28625 - Basics of Chemistry T-A L (L-Z)

Course contents

The teaching program is structured in two parts:

MODULE 1 -

1. Atom and Atomic Models

• Atom composition (electrons, protons and neutrons): iron tube experiment, Millikan experiment, Rutherford experiment, electromagnetic spectrum, photoelectric effect, double slit experiment, uncertainty principle.
• Atomic number, mass number, isotopes.
• Atom structure and atomic models: Thompson, Rutherford, Bohr and atomic spectra, Schrodinger and the hydrogen atom.
• Electronic configuration of atoms and polyelectronic ions: electronic spin, Pauli principle, Hund rules, effective nuclear charge.

2. Periodic Table, Chemical Bond and Intermolecular Interactions

• Periodic table and periodic properties (atomic volume, ionization energies, electronic affinity), electronegativity, ion size.
• Chemical bond: ionic and covalent bonds, valence electrons, Lewis formulas.
• Ionic bond: ionic compounds (stoichiometry and geometry), reticular energy and Born-Haber cycle.
• Covalent bond: characteristics, single, double and triple bond, dative bond, formal charges, resonance formulas, oculus rule and exceptions.
• Molecular geometry according to the VSEPR model, theory of the valence bond and hybridization, properties of the chemical bond.
• Pure and polar covalent bond, molecular polarity and dipolar moment.
• Intermolecular forces: ion-ion interactions, ion-dipole, dipole-dipole, induced dipole-dipole, London forces and hydrogen bond.

3. Valence and Oxidation number, Nomenclature of Inorganic Compounds

• Valence, oxidation number, real charge against formal.
• Nomenclature of inorganic compounds (traditional, IUPAC and Stock): distinction between metals and non-metals, oxides and anhydrides, acids, hydroxides, hydrides and salts.

4. Mole, Chemical Reactions and Stoichiometry

• The concept of mole.
• The mole, molar vs. molecular mass, composition of compounds, empirical and molecular formulas.
• Chemical equation and balancing, stoichiometry, limiting reagent and excess reagent, reaction yield.
• Stoichiometry exercises.

5. States of Aggregation of Matter

• The gaseous state: Boyle's law, Carlo's law, Avogadro's hypothesis, ideal gas law and molecular kinetic theory, gas mixtures, partial pressures, Dalton's law, Graham's law, real gases and van der Waals equation.
• The liquid state: intermolecular forces, surface tension, capillarity, viscosity, vapor pressure, Clausius-Clapeyron equation, state changes, heating and cooling curve of pure substances, metastable states, supercritical fluids, phase diagrams.
• The solid state: ionic, molecular, covalent and metallic solids, crystalline and amorphous solids, cubic crystalline lattices, density of a crystalline solid, structures of some metallic and ionic crystalline solids, crystal defects, metal bonds.

6. Colligative Solutions and Properties

• Solutions: formation of a solution, aqueous solutions, solubility and equilibrium, effect of temperature and pressure on solubility in aqueous solutions, Henry's Law.
• Concentration: molarity, molar fraction, molality, percentage by mass.
• Colligative properties of solutions with non-volatile solutes: Raoult law, ebullioscopic elevation, cryoscopic lowering, osmotic pressure, van't Hoff coefficient.

7. Thermodynamics and Thermochemistry

• Thermochemistry: exothermic and endothermic processes; energy, heat and work; concept of system, environment and universe; open, closed and isolated system; specific thermal capacity and latent heat in the state transitions.
• First principle of thermodynamics, internal energy, enthalpy, Hess law and standard enthalpy of formation and combustion.
• Calorimetry: heat capacity, calorimeters, energy and status changes.
• Thermodynamics and spontaneity of reactions: entropy, second law of thermodynamics, standard entropy and third law of thermodynamics, free energy.
• Free energy in relation to spontaneity of reactions and chemical equilibrium, effect of temperature, free energy standard and not.

8. Chemical kinetics

• Chemical kinetics: reaction speed and kinetic equations; effect of the concentration (kinetics of order 0 and order 1), effect of temperature (collision theory), contact area and catalysts.
• Activation energy and effective impacts, role of the catalyst and homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis (hints).
• Reaction mechanisms.

9. Chemical equilibrium

• Equilibrium constant: homogeneous and heterogeneous equilibria, meaning of the equilibrium constant, calculation of the equilibrium composition, reaction quotient.
• Exercises on chemical equilibrium.
• Equilibrium perturbation and Le Chatelier principle, influence of external parameters on equilibrium states.

10. Acid-Base Balance

• Acid-base equilibrium in aqueous solutions: definition of acid and base according to Arrhenius, strong / weak acids and bases, mono and poliprotic acids, hydronium ion. Acid-base definition of Bronsted and Lowry, acid-base conjugate pairs, amphiphotic substances.
• Autoprotolysis of water, Kw, pH and pOH. Calculation of the pH of solutions of acids and strong bases. Calculation of the pH of solutions of weak acids and bases (equilibrium reactions, acid and basic dissociation constants: Ka, Kb).

11. Redox reactions and Foundations of Electrochemistry

• Review of the chemical equation and relative balances.
• Oxidation-reduction reactions and their balancing: oxidation number method, semireaction method. Redox reactions in acidic and basic environment.
• Redox reactions and the Daniel stack: anode, cathode and salt bridge. Conventional notation for cells, reactive and inert electrodes. Electromotive force and potential reduction standards.
• Commercial batteries: dry cell (zinc-carbon) and alkaline, lead and lithium batteries.
• Electrolysis. Comparison between electrolytic cell and galvanic cell.

MODULE 2 -

12. Organic Chemistry

• Carbon chemistry: carbon oxidation states, bonds and hybridization.
• Hydrocarbons: alkanes and cycloalkanes, alkenes, alkynes and aromatic compounds. Sources, nomenclature and isomerism (structural, cis-trans, stereoisomerism and chiral compounds). Physical properties and reactivity of hydrocarbons: combustion, halogenation and alkyl halogens, double and triple bond additions, substitutions on the aromatic ring, reductions and oxidations.
• Alcohols, glycols and ethers: nomenclature, physical properties and reactivity (substitutions, eliminations, condensation and oxidation).
• Aldehydes and ketones and the carbonyl group. Nomenclature, physical properties and redox reactivity.
• Carboxylic acids and derivatives (esters, anhydrides and amides) .Nomenclature, physical properties and reactivity.
• Amines: nomenclature, physical properties and reactivity with carboxylic acids.

13. Polymeric materials

• Plastics: definition of polymer. Thermoplastic, thermosetting, elastomer polymers. Average molecular weight of a polymer. Homopolymers and copolymers (statistical, alternating, block and graft). Linear, branched and crosslinked polymers.
• Degree of crystallinity of a polymer. Glass transition temperature.
• Mechanical properties of materials: fragility-ductility, toughness and resilience. Traction test. Impact proof.
• Processing of thermoplastic polymeric materials (injection molding, extrusion, blow molding) and thermosetting materials (compression and transfer molding).
• Polymerization reactions: chain polymerization (radical polymerization) and staged polymerization (condensation polymerization reactions).
• Thermoplastic polymers: polyethylene (low and high density, linear and / or branched), polyvinyl chloride or PVC, polypropylene and polystyrene.
• Technopolymers: polytetrafluoroethylene or Teflon, polyethylene terephthalate or PET, polyamides and polyamamides (example of Nylon and Kevlar).
• Thermosetting polymers or resins: phenol-formaldehyde resins, and epoxy resins.
• Elastomers or rubbers: natural rubber and its vulcanization process, neoprene as an example of an artificial elastomer.

14. Metallic Materials

• Cubic crystalline lattices (simple, with centered body and with centered faces) and crystalline defects (punctual, linear and superficial).
• Solidification process in metals and formation of grains by nucleation and growth. The role of the edge of wheat and hints of microscopy.
• Metal alloys: solid solutions (substitutive and interstitial), intermetallic compounds and interstitial compounds.
• State diagrams: pure and two-component substances. Phase rule and lever rule. Cooling curves and thermal shutdown for invariance.
• State diagrams of binary alloys with complete miscibility and partial miscibility in solid state (with eutectic). Eutectic structures.
• Ferrous alloys: steels and cast irons, differences and general properties. Some types of steel (carbon, alloy, stainless).
• Production of steels and cast irons: blast furnace production, refining process, casting (in ingot or continuous) and hot working.
• Iron-Carbon state diagram: present phases (liquid, alpha ferrite, austenite and cementite), important structural constituents (perlite and ledeburite).
• Eutectic and eutectoid in the Fe-C diagram: cooling curves and composition of hypo-, hyper- and eutectoidic steels; hypo-, hyper- and eutectic cast irons.
• Heat treatments of steels and mechanical performances: references to tempering (and the role of martensite), to annealing and standardization.

Readings/Bibliography

To appropriately deal with the study of the program, it is essential to combine the PowerPoint presentations used by the teacher (and available on AMS Campus) also the notes taken during the lessons. It is equally important to integrate the study at home with a textbook of General Chemistry.

In the list below are suggested some particularly valid textbooks, even if any university type volume is indicated for adequate preparation:

J.C. Kotz, P.M. Treichel, J.R. Townsend - "Chemistry", EdiSES (5th ed.), 2013. ISBN: 978-8879597777

R.A. Michelin, A. Munari - "Fondamenti di Chimica", CEDAM (3rd ed.), 2016. ISBN: 978-8813339753

M.S. Silberberg - "Chemistry", McGraw-Hill Education (3rd ed.), 2016. ISBN: 978-8838615429

For lessons on "Polymeric materials" and "Metallic materials" you can consult:

W.F. Smith, J. Hashemi - "Science and technology of materials", McGraw-Hill Education (4th ed.), 2016. ISBN: 978-8838615368

Chapters 3 to 9: metallic materials

Chapter 10: polymeric materials

Exercise books

The textbooks listed above already include a number of exercises, some of which are completely done, others with only the final solutions. However, if you wish to consult textbooks specifically designed for tests and exercises, the following are suggested:

R.A. Michelin, P. Sgarbossa, M. Mozzon, A. Munari - "Chimica di base - Tests and Exercises", CEDAM (1st ed.), 2015. ISBN: 978-8813360566

R.A. Michelin, M. Mozzon, A. Munari - "Test ed esercizi di Chimica", CEDAM (6th ed.), 2012. ISBN: 978-8813330903

Teaching methods

The course is based on lectures, conducted in the classroom with blackboard and chalk, supported by the projection of PowerPoint presentations.

On the various topics of the program there will be guided exercises, both during the normal course of the lessons and during dedicated exercises. The exercises performed will be similar, by type and difficulty, to those proposed during the examination.

Assessment methods

The verification of learning takes place through the final exam only; partial tests are not foreseen. The final exam consists of a single written test lasting up to three hours.

During the test, only the use of pencils, pens, erasers, rulers and calculator. The periodic table (see facsimile on AMS Campus) and other necessary material will be provided as an attachment to the task. During the exam it is not allowed to leave the classroom, if not after having definitively handed over the task.

To take the exam, registration is required through AlmaEsami, within the indicated deadlines. It is necessary to go to the examination with an identity document and the university badge, under penalty of exclusion from the exam.

The exam includes a maximum score of 34.00 points. The test is passed with a score equal to or greater than 17.50 points out of 34.00. The score, expressed in 34st, is rounded to the nearest whole to get the final grade.

Example:

Score: 21.75 points out of 34.00 points total ---> Score: 22.

If the score achieved is greater than or equal to 30.50 points, the award is awarded.

The results of the tests will be published online on AlmaEsami. In the case of a positive result, the result will be recorded only after an email confirming the acceptance of the vote by the student concerned, sent via an institutional account to the email address of Prof. Soccio (m.soccio@unibo.it ). The verbalization of a positive result is allowed no later than 6 months from the date of the relative test; after this deadline, the result achieved and not minuted will fall.

In case you choose to take the exam again, regardless of any outcome, the result achieved in the previous exam will automatically decay. The test can be repeated in any appeal.

You can find a facsimile of the exam on IOL.

Teaching tools

Lectures in the classroom will be supported by the presentation of slides in PowerPoint that can be downloaded in PDF format (on AMS Campus) before the beginning of each lesson.

Also on AMS Campus it will also be possible to find other useful material for the preparation for the written test, such as the facsimile of the exam.

Office hours

See the website of Michelina Soccio