Learning objectives
At the end of the course the students are expected to have acquired knowledge and understanding of General and Inorganic Chemistry concepts that will allow them to interpret the biological phenomena at molecular level.
In particular, with reference to the Dublin Indicators, the student at the end of the course will have pursued and obtained the underreported targets.
Knowledge and understanding: the student will know the fundamental concepts of chemistry necessary to interpret at molecular level the biological phenomena.
Application of knowledge and understanding: the student will be able to apply the techniques learned during the lectures in calculations and will be able to tackle the most common chemical problems.
Communication skills: the student will be able to express using a correct formal language, verbally and in writing, chemical concepts and ideas.
Making judgements: with the intellectual tools provided in the course, the student will be able to use the principles of mass and charge conservation, to predict the molecular shape and the properties of molecules, and to analyse chemical reactions based on thermodynamic and kinetic considerations.
Learning skills: at the end of the course the students should have acquired the basic concepts of chemistry and should be able to study by themselves without problems on advanced level chemistry texts and be able to expand, with a good level of independence, their knoweldge in the field.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
The course is made up of 9 ECTS, 7 of which devoted to the theoretical part and 2 to stoichiometry.
The lectures are divided into four Units:
Unit 1: Atomic-molecular Theory
The chemical tools. Atoms and elements. Compounds and molecules. Chemical reactions: an introduction. Reactions in water solutions. Thermochemistry.
Unit 2: Atomic structure and the chemical bondAtomic and molecular structure. Structure of the atom. Electronic configuration of atoms and periodic properties. Basic concepts on the chemical bond and on the molecular structure. – Further concepts on the chemical bond: orbital hybridization, molecular orbital theory and metallic bond.
Unit 3: Thermodynamics
The states of aggregation: gases and their behaviour. Intermolecular forces: liquids and solids. Solutions and their behaviour. The control of chemical reactions: thermodynamic and kinetic aspects. The principles of thermodynamics and their implications in a chemical context. Spontaneity of the chemical reactions. Enthropy and free energy. Chemical equilibrium. The chemistry of acids and bases. Buffer systems. Precipitation reactions. Thermodynamics of redox reactions. Electrochemistry.
Unit 4: Kinetics
Rates and mechanisms of chemical reactions – Chemistry of the elements and of their compounds: the s and p blocks and the transition elements of biological relevance.
The stoichiometry part includes:
Writing a chemical formula from the name of a compound and vice versa.
Balancing chemical reactions.
The concept of mole and its use.
Redox reactions. Equivalent weight. Normality.
Principles of volumetric analysis.
Equilibria in solution: calculation of the pH of various kinds of solutions.
Buffer solutions.
Hydrolysis.
Full programme
Atomic theory
Atoms and elements - Compounds and molecules - Nomenclature of Inorganic Compounds - Chemical reactions: an overview - Reactions in aqueous solution
Atomic and molecular structure
The structure of the atom - Electronic configuration of atoms and periodicity - Basics on molecular structure and chemical bonding: Lewis and VSEPR theory, VB theory (hybridization) and MO theory (application with homo- and heteronuclear diatomic molecules)
Thermodynamics
States of matter - Gases and their behaviour - Intermolecular forces - Thermodynamics: the principles of thermodynamics and their implications in chemistry - Thermochemistry - The spontaneity of chemical reactions: entropy and Gibbs free energy - Equilibrium: general concepts - The chemistry of weak acids and bases - Buffer solutions - Solubility
Kinetics
Reaction rate - kinetic equations - Reaction order - Arrhenius equation - Activated complex theory - Mechanisms in Chemical Reactions -
Tutorials
Stoichiometry. Balancing chemical reactions. Limiting reagent. Principles of volumetric analysis. Equilibria in solution. Calculation of pH in solutions of weak acids and bases. Buffer solutions. Calculations of solubility.
Bibliography
Overby-Chang Introduzione alla Chimica Generale McGraw-Hill, Milano 2022
Students who have problems with stoichiometry are advised to refer to the following texts:
Nivaldo J. Tro Introduzione alla chimica 6/Ed. Pearson, 2018
Maurizio Bruschi Stechiometria e laboratorio di chimica generale. Eserciziario 2/Ed. Pearson, 2018
Teaching methods
The lessons are designed to be held in the classroom. The classrooms are large enough to host all the students according to ministerial safety rules.
Nevertheless, to facilitate those who may not be able to attend physically, there will also be the possibility to attend live streaming the lessons via Teams or to watch the recording. The recorded lessons will be available on the platform Elly only for a few days after the live lecture.
It is worth noticing that the course is based on live lectures and that, if there will be technical problems, these will not interfere with the programmed schedule. The material presented during the lessons will be available online at the site http://elly2020.scvsa.unipr.it/.
During the lectures questions concerning the subject under discussion will be posed and students are incouraged to intervene or ask further questions.
Assessment methods and criteria
The acquired knowledge and comprehension of the concepts taught in the course will be verified through a final written test (2 hours) made up of 13 open questions of which:
1. Four questions about the atomic and molecular theory (10 points)
2. Three questions about the chemical bond theory (6 points)
3. Four questions about chemical thermodynamics (10 points)
4. Two questions about chemical kinetics (4 points)
The exam is passed only if the student has gathered at least 18 points and has obtained for each question at least half of the associated points. If besides having answered all the questions, the test is properly written with full mastery of the technical language, the student is assigned 30 e lode.
If at the end of the course there will still be an emergency situation, the exam will be held through the Teams application and it will have the same structure of the written test.
Other information
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2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
The teaching of general and inorganic chemistry can have a significant impact on the achievement of various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Here are some examples of how the teaching of these disciplines can contribute to the SDGs:
SDG 2 - Zero Hunger: Teaching general and inorganic chemistry can help understand the chemical properties and processes related to sustainable agriculture, such as responsible use of fertilizers and understanding soil chemistry to enhance agricultural productivity.
SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being: General and inorganic chemistry is fundamental in understanding the structure and properties of chemical compounds used in the medical field, including drugs and diagnostic agents. Teaching these disciplines can promote a deeper understanding of drug mechanisms and interactions between chemical compounds and the human body.
SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy: Teaching general and inorganic chemistry can cover topics such as energy production and efficiency, chemistry of materials for solar cells and batteries, as well as chemistry of clean energy production processes like hydrogen.
SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: General and inorganic chemistry provides the foundations for the development of innovative materials and more efficient chemical processes. This can contribute to industrial innovation and the creation of sustainable infrastructure.
SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production: Teaching general and inorganic chemistry can promote understanding of green chemistry principles, including more sustainable chemical synthesis processes, reduction of chemical waste, and responsible resource utilization.
SDG 13 - Climate Action: General and inorganic chemistry can provide essential knowledge about chemical reactions impacting the climate and technologies for greenhouse gas mitigation. This can contribute to climate action and the pursuit of sustainable solutions to address climate change.
In summary, the teaching of general and inorganic chemistry can provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to address the challenges related to the SDGs, promoting innovation, sustainability, and the achievement of sustainable development goals.
