Chemistry 1A (Special Studies Program)
The order of topics presented here is essentially the order of presentation in the lecture course, although individual lecturers may make some variations from this. Some topics span more than one week.
Jump to week <1> <2> <3> <4> <5> <6> <7> <8> <9> <10> <11> <12> <13>
Week |
Topics covered |
Introduction
- administrative matters
- overview of course
Nuclear & Radiation Chemistry
- nucleons, nuclides and isotopes
- fusion
- natural radioactivity
- 4 decay processes
- nuclear stability
- kinetics of decay
- carbon dating |
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Nuclear & Radiation Chemistry (continued)
- biological damage
- medical imaging
Periodic Table and the Periodic Trends
Wave Theory of Electrons and Resulting Atomic Energy Levels |
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Shape of Atomic Orbitals and Quantum Numbers
Filling Energy Levels in Atoms Larger than Hydrogen
Atomic Electronic Spectroscopy
- elemental analysis
- atomic absorbance and emission
- relative independence of core electrons to bonding
- x-ray fluorescence
- generation of x-rays |
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Material Properties (Polymers, Liquid Crystals, Metals, Ceramics)
- electrical conductivity
- colour
- strength
Bonding in H2 - MO theory
- energy levels
- the sigma orbital/bond
- stability due to electron delocalization
Bonding in O2, N2, C2H2, C2H4and CH2O
- pi orbitals
- non-bonding orbitals (lone pairs)
- O3 and UV absorption |
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Band Theory - MO in Solids
- conductivity in metals
- semi conductors and insulators
Polar Bonds Ionic Bonding
- as a limiting case of MO theory
- lattice energies
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Lewis Structures
- as a simple approx. to MO theory
- octet rule
VSEPR - molecular shape
- application to larger molecules including organic molecules
- shape and bonding of common functional groups |
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Liquid Crystals
- packing determined by shape (nematic, smectic, cholesteric liquid crystals)
Gas Laws
- effects of temperature and pressure on volume
- ideal gas law
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Thermochemistry
- heat and temperature
- greenhouse effect
- kinetic and potential energy
First & Second Law of Thermodynamics - heat capacity
- enthalpy
- enthalpy change in a reaction (endo- and exothermic)
- enthalpy as a state function
- Hess's Law
- heat of formation
- introduction to entropy
- CO2 /energy release from fuels
- use of H2 as an alternative fuel
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Oxidation Numbers
Nitrogen Chemistry & Compounds
- high explosives
- nitrogen biocycle, nitrification and denitrification
- hydrides, halides, oxides, oxoacids
Nitrogen in the Atmosphere - NO/NO2 cycle
- formation of pollutants
- global warming
Chemical Equilibrium
- equilibrium as a dynamic process
- the equilibrium constant
- the reaction quotient
- predicting direction of chemical change
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Chemical Equilibrium continued
- introduce particular equilibrium constants
- Kp and partial pressures
- Kc and units of concentration
- Ksp
- Ka and Kb; pKa and pKb
- equilibrium calculations
- Le Chatelier’s principle
Equilibrium and Thermochemistry in Industrial Processes Mining
- general principles
- example: Mining of copper
- example: The Steel Story
Top 10 chemicals produced in the world:
- special example, sulfuric acid , ammonia
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| Electrochemistry voltaic or galvanic cells
-using half-reactions -table of standard reduction potentials Effect of concentration effect of concentration -Nernst equation -link between E and K -concentration cells Electrochemistry (Batteries & Corrosion) - difference between primary and secondary batteries - how common batteries work? - fuel cells and how they work - corrosion and corrosion protection |
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Electrolytic Cells
- how does electrolysis work?
- concept of overpotential
- chlor-alkali process (H2, NaOH, Cl2 from seawater)
Types of Intermolecular Forces - dispersion forces
- Hydrogen bonding
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Polymers and the Macromolecular Consequences of Intermolecular Forces - synthetic polymers - biopolymers |
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TextbookBlackman, Bottle, Schmid, Mocerino and Wille, |