Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2011-2012 (archived)
Module CHEM2031: STRUCTURE AND REACTIVITY IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Department: Chemistry
CHEM2031: STRUCTURE AND REACTIVITY IN ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
| Type | Open | Level | 2 | Credits | 20 | Availability | Available in 2011/12 | Module Cap | None. | Location | Durham |
|---|
Prerequisites
- Core Chemistry 1A (CHEM1012).
Corequisites
- Core Chemistry 2 (CHEM2012).
Excluded Combination of Modules
- None.
Aims
- To enhance understanding of the relationship between structure and reactivity (mechanisms) in organic compounds.
Content
- Physical organic chemistry.
- Ring chemistry and stereochemistry: small, normal and medium sized rings.
- Ring synthesis.
- Practical work.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- Rationalize the outcome of organic reactions by means of kinetics and isotopic labelling experiments.
- Apply kinetics to complex reaction schemes and use linear free energy relationships to predict reactivity.
- Rationalize the relative stabilities and properties of different sized organic ring systems and relate these to their ease of formation and corresponding methods of synthesis.
- Rationalize and describe the conformations of common ring systems and their effect upon reactivity.
- Rationalize and describe key aspects of the stereoelectronics of ring systems with particular reference to the anomeric effect and ring cyclization (Baldwin's rules).
Subject-specific Skills:
- Perform more complex experiments in organic chemistry.
Key Skills:
- Group working, encouraged and developed through tutorial teaching.
- Written communication, advanced through the use of essay type questions in lecture-support worksheets and laboratory reports.
- Problem-solving, developed through tutorial worksheets.
- Numerical skills acquired through calculations required in practical experiments and in the analysis of data collected in laboratory assignments.
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 the best method to assess the knowledge of the students.
- Tutorials are given to ensure that the students have grasped the concepts given in the lectures and to practice examples of problems. The work is formatively assessed.
- 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 organic 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 20 | 1 per week | 1 Hour | 20 | |
| Tutorials | 6 | 3 per term | 1 Hour | 6 | ■ |
| Workshops | 2 | 2 in Term 3 | 1.5 Hours | 3 | ■ |
| Practicals | 20 | 4 per week in Term 1 | 3 Hours | 60 | ■ |
| Preparation and Reading | 111 | ||||
| Total | 200 |
Summative Assessment
| Component: Examination | Component Weighting: 65% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Written examination | Two hours | 100% | Two hour written examination |
| Component: Laboratory Work | Component Weighting: 35% | ||
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| results of laboratory work | 100% | One hour written examination | |
Formative Assessment:
Set work in preparation for tutorials and workshops.
■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University