CH5461 – Integrating Chemistry
Lecturers:
Members of Inorganic, Organic and Physical Teaching Staff
Convenor:
Dr A. S. Gibbs
Aim:
This is a general chemistry module aimed at developing and consolidating fundamental aspects of basic understanding. Students will be encouraged to gain a deeper understanding of elementary core material by a combination of discussion, general reading, essay work and problem solving at a more advanced level than previously required. Students will be expected to read externally on related topics. The sessions will be devoted to discussion of set work and problem solving exercises aimed at developing a deeper understanding and awareness of the implications and ramifications of previous chemical knowledge. In addition, each student will be required to submit an essay, which will be on a topic, which is relevant to the broader issues of chemical study and knowledge.
Duration:
15 contact hours with 5 one hour sessions being assigned to each of inorganic, organic and physical chemistry.
Assessment:
1. 30% will be allocated to the essay.
2. 20% will be continuous assessment of problem solving work with each branch of chemistry having the option of a major component of the continuous assessment being via formal problem solving exercises.
3. 50% will be examination of 2 hours duration. It will contain six questions, students must answer four questions including one from each of the Organic, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry sections.
Inorganic Chemistry Problem Solving
Duration:
5 hours
Aims:
This module is designed to help MChem students gain experience in problem solving. Many aspects of the theoretical and practical knowledge gained in previous modules will be brought together. The subject material is planned to cover the whole breadth of inorganic chemistry.
Objectives:
To give students practice in answering more involved problems of a general inorganic nature. To encourage students to use the material already learnt in other modules to think their way systematically through problems where the answer might not be immediately obvious. To give students practice at presenting answers orally to the class and to work through selected assessed homework problems as well as contributing to ’round table’ discussions of problem related topics in the tutorials.
The survey of inorganic topics will be widespread with problems chosen from main group chemistry, coordination chemistry, transition metals, organometallic chemistry, solid state inorganic and crystal chemistry, redox processes and reaction mechanisms.
Organic Chemistry Problem Solving
Duration:
5 hours
Aims:
To develop a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of organic chemistry by means of the scrutiny of basic observations and ideas. To develop skills in the retrieval, synthesis and use of experimental evidence for the solution of chemical problems.
Objectives:
1. To reinforce fundamental principles for the design of synthetic strategies.
2. To reinforce advanced skills in the mechanistic interpretation of experimental data
3. To reinforce the understanding of fundamental concepts such as acidity, basicity, electrophilicity and nucleophilicity and their applications in advanced organic chemistry.
4. To reinforce skills in the interpretation of biological organic chemical observations.
5. To reinforce the student’s ability to follow, appreciate and understand a modern synthetic route to a target compound that involves many stages.
Aspects of Physical Chemistry
Duration:
5 hours
Aims:
To develop and consolidate students’ knowledge and understanding of basic aspects of physical chemistry; to develop a feel for the common threads running through physical chemistry and to develop an overview of basic elementary physical chemistry as a whole.
Objectives:
The course consists of 6 problem solving sessions, which are designed to:
1. Provide structured revision of core topics of physical chemistry.
2. Develop a high level of problem solving skills in physical chemistry.
3. Encourage students to work systematically through complex problems.
4. Allow students to develop an awareness of the connections between topics in physical chemistry.