Chemistry

This course deepens knowledge of organic chemistry and organic synthesis in relation to drug molecules. Medicinal chemistry deals with the discovery, design, identification, and synthesis of drug molecules, and with the study of the relationships between the structure of a drug molecule and its behavior in the body. By looking at five major diseases, the organic synthesis and pharmacology of several drug molecules for treating these diseases are explored. A full year of Organic Chemistry is required for admission.

This course develops fundamental laboratory skills: thin layer chromatography; reflux; distillation; vacuum filtration; determination of melting point; recrystallisation; solvent extraction; rotary evaporation; Soxhlet extraction. Lectures give a core understanding in three main chemical themes: nomenclature, isomerism, and reaction mechanisms. Students participate in workshops focused on lecture content and general academic skills, additionally participating in a collaborative group poster presentation, refining important employability skills.

This course comprises the Semester 1 material, including laboratory and course work, of the Chemistry 2 course. The course consists of the following lecture courses: Carbonyl Chemistry; Transition Metal Organometallic Chemistry 1; Heterocyclic Chemistry; Quantum Theory; Reaction Kinetics; Separation Techniques & Mass Spectrometry. The course includes six weeks of inorganic chemistry and three weeks of physical chemistry laboratory sessions.

This course takes an in-depth view of organic chemistry using structures and reactivities exhibited by important molecules in everyday life. Students learn, refresh and cement key concepts in organic chemistry, particularly reactions involving polar mechanisms, and acquire knowledge and hands-on experience in molecular and structural characterization, while at the same time appreciating the intrinsic relevance of organic chemistry in existence and daily lives. The course requires students to take prerequisites.

This course provides an introduction to processing and analyzing chemistry-derived datasets using computer programming. The course comprises of an introduction to the Python scripting language and its applications within chemistry, including topics such as classifying data, performing statistical analyses, 3D visualization, and curve fitting. This workshop-based course is based around chemically-relevant problems.

Chemical biology is an emerging scientific discipline that spans the fields of chemistry and biology. Chemical biology involves the use of chemical methods, tools, and molecules that are designed and made through synthetic organic chemistry, to study, understand, and manipulate biological systems. It attempts to use chemical principles to perturb or control biological systems to either investigate the mechanisms or create new functions. In the class we will review the chemical biology of small molecules, biomacromolecules, and concepts and techniques.

This research course allows a student to participate in 8-10 hours per week on lab tasks, including data analysis and preparation for meetings with the lab supervisor. 

The final grade is based on lab task participation and an oral presentation. 

This one-unit elective course is designed for junior students in the Department of Chemistry who are interested in contemporary research in chemistry-related fields. The prerequisites for this course are General Chemistry (I)(II), Organic Chemistry (I)(II), and Analytical Chemistry (I)(II).
Students are expected to attend a weekly group seminar, and give one to two 30-minute oral presentations of literature review or their research progress. Students are not required to enroll in this course concurrently with Chem 3041: Research Training for Junior (I).