Chemistry 4A

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study and reasonable steps will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's

programs. This subject requires all students to actively and safely participate in laboratory activities. Students who feel their disability may impact upon their participation are encouraged to discuss this

with the subject coordinator and the Disability Liaison Unit.

Students enrolling in this subject must choose two of the following five 12-lecture modules:

Advanced Organic Synthesis

This module will outline some of the major methods of organic synthesis including asymmetric aldol and

related reactions, sigmatropic rearrangements and metal-catalysed transformations. Applications in the synthesis of important chiral molecules will be discussed.

Free Radicals in Synthesis

This module will outline the fundamental steps important to radical chain chemistry and show how these principles can be used in the total synthesis of important molecular frameworks.

Lasers in Chemistry

This module will discuss general principles of laser action, the properties of laser beams, some specific types of lasers, laser-based spectroscopic methods, laser photochemistry, ultrafast lasers, and lasers in mass spectrometry.

Advanced Materials and Materials Characterisation

This module will explore advanced materials such as porous materials, nanomaterials, and materials for clean energy. Common materials characterisation techniques, such as electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis and gas sorption, will be studied.

Magnetism in Chemistry

This module will explore magnetochemistry in the context of isolated spins, discrete spin clusters and extended systems. Areas covered will include magnetic susceptibility, the mechanisms of magnetic exchange interactions, long range ordering in extended solids, spin crossover complexes and single-molecule magnets .

The objectives of this subject are to provide students with an increased knowledge and understanding

of advanced chemical principles, with emphasis on:

• asymmetric synthetic methods

• properties and performance of materials

• magnetochemistry and spin systems

• laser photochemistry

Such knowledge will facilitate insights into the structure and properties of matter and the nature of

chemical transformations.

Two 1.5-hour end-of-semester examinations (worth 50% each).

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

At the completion of this subject, students will gain skills in:

• advanced problem-solving and critical thinking skills

• an ability to evaluate the professional literature

• an understanding of the changing knowledge base

• a capacity to apply concepts developed in one area to a different context

• the ability to use conceptual models to rationalize experimental observations.