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CHE-30039 - Module Specification
School of Chemical and Physical Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2022/23 Last Updated: 19 January 2023

CHE-30039 - Advanced Organic Chemistry
Coordinator: Matthew O'Brien Tel: +44 1782 7 34371
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 6
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 734921

Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2022/23

Building on key concepts introduced in years 1 and 2, this module develops some advanced ideas in organic chemistry. Including transition-metal catalysis, pericyclic reactions and main-group organoelement chemistry, the chemical reaction types covered are at the heart of modern organic synthesis and have led to a number of Nobel prizes. Real-world examples from across the industrial spectrum (e.g. pharmaceuticals, fine-chemicals, materials) will be used to highlight just how useful these reactions are to society. The lecture content will be highly integrated with the course-work component, which will include a synthesis-design exercise and a video presentation aimed at placing the course material in the context of real-world synthetic applications. This will develop useful career skills and provide valuable insight into the type of technical questioning typically used during recruitment in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries.

Aims
to build upon theories and concepts in Organic Chemistry introduced at Levels 4 and 5;
to develop skills for the application of Organic Chemistry to the synthesis of high-value products including pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals;
to develop analytical, problem solving and organisational skills.

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/che-30039/lists

Intended Learning Outcomes

describe the mechanism of a variety of useful transition-metal catalysed organic reactions in terms of a sequence of fundamental mechanistic sub-processes: 1,3
analyse and predict the stereospecific outcomes of a variety of pericyclic organic reactions according to the ¿conservation of orbital symmetry¿ (using both the Frontier-Molecular-Orbital approach and the Woodward-Hoffmann rules)
: 1,2
describe and explain how the bonding and electronic structure in a variety of main-group organoelement molecules influences the reaction chemistry displayed by these species: 1,2
apply knowledge gained of the chemical reaction types covered in the course to the planning and design of efficient syntheses of a variety of industrially important target molecules: 1,2,3

Study hours

lectures 18 hours;
problem classes and workshops 6 hours;
preparation for synthesis design exercise 20 hours;
preparation for interview 20 hours;
independent study 83 hours.

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Exam weighted 65%
In-person Open Book Exam - 2.5hrs
A 2.5h, 100 marks, in-person, invigilated, PC-lab based, open book exam.

2: Exercise weighted 18%
Synthesis Design Exercise
Students will analyse a proposed multi-step synthetic sequence that will be provided. Various details will be omitted from the sequence (including the structure of intermediate compounds and also reagents etc.) and the students will have to provide these, alongside detailed mechanistic explanations of key reactions that will be indicated. Equivalent to ~1000 words.

3: Oral Exam weighted 17%
Technical Interview
An in-person technical interview (~15 minutes), focussed mainly on the organo-transitionmetal topic. Students will be required to apply their knowledge of this subject to suggest possible bond-forming reactions towards a previously unseen target molecule. The interview may also touch upon other fundamental organic chemistry knowledge (e.g. learnt in previous courses/topics).

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 19 January 2023