Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE IFS0705

 
TITLE Principles of Physical Chemistry

 
UM LEVEL 00 - Mod Pre-Tert, Foundation, Proficiency & DegreePlus

 
MQF LEVEL 4

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Science

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit will serve as a basic introduction to physical chemistry for students undertaking the Certificate in Foundation Studies in Science (Chemistry).

In this study-unit, emphasis will be taught the principles of physical chemistry that are needed by students who wish to continue studying chemistry at undergraduate level or for students wishing to start a chemistry or medical biochemistry-oriented career.

Its goal is to increase competency in analytical reasoning by developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills and to provide a foundation in physical chemistry needed to start understand chemical processes.

Study-unit Aims:

- To introduce students to nuclear chemistry
    - The atomic structure
    - Isotopes and relative atomic masses
    - Radioactivity and nuclear equations

- To give students a general introduction to gases and gas laws
    - Description of gas laws: Boyle’s law, Charles law, Gay-Lussac’s law, Avogadro’s law and the ideal gas equation
    - Dalton's law of partial pressures
    - The kinetic theory of gases and the distribution of molecular speeds
    - Real gases, the Van der Waals' equation

- To provide students with a basic understanding of equilibria
    - Phase diagrams
    - Vapour pressure and saturated vapour pressure
    - Two component systems: Raoult's law, pressure-composition and temperature-composition diagrams, deviations from Raoult's law, azeotropic mixtures and fractional distillation
    - Chemical Equilibrium
      - Dynamic equilibrium and Le Chatelier's principle
      - Equilibrium constants in terms of concentration and partial pressures
      - The partition coefficient
    - Ionic equilibria
      - The definitions used to describe acid and bases, i.e. the Arrhenius, Bronsted-Lowry and Lewis definitions
      - Explanation of the differences between strong and weak acids and bases
      - Amphoteric compounds
      - Acid base titrations and the concept of the ‘mole’
      - Calculations involving the dissociation constants Ka and Kb and the pK convention

- To provide students with an introduction to Electrochemistry

- To provide students with a general introduction to Thermodynamics
    - Standard conditions
    - Defining the following Enthalpy changes: reaction, formation, combustion, neutralization, atomization, ionization, electron affinity, bond dissociation, bond enthalpy and lattice energy
    - Hess' law and the Born-Haber cycle
    - Entropy and the Gibbs free energy
    - Kinetic and thermodynamic stability

- To provide a general understanding of chemical kinetics
    - Rate versus concentration, energy profiles, order of reaction
    - Mechanisms: elementary step reactions and transition states
    - Rate laws and the Arrhenius equation
    - Effects of pressure, concentration, surface area, catalysts on rate
    - Half life for first order reactions

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability of balancing nuclear equations under examination conditions.
- Calculate the average atomic mass of a normal istopic mixture composed of two different isotopes.
- Calculate the macroscopic properties of ideal gases, when given an appropriate set of data.
- Describe the kinetic theory of gases under examination conditions.
- Analyze two component systems using Raoult's law.
- Calculate the equilibrium constants in terms of concentration and partial pressures.
- Explain the dissociation constant as it pertains to acid base reactions.
- Calculate different types of enthalpies using Hess’ cycles or Born-Habler cycles.
- Describe the effects of a number of factors, such as pressure on the rate of reaction under examination conditions.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- Apply basic theoretical knowledge to experimental techniques such as distillation.
- Predict reactivity under a set of conditions of a chemical system.
- Find the rate equation for various chemical systems.
- Apply basic mathematical principles in a chemical context.
- Analyse and solve different problems as applied to physical chemistry.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Eileen Ramsden, A-Level Chemistry - Core Text, Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780748752997.

Brian Murphy, Gary Horner, David Tarcy, Sergey Bylikin, Oxford IB, Diploma Programme: Chemistry Course Companion, OUP Oxford, 2014, ISBN 09780198307693.

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES Please note that a pass in the Examination component is obligatory for an overall pass mark to be awarded.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Independent Study

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Oral and Written Exercises SEM1 Yes 20%
Examination [See Add. Notes] (2 Hours) SEM2 Yes 80%

 
LECTURER/S Claude A. Farrugia

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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