Course Syllabus

CHEM 1090 Chemistry of Color

Course Description

What's your favorite color? This course will explore how light and atoms and molecules interact to create the colors that brighten our lives. This no-math-prerequiste General Education physical science course is for anyone who loves colors and has wondered about where they come from. There is no co-requisite lab component; some class sessions will have hands-on activities.

Justification

This course is intended to increase the variety of no-math-prerequisite, no-lab-corequisite General Education Physical Science offerings provided by the College. It is also intended in part to be a complement to the "Physics of Music" course -- to be for art students what that course is for music students.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. This course will introduce students to some of the ways that color is created in the natural world. At the instructor's discretion, guest lecturers from, e.g., psychology, literature, and/or art may be invited to discuss the uses of color in culture.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Students will learn about aspects of color from readings provided on Canvas and/or the Reserve desk at the Library and/or required texts. At the instructor's discretion, an individual and/or group research project into a particular pigment, dye, or other aspect of color may be assigned.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. By learning about the physical underpinnings of the creation of color, students will appreciate the selection/usage of different sources of color for different applications.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. This course will introduce students to scientific reasoning and its application to practical problem-solving.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Students will be taught the scientific process and be given examples of and/or opportunities to explore its application to questions in color science. Students will be taught the scientific process and be given examples of and/or opportunities to explore its application to questions in color science.
2. UNDERSTAND: Demonstrate understanding of matter, energy, and their influence on physical systems. Students will learn about atoms, chemical substances, chemical reactions, and the energy transitions involved in the release of visible-wavelength light.
3. EVALUATE: Evaluate the credibility of various sources of information about science-related issues. By learning how to find reliable sources of information about the physical and/or biochemical properties of pigments and dyes, students will be introduced to thought-processes for critical evaulation of science-related information.
4. APPLY: Describe how the Physical Sciences utilize their foundational principles to confront and solve pressing local and global challenges, shaping historical, ethical, or social landscapes in the process.  Readings provided for the course will illustrate the applications of science in society, such as how methods for production of pigments/dyes have contributed to the development of culture and/or industry, or the recognition of toxicities associated with different historical and modern pigments/dyes, and so forth.

Course Content

Topics may include, but may not necessarily be comprehensively covered and are not necessarily limited to: the scientific process; scientific measurement and number handling; wave behavior of light; the electromagnetic spectrum; absorption, transmission, and reflection; refraction and/or diffraction and dispersion; formation of rainbows; additive and subtractive color; phases of matter and changes of state; atoms; the Bohr and Schrodinger models; valence electrons; the Periodic Table; ions and ionic compounds; coordination/complexation/chelation of metal ions; covalent bonding; organic compounds; functional group recognition; molecular orbital description of double bonds and pi systems; chemical reactions; combustion; fireworks; polarity and solubility; chromatography and/or extraction; Bronsted-Lowry description of acids and bases; concentration; moles and molecular weight; pH; pH scale; pH indicators; acid-base neutralization reactions; forces of intermolecular attraction; dyeing of natural and synthetic fibers; biochemistry of color vision