6 ECTS credits
155 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1015347BNR for all students in the 2nd semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester
2nd semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Students who want to enroll for this course, must have passed or be enrolled for “Chemistry: Structure of Matter and Chemical Reactions I” and “Chemistry: Structure of Matter and Chemical Reactions II”.
Taught in
Dutch
Faculty
Faculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
Department
Chemistry
Educational team
Frederik Tielens (course titular)
Activities and contact hours
26 contact hours Lecture
39 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
Course Content

Subjects treated are: Crystal structure and the Born-Haber cycle (ionic compounds), bonding in transition metal complexes, phase equilibria in two component systems studied on the basis of Gibbs' phase rule, radioactive series, Eyring's Transition State theory, a chapter 'Light and Chemistry'. The lab sessions have been designed either as an illustration to phase equilibria (azeotropic and eutectic mixtures, boiling point elevation) or as an introduction to further methods of quantitative analysis (iodometric titrations, volumetric analysis based on the formation of a complex, gravimetric analysis, spectrophotometric measurements).

A separate part of the lectures and practicals is devoted to communication and computer skills with as content:
LECTURES:
I. Communication skills: introduction - "scientific writing" (general aspects) - The scientific text (the essay - the scientific paper - the scientific literature) - Oral presentations (introduction - planning of your presentation - content - some practical tips for your presentation)
II. Computer skills: basics, software (presentation of information - data analysis - calculations), Molecular Modelling (The steric energy - Force Fields - Computational aspects - One case study: energy of formation of cyclohexane)
PRACTICALS:
- Oral presentations in front of the class with immediate feedback;
- Training sessions in the use of computational software for the solution of scientific problems including scientific programming (Matlab)

 

Course material
Course text (Required) : Chemie: bouw van de materie en chemische reacties en aanvullingen van chemie, Volume 1, P. Geerlings, F. De Proft, VUB, 2220170001111, 2013
Course text (Required) : Chemie: bouw van de materie en chemische reacties en aanvullingen van chemie, Volume 2, P. Geerlings, F. De Proft, VUB, 2220170001135, 2013
Course text (Required) : Chemie: bouw van de materie en chemische reacties en aanvullingen van chemie, Volume 3, P. Geerlings, F. De Proft, VUB, 2220170001142, 2013
Handbook (Recommended) : University Chemistry, B.M. Mahan en R.J. Myers, 4de, Addison-Wesley, 9780201058338, 1987
Course text (Required) : Chemie en Aanvullingen Chemie, Practicum, G. Van de Woude, A. Boyen en P. Geerlings, VUB, 2220170006451, 2019
Handbook (Recommended) : A Guide to Microsoft Excel 2013 for Scientists and Engineers, B. V. Liengme, Academic Press, 9780128182499, 2019
Digital course material (Required) : Praktische handleiding Excel, Learning platform
Handbook (Recommended) : Essential Matlab for Scientists and Engineers, B. D. Hahn, 5de, Academic Press, 9780081029978, 2019
Digital course material (Required) : Transparanten en presentaties HOC, Learning platform
Digital course material (Required) : Gedeelte: Communicatie- en computervaardigheden in de chemie, Cursusnota's worden ter beschikking gesteld
Additional info

The lecture notes are integrated in P. Geerlings "Chemie: bouw van de materie en chemische reacties" and "Aanvullingen van Chemie" - VUB Press (3 volumes).
The lab text is integrated in G. Van de Woude, A. Boyen, P. Geerlings "Chemie en Aanvullingen Chemie: Practicum" - VUB Press.
A practical guide for the user of Excel and Programming is available via the learning platform as well as the transparancies and presentations during the lectures on Communication and Computer Skills.
As guide for the use of Matlab is available "Inleiding tot Matlab" W. Jacquet - VUB Press.

Learning Outcomes

General competencies

In the "Chemistry" part some chapters of "Chemie: bouw van de materie en chemische reacties" are treated in more detail with particular attention to quantitative aspects and as an introduction to the diversified chemistry courses starting in 2BA. Great care is taken that the "Complements" are well integrated in the basic course.
In the Communication and Computer Skills the students are introduced into the application of computing techniques in chemistry and the oral presentation of their results, based on a slideshow, in front of the class.
Specific learning outcomes for this part (those of the chemistry part are identical to those of Chemie: bouw van de materie en chemische reacties):
- the student acquires a basic knowledge on the use of ICT when communicating scientific results,
- the student acquires basic skills in retrieval of chemical information,
- the student is able to translate a problem in an algorithm which he can program.



Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Other Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

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

  • Theory exam with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

    Note: see additional information regarding evaluation

Additional info regarding evaluation

The final mark for this course is composed out of three partial scores, a score on “theory” (50 % of the overall mark), a partial score on “laboratory” (25 % of the overall mark) and a partial score on the subject “communication and computer skills in chemistry" (25 % of the overall mark).

Theory

The score for the part on “theory” is composed of the partial scores of the student for the written and oral examination

In a written exam paper (accounting for 2/3 or 66.6 % of the mark on “theory”), identical for all students, it is attempted to obtain a global view of knowledge and insight in the subject by means of a lot of small open questions (theory as well as problems). During the oral examination (accounting for 1/3 or 33.3% of the mark on “theory”), a few days later, this view is refined through a discussion concerning theoretical questions after the student has had the occasion for a written preparation. Synthetic, analytic and problem solving skills are assessed in this way.

Labsessions

The mark for “laboratory” (25% of the overall mark) is based for 50 % on permanent evaluation and 50 % on specific questions in the written exam.

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 will automatically give rise to a mark of 0/20 for the permanent evaluation part and 0/20 for the total mark for “laboratory”.  In this case, also the total mark of the course will be automatically reduced to 07/20 (in the case the final mark was higher than 07/20).

For the lab sessions, there is no possibility for a second examination session; only the theory part which was included in the written examination can be retaken in the second examination session.  The mark for the permanent evaluation is automatically taken over from the first examination session.

Communication and computer skills

For this part, two individual assignments are foreseen (together, these count for 20 % of the marks).

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 Chemistry: Default track (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: biologie (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: geografie (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: fysica (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: wiskunde (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: ingenieurswetenschappen (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)