CH1001 - Chemistry: A Central Science

Available to all students who have satisfied the pre-requisite requirements.

Atomic structure, Bonding and Periodicity Chemistry as a central scientific discipline. Atomic and electronic structure. The Periodic Table and periodicity of the elements. Chemical bonding and molecular shape. Hydrogen and hydrogen bonding. Introduction to spectroscopic methods. Classification of chemical reactions. Chemical equations and stoichiometry. Organic Chemistry The diversity of carbon compounds. Functional groups and nomenclature. A selective overview of major classes of organic compounds (structure, properties, synthesis and reactions). Purification and characterization of organic compounds. Chirality and its importance in biology and medicinal chemistry. Organic compounds of biological importance: Amino acids, peptides, proteins and carbohydrates. Physical Chemistry Elementary dimensional analysis and manipulation of chemical quantities. Introductory concepts in quantitative analysis. Spectroscopy. Fundamentals of chemical thermodynamics, including a general introduction to chemical equilibria. Acid-based equilibria, pH, buffers, carbonate equilibria and the importance of acid base equilibria in industrial, environmental and biological/physiological systems.

Learning Outcomes

• relate basic chemical principles and reactions to a range of scientific disciplines, including the biological, biomedical, earth and environmental sciences;
• apply simple laboratory techniques in chemistry;
• describe basic chemical principles and characteristic chemical reactions.

Subject Assessment

• end of semester exam (60%)
• laboratory work and reports (30%)
• assignments (10%).

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.