Chemical Principles

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Be able to assemble glassware and apparatus to conduct basic chemical experiments.
• Evaluate the risks associated with an experiment and understand how to mitigate against those risks.
• Interpret basic data from a range of physical techniques to characterise chemical compounds.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Describe bonding models that can be applied to a consideration of the properties and shapes of organic and inorganic molecules, using both VSEPR and hybridisation methods.
• Recognise and apply the concepts: 'functional group', 'aromaticity', and 'electronegativity'.
• Derive names for and use a range of drawn representations to describe chemical compounds.
• Define the terms: acids, bases and explain how the structure of molecules affects these properties.
• Use ‘curly arrows’ to represent the movement of electron pairs.
• Qualitatively discuss the structure of a multi-electron atom to explain the basis of and trends within the Periodic Table.

Lecture content:

Atomic orbital theory;

Hydrogenic atoms, wavefunctions and their solutions, quantum numbers and atomic orbitals;

Radial and angular wavefunctions and the shapes of atomic orbitals;

Electron spin, aufbau principles, electronic structure, shielding/penetration and the Periodic Table;

Periodicity – variations in electronegativity, oxidation state, metallic character, atomic size and ionisation energy within the periodic table;

Covalent bonding in diatomic molecules, Lewis model and valence bond theory, Hybridisation and pi-bonds;

Molecular orbitals and bonding;

Valence bond and molecular orbital theory for polyatomic molecules, hybridisation, sigma-bonds, resonance, hypervalency;

Drawing and naming organic molecules;

Structure and Isomerism in main group species, transition metal complexes, alkenes (E/Z) and saturated molecules (R/S, diastereomers, conformers) including optical activity;

Acidity and basicity – pKa’s and pH. Effect of structure (Inductive and resonance effects – basic curly arrows) on acidity and basicity (inorganic acids, carboxylic acids, phenols, alcohols, alkynes, amides, carbonyl compounds, amines);

Functional Groups;

Aromatic (including heteroaromatic) compounds and aromaticity.

Practical exercises to illustrate:

Monitoring of chemical reactions;

Determination of chemical structure;

Assembly of chemical apparatus;

Measurement in chemistry.

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures, problem-solving workshops with group working and tutor support.

Practical chemistry: Pre-laboratory e-learning; pre-lab skills lectures/ Seminars; practical sessions, supporting demonstrations, group and one-to-one tuition.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External