Learning objectives
Knowledge and ability to understand: (First Dublin Descriptor)
At the end of the course the students will have integrated their basic knowledge on natural phenomena concerning the transformation of matter; will have a complete overview of the laws governing the structure of the atom, molecules and compounds; will know the theoretical reasons and the laws underlying the reactivity of substances.
Skills: (II Descriptor: Ability to apply knowledge and understanding)
At the end of the course the students will have developed the ability to understand some chemical and physical characteristics of substances, such as state of aggregation, volatility and miscibility in water based on the knowledge of their structure. They will know how to take stock of the spontaneity of chemical and electrochemical processes. They will be able to predict the acidic or basic environment induced during a chemical transformation.
Autonomy of judgment: (III, IV, V Dublin descriptor)
At the end of the course the students will have to possess the tools to critically evaluate a chemical transformation.
Communication skills: (III, IV, V Dublin descriptor)
At the end of the course, the students should have acquired sufficient language skills, at least as regards the specific scientific terminology of the teaching.
Prerequisites
Good mathematics and scientific skills
Course unit content
The course intends to provide a solid scientific chemical basis for understanding the properties of the materials that will be studied in subsequent courses.
It consists of 4 training credits divided into two parts:
- 3 CFU on basic chemical fundamentals concerning the study of the composition of matter, chemical bonds, states of aggregation, solutions and colloidal mixtures. The study of the reactivity of substances from a thermodynamic and kinetic point of view. The main functional groups and the reactivity of organic molecules. The concept of pH, redox processes.
- 1 CFU is dedicated to deepening the understanding of specific materials and simple processes to support the design exercise in accordance with the other disciplinary contributions relating to the Laboratory
Full programme
THE STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM and THE PERDIODIC TABLE. Notes on the foundations of atomic theory. Properties of the elements, reactivity and their position in the periodic table. Metals, non-metals, semi-metals.
THE CHEMICAL LINK. Ionic bond. Metallic bond. Covalent bond. Molecular geometry. Intermolecular forces. Hydrogen bond. Functional groups, structure and nomenclature of the main organic compounds.
THE STATES OF AGGREGATION. Properties of gases and gas mixtures. Real gases. Properties of liquids. Vapor pressure. Phase diagrams of one-component systems. Crystalline solids and amorphous solids. Ionic, covalent, molecular, metallic crystals.
TWO COMPONENT SYSTEMS. Types of solutions. Vapor pressure of solutions. Raoult's law and its deviations. Colligative properties. Notes on colloidal mixtures.
CHEMICAL BALANCE. Notes on the thermal balance of reactions. Endothermic and exothermic reactions. Reversible and irreversible reactions. Hints on the concept of reaction rate and activation energy of a chemical process. Spontaneity of a reaction. Gibbs free energy. Equilibrium constant. LeChatelier-Brown principle. Dependence of the equilibrium constant on temperature.
ACIDS AND BASES. Nature of acids and bases. Broensted-Lowry theory. Ionic product of water. The pH. Strength of acids and bases. Polyprotic acids. Hydrolysis. Solubility product.
ELECTROCHEMISTRY. Electricity and chemical energy. Normal electrode potentials. Redox reactions. Corrosion of iron. Oxidation of organic compounds
Bibliography
B. Laird, Chimica Generale, McGraw-Hill
ISBN: 978-88-386-6560-8
Teaching methods
The course is divided into a series of lectures using the projection of transparencies. The slides used to support the lessons will be uploaded weekly on the Elly platform. To download the slides, you need to register for the online course. The slides are considered an integral part of the teaching material.
The additional 10 hours of lessons to cover the total 40 hours attributed to this module will be carried out in the form of seminars / round tables dedicated to deepening the understanding of specific materials and simple processes to support the design exercise in accordance with the other contributions. disciplinary related to the Laboratory.
Assessment methods and criteria
The evaluation of learning takes place through an assessment of knowledge structured as follows:
1) Assessment of learning skills: a written test will be carried out, by each student, as a preliminary access test to the final exam, which corresponds to the assessment of the skills acquired in the context of each module related to the Laboratory. The test will consist in closed-ended questions in a number proportional to the CFU of the individual modules. This evaluation makes up approximately 1/3 of the Laboratory's vote.
2) Assessment of application skills: groups of students will be offered the development of a design analysis to verify the effective assimilation of the notions of the individual modules by applying them to a specific topic or case study proposed by the teachers. Each year, a field of study dedicated to a specific category of products within the food system will be proposed. An evaluation (on a scale from 0 to 30) will then be carried out by the teachers on the final materials (product analysis) delivered by each student group at the end of the integrated laboratory, which will also be the subject of a public presentation by the respective groups. This evaluation represents approximately 2/3 of the final mark.
The vote of each laboratory will be unique and will represent the summary of the individual votes and the presentation of the project. To access the Laboratory exam, it is necessary that the assessments of the four Laboratory modules are all sufficient.
Other information
Attending lessons is recommended
