THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Chemistry : Chemistry

Undergraduate Course: Chemistry 1A (CHEM08016)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Chemistry CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe Chemistry 1A and 1B 20-point courses together provide the first year course for students taking chemistry-based degrees. They also serve as a foundation in chemistry for other physical science students. These courses are designed to take students with diverse backgrounds and provide them with thorough grounding in the fundamentals of chemistry and provide a basic training in the essential laboratory skills for practical chemistry.

The courses consist of lectures, tutorials, workshops and laboratory classes in inorganic, organic and physical chemistry.
Course description This course provides an introduction to Chemistry and covers the basics of the following topics: Atoms, Molecules, and the Periodic Table; Bonding and Molecular Orbital Theory; Fundamental Organic Reactions; NMR Lectorials; Spectroscopy; Structure and Reactivity of Organic Molecules; Thermochemistry.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking Introductory Chemistry for Biologists (CHEM07001) OR Biological Chemistry 1A (CHEM08022) OR Chemistry for Chemical Engineers 1A (CHEM08028)
Other requirements The pre-requisites for this course are the specified entrance requirements for first year of the Chemistry degree programmes.
Additional Costs Purchase of a laboratory coat.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  202
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 40, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 12, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 30, Online Activities 12, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1, Summative Assessment Hours 5, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 96 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 60 %, Coursework 5 %, Practical Exam 35 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Exam 60%; Practical Examination (Labs/workshops) 35%; Coursework (NMR workshop) 5%
Feedback Feedback will be provided through four major channels:

Tutorials:
Each week there is a tutorial with some questions to work through. They are a good self-check on how well you have understood the material from the lectures. Use the tutorial to ask questions and clear up any difficulties you have with a particular topic.

Weekly Quizzes:
To help students structure their learning there is a weekly quiz; these are run through LEARN. The quizzes are designed to act as a bridge between School and University in that they give you an idea of the work that needs to be done throughout the semester. This is a formative learning exercise (not assessed, but hugely beneficial in view of the written exams) where you can have multiple attempts at the questions and receive feedback on where you have gone wrong.

Laboratories:
Each lab report you complete will be returned at your next lab session and you will have the chance to discuss any comments on your report with your demonstrator so you can learn from these and improve future reports. During the laboratory sessions you will be supervised by a demonstrator who will be available to provide feedback on your practical performance.

Workshop:
You will be provided with feedback on the workshop and you will have a chance to discuss any comments on your marked exercise during the laboratory session in the following week.

Towards the end of the course you will also be given the opportunity to provide us with feedback regarding all aspects of the course.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)Chemistry 1A3:180
Resit Exam Diet (August)Chemistry 1A3:180
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Appreciate how to build knowledge in chemistry through an increased awareness of the effectiveness of different modes of teaching and learning.
  2. Understand, describe and account for: the fundamental principles of atomic structure and the periodic table; bonding and molecular orbital theory; understanding of the constitution, structure and stereochemistry of organic molecules; spectroscopic characterisation involving UV/vis, IR and NMR spectroscopies; the concept of organic reaction mechanisms; the principles of thermodynamics.
  3. Participate in small group discussions both in a laboratory and in a tutorial setting.
  4. Use data sets using suitable software to formulate meaningful scientific arguments.
  5. Use laboratory equipment under supervision in a safe manner in order to perform simple synthetic procedures and spectroscopic characterisations, and write clearly structured, word-processed laboratory reports.
Reading List
Required Reading:
The following three texts are the recommended text books for Chemistry 1, Chemistry 2, Chemistry 3 and Chemistry 4/5
Inorganic Chemistry 6th Edition, Weller, Overton, Rourke, and Armstrong, ISBN 978-0-19-964182-6
Atkins' Physical Chemistry 10th Edition, Atkins and De Paula, ISBN 978-0199543373
Organic Chemistry, Clayden, Greeves, Warren, ISBN 978-0198503460
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills 1. Data analysis and processing skills, including using the Origin 9 software (laboratory)
2. Written communication skills (laboratory)
3. Ability to work in teams (laboratory)
4. Note-taking skills in lectures
Additional Class Delivery Information You will have four hours of lectures per week. You will also have a 1 hour tutorial which will happen on Mo 1400-1700 OR Th 1400-1700 at King's Buildings.
In addition, you will have three hours per week of laboratory/workshop classes starting in week 2 of the first semester. The laboratory classes will be held in the Teaching Laboratory 3.03 in the Nucleus Building, King's Buildings on Tuesday mornings (9am-12pm) OR Tuesday afternoons (2pm-5pm) OR Wednesday afternoons (2pm-5pm) OR Friday afternoons (2pm-5pm). For these classes you will be required to prepare by reading the laboratory manual beforehand as well as answer a number of online pre-lab questions.
KeywordsC1A,chemistry,introduction
Contacts
Course organiserDr Uwe Schneider
Tel: (0131 6)50 4718
Email: Uwe.Schneider@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Rob Hutchinson
Tel:
Email: robert.hutchinson@ed.ac.uk
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