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 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 use physical and spectroscopic techniques to investigate electronic properties of elements and compounds
- the ability to synthesise, purify, and analyse small organic molecules
- the ability to separate and analyse mixtures of organic molecules and natural products
- the ability to carry out a multi-step synthetic procedure
- the ability to select suitable chromatographic and analytical techniques for a given analytical problem
- 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
- experience in researching the scientific literature
- the ability to critically analyse experimental results
- the ability to report experimental results in an appropriate manner
Assessment details
Coursework and practicals.
2 x Lab Reports 30%
Skills Portfolio 50%
Assessed lab work 20%
Educational aims & objectives
This module is designed to allow students to develop and apply their introductory experimental skills in synthesis, purification and analysis to stand alone experiments which complement the taught modules in organic, physical and inorganic chemistry. Students are introduced to searching the scientific literature and develop their critical analysis and written communication skills through scientific reports.
The student should continue to develop and apply fundamental experimental skills and laboratory techniques, as well as experience in the practical application of chemistry principles. In particular, he/she should develop an understanding for the way in which principles of organic, inorganic and physical chemistry apply to different aspects of the same experiment.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the module, students should have:
- the ability to use physical and spectroscopic techniques to investigate properties of elements and compounds
- the ability to synthesise, purify, and analyse small organic molecules
- an awareness of experimental variables and the need for appropriate controls
- awareness of the hazards of chemical reagents
- an appreciation of laboratory safety
- the ability to research the scientific literature
- the ability to critically analyse experimental results
- the ability to report experimental results in an appropriate manner
Indicative Syllabus
Experiments will be carried out in the form of “stand-alone” experiments, for which the students are given detailed manuals. Experiments will endeavour to include elements from at least two strands of chemistry (e.g. organic, inorganic, physical etc). Students will also gain experience in structure characterisation and scientific writing through workshops and written reports.
Representative experiments may include:
- synthesis of a simple drug molecule (e.g. sulphanilamide ) and characterization
- introduction to electrochemistry
- introduction to simple thermodynamics
- structural modification of simple organic molecules and analysis of the effect on selected properties.
The practical sessions will be complemented by workshops introducing the relevant concepts, and serving as a link between Yr 1 modules in Organic, Inorganic and Physical Chemistry and the laboratory experiments in these subjects.