The Department of Chemistry

Course Description

This is a compulsory course for students who wish to pursue the Minor in Analytical Chemistry, which provides a general survey of the most common laboratory activities required by the modern analytical chemist. These activities include planning and design, techniques for the acquisition, handling and processing of samples, analytical techniques, data analysis and quality control and quality assurance concepts. The course is organised as a semester-long “research project” with the students working on one site/problem over the whole semester using a range of analytical techniques. In the first year, the site/problem under investigation will be an environmental survey of a contaminated river. Each week a different set of relevant analytical techniques will be emphasised, while some critical areas will be repeated in a variety of labs for better understanding by students. For example, the use of replicates, simple statistical analysis and error evaluation will be conducted in every lab. Group learning is emphasised, as students will carry out all course activities in small groups. The course is assessed entirely by coursework, which consists of a variety of activities; including laboratory skill demonstrations, weekly lab reports, a final lab report and an oral presentation.

Assessment

Coursework 100%