CHEM3049 Advanced Practical Chemistry II

Module Overview

This module represents an advanced practical course designed to extend the practical skills developed in years 1 and 2 of the Chemistry degree programmes and extend them through the completion of a series of advanced/open ended experiments which enable students to develop and demonstrate their ability to conduct an independent investigation.

Aims and Objectives

Module Aims

The aims of the module are: (1) To further practical skills in a more open ended context. (2) To develop students' abilities to manage their own learning. (3) To apply core chemistry knowledge in advanced problem solving. (4) To develop students' abilities to present their work in written format. (5) To develop students' written and oral presentation skills through the use of various assessment formats.

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Communicate the results of an open-ended investigation with clarity, both verbally and in writing, using appropriate scientific terminology.
Manage personal study time effectively to balance the different needs of practical and other course work.
Prepare risk assessments, for approval, in advance of any practical work.
Maintain a record of practical work to a professional standard.
Collate and analyse data from a variety of sources.
Work effectively as a member of a team, as required.
Work independently towards achieving well defined objectives.
Identify key elements of the scientific literature that are relevant to a research area.

Syllabus

The course is comprised of a minimum of 48 hours of laboratory time, in which the students will - Complete of a series of open-ended laboratory and/or computational based experiments either independently or in groups. - Submission of reports in a variety of formats, which may include formal written reports, posters, and oral presentations. The topics covered by the practical sessions will vary from year-to-year, but may include Chemical biology Chemical simulations Computational chemistry Electrochemistry Mass spectrometry Materials chemistry NMR Organometallic chemistry Supramolecular chemistry Synthetic organic chemistry X-ray crystallography

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Practical sessions Workshops and short lectures will be used to present key knowledge, concepts and a general framework for the conduct of independent research.

Type	Hours
Project supervision	8
Lecture	3
Preparation for scheduled sessions	30
Completion of assessment task	45
Follow-up work	8
Wider reading or practice	8
Practical classes and workshops	48
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Kirsty MacDonald. Key Skills for Scientists.

Howard M. Kanare. Writing the Laboratory Notebook.

Assessment

Assessment Strategy

Students repeating externally should ensure that they are able to elevate their marks sufficiently to pass the module without repeating practical sessions and without access to supervisory support.

Summative

Method	Percentage contribution
Practical assessment	100%

Referral

Method	Percentage contribution
Practical assessment	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External

Linked modules

Pre-requisite: CHEM3048