BSc Chemistry / Course details

All Year 1 and 2 core modules

The over-arching aims of these modules is to prepare students for a professional or research career in Chemistry by expanding core chemistry knowledge into advanced, research-based topics to provide a wider and deeper understanding of particular areas of chemistry.

The key aims of each of the segments are:

Structure Determination of Organic Compounds – to provide students with the practical skills needed to elucidate the structure of organic molecules by interpreting spectroscopic data.

Porous MOFs - to introduce students to porous metal-organic frameworks.

Biocatalysis by Organic Cofactors – to introduces students to organic (bio)chemistry as catalysed by organic cofactors, exploring the link between the catalyst structure and biological function.

Advanced Separations - to develop an understanding of how the principles and methods of advanced separation science and mass spectrometry are applied in modern analytical chemistry.

Electronic Structure Theory – to equip students with a more detailed knowledge of the principles, derivations and some applications of electronic structure calculations. In general, an appreciation is cultivated for the ideas and algorithm behind practical ab initio calculations carried out by widely available computer programs (e.g. GAUSSIAN).

EPR Spectroscopy – to introduce students to electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.

On successful completion of the course students should be able to:
Structure Determination of Organic Compounds:
•Identify and classify the spin system of complex organic molecules using Pople notation.
•Interpret spectroscopic data of complex organic molecules.
•Collect and combine all the information extracted from spectra to elucidate the structure of complex organic molecules.
•Explain the structure assignment of an organic molecule from spectra.

Porous MOFs:
•Revision of metal-ligand coordination chemistry and explore their application in the assembly of extended “infinite” framework structures.
•Understand the concept of coordination geometry for multiple nuclear metal clusters and analysis of structural connectivity.
•Introduction of new advanced analytic methods for solid materials. Explore neutron scattering and to understand the key difference between X-ray and neutron scattering.
•Understand the basic principle of thermal analysis and calculate TGA plots and interpret its application in solid state chemistry.
•Introduction of gas adsorption in porous materials and to understand the gas-substrates interaction at the solid-gas interface. To explore different types of adsorption isotherms and their corresponding physical chemistry and correlation to the pore structure of the materials. 
•construct the link between “gas adsorption” and “structure of MOFs” aiming to explore the solution to a series of existing problems in the society.

Biocatalysis by organic cofactors: 
•Describe the role of organic cofactors in biocatalysis and identify various cofactors based on their structure
•Explain how the structure of organic cofactors is tailored to the corresponding biocatalytic function
•Evaluate the effect(s) on protein binding and/or biocatalytic function of cofactor structure modifications 
• Rationalise the component steps in mechanisms of covalent catalysis by PLP/TPP and highlight aspects under enzyme control
Rationalise the components steps in redox mechanisms catalysed by FAD/FMN/NAD(P)H and highlight aspects under enzyme control

Advanced Separations:
•Reflect on the challenges in determining complex multi-component systems
•Describe the principles of advanced separation science and mass spectrometry techniques to obtain experimental measurements in the most challenging analytical tasks
•Explain and justify the configuration and design principles of advanced instrumentation for the above techniques.
•Evaluate the strengths and limitations of the above techniques and argue how they can be used in combination to meet analytical challenges
•Construct appropriate analytical strategies for a variety of chemical and biological problems.

Electronic Structure Theory:
•Understand the basic ideas behind the Hartree-Fock method.
•Explain and apply the Hückel method.
•Construct explicit Hamiltonians for given systems.
•Understand the basic ideas behind Density Functional Theory.
•Explain in detail the symbol for a Gaussian basis set.
•Explain key mathematical formulae.
•Describe the practical performance of HF.

EPR Spectroscopy:
•Describe: the basics of the EPR experiment, the resonance condition, the effect of sample phase and orientation
•Explain: anisotropy, single orientation spectra, powder spectra, road maps and symmetry in EPR
•Apply: spin-Hamiltonian parameters, nuclear properties and spin density distribution to interpret or to predict EPR spectra
•Calculate: g- and A-values from spectra, interconversion of units for hyperfine coupling, isotropic EPR parameters from anisotropic ones
•Construct: EPR spectra from spin-Ham