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Analytical Chemistry

CHM3120C — CHM3120C
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4 credit hours 80 contact hours Prerequisites: CHM1045/1045L General Chemistry I, CHM1046/1046L General Chemistry II, CHM2210 Organic Chemistry I (some institutions also require CHM2211 Organic Chemistry II), and college calculus (typically MAC2311 Calculus I, sometimes MAC2312 Calculus II). Some institutions require concurrent or prior enrollment in physical chemistry (CHM4410/4411). v@Model.Guide.Version

Course Description

CHM3120C — Analytical Chemistry (also titled at some Florida institutions as Elementary Analytical Chemistry, Quantitative Analysis, or Introduction to Analytical Chemistry) is an upper-division integrated lecture-and-laboratory chemistry course providing the theoretical foundations and practical laboratory competencies of modern quantitative chemical analysis. As an SCNS 3xxx course, it is taught at the junior level and is typically the first analytical chemistry course in a chemistry, biochemistry, or chemical-engineering undergraduate curriculum. The "C" suffix designates an integrated lecture-and-laboratory format. The course typically carries 4 credit hours (3 lecture + 1 laboratory) at Florida public institutions, with approximately 80 total contact hours (45 lecture + 45 laboratory) over a 15-week semester.

The course provides comprehensive coverage of the principles, methods, and instrumentation of quantitative chemical analysis: the application of statistical methods to analytical data, classical wet-chemical methods (gravimetric and volumetric analysis), aqueous solution equilibria and their analytical applications, electroanalytical methods (potentiometry, redox titrations), molecular spectroscopy (UV-Vis spectrophotometry, fluorescence), basic atomic spectroscopy, and an introduction to separation science (gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography). Laboratory experiments emphasize accurate analytical technique, the use of analytical balances and volumetric glassware, the construction of calibration curves, and the application of statistical methods to evaluate experimental results.

CHM3120C is a required course for chemistry and biochemistry majors at all Florida public universities, a required or strongly recommended course for chemical engineering, environmental science, geology, and forensic science majors, and a foundational course for pharmacy, medicinal chemistry, materials science, and clinical chemistry careers. The course is offered at approximately 16 Florida public institutions, including the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of South Florida, the University of Central Florida, Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, the University of West Florida, the University of North Florida, Florida A&M University, Florida State College at Jacksonville, and St. Petersburg College (under articulation agreements with SUS institutions for 2+2 transfer programs).

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Optional Outcomes

Depending on the institution and instructor, students may also:

Major Topics

Required Topics

Optional Topics

Resources & Tools

Career Pathways

CHM3120C is a foundational course for chemistry-intensive careers and for graduate study in chemistry and allied sciences:

Special Information

Upper-Division Course Status

CHM3120C is an upper-division (3xxx) course, typically taken in the junior year by chemistry and biochemistry majors. It is not a general-education core course and does not satisfy general-education science requirements (which are met at the lower-division level by CHM1045/1046 + CHM2210/2211 the general chemistry and organic chemistry sequences). Florida public colleges that participate in 2+2 transfer agreements may offer CHM3120C as part of the upper-division articulation pathway.

Articulation and Transfer

CHM3120C articulates without loss of credit between any two Florida public colleges and the State University System under the Statewide Course Numbering System. Students transferring from a Florida public college that offers the course into a Florida public university chemistry program will receive credit toward the chemistry major.

Course Format

The "C" suffix designates an integrated lecture-and-laboratory format. Most Florida institutions schedule CHM3120C as a 4-credit course meeting 6-7 hours per week (3 lecture hours + 3-4 laboratory hours), with approximately 80 total contact hours over a 15-week semester. Some institutions split the lecture (CHM3120) and laboratory (CHM3120L) into separate enrollment, in which case the L lab is a 1-credit course in addition to the 3-credit lecture.

ACS Examination

Many Florida chemistry programs administer the American Chemical Society (ACS) Analytical Chemistry Examination as the final examination or a substantial portion of it. The ACS examination is a standardized national examination that allows comparison of student performance across institutions; it provides important normative data on student competency.

Prerequisites

Standard prerequisites include CHM1045/1045L General Chemistry I, CHM1046/1046L General Chemistry II, CHM2210 Organic Chemistry I (sometimes including CHM2211 Organic Chemistry II), and college calculus (typically MAC2311 Calculus I, sometimes MAC2312 Calculus II). Some institutions require concurrent or prior enrollment in physical chemistry (CHM4410/4411).

Time Commitment

CHM3120C is a substantial upper-division course requiring significant out-of-class commitment. Students should plan for approximately 10-15 hours per week of work beyond the 6-7 hours of in-class time, including problem sets, pre-lab preparation, post-lab calculations and reports, and exam preparation. The combination of lecture problem sets and detailed analytical laboratory reports makes this one of the most demanding undergraduate chemistry courses.

AI Integration

Generative-AI tools have substantial but careful applications in analytical chemistry. AI tools can explain analytical methods, help with stoichiometric and equilibrium calculations, generate practice problems, and assist in interpreting spectra and chromatograms. However, AI tools frequently make errors in chemistry calculations, particularly with multi-step equilibrium problems, propagation of uncertainty calculations, and the interpretation of analytical instrumentation data. AI tools also cannot replace laboratory experience: the kinesthetic skill of analytical technique, the judgment of working chemists, and the careful attention to experimental detail are acquired only through hands-on practice. The use of AI to generate laboratory reports without independent intellectual contribution is generally a violation of academic integrity policy and undermines the educational purpose of the course. The fundamental skills of analytical chemistry — accurate measurement, statistical reasoning, careful experimental design, and rigorous evaluation of results — are irreducibly the student's responsibility.

Generated May 12, 2026 · Updated May 12, 2026