General Practical Chemistry I

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Interpret information to carry out basic planning and decision making in experimental work
• Relate experimental discoveries to theoretical understanding and present conclusions in a range of formats
• Interpret multiple types of collected data to solve chemical problems

Lab skills to be developed

• Plan (work flow) and carry out preparative and analytical procedures inc workup with minimal guidance where explained previously
• Make decisions on what quantities, equipment, solvents etc to use in synthesis
• Design, make and record accurate measurements
• Choose the right spectroscopic technique to apply to a problem then collect and process spectra and other data correctly
• Calibrate an instrument, plot calibration data and determine errors
• Separation on a column with TLC used to guide solvent choice
• Make a (guided) decision about what Python library to use, then use it to carry out a Hückel MO calculation and visualise orbitals

Information and data skills

• Risk assessments from materials safety data sheets covering chemical and non-chemical hazards
• Design aspects of an experimental procedure with guidance from/discussion with staff
• Suggest formulae relevant to an experiment and experiments to test those formulae
• Present data correctly and where appropriate apply error analysis without a specific instruction to do so
• Use theory knowledge to carry out spectral interpretation beyond comparison with tables, e.g. NMR splitting patterns and consideration of shifts in IR peak positions
• Bring spectroscopic data together to identify compounds
• Compare data or procedures with those found in the literature and reference the sources properly
• Use databases such as Reaxsis, Web of Science or Scifinder to find a scientific paper and use it to extract specific information

Personal and written skills

• Plan timing of experimental sessions where tasks cannot be carried out sequentially, working with others to manage access to shared equipment
• High level reporting in a range of forms inc concise reports, posters, presentations and effective brief data analysis reports
• Choose appropriate formats to present data with minimal guidance
• Undertake employability training to understand the process of applying for placements and/or eventual employment

Practical sessions, supported by pre-labs and some written assignments. This module formally carries zero effort since that is attributed to the three accompanying theory modules (3 x 45 h). Employability sessions organised with careers.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.