, ISBN-10: 032175087X, ISBN-13: 978-0321750877. The book is available in
paperback or as an e-book.

Course Content:
The course is divided into 3 Modules:

Topics Textbook
Chapters #
Module I: Chemistry Basics
Chemistry:
Science and Technology, Scientific Research, The Scientific Method, Study of Matter
1
and its Changes, Classification of Matter, Measurement of Matter, Density, Critical
Thinking
Atoms and Atomic Structure:
Atoms and Molecules, Atomic Structure, The periodic table, Isotopes, Ions, Stable
2-4
Electron Configurations, Metals and Nonmetals, Types of Bonds, Electronegativity,
Polar Covalent Bonds, Chemical Equations
Acids and Bases:
Acids, Bases, and Salts, Acidic and Basic Anhydrides,
6,7
Neutralization, The pH Scale, Acid Rain, Antacids: A Basic Remedy, Acids and Bases:
In Industry and at Home, Oxidation-Reduction reactions, Intermolecular forces
Module II: Chemistry and the Environment
Air:
Earth’s Atmosphere, Pollution through the Ages, Industrial Smog, Automobile
Emissions, Photochemical Smog, Acid Rain, Indoor Air Pollution, Stratospheric 13
Ozone, Carbon Dioxide and Climate Change

Water:
Water: Some Unique Properties, Water in Nature, Chemical and Biological
14
Contamination, Groundwater Contamination, Measurement of Water Contamination,
Water Treatment Plants, Wastewater Treatment, Alternative Sewage Treatment
Energy: 15
Energy, The Sun and the Life Support System, Energy and Chemical Reactions, The
[This syllabus has a copyright belongs to the Department of Chemistry]
The American University in Cairo
School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE), Department of Chemistry

Laws of Thermodynamics, People Power and Fossil Fuels, Coal: The Carbon Rock of
Ages
Natural Gas and Petroleum, Octane Rating, Convenient Energy: Electricity, Nuclear
Energy, Renewable Energy Sources
Module III: Food and Health
Chemistry of Foods:
Carbohydrates in the Diet, Fats and Cholesterol, Proteins: Muscle and Much More,
16,17
Minerals, Vitamins and Other Essentials, Starvation, Fasting, and Malnutrition, Food
Additives, Problems with Our Food
Chemistry on the Farm:
Green Plants: “Sun-Powered Food-Making Machines”, Farming with Chemicals:
20
Fertilizers, The War against Pests, Biological Insect Controls, Sustainable Agriculture
and Malthusian theory, Looking to the Future
Fitness and Health:
Calories: Quantity and Quality, Vitamins, Minerals, Fluids, and Electrolytes, Weight
19
Loss: Diets and Exercise, Measuring Fitness, Some Muscular Chemistry, Drugs,
Athletic Performance, and the Brain, No Smoking

ADDITIONAL COURSE RESOURCES:

• Pre-recorded video lectures by Panopto software.
• Power point presentation for each lecture posted on BB.
• Home and /or Class activities and Assignments are all posted on BB.
• Zoom Q and A meetings that will be arranged by instructor during assembly hrs. on UW for
students to ask questions. Links for the meetings will be posted on BB.
• You tube videos (Educational videos) for some of the course topics for students to watch.
• In –class activities including digital learning tools such as nearpods, Kahoots and quizlets
during the class sessions.

Course Requirements

● Students are strongly encouraged to watch all recorded video lectures before class, attend zoom
classes regularly as scheduled, participate in class activities, and solve assignments and home
activities.
● Home activities and assignments are submitted on due dates via BB.
● Deadlines for submission will be announced on BB.
● Late submissions will not be accepted.

[This syllabus has a copyright belongs to the Department of Chemistry]

The American University in Cairo
School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE), Department of Chemistry

Assessment/Grading Criteria:

Exams Total % Dates

of Grade
Online Mid Term 1 20% Saturday 6th of
(Module I) March – at 12:00
pm
Online Mid Term 2 20 % Saturday 10th of
(Module II) April- at 12:00 pm
Online Final Exam 20 % As announced by
(Module III) registrar`s office

A Case Study 10% Presented orally via

Oral presentation Zoom

Assignments 10 % Specified on BB
& Quizzes
Class work: 10% Throughout the
Participation, in-class whole course
activities- nearpods via
Zoom meetings.

10 % Specified on BB
Research paper

● Each online test and quiz will be prepared by BB and will be visible to students at the time of the
Exam or quiz.
● There will be a total of 4 Quizzes throughout the whole course and the best 3 quizzes will be
graded.
● All online tests are MCQs- A total of 30 MCQs + 3 bonus MCQs.
● A Zoom meeting revision session will be organized by the instructor before each online test.
● Students must login to BB before the exam starts as no extra time shall be allowed.
● Students must ensure good internet connection during the exam. It is recommended that students
use their cell phones or computers connected via hotspot to their cell phones.
● Students will use only one device to access the BB for the online exam.
● In each online test, the questions will appear one question at a time. Backtracking is prohibited
(once you finish one question, you move on to the next one and you cannot go back)
● Student must click “save answer” before going to the next question

Guidelines and rubrics of the Research Paper:

 The Paper should be 1600 words minimum in total in Times New Roman Font 12.

[This syllabus has a copyright belongs to the Department of Chemistry]

The American University in Cairo
School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE), Department of Chemistry

 The Paper should start with a cover page including the name of the student, ID number, section of
the course and the name of the instructor
 The Paper should be dissected into the following sections: 
A- Introduction: must explain the importance of the Topic chosen in chemistry and society.
B- Review: A coherent review on the Topic chosen presenting clearly the different aspects of the
Topic. This section may compose of subsections with a variety of illustrative tools and in-depth
analysis of the data and concepts presented in the paper. (Max 1000 words) 
C- Conclusion and Future Prospects: The student must provide a conclusion on and write a
futuristic aspect of the Topic chosen. The question of how the Topic will have implications on the
future of science, technology and society is considered here. (Max 250 words) 
D- References: Students are expected to cite all references they use. Students are expected to use
credible scientific sources for their papers. Online public sources like Wikipedia will weaken your
Paper. The format of referencing used should be that of the American Chemical Society (ACS),
APL or any other formats supported by AUC.  (Max 500 words)
 Papers should be submitted through Turnitin (https://www.turnitin.com):
The research paper criteria for assessment are as follows:
Criterion  Poor  Fair-Good Excellent 

Submission After the submission date - Before or on the submission

(1) (0)  date (1)

Structure Paper is mildly coherent Paper has some Paper is coherent organized
and clarity and having few or none of coherence and many of well and is very clear as was
(3) the structure requirements the structural elements specified above. (3)
as was specified above. (1) as was specified. (2)

Illustrative Paper uses few or no
Tools (3) illustrative elements such
as figures, tables, statistics,
charts, drawings or
diagrams (1)
Paper uses some Paper uses enough illustrative
illustrative elements elements such as figures,
such as figures, tables, tables, statistics, charts or
statistics, charts, diagrams to enrich the
drawings or diagrams understanding of the topic (3)
(2)

Depth (3) Paper provides some or no Paper provides Paper provides interesting
depth to the discussion of moderate to major depth depth to the discussion of the
the topic (1) to the discussion of the topic (3)
topic ()

Plagiarism Plagiarized content will earn a zero grade and will be reported to the university
for appropriate action per the university rules on plagiarism. Excluding
references, figures captions and definitions, plagiarism should not exceed 15% in
total.

 Grading Scale: following AUC catalogue on Core Courses 

 
93 < A ≤ 100 80 < B- ≤ 83 67 < D+ ≤ 70
90 < A- ≤ 93 77 < C+ ≤ 80 60 < D ≤ 67
87 < B+ ≤ 90 73 < C ≤ 77 F < 60
83 < B ≤ 87 70 < C- ≤ 73

[This syllabus has a copyright belongs to the Department of Chemistry]

The American University in Cairo
School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE), Department of Chemistry

Course navigation:
The course materials and its content can be found on BB under “Course Homepage ”.
 Folders are arranged to Module I, II and III.
 Under each Module you will find folders that are arranged to Week1, 2…etc.
 Under each of these subfolders you will find pre-recorded lectures, its power points and any
additional readings.
 If you navigate through the BB, you will find other content areas such as: In-class activities,
Assignments, Home activities, Educational videos and Final Project.
 All instructions for assignments, home and class activities with their deadlines are provided.
 Submissions for assignments, class and home activities are done through BB.
 How to make video with Animoto
https://animoto.com/resources/tutorials/how-to-create-a-video-in-animoto

[This syllabus has a copyright belongs to the Department of Chemistry]