MChem Chemistry with International Study

The course unit aims to provide:

• an understanding of the nature and properties of the atomic nucleus
• knowledge of the chemistry of the actinide elements, particularly electronic and molecular structure of actinide species
• an explanation of the origins of the chemical elements and their abundances, including the physical mechanisms and the relationships to the life cycles of stars.

• Understand simple models of the atomic nucleus and their relevance to physical properties.
• Explain the origins of the chemical elements and their universal abundances, and relate element production to the life cycle of stars and the nuclear reactions that take place in them.
• Understand the role of nuclear power in the context of zero carbon
• Understand the interaction of radiation with matter and the methods of radiation detection
• Understand the causes of criticality incidents and how to prevent them
• Understand the electronic structure and chemistry of the actinide elements and salient features of their chemistry.

Unseen Examination: 1 hour 45 mins

Students should be able to:

• Understand the basic concepts of radiochemistry
• Combine the basic principles of relevant physics and chemistry

Nucleosynthesis: There is a workshop session at the end of the nucleosythesis section, where the students can attempt and receive feedback on questions.

The atomic nucleus: Students attempt past paper questions, and these are then worked through in a workshop

Interactions of radiation with matter: The last lectures are interspersed with problems and questions to go through questions that were set during the course.

Optical spectroscopy of lanthanides and actinides: The lectures are interspersed with problems and questions to go through alongside workshop/examples sessions and past paper questions with feedback provided.