Spring 2027

Chemical Principles I

CHEMICAL PRINCIPLES I explores an atomic and molecular view of matter, focusing on quantum theory, molecular structure, and chemical bonding.

no offering record for this termCredits unavailable
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 No instructors listed

Summary

1 / 8

Past student reviews · Martin Zanni

The workload is described as insane, requiring students to spend many hours weekly and complete all assignments to keep up.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Apply a qualitative and quantitative understanding of quantum mechanics to fundamental chemical concepts to rationalize the structure of the atom and molecules, bond formation, and chemical and physical properties.

  • Apply mathematical models such as elementary quantum mechanics eigenvalue problems, including the “particle in a box” and “harmonic oscillator” to describe chemical phenomena.

  • Apply models of atoms, molecules, and their interactions to explain the physical and chemical macroscopic properties of gasses, liquids and solids.

  • Perform chemical measurements, adapt analytical methods (e.g., titrations, separations, electrochemical measurements, and spectroscopy), and interpret results for the purpose of quantitative and qualitative analysis.

  • Evaluate laboratory data by applying statistical methods (e.g. statistical uncertainty, confidence intervals, propagation of error).

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

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average GPA
letter grades
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All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Consent of instructor

  • Consent of instructor
CHEM 115 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
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Professors

Spring 2027

No instructors recorded for this selection.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

ARUN YETHIRAJ is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

ETIENNE GARAND is recorded teaching in Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JAMES SKINNER is recorded teaching in Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JAMES WEISSHAAR is recorded teaching in Fall 2016, Fall 2017. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JORDAN SCHMIDT is recorded teaching in Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MARTIN ZANNI is recorded teaching in Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Spring 2027

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Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Past student reviews · Etienne Garand

Students describe the course as challenging but engaging, with instructors like Garand making complex material entertaining and accessible.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.55 GPA, 76.7% A/AB (n=30 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.65 GPA, 76.7% A/AB (n=30 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.60 GPA, 76.5% A/AB (n=34 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Past student reviews · Martin Zanni

The workload is described as insane, requiring students to spend many hours weekly and complete all assignments to keep up.

Past student reviews · Martin Zanni, Arun Yethiraj

Past students reported that grading curves were generous, often ensuring at least a B, though exams remained challenging to navigate.

Topics

  • Quantum theory, molecular structure, and chemical bonding
  • Elementary quantum mechanics eigenvalue problems
  • Macroscopic properties of gases, liquids, and solids
  • Analytical methods including titrations, separations, electrochemistry, and spectroscopy

Skills

  • Apply quantum mechanics to rationalize atomic and molecular structure and properties.
  • Use elementary quantum mechanics eigenvalue problems like particle in a box and harmonic oscillator.
  • Explain macroscopic properties of gases, liquids, and solids using atomic and molecular models.
  • Perform and interpret chemical measurements using titrations, separations, electrochemistry, and spectroscopy.
  • Evaluate lab data using statistical uncertainty, confidence intervals, and error propagation.

Grades

Latest available · Fall 2025— not enough history to project Spring 2027.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

Grades over time

Through Fall 2025

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Fall 2025 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1316 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

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Selected offering source records

No offering records for the selected term.

Raw records 
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Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

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Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-14

View the dataset on Hugging Face
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
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Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

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Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "de8175d88ccbf448473d1c485fb151f6942e4d3909000e6560ca3e23a48ba984",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}