Module description
The student should acquire fundamental experimental skills and laboratory techniques, as well as experience in the practical application of chemistry principles. In particular, he/she/they should develop an understanding for the way in which principles of organic, inorganic and physical chemistry apply to different aspects of the same experiment.
At the end of the module, the students should have acquired fundamental laboratory skills
including:
- the ability to synthesise, purify, and analyse small organic molecules
- the ability to separate and analyse mixtures of organic molecules and natural products
- to start to develop the ability to evaluate the biological activity of organic compounds in simple biological assays
At the end of the module, the students should also have acquired generic laboratory skills and be able to demonstrate, for example:
- awareness of the value and hazards of chemical reagents
- an appreciation of laboratory safety
- starting to acquire experience in researching the scientific literature
Assessment details
Coursework and practicals.
| Group Project & Presentation |
50% |
|
| Skills Portfolio |
50% |
Educational aims & objectives
This is an introductory module designed for students to learn how to perform common laboratory techniques which are used in experimental chemistry. The techniques are taught via experiments which bring together the principles of organic, inorganic and general chemistry and complement the taught modules in these areas. Alongside practical skills, students will also gain experience in researching the literature, analysing and presenting their results in a scientific manner.
The student should acquire fundamental experimental skills and laboratory techniques, as well as experience in the practical application of chemistry principles. Students will also develop an awareness of safe laboratory practice.
Indicative Syllabus
Experiments will initially be carried out in the form of “stand-alone” experiments, for which the students are given detailed manuals. This will progress to students being able to design simple experimental procedures using the techniques covered in the module.
Representative experiments may include:
- introduction to fundamental laboratory techniques (e.g. rotary evaporation, extraction, thin layer chromatography etc)
- simple organic and inorganic synthesis, separation and analysis of products
- UV/vis spectroscopy and Beer-Lambert law
- Analytical techniques and data analysis
The practical sessions will be complemented by workshops introducing the relevant concepts, and serving as a link between Yr 1 modules in General, Organic, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry and the laboratory experiments in these subjects.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the module, you should be able to:
- Perform a set of standard experimental techniques safely and effectively
- Show some ability in analysing, presenting & communicating data in a scientific manner
- Demonstrate the ability to work safely in a chemical laboratory
- Demonstrate the ability to use the scientific literature to research a topic and critique articles
- Demonstrate the ability to present to an audience of your peers
Teaching pattern
12 hours directed self study, 12 hours lectures, 44 hours laboratory practicals, 14 hours workshops