CHM3972 - Sustainable chemistry

Leader: Dr Kei Saito

Offered

Clayton Second semester 2008 (Day)

Synopsis

The development of chemical tools that allow realisation of the concept of a sustainable future - meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs - the basis for the course of sustainable chemistry. This will be dealt with in three interconnected streams: Introduction to Green Chemistry, Sustainable Energy technologies and Molecular Recognition.

Objectives

On completion of this unit, students will have developed an understanding of sustainable chemistry and its importance in mapping out a sustainable future. The focus will be on green chemistry, sustainable energy technologies and molecular recognition. Students will gain an understanding of the principles of green chemistry, application of which leads to waste, hazard and energy use reduction, through the study of series of synthetic examples. In particular, many examples will be drawn from recent research papers and thus skills in comprehension and analysis of scholarly publications will be developed. Advances in sustainable energy technologies such as fuel cells, solar cells and rechargeable batteries and the chemical principles on which these rely will lead into concepts of molecular recognition and advantages offered for development of new devices and materials.

Assessment

One 2.5hour examination: 60%
Assignments: 10%
Laboratory work and short laboratory reports: 30%
Students must achieve an overall pass in their laboratory work to achieve an overall pass grade.

Contact hours

Three 1-hour lectures/tutorials and the equivalent of 3 hours of laboratory activity per week

Prerequisites

6 points of level one chemistry and 6 points of level two chemistry. Students without these should consult the unit co-ordinator.

Prohibitions

CHM3971