Unit information: Advanced Practical Chemistry (Teaching Laboratory) in 2014/15

Unit name	Advanced Practical Chemistry (Teaching Laboratory)
Unit code	CHEM30005
Credit points	40
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Professor. Wyatt
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	CHEM20170, CHEM20180, CHEM20190, CHEM20480 or CHEM20220
Co-requisites	CHEM30890,CHEM30880,CHEM30870/75
School/department	School of Chemistry
Faculty	Faculty of Science

Description including Unit Aims

This unit develops the practical chemistry skills introduced in CHEM 20480 or CHEM20220 to expand that essential base of practical chemistry into this more advanced level of study. The unit covers the main areas of chemistry with experiments based on inorganic, materials, organic, biological, physical, theoretical and analytical chemistry.

Aims: The unit provides training in practical chemistry and literature research in preparation for a research project, a career as a professional chemist, or in an area of employment requiring the skills of scientific reasoning, critical evaluation and numeracy. This course aims to provide an advanced understanding and knowledge of the main areas of practical chemistry, reinforcing and building on year 2 material and laying the basis to enable progress to independent laboratory work in later years. Students face challenging experiments, learn to research and choose appropriate techniques for a given problem and work independently, managing their own time.

The unit:

• provides open-ended activities
• requires students to manage their own learning
• requires students to apply information that they have learned earlier in the programme to consolidate and extend their knowledge and understanding of chemistry.

Intended Learning Outcomes

• Advanced aspects of all branches of the subject including environmental or theoretical chemistry, with increasing emphasis on topics at the frontiers of the subject.
• Practical training in research methods through supervised work.
• The ability to manage their own learning,
• Independent learning through the use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (for example, refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to the discipline).
• Present complex issues to others through written reports
• Develop communication skills through written reports and oral presentation
• Employ and carry out complex practical operations and techniques
• Critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgements, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution - or identify a range of solutions - to a problem
• Able to take decisions in a responsible and professional manner
• Develop time management and efficiency skills
• Report writing skills
• Make appropriate use of information and communication technology resources
• The qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring:
  • the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility
  • decision-making in complex and unpredictable contexts

Teaching Information

Supervised practical classes, workshops (classes of 50 students with two staff members) and independent study. The Dynamic Laboratory Manual provides important e-learning resources in advance of practical sessions.

Assessment Information

Students will assessed by continuous summative coursework in the form of reports.

Reading and References

The reading needed for this course is available to students on the Bristol ChemLabS Dynamic Laboratory Manual.