This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2010-2011 (archived)
Module CHEM3041: MOLECULES AND THEIR INTERACTIONS
Department: Chemistry
CHEM3041: MOLECULES AND THEIR INTERACTIONS
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 3 | 20 | Available in 2010/2011 | None. | Durham |
Pre-requisites
- Core Chemistry 2 (CHEM2012) AND Properties of Molecules (CHEM2041).
Corequisites
- Core Chemistry 3 (CHEM3012) OR, for students following the MSci in Chemistry and Mathematics or Chemistry and Physics (FGC0), Chemical Physics 3 (CHEM3411).
Excluded Combinations
- None
Aims
- To advance the knowledge of intermolecular interactions and electronic and vibrational spectroscopy.
Content
- Intermolecular forces: electrostatic; induction; dispersion; repulsion.
- Experimental methods.
- Molecular excited states: electronic spectroscopy, fluorescence and phosphorescence.
- Practical work.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- Explain the nature of intermolecular forces and their consequences for the properties of gas and liquids;
- use the equations for intermolecular forces in quantitative calculations;
- describe the theory behind rotation-vibration spectroscopy of polyatomic molecules, its applications and the experimental techniques involved;
- describe the principles behind electronic spectroscopy and the relaxation of excited states, and display a knowledge of the range of applications available within each technique.
Subject-specific Skills
- Perform and discuss advanced laboratory experiments.
Key Skills
- Problem solving, developed through small group teaching and study;
- information retrieval and scientific writing, exercised through assignments for workshops and accounts of laboratory work.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Lectures are used to convey concepts and are examined by written papers. This is thought to be the best method to assess the knowledge of the students.
- Workshops are larger groups of students where problems are considered and common difficulties shared. This ensures that students have understood the work and can apply it to real life situations. These are formatively assessed.
- Laboratory classes teach students techniques in various aspects of physical chemistry. They are continuously assessed so that the student can learn from one session to the next.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 21 | 1 per week | 1 Hour | 21 | |
| Practicals | 20 | 4 per week in Term 1 or 2 | 3 Hours | 60 | Yes |
| Workshops | 3 | 1 per Term | 1.5 Hours | 4.50 | Yes |
| Preparation and Reading | 114.50 | ||||
| Total | 200 |
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Examination | 65% | Written examination | Two hours | 100% | |
| Laboratory Work | 35% | results of laboratory work | 100% |
Formative Assessment
Set work for workshops.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.