Aims

The aim of this module is for:

• Students to learn to construct hypotheses, design experiments, evaluate data and report results.
They will learn to structure their work and reporting according to good practice and professional
convention.
• Build on the proficiency developed during Stage 1 Chemistry Laboratory Skills, introduce skills
with additional, more sophisticated techniques of chemical analysis and train students in the
appropriate handling of scientific data.
• Teach students to plan experimental controls in response to safety information drawn from
multiple sources.
• Build on the proficiency developed during Stage 1 Chemistry Laboratory Skills, and to teach
students to perform experimental procedures that required more advanced manipulative skills.
• Provide a “hands-on”, contextualised, tangible perspective on chemical concepts taught elsewhere
in the curriculum.

Outline Of Syllabus

This module trains chemical laboratory skills that are important in the chemical industry and in many other sectors of employment. The key skills taught span the sub-disciplines of physical, organic, inorganic and medicinal chemistry. The module provides a tangible, “hands-on” contextualisation of topics encountered elsewhere in Newcastle chemistry degrees. This module presents students with greater challenges than the Stage 1 Chemical Laboratory Skills module while offering training with more advanced apparatus and instrumentation.

Students learn to structure results and analysis within scientific reports. They learn techniques that allow anhydrous experiments to be performed. Students develop strong familiarity with apparatus including flasks, pipettes, balances and burettes. They frequently use common analytical techniques (spectroscopy, chromatography, melting point) and become familiar with their advantages and limitations. The experiments that students undertake may vary from year-to-year while providing contextualisation of material taught within the Stage 2 Organic, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry modules.

The syllabus includes;
• laboratory and safety awareness
• anhydrous and non-anhydrous experimental techniques
• multi-step experiments that require chemical separations, purifications or syntheses
to be repeated.
• a wide variety of chemical analysis techniques where multiple data sources may be available
to test hypotheses.
• interpretation of infrared, UV-Visible and fluorescence spectra that may involve graphical
or numerical analysis.
• spectroscopic and electrochemical probes of chemical reactions.
• calibration and data handling.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Practicals are designed to introduce the students to the theory behind the experimental protocol, to discuss and analyse the data collected during the experiments and the techniques and skills used. Practicals will reinforce elements of the lectures and extend the practical techniques and experience that the students gained in Stage 1.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Assessment of laboratory practicals will be summatively assessed through the completion of practical reports. These are designed to examine the student’s ability to present scientific information and data in a concise way while following a specific presentation format. Students will be expected to present notes of their practical work in their laboratory notebooks and use these notes to complete the summative and formative exercises.

The practical reports will assess the students’ ability to plan and carry out experimental work within the laboratory setting, and accurately record, analyse and report scientific data. In producing the report, students will need to demonstrate their use of taught practical skills, and appropriate reporting and interpretation of data.