Module CHEM1131: Chemical Systems & Change: Structure & Dynamics

Department: Chemistry

CHEM1131: Chemical Systems & Change: Structure & Dynamics

Type	Level	Credits	Availability	Module Cap	Location
Open	1	20	Available in 2026/2027		Durham

Pre-requisites

A-level or equivalent in Chemistry AND Mathematics.

Corequisites

Foundations of Chemistry: Atoms, Bonding & Energetics (CHEM1032).

Excluded Combinations

None

Aims

To introduce and reinforce background material in cognate subject areas that are of central importance to material taught in later chemistry modules.

Content

Units and dimensions. Conventions and handling thereof.
Qualitative Inorganic chemistry, redox equations and problem solving.
Coordination chemistry. Isomerism, nomenclature and stability of complexes.
Hard and soft acids and bases. Introduction to crystal field theory.
Background material and skills in physics, and chemical biology that are of central importance to material covered in other Chemistry modules.
The structures of amino acids, nucleotides, proteins, sugars, enzymes. Cell structure.
Applied spectroscopy. NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry; molecular structure analysis by NMR and IR spectroscopies and mass spectrometry.
Organic chemistry concepts and applications pertaining to synthesis and manipulation of functional groups.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge

Methods to balance redox equations and solve inorganic chemical problems.
To describe the stability of transition metal complexes and determine possible isomers of transition metal complexes.
To determine the co-ordination geometries of simple inorganic and organic molecules and ions and account for the bonding in them.
Knowledge of the structures and properties of biomolecules and cell organisation.
To describe, including the use of curly arrows, the fundamental organic reaction mechanisms of nucleophilic addition and substitution at carbonyl groups and apply this understanding to simple transformations.
To be able to deduce the structure of simple organic species from NMR, IR and mass spectrometry spectra.

Subject-specific Skills

Solve chemical problems.
Develop mathematical solutions to basic chemical problems.

Key Skills

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
Lectures deliver subject-specific knowledge.
Tutorials and revision classes give enhancement of the student learning experience.
Self-directed study, through reading lecture notes and textbooks, and practising questions, develops subject-specific knowledge and self-motivation.
On campus written examination demonstrates achievement of the appropriate level of subject-specific knowledge.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total Hours	Attendance Monitored
Lectures	32	2 per week	1 hour	32
Tutorials	9	1 every second week	1 hour	9	Yes
Workshops	3	3 in term 3	2 hours	6
Revision Classes	6	4 in term 1 and 2 in term 2	1 hour	6
Preparation and Reading				147
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Component	Component Weighting	Element	Length/Duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Examination	100%	On Campus Written Examination	2 hours	100%

Formative Assessment

Set work in preparation for tutorials.

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.