Undergraduate Course: Geochemistry Level 10 (CHEM10016)

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 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate)	Credits	20
Home subject area	Chemistry	Other subject area	None
Course website	None	Taught in Gaelic?	No
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.

Entry Requirements
Pre-requisites	Students MUST have passed: Chemistry 3A (CHEM09005) AND Chemistry 3B (CHEM09006) AND Chemistry 3P Practical and Transferable Skills (CHEM09007)	Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations	Students MUST NOT also be taking Geochemistry Level 11 (CHEM11018)	Other requirements	Must include a weighted average of Grade D or higher in Chemistry 3A and Chemistry 3B, at the first attempt and Mathematics qualifications of at least 20 credits to level Applicable Mathematics 1 and Mathematical Methods 1; or with the permission of Head of School.
Additional Costs	None

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	None
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?	Yes

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.
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours:Minutes	Stationery Requirements		Comments
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)			2:30	4 x 8 sides / graph		c/w U01226

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.
No Exam Information

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 2.5 hours. (Visiting Student Variant Assessment One degree exam of 2.5 hours at the end of Semester 1.)

Special Arrangements
None

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 3843 Email: r.filipiak@ed.ac.uk