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MChem Chemistry with Industrial Experience / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

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Course unit details:
Core Chemistry 1 (Distance Learning)

Course unit fact file
Unit code	CHEM31411
Credit rating	10
Unit level	Level 3
Teaching period(s)	Semester 1
Offered by	Department of Chemistry
Available as a free choice unit?	No

Overview

This course unit detail provides the framework for delivery in 21/22 and may be subject to change due to any additional Covid-19 impact.

Stereoselective Synthesis (Dr Nathan Owston, 8 lectures)

• Diastereoselectivity in ring systems and acyclic systems: conformational analysis and models

• Asymmetric synthesis: Chiral pool, auxiliaries, chiral reagents, catalysis, resolution.

• Stereoselective reactions in modern organic synthesis

Reactive Intermediates (Dr Roger Whitehead, 8 lectures)

• Introduction to Reactive Intermediates

• What are radicals, carbenes, nitrenes, arynes?

• Carbon-centred radicals structure and generation

• Traditional and modern synthetic applications of C-centred radicals

Pericyclic Reactions (Dr Daniele Leonori, 8 lectures)

• Introduction to pericyclic reactions • Thermal cycloaddition reactions: Diels-Alder and dipolar cycloadditions – Molecular orbital analysis and stereochemical analysis

• Photochemical cycloaddition reactions – Molecular orbital analysis and stereochemical analysis

• Electrocyclic reactions stereochemistry of ring-opening and ring-closing – Molecular orbital analysis and stereochemical analysis

• Sigmatropic rearrangements Cope and Claisen rearrangements – Molecular orbital analysis and stereochemical analysis

Aims

The unit aims to develop further understanding of synthetic and mechanistic organic chemistry with emphasis on reactive intermediates and elements of stereochemistry.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course students should be able to:

Apply knowledge of molecular structure, reactivity and stereochemistry to both rationalise and predict the stereochemical outcome of chemical reactions

Evaluate and propose strategies for the synthesis of complex molecules which include stereoselective reactions.

Describe the various types of reactive intermediates that are of importance in organic chemistry and explain the physical properties and chemical reactivity of such species;

Describe the factors that influence the structure, stability and reactivity of different radical species and explain the outcome of important reaction processes;

Describe the various reaction types undergone by synthetically useful free radicals;

Predict and rationalise the outcome of unseen transformations involving reactive intermediates;

Understand the fundamental of molecular orbital analysis in pericyclic reactions;

Be able to rationalise the stereochemical outcome of pericyclic reactions;

Teaching and learning methods

This distance learning version of CHEM30412 is supported by online materials which students are invited to work through in their own time. Tutorial problem sheets will be made available for each section of the course, to aid learning and understanding.

Transferable skills and personal qualities

Enhance transferable skills in the areas of problem solving and analysis

Assessment methods

Method	Weight
Written exam	100%

Feedback methods

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Assessment written exam	2
Lectures	24
Practical classes & workshops	2
Tutorials	3

Independent study hours
Independent study	69

Teaching staff

Staff member	Role
Daniele Leonori	Unit coordinator

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