Practical Operations and Chemical Analysis

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Critique the effectiveness of operation or experimental strategy to accomplish the desired aim.
• Compare methods and results from predicted outcomes to experimental findings and develop arguments based on those comparisons.
• Demonstrate different unit operations in practice and complete an experimental protocol from an outline set of instructions.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Evaluate the outcome of a practical and present the results orally.
• Analyse data and prepared a written report to a brief.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Apply knowledge of the theoretical concepts of unit operations in a practical setting.
• Apply theoretical understanding of spectroscopic methods to analyse spectra obtained under laboratory conditions.

Students will complete 8 practical exercises over the course of semesters 1 and 2. To demonstrate and enhance understanding of unit operations (complete 4 of these):

1.Sedimentation

2.Filtration

3.Liquid/liquid extraction

4. Absorption

5.Distillation

as well as the use of instrumental methods of chemical analysis:

1.Gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

2.UV-visible spectroscopy

3.Infrared and Raman spectroscopy

4.NMR spectroscopy

Lectures are provided to support the theory and data analysis aspects of the chemical analysis part of the module (8 lectures), provide health and safety training prior to use of the facilities in the laboratories, and a briefing session on the overall design of the module and the assessments.

Students perform eight practical activities in the teaching laboratories over Semesters 1 and 2. These form the basis of one outline report, five written laboratory reports and two face to face oral examination/interviews, which are submitted according to a personalised timetable. Marked reports carry individualised feedback. The unit is supported by a Blackboard site containing generic information and including a student discussion forum for each activity. Lectures provide additional coverage of theory, data analysis, and health and safety.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Group Oral Presentation

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Oral feedback will be provided to the group.
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: Yes

Practical exercise

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback:
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.