9 ECTS credits
245 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1015201ANR for all students in the 1st and 2nd semester at a (A) Bachelor - preliminary level.

Semester
1st and 2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
Dutch
Faculty
Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences
Department
Chemistry
Educational team
Steven Goderis (course titular)
Frederik Tielens
Wim Vranken
Activities and contact hours

39 contact hours Lecture
65 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
Course Content

LECTURES:

Elementary chemistry and stoichiometrical calculations

Atomic structure and Mendeleev's Periodic Table

Ionic compounds: the electrostatic bond

Molecules: covalent bond; geometry; redox reactions and introduction to electrochemistry

The atomic nucleus: radioactivity and radiochemistry

Macroscopic properties of matter: states of aggregation and phase equilibria

The chemical reaction: chemical kinetics and chemical equilibrium

Properties of (aqeuous) solutions

Solubility and precipitation reactions in aqueous solution

Chemical thermodynamics

 

SEMINAR, EXERCISES OR PRACTICALS

This sections consists of a number of seminars (theoretical exercises) and practical exercises (laboratory sessions). During the seminars, the students are

further familiarized with the concepts and principles that were treated during the lectures.  In the laboratory sessions (sessions of 3 or 4 hours), attention is paid to the observation

of a number of phenomena discussed during the lectures and the students will learn how to measure some relevant properties.  The interpretation, critical analysis and written report of the results are of utmost importance. 

The participation to the laboratory sessions is obligatory !

The following laboratory sessions will be treated:

- Preparation of a solution

- Redox- and acid-base titrations

- Study of phase equilibriu: distillation

- Prepartion of hydrogen peroxide and calculation of the reaction yield

- Reaction kinetics

In a separate exercise session, an introduction to organic chemistry is given.

Course material
Course text (Required) : Algemene chemie, Deel I, F. De Proft en P. Geerlings, VUB, 2220170002248, 2015
Handbook (Recommended) : Chemical Principles, The Quest for Insight, P.W. Atkins en L. Jones, 7de, W.H. Freeman and Co, New York, 9781319154196, 2016
Digital course material (Required) : Handouts van de presentatie bij het hoorcollege, Leerplatform
Course text (Required) : Aanvullingen van chemie, Practicum, F. Tielens, VUB, 2220170006468, 2019
Course text (Required) : Algemene chemie, Deel II, F. De Proft en P. Geerlings, VUB, 2220170002255, 2015
Additional info

No additional information.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

Goals :

The goal of this course is to provide insight into both the microscopic structure of matter (atoms, molecules, ionic and covalent compounds, ...) and the macroscopic aspects (bulk properties: phase transitions, properties of aqeuous solutions, ..).   Subsequently,

this basic knowledge is used to study inorganic compounds and their reactions.  Finally, an introduction to organic chemistry is provided and some special attention is devoted to the impact on biology.

During the seminars (guided exercise sessions) and the laboratory courses, the concepts introduced in the lectures are praticed, illustrated and applied.
 

Final competences:

The student :
- obtains insight into the atomic composition of matter, the relationship between the atomic/molecular world and the macroscopic properties of mater and the most important reaction types of inorganic chemistry

- can critically judge and assess the models used and the approximations applied

- can solve simple problems with the correct use of concepts and principles and can correctly perform numerical calculations with a critical judgement of the results obtained

- can interpret and critically assess experimental results and can adequately perform written reports on the experiments conducted

- is familiar with safety aspects associated with working in a chemical laboratory and applies these aspects very meticulously

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 75% of the final mark.
PRAC Lab Work determines 25% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Written examination with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 75% of the final mark. This is a mid-term test.

    Note: In the written examination, many small "open" questions on both theoretical aspects and exercises are given in order to get a global view on the knowledge and insight of the student in the course material and the ability of the student to apply these aspects.

Within the PRAC Lab Work category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Daily work in practicals with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 25% of the final mark.

    Note: The laboratory part of the course is graded on the basis of a permanent evaluation of the daily work in the lab; this involves
    the lab preparations, the attitude of the student during the laboratory sessions, the execution of the lab work and the quality of the written reports on the laboratory work.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Participation in the lab sessions is obligatory.  Incomplete participation to these sessions will give rise to a reduction of the mark for this part depending on the percentage of incomplete participations. Unauthorized absences amounting to 30 % or more for the practicals will automatically give rise to a mark of 0/20 for the laboratory part of the mark. For the lab sessions, there is no possibility for a second examination session.  For the second examination session, the mark for laboratory, which is obtained during the academic year, is automatically taken over from the first examination session.

In the first block of examinations of the first examination period, a preliminary exam will be organized.  If the student obtains for this examination a mark that is higher than the mark on the written examination in the second block of examinations of the first examination period (june), the final mark of the written examination of june is composed of 30 % of the mark of the preliminary exam and 70 % of the mark of the original written examination in june.  If the students obtains a mark on the preliminary exam that is lower than the mark on the written examination in june, the final mark for the written examination is just the mark obtained on the written examination. Participation in the preliminary exam is obligatory.  The subject material for the preliminary exam is again part of the subject material for the exam in the second block of examinations of the first examination period (june), augmented with the course subject material in the second semester.

The result of the preliminary exam is taken into account in the second examination period.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Biology: Default track (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme Master of Science in Biology: Standaard (ad hoc) (only offered in Dutch)