Applied Current Topics in Chemistry: The Chemistry of Art, Chem 319

Spring 2005

Dr. Suzanne Theresa Mabrouk

General Information

• Office Number: Byrd Hall room 401
• Office Hours: If you have difficulty with course concepts or have any questions, please feel free to drop by for help. If my office hours do not coincide with your free time, then schedule an appointment. Keep in mind that regular help will assist you in mastering the material. If you find that I am already helping other students during office hours, ask if you may join. I usually help more than one student at a time, with each student having the opportunity to interject questions. This method makes better use of everyone's time.
  • M 1-2 pm
  • T 2-3 pm
  • W 11 am -12 pm
  • F 9-10 am
• Phone Number: 953-7788
• Email Address: mabrouks@citadel.edu
  If you need help at night, the best way to reach me is via email.

General Course Information

• Required Text:
  • Chemistry and Artists' Colors by Mary Virginia Orna and Madeline P. Goodstein, 2nd ed.
  • empty journal book

• Additional Reading Assignments: Students will be given additional articles related to some of the course topics, topics not included in the lecture text.
• Course Content: This course will address the chemistry involved in the preparation of artists' materials and artwork itself and the chemistry used in authenticating, restoring, and conserving art and artifacts.
• Course Objective: By the end of this course, students will:
  1. know some of the chemistry involved in the preparation of artists' materials and artwork
  2. be able to prepare artists materials and artwork and
  3. know how to authenticate and conserve art and artifacts.

• Course Prerequisites: a year of freshman chemistry including lab.

Teaching Style

The following will be used throughout the course:

• class discussion
• lab work
• field trips
• group projects

Course Grading Policy

• Honor in the Class: All students will adhere to the Citadel honor code described in The Guidon, and as such will not cheat on any work submitted to the instructor for a grade. Cheating will not be tolerated!
• Class Projects: Students will conduct two research projects during the semester and present their findings as indicated below. The criteria by which the following two projects will be graded will be determined by the class.
1. Web Projects (20% of final course grade): Students will develop web pages devoted to each experiment, field trip, or guest event associated with this course. The pages will be posted to the Citadel server as an advertisement for this course. Therefore, the pages must include any procedure (briefly written in the student's own words), brief description of the chemistry in layman's terms, observations, reflections on the experience, and appropriate pictures taken the day of the event. Pictures should depict the process, show students working, and show the finished artist's material and/or atwork. All pictures should appear with a brief description or label of identification.
   • Individual Project I (Lab Experiments)
     • Preparation of Paper (Jan. 20)
     • Marbling of Paper (Jan. 27)
     • Cyanotype Photography (Feb. 10)
     • Van Dyke Photography (Feb. 10)
     • Pinhole Photography (Feb. 17)
   • Group Project II (Field Trips)
     • Art Appreciation and Chareston Art Gallery Tour with Ms. Celia Childress (Jan. 27 and Feb. 3)
     • Art Restoration with Ms. Catherine Rogers (Feb. 24)
   • Individual Projects III (Lab Experiments)
     • Ceramics Part I: Making Pinch Pots and Throwing Pots (Mar. 3)
     • Ceramics Part II: Throwing Pots and Making Plates (Mar. 10)
     • Fiber-Reactive Dyes with Ms. Paige Hathaway Thorn (Mar. 17)
     • Ceramics Part III: Trimming and Glazing Pots (Mar. 31 and Apr. 7)
     • Ceramics Part IV: Sanding Fired and Glaze Pots (Apr. 14)
2. Art Portfolio and Art Show (20% of final course grade): Students will keep all of the artists material that is made over the course of the semester and use it to make artwork. The best artwork of each type prepared in the semester along with a title of the piece, description of any procedure followed (in student's own words), and reflections on the experience will be presented in an art portfolio. The student should include pictures of any three-dimensional artwork. The physical portfolio may be made of any bound material of the student's choosing. The portfolio is due at the end of the semester along with separate titles and descriptions of the each piece for the art show.
   • Norman Leach (Word)
   • Sermpun Lhamlhak (Power Point)
   • Chris Morrow (Power Point)
   • Melissa Fridinger (Power Point)
• Journal Book (10% of final course grade): Students will record the following items on each experiment and field trip: procedure in one's own wordsof all work and observations made in the lab by writing entries according to the following guidelines in a lab notebook:
• date
• pertinent title
• procedure in one's own words (This may be written prior to lab and corrections/additions made in lab.)
• observations while exceuting experiment or taking field trip
• data as listed on experimental procedure posted to WebCT
• suggestions for improving the experimental procedure
• reflections on the performance of the newly made artists material and/or reflections on the newly created artwork
• other reflections on the experience
  Much of the aforementioned information will be included in each student portfolio and on small plcards placed with student work at the art show at the end of the semester. The journal will be due at the last class meeting, Tuesday, April 26. However, students should ask the professor for feedback on the journal throughout the semester.

• Quizzes (25% of final course grade): Three take-home quizzes will be given during the semester. Students will work independently on the quizzes. The quizzes will be given usually one week before they are due. Due dates are listed below. The quizzes will address class discussions, WebCT notes, the textbook and other related reading assignments, the lab experiments, and field trips prior to the week of the quiz.

• Final Exam (25% of final course grade): The final exam will address all material from the course. Analogous to the quizzes, it will be a take-home that will be due by Monday, May 2 at 1 pm. Failure to take and submit the final on time will result in a course grade of F. The final exam will count towards 25% of the course grade.

• Midterm Grade: All graded work to date will count towards the midterm grade. Grades will be assigned based on the scale below.
• Final Course Grade:
  • Journal: 10%
  • Web Projects (best 2 of 3): 20%
  • Art Portfolio and Art Show: 20%
  • Quizzes (best 2 of 3): 25%
  • Final Exam: 25%
• Formula for Determining Course Grade:
  • (Web)(0.20) + (Portfolio/Show)(0.20) + (Book)(0.10) + (Quizzes)(0.25) + (Final Exam)(0.25)

• Scale for Final Course Grades
  • All lecture grades are awarded based on the following scale. This scale does not apply to lab courses.
    • A: 100-87
    • B: 86-77
    • C: 76-67
    • D: 66-57
    • F: 57-0

Note

• LD students: It is the responsibility of these students to provide the professor with documentation from Dr. Zaremba regarding any special needs.

Jan. 13 at 1-3:50 pm

Class discussion of Course

Lab Experiment: Preparation of Crayons and Pastels

Jan. 18 at 1-1:50 pm

Ch. 23: Art Hazards

Jan. 20 at 1-3:50 pm

Lab Experiment: Preparation of Paper from Cotton Pulp

Jan. 25 at 1-1:50 pm

Ch. 16: Chemical Bonding and Color

Jan. 27 at 1-3:50 pm

Reading and Appreciating Art with Artist Ms. Celia Childress

Article: Art and Cognition by Ayn Rand

Lab Experiment: Marbling Paper

Feb. 1 at 1-1:50 pm

Ch. 17: Dyes

Feb. 3 at 1-3:50 pm

Field Trip to Charleston Art Galleries led by Artist Ms. Celia Childress

Feb. 8 at 1-1:50 pm

Article: UV Catalysts, Cyanotype Photography, and Sunscreens

Article: The Photochemical Basis of Cyanotype Photography

Article: Relationship between Physiochemical Properties of Prussian Blue and Its Efficacy as Antidote Against Thallium Poisoning

Feb. 10 at 1-3:50 pm

Lab Experiment: Cyanotype and Van Dyke Photography

Feb. 15 at 1-1:50 pm

Ch. 18: Pigments

Feb. 17 at 1-3:50 pm

Lab Experiment: Pinhole Photography

Feb. 22 at 1-1:50 pm

Article: Science in the Service of Art

Article: Detecting Past Attempts to Restore Two Important Works of Art

Feb. 24 at 1-3:50 pm

Art Restoration with Painting Conservator Ms. Catherine Rogers

Video: Restoration of Rembrandt's "Night Watch"

Video: Physics and Fine Art: The Scientific Examination of Paintings

Mar. 1 at 1-1:50 pm

Ch. 19: Paints

Mar. 3 at 1-3:50 pm

Field Trip to Clayworks with Artist Major Elizabeth Carter

Mar. 8 at 1-1:50 pm

Ch. 20: Photography

Mar. 10 at 1-3:50 pm

Field Trip to Clayworks with Artist Major Elizabeth Carter

Mar. 15 at 1-1:50 pm

Article: The Chemistry of Fabric Reactive Dyes

Mar. 17 at 1-3:50 pm

Lab Experiment: Fiber-Reactive Dyes with Artist Ms. Paige Hathaway Thorn

Mar. 29 at 1-1:50 pm

Article: Chemistry for Potters

Ch. 22: Ceramics, Glasses, and Glazes

Mar. 31 at 1-3:50 pm

Field Trip to Clayworks with Artist Major Elizabeth Carter

Apr. 5 at 1-1:50 pm

Article: Papyrus, The Paper of Ancient Egypt

Article: Paper: A Modified Natural Polymer

Article: Wood Cellulose as a Chemical Feedstock for the Cellulose Esters Industry

Article: Chemistry in the Comics. Part 3. The Acidity of Paper

Article: The Chemistry of Paper Preservation. Part 4. Alkaline Paper

Apr. 7 at 1-3:50 pm

Field Trip to Clayworks with Artist Major Elizabeth Carter

Apr. 12 at 1-1:50 pm

Article: Authenticity of Medieval Document Tested by Small Particle Analysis

Article: The Shroud of Turin: Blood or Artist's Pigment?

Apr. 14 at 1-3:50 pm

Field Trip to Clayworks with Artist Major Elizabeth Carter

Apr. 19 at 1-1:50 pm

Video: Shroud of Turin

Apr. 21 at 1-3:50 pm

Field Trip to Gibbes Museum of Art

Apr. 26 at 1-1:50 pm

Video: The Feast of The Gods

Lab Practices

• To prevent food poisoning from chemicals in the lab, food, drink, tobacco, smoking, and gum are all prohibited in the organic lab.
• To prevent eye loss, students must wear goggles at all times while working in the chemistry lab. Any student caught working without adequate eye protection will be required to wash their eyes at the eyewash station. Contact lenses are prohibited in the lab, as they can easily trap chemicals.
• Students will alert their lab professor of broken glassware, mercury spills, and any accidents that happen.
• Students will adhere to the safety precautions given for each experiment to minimize risk.
• Any student endangering the life of a classmate or the professor will be removed from the lab.
• To minimize exposure to harmful chemicals, students will recap bottles following usage.
• Students will clean their bench space after each expertiment, leaving it empty of all glassware and other paraphenalia.
• Students should report all accidents, including spillage of chemicals to the professor.
• Organic liquids should be weighed directly into glassware, as they will destroy weigh trays.

© COPYRIGHT 1998 SUZANNE MABROUK mabrouks@citadel.edu (modified: 5/2/05)