CH3DL-Placement Distance Learning

Module Provider: Chemistry
Number of credits: 120 [60 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Autumn / Spring / Summer module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Placement opportunity: Maxi placement
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Dr Chris Smith
Email: c.d.smith@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module aims toÌýgive students experience of working in the Chemical industry/Chemical research and to aid development of a range of transferable skills relevant to a wide range of careers. To extend student’s knowledge of advanced aspects of inorganic, organic and physical chemistry through distance learning.Ìý

Aims:

To give students experience of working in the Chemical industry/Chemical research and to aid development of a range of transferable skills relevant to a wide range of careers. To extend student’s knowledge of advanced aspects of inorganic, organic and physical chemistry through distance learning.Ìý

Assessable learning outcomes:

Students will satisfactorily complete a working placement in either the chemical industry or in chemical research and will become competent in key professional skills such as team working, problem solving, and oral and written communication.

Students will extend their practical skills.

Students will be able to prepare written reports, give oral presentations and be able to discuss their work in a scholarly manner.

Students are expected to develop an appreci ation of advanced subject material covered by distance learning.Ìý

Additional outcomes:

Students will develop an understanding of the workings of the chemical industry and/or chemical research.Ìý

Outline content:

Year long placement in the chemical industry or in chemical research.

Distance Learning Material Content

ORGANIC (Autumn Term): Frontier Molecular Orbital Theory (equivalent of 5 lectures): The theory underpinning this fundamental interpretation of the reactivity of a large class of organic molecules will be explained then its application to real cases studied. GDB (5) - Amino acid and peptide synthesis (equivalent of 5 lectures): A basic survey of the chemistry of amino acids focusing, in particular, on N- and C-terminal protection and C-activation will be covered. Application of these methods to peptide coupling in solution and in the solid phase will be examined. Heterocyclic chemistry (equivalent of 5 lectures): Synthesis and reactions of pyrroles, furans, thiophenes, indoles, pyridines, quinolines and isoquinolines.

INORGANIC (Spring Term): Organometallic Chemistry (equivalent of 5 lectures): Introduction to organic de rivatives of the transition metals. Classification of complexes by ligand type. Delocalized bonding and variation of metal oxidation state. Electron counting. Syntheses, structures and characteristic reactivity. Alkyl and aryl complexes. Carbene and carbyne complexes. Alkene, alkyne and polyene complexes. Allyl and other enyl complexes. Selected cyclic p-systems. Cluster compounds (equivalent of 5 lectures): Cluster and cage compounds; shapes of clusters; boranes: classification, bonding (Wade's Rules), 11B NMR spectroscopy; carboranes; boron sub-halides: preparation, structure; transition metal carbonyl clusters: Fe, Ru and Os trinuclear clusters; Co, Rh and Ir tetranuclear clusters; carbido-metal carbonyl clusters, multinuclear NMR and IR spectroscopy; gold-phosphine clusters. X-ray Powder Diffraction (equivalent of 5 lectures): Students will be introduced to this very important technique in solid-state analysis. The basic theory underpinning the method will be examined and its i mplementation in a modern instrument will be discussed. How the method can be used to determine important structural parameters of microcrystalline solids will then be illustrated.

PHYSICAL (Summer Term): Colloids (equivalent of 5 lectures): Lyophobic colloids, preparation methods, colloid stability and DVLO theory. Electrode kinetics (equivalent of 5 lectures): Overpotential, Butler Volmer equation, Tafel equations and limiting current. Theories of Chemical Kinetics (equival ent of 5 lectures): Transition-state theory; Collision theory; Statistical Mechanics and Partition functions; Thermodynamic form of transition-state theory; Bimolecular, unimolecular and trimolecular reactions.