Undergraduate Course: Geochemistry Level 11 (CHEM11018)
Course Outline
| School |
School of Chemistry |
College |
College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 11 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Credits |
20 |
| Home subject area |
Chemistry |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None |
|
|
| Course description |
A lecture course covering topics on the general theme of geochemistry. The course comprises individual lecture courses on: Environmental Radioactivity (the biogeochemical processes affecting the occurrence and environmental distribution of natural and man-made radionuclides, and the nuclear fuel cycle and radioactive waste disposal), Biogeochemical Speciation (examination of the influence of elemental speciation upon the movement, transformation and toxicity of chemicals in the aquatic and terrestrial environments and in the human body), and Soil and Aquatic Chemistry (the nature and properties of mineral and organic components in soils, sediments and environmental aqueous media, and the processes that influence the behaviour of metals and organic contaminants in these media). Either the Level 10 or Level 11 version of this course (as specified in the degree programme tables) is a compulsory requirement for Year 4/5 students on degrees in Chemistry with Environmental Chemistry, but can be taken by Year 4/5 students on any Chemistry degree programme. |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: No |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | | 11:10 - 12:00 | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | 11:10 - 12:00 | | | | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | 11:10 - 12:00 | | |
| First Class |
Week 1, Tuesday, 11:10 - 12:00, Zone: King's Buildings. Lecture Theatre 40, Joseph Black Building |
| Additional information |
30 hours lectures + 6 hours tutorials, at times arranged. |
|
| Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 1, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)
|
WebCT enabled: No |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | 11:10 - 12:00 | | | | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | 11:10 - 12:00 | | | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | | 11:10 - 12:00 |
| First Class |
Week 1, Tuesday, 11:10 - 12:00, Zone: King's Buildings. Lecture Theatre 40, Joseph Black Building |
| Additional information |
30 hours lectures + 6 hours tutorials, at times arranged. |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course students will be able to:
- assess and predict the likely speciation, behaviour and effects of certain elements (for example arsenic, selenium, chromium and aluminium) under a range of conditions in the environment and in humans.
- account for the distribution of natural and manmade radionuclides in the environment
- outline the use of radionuclides as tracers of environmental processes
- discuss the scientific issues surrounding disposal of low- and high-level radioactive waste
- describe in detail the nature, properties and evolution of soils and sediments
- predict and rationalise the distribution and behaviour of metal and organic contaminants in soils and sediments
- understand the chemical equilibrium approach to speciation in aquatic systems and interpret speciation diagrams
|
Assessment Information
One degree exam of 3 hours.
(Visiting Student Variant Assessment
One degree exam of 3 hours at the end of Semester 1.) |
| Please see Visiting Student Prospectus website for Visiting Student Assessment information |
Special Arrangements
| Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Dr Mathew Heal
Tel: (0131 6)50 4764
Email: M.Heal@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Ms Rosie Filipiak
Tel: (0131 6)50 4707
Email: r.filipiak@ed.ac.uk |
|
copyright 2010 The University of Edinburgh -
1 September 2010 5:42 am
|
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