Undergraduate Course: Chemistry 1A (CHEM08016)
Course Outline
| School | School of Chemistry |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The Chemistry 1A and 1B courses (each 20 credits) 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 a basic training in the essential laboratory skills for practical chemistry. The courses consist of lectures, tutorials, on-line quizzes, laboratory experiments, and workshops 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; Models of Bonding; Acids, Bases, and Equilibria; Structure and Reactivity of Organic Molecules; Spectroscopy; NMR Analysis; Fundamental Organic Reactions.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | This is a first-year course; students are expected to have an academic profile equivalent to our entrance requirements. The required subjects for this course are an equivalent to Scottish Higher Mathematics at A and Chemistry. Students are also expected to have a good understanding and interest in chemistry (inorganic, organic, physical, analytical methods, and/or sustainable chemistry). |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 202 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 36,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 9,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 24,
Online Activities 12,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Formative Assessment Hours 12,
Summative Assessment Hours 5,
Revision Session Hours 6,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
91 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Exam: 60%
Coursework (individual lab reports): 40%
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| Feedback |
Feedback will be provided through four major channels:
Tutorials:
There will be six tutorial sessions per semester with questions on lecture materials to work through - you will be asked to prepare some questions before each tutorial. Although these are not marked, you should always attempt the questions in advance as they are a good self-check on how well you have understood the lecture materials. Use the tutorials to ask questions and clear up any difficulties you have with a particular topic.
Quizzes (multiple-choice; online):
There are online quizzes (multiple-choice) to help students structure their learning and consolidate their knowledge/understanding. These quizzes are 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.
Experiments:
Each lab report will be assessed within one week (including a written feedback), and you will have a chance to discuss any mark/feedback/comments on your report with your demonstrator; so you can learn from these and improve future reports. During the experiments, you will be supervised by a demonstrator who will be available to provide feedback on your practical performance.
Workshops:
You will be provided with feedback on your performance in the various workshops, and you will have a chance to discuss any mark/feedback/comments on your assessed assignment during the following lab session.
Towards the end of the course you will also be given the opportunity to provide us with feedback regarding all aspects of the course.
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| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Chemistry 1A | 180 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | Chemistry 1A | 180 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Appreciate how to build knowledge in chemistry through an increased awareness of the effectiveness of different modes of teaching and learning.
- Understand, describe, and account for: the fundamental principles of atomic structure and the periodic table; various modes bonding (including valence bond and molecular orbital theories); comprehensition of acid/base fundamental knowledge including equlibria; understanding of the structure, constitution, conformation, and configuration of organic molecules; spectroscopic characterisation involving UV/vis, IR, and NMR spectroscopies; the concept of organic reaction mechanisms.
- Participate in small-group discussions in laboratory, workshop, and tutorial settings.
- Exploit data sets using suitable softwares to formulate meaningful scientific arguments.
- 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 lab reports.
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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. During six of the eleven semester weeks, you will also have a one 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 two 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. |
| Keywords | C1A,chemistry,introduction |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Uwe Schneider
Tel:
Email: Uwe.Schneider@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Rob Hutchinson
Tel:
Email: robert.hutchinson@ed.ac.uk |
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