31012 - Chemistry

Learning outcomes

This course provides students with an appreciation and understanding of the fundamental background and concepts of Chemistry in quantitative terms. The following areas are covered: structure of matter, chemical bond (ionic, covalent and metallic), reactions and stoichiometry, properties and structure of gas, liquid and solids; acid-base and oxidation-reduction chemistry; chemical energetic, kinetics (rate of reactions).

Course contents

Atomic structure, atoms and molecules. Mole and Avogadro's number. The nuclear atom, isotopes. Stable nuclides and radionuclides. Radioactivity.

Electronic structure, periodic system and periodic properties.

Chemical bond, ionic bond and lattice energy. The properties of ionic solids. Covalent bond, sigma and pi-bonds. Polarised bonds. Molecular geometry. Polar and non-polar molecules. Weak bonds: hydrogen bond, Van der Waals interactions.

Chemical reactions, stoichiometry. Balance of reactions without/with electron transfer. Yield of a reaction.

Chemical nomenclature and the principal class of inorganic compounds.

Solutions and expression of concentration.

Thermochemistry: work, heat, the first principle. Internal energy and enthalpy. Specific heat and molar heat. Standard enthalpy change of reaction (formation, combustion). Hess' law with practical applications.

Chemical equilibrium, the law of mass action, the equilibrium constant K. Le Chatelier principle. Ionic equilibrium in solution, the pH scale. Acids and bases (Arrhenius and Bronsted-Lowry). Acid-base reactions.

Chemical kinetics, rate of a reaction and its expression. Partial and overall reaction orders. Rate constant. Arrhenius' equation, theory of molecular collisions, the activated complex and the activation energy. Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis.

Readings/Bibliography

Peter Atkins and Loretta Jones. Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight. 5th ed. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman and Company, 2010.

Martin Silberberg. Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change 5th ed. McGraw Hill, 2009

Teaching methods

The course is organised into frontal lectures followed by exercise sessions to practice with the concepts and theories learned during the lectures.

Assessment methods

Final examination is based on a written test with questions covering also topics of the second part of the integrated course: Applied Chemistry T

Teaching tools

The course is organised into frontal lectures followed by exercise sessions to practice with the concepts and theories learned during the lectures.

A website containing all the relevant information about the course and teaching aids can be found at:

http://mauriziofiorini.people.ing.unibo.it/index.html

(pages are written in Italian)

Office hours

See the website of Maurizio Fiorini