Undergraduate Academics
Chemistry
Chemistry seeks to understand our physical world on an atomic level. This microscopic picture uses the elements of the periodic table as building blocks for a vast array of molecules, ranging from water to DNA. But some of the most fascinating aspects of chemistry involve chemical reactions, where molecules combine and transform, sometimes dramatically, to generate new molecules.
Chemistry explores many areas of our physical world, ranging from our bodies and the air that we breathe to the many products of the human endeavor and including art and a plethora of consumer products. Students at Sarah Lawrence College may investigate these diverse areas of chemistry through a variety of courses that provide a foundation in the theories central to this discipline.
Just as experimentation played a fundamental role in the formulation of the theories of chemistry, experimentation plays an integral part in learning them. Therefore, laboratory experiments complement many of the seminar courses.
Chemistry 2025-2026 Courses
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Open, Small Lecture—Fall | 5 credits
CHEM 2010
This course is the first part of a two-semester sequence that provides a broad foundation for the scientific discipline of chemistry, introducing its fundamental principles and techniques alongside demonstrating the central role of chemistry in biology and medicine. Students first look at basic descriptions of elemental properties, the periodic table, solid and molecular structures, and chemical bonding. The course then relates these topics to the electronic structure of atoms. The mole as a unit is introduced so that a quantitative treatment of stoichiometry can be considered. After this introduction, the course considers physical chemistry, which provides the basis for a quantitative understanding of: 1) the kinetic theory of gases (which is developed to consider the nature of liquids and solids); 2) equilibria and the concepts of the equilibrium constant and of pH; 3) energy changes in chemical reactions and the fundamental principles of thermodynamics; 4) the rates of chemical reactions and the concepts of the rate determining step and activation energy. Practical work in the lab portion of this course introduces students to the use and handling of basic chemical equipment and illustrates the behavior of simple chemical substances. In addition to the two regular class meetings and lab session each week, there will be an hour-long weekly group conference. This course will be of interest to students considering the study of chemistry or biology and to those planning on a career in medicine and related health.
Faculty
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Open, Lecture—Fall | 5 credits
CHEM 2108
Poisons have been used throughout history as murder weapons. This course will explore some of the world’s most dreaded poisons. In each case, course work will look at the poison’s origin, its discovery, and its use in notorious murders or attempted murders. Students will explore each poison’s chemical structure and its effect on the human body. By understanding the chemical properties of a particular poison, students will learn how detectives or forensic scientists can discover its use and bring perpetrators to justice. We will also see that many of these deadly substances can be used as lifesaving drugs or have led to the development of new treatments for diseases. Students are encouraged to take this course to learn chemistry in a macabre manner—but be sure not to eat or drink anything during class!
Faculty
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Open, Seminar—Fall | 5 credits
CHEM 3650
Organic chemistry is the study of chemical compounds whose molecules are based on a framework of carbon atoms, typically in combination with hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Despite this rather limited set of elements, there are more organic compounds known than there are compounds that do not contain carbon. Adding to the importance of organic chemistry is the fact that many of the chemical compounds that make modern life possible—such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, herbicides, plastics, pigments, and dyes—can be classed as organic. Organic chemistry, therefore, impacts many other scientific subjects; thus, knowledge of organic chemistry is essential for a detailed understanding of materials science, environmental science, molecular biology, and medicine. This course gives an overview of the structures, physical properties, and reactivity of organic compounds. Students will see that organic compounds can be classified into families of similar compounds, based upon certain groups of atoms that always behave in a similar manner no matter what molecule they are in. These functional groups will enable the class to rationalize the vast number of reactions that organic reagents undergo. Topics covered include: the types of bonding within organic molecules; fundamental concepts of organic reaction mechanisms (nucleophilic substitution, elimination, and electrophilic addition); the conformations and configurations of organic molecules; and the physical and chemical properties of alkanes, halogenoalkanes, alkenes, alkynes and alcohols. In the laboratory section of the course, students will develop the techniques and skills required to synthesize, separate, purify, and identify organic compounds. Organic chemistry is a key requirement for pre-med students and is strongly encouraged for all others who are interested in the biological and physical sciences.
Faculty
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Open, Seminar—Fall | 5 credits
CHEM 3707
This course will provide an introduction to basic concepts of chemistry and their application to current environmental issues. Topics will include acid rain, ozone depletion, air pollution, climate change (global warming), surface water and groundwater pollution, and plastics and polymers. Students will then consider how human activities—such as transportation, energy production, and chemical industries—influence the environment.
Faculty
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Open, Seminar—Spring | 5 credits
CHEM 3110
Tracing its origins back to ancient Egypt, alchemy was a dark—often forbidden—art, whose practitioners wrote cryptic, encoded, symbolic, and often secretive texts. Driven by the desire to turn base metals into gold and to discover the Philosopher’s Stone and, with it, the secret of immortality, alchemists studied the transmutation of physical substances. Despite its unsavory reputation, alchemy was practiced by some of the most extraordinary individuals in the history of humanity’s intellectual development: Jabir ibn Hayyan, Roger Bacon, Paracelsus, and Robert Boyle. Indeed, Isaac Newton—widely regarded as the father of modern science—wrote more alchemical manuscripts than on any other subject. In this course, we will investigate the essence of alchemy and its turbulent history. The course will then explore the legacy of alchemy: how the work of the alchemists enabled the scientists of the 18th and 19th centuries to transform alchemical lore into the modern science of chemistry.
Faculty
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Open, Small Lecture—Spring | 5 credits
CHEM 2027
Nutrition is the sum of all interactions between us and the food that we consume. The study of nutrition includes the nature and general role of nutrients in forming structural material, providing energy, and helping to regulate metabolism. How do food chemists synthesize the fat that cannot be digested? Can this kind of fat satisfy our innate appetite for fats? Are there unwanted side effects, and why? What constitutes a healthy diet? What are the consequences of severely restricted food intake seen in prevalent emotional disorders such as anorexia and bulimia? These and other questions will be discussed. The course will also discuss the effect of development, pregnancy, emotional state, and disease on nutritional requirements. And students will also consider effects of food production and processing on nutrition value and food safety.
Faculty
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Intermediate, Small Lecture—Spring | 5 credits
CHEM 2011
Prerequisite: General Chemistry I (CHEM 2010)
This course is a continuation of General Chemistry I (CHEM 2010). The course will begin with a detailed study of both the physical and chemical properties of solutions, which will enable students to consider the factors that affect both the rates and direction of chemical reactions. Students will then investigate the properties of acids and bases and the role that electricity plays in chemistry. The course will conclude with introductions to nuclear chemistry and organic chemistry. Weekly lab sessions will allow us to demonstrate and test the theories described in the lecture segment of the course.
Faculty
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Intermediate, Seminar—Spring | 5 credits
CHEM 3651
Prerequisite: Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 3650).
In this course, students will explore the physical and chemical properties of additional families of organic molecules. The reactivity of aromatic compounds, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids and their derivatives (acid chlorides, acid anhydrides, esters, and amides), enols and enolates, and amines will be discussed. The course will also investigate the methods by which large, complicated molecules can be synthesized from simple starting materials. Modern methods of organic structural determination—such as mass spectrometry, 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy—will also be introduced. In the lab section of this course, students will continue to develop the techniques and skills required to synthesize, separate, purify, and identify organic compounds. This course is a key requirement for pre-med students and is strongly encouraged for others interested in the biological and physical sciences.
Faculty
The Center for the Urban River at Beczak (CURB), located on the shores of the Hudson River in downtown Yonkers, is Sarah Lawrence’s first academic research facility beyond the main campus.