Outline

Overview

There are over 144 million chemical substances so far identified, a diversity that makes possible the rich fabric of the material and biological worlds. Underpinning this huge diversity are a few fundamental rules of electronic arrangements in atoms and molecules that determine what molecules will be stable and when they will undergo transformation by chemical reaction. This unit will describe these fundamental rules and investigate how electronic rearrangements stabilise molecules by forming covalent bonds. You will investigate the quantum theory of bonding and apply these concepts to establish the rules that govern bond geometries, aromaticity, substitution and elimination reactions. You will investigate the bonding of metal complexes and the relation between magnetism and structure in these compounds. You will learn the fundamentals of electronic and vibrational spectroscopies and how these techniques are used to measure molecular properties. Molecular Stability and Reactivity (Adv) differs from CHEM2521 in that the laboratory consists of open-ended discovery-oriented exercises. By doing this unit you will develop the fundamental understanding of chemical stability and reactivity essential for further work in all chemically related fields and have established a solid foundation for further study in chemistry.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	CHEM2921
Academic unit	Chemistry Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	CHEM2521 or CHEM2991 or CHEM2401 or CHEM2911 or CHEM2915
Prerequisites ?	A mark of 65 or above in (CHEM1111 or CHEM1911 or CHEM1991 or CHEM1011 or CHEM1101 or CHEM1901 or CHEM1903 or CHEM1001) and a mark of 65 or above in (CHEM1112 or CHEM1912 or CHEM1992 or CHEM1012 or CHEM1102 or CHEM1902 or CHEM1904 or CHEM1002)
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Peter Harrowell, peter.harrowell@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam	Final exam Written exam	55%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Laboratory presentation 2 presentations over a 9 week period	7%	Multiple weeks	2 x 10 minute presentations
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Laboratory report 4 reports submitted over 9 weeks.	18%	Multiple weeks	4 x ~4 pages
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	In‐Semester Test 1 Online quiz	5%	Week 05	60 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	In‐Semester Test 2 Online quiz	5%	Week 11	60 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Pre‐lecture quiz Online quiz before lectures	10%	Weekly	30 minutes
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	At HD level, a student demonstrates a flair for the subject as well as a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the unit material. A ‘High Distinction’ reflects exceptional achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates the ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding to produce original solutions for novel or highly complex problems and/or comprehensive critical discussions of theoretical concepts.
Distinction	75 - 84	At DI level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the unit material. A ‘Distinction’ reflects excellent achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates an ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding of the subject to produce good solutions for challenging problems and/or a reasonably well-developed critical analysis of theoretical concepts.
Credit	65 - 74	At CR level, a student demonstrates a good command and knowledge of the unit material. A ‘Credit’ reflects solid achievement and is awarded to a student who has a broad general understanding of the unit material and can solve routine problems and/or identify and superficially discuss theoretical concepts.
Pass	50 - 64	At PS level, a student demonstrates proficiency in the unit material. A ‘Pass’ reflects satisfactory achievement and is awarded to a student who has threshold knowledge.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Review – 1st year organic 2. Representing reactions – curly arrows 3. Curly arrows workshop	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	4. Nucleophilic substitution 5. Nucleophilic substitution 6. Nucleophilic substitution – Hammonds Rule	Lecture (3 hr)
	Material from Wks 1 & 2	Tutorial (1 hr)
	Laboratory exercise	Science laboratory (4 hr)
Week 03	7. Isomers 8. Elimination 9. Elimination	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 03	Laboratory exercise	Science laboratory (4 hr)
Week 04	10. Radicals - introduction 11. Radicals – reactions 12. The chemical bond – a history	Lecture (3 hr)
	Material from Wks 3 & 4	Tutorial (1 hr)
	Laboratory exercise	Science laboratory (4 hr)
Week 05	13. Bonding in polyatomic molecules 14. Electrons in conjugated molecules 15. Cyclic π systems & aromaticity	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 05	Laboratory exercise	Science laboratory (4 hr)
Week 06	16. Aromaticity, aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds 17. Electro- & nucleophilic aromatic substitution 18. Intro to Coordination Chemistry	Lecture (3 hr)
	Material from Wks 5 & 6	Tutorial (1 hr)
	Laboratory exercise	Science laboratory (4 hr)
Week 07	19. Crystal Field Theory for Metal Complexes 21. Other Geometries 22. Ligand Field Theory for Metal Complexes	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 07	Laboratory exercise	Science laboratory (4 hr)
Week 08	23. Ligand Field Theory for Metal Complexes 24. Thermo Aspects of Metals Complexes 25. Kinetics of Ligand Substitution Reactions	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 08	Materials from Wks 7 & 8	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	26. Organometallic Chemistry 27. Organometallic Chemistry 28. Metal-Metal Bonding	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 10	29. Introduction to Spectroscopy & the photon 31. Electronic Spectroscopy of aromatics - adsorption and fluorescence 32. Electronic spectroscopy of metal complexes	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 10	Material from Wks 9 &10	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	33. Raman spectroscopy 34. Vibronic spectroscopy and photophysics	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 12	Material from Wks 11 & 12	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance requirements for this unit of study have been amended. Where online tutorials/workshops/virtual laboratories have been scheduled, students should make every effort to attend and participate at the scheduled time. Penalties will not be applied if technical issues, etc. prevent attendance at a specific online class. In that case, students should discuss the problem with the coordinator, and attend another session, if available.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. understand an apply knowledge of bonding and spectroscopy in the context of open-ended problems.
LO2. work safely and competently in a chemical laboratory.
LO3. communicate scientific information and laboratory findings effectively using a range of modes (written, oral, visual etc.) for a variety of audiences.
LO4. recognise the relevance of bonding and spectroscopy to applications beyond the discipline of chemistry.
LO5. evaluate and interpret chemical data to resolve chemical questions and advance chemical inquiry in molecular stability and reactivity.
LO6. work collaboratively and responsibly in data collection, analysis and communication.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

New unit

Additional information

Work, health and safety

We are governed by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 and Codes of Practice. Penalties for non-compliance have increased. Everyone has a responsibility for health and safety at work. The University’s Work Health and Safety policy explains the responsibilities and expectations of workers and others, and the procedures for managing WHS risks associated with University activities.

General Laboratory Safety Rules

No eating or drinking is allowed in any laboratory under any circumstances
A laboratory coat and closed-toe shoes are mandatory
Follow safety instructions in your manual and posted in laboratories
In case of fire, follow instructions posted outside the laboratory door
First aid kits, eye wash and fire extinguishers are located in or immediately outside each laboratory
As a precautionary measure, it is recommended that you have a current tetanus immunisation. This can be obtained from University Health Service: unihealth.usyd.edu.au/

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

CHEM2921: Molecular Stability and Reactivity (Advanced)

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect