3 ECTS credits
90 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 1011962BNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.
Introduction to general principles of spectroscopy
Basic concepts on the molecular orbital theory, delocalisation and conjugation, for UV spectroscopy applications.
Ultraviolet spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry: basic principles, instrumentation, practical aspects for spectrum interpretation and structure determination.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance among which, the basics, practical aspects of hydrogen-1 (proton) and carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy, and several topics in NMR for specific needs of spectrum interpretation.
In this way, the students are specifically trained in practical solving of chemical structure issues by spectroscopic techniques.
With the lecturer:
Prof. Dr. Steven Ballet
Office 9G618
email: sballet@vub.ac.be
telephone: ++322/629.32.92
The basic idea is that a student in 3rd Bachelor in Chemical Sciences should be able to learn a course and acquire skills through a monograph written in English. This study material is accompanied by clear powerpoint slides reflecting unambiguously the knowledge and skills to be acquired
The use of the following book is compulsory:
L. D. Field, S. Sternhell, J. R. Kalman
Organic Structures from Spectra
Fifth Edition
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
2013
ISBN 978-1-118-32545-2
The main objective of this course is to provide basic insight into the main spectroscopic techniques, Ultraviolet (UV) and Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, Mass Spectrometry (MS), more particularly focusing onto Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR) which are utilized in modern chemistry, in particular organic chemistry, to unravel molecular structures of compounds. The final goal is that the student can determine molecular structures on the basis of experimental UV, IR, MS and NMR spectra of the substance.
The didactic strategy used privileges "skills" above "pure knowledge". The pure theoretical knowledge of spectroscopic techniques is strictly limited to the minimum needed for all facets of spectra obtained from these techniques to be sufficiently understood and correctly interpreted. From the integrated and interactive interpretation of all spectral data, the student is trained for solving purely practically chemical structures.
In this way, the following objectives of the Bachelor degree in Chemistry are fulfilled:
- from knowledge and skills acquired in the basic courses chemistry in the previous bachelor years, the students are trained to function on a level with which they can get insight into and master recent developments of chemistry, with the help of the handbook coupled to the course;
- the students are trained to apply their insight and knowledge in setting up and deepening out chemical reasoning leading to unravelling of structures from spectral data; the structure proposals are always assessed against all available data until the end structure appears to match all of them;
- for problem solving the students learn to find the correct balance between team work and individual autonomous work, focusing upon application mindedness and problem solving;
- the students acquire in structural chemistry the learning skills needed to start and complete successfully, with broad intellectual autonomy, all further advanced studies, at Master level, of more complex chemical structure issues.
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
Written Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
By focusing, during the examination, onto the practical part of the course, in conformity with the objectives of both the Bachelor degrees and the defined end competences for this course, it is aimed at assessing mainly the students upon their capacity to correctly unravel structures. The basic idea is that theoretical basic concepts can be sought for in handbooks, and that the students need to acquire efficiency in searching therein the data needed in order to solve the structural issue. In this way the examination privileges assessing acquired skills rather than pure knowledge.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Chemistry: Default track (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Bioengineering Sciences: Cell and Gene Biotechnology: Medical Biotechnology (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Bioengineering Sciences: Cell and Gene Biotechnology: Agrobiotechnology (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Bioengineering Sciences: Cell and Gene Biotechnology: Synthetic Biotechnology (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Bioengineering Sciences: Chemistry and Bioprocess Technology: Food Biotechnology (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Bioengineering Sciences: Chemistry and Bioprocess Technology: Sustainable Chemical Biotechnology (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Bioengineering Sciences: Chemistry and Bioprocess Technology: Micro- and Nanobiotechnology (only offered in Dutch)