CHEMISTRY

Academic Year 2017/2018 - 1° Year
Teaching Staff: Valentina Oliveri
Credit Value: 6
Scientific field: CHIM/03 - General and inorganic chemistry
Taught classes: 28 hours
Term / Semester:

Learning Objectives

To provide a broad foundation in chemistry that stresses scientific reasoning and analytical problem solving with a molecular perspective.

The student will understand the importance of the Periodic Table of the Elements, how it came to be, and its role in organizing chemical information.

The student will understand the interdisciplinary nature of chemistry and integrate knowledge of mathematics, physics and other disciplines to a wide variety of chemical problems.


Detailed Course Content

Fundamentals

  • Measurements: units, uncertainty
  • Dimensional analysis, problem-solving
  • Atomic theory
  • Formulas, masses, the mole
  • Chemical equations: balancing, stoichiometry, net ionic equations

Thermochemistry; enthalpy, Hess’s law, enthalpy of formation, calorimetry

  • Laws of thermodynamics

Structure and Bonding

  • Light and spectroscopy
  • Bohr model versus Quantum Mechanical model
  • Orbitals, quantum numbers, periodic table
  • Periodic trends
  • Electronegativity; ionic versus covalent compounds
  • Lewis structures, formal charge, resonance
  • VSEPR, hybridization, molecular orbital theory

The States of Matter

  • Gas laws
  • Kinetic molecular theory
  • Real gases
  • Intermolecular forces
  • Liquids and solids
  • Phase changes

Kinetics

  • Reaction rates
  • Rate law
  • Collision theory
  • Reaction mechanisms, rate-limiting step

Chemical Equilibrium

  • Dynamic equilibrium; homogeneous versus heterogeneous equilibria
  • Equilibrium constant and related calculations
  • LeChatelier’s principle

Chemical Applications

  • Solutions and solution chemistry
  • Acid-base equilibria
  • pH
  • Titrations
  • Buffers
  • Solubilities of ionic compounds
  • Common ion effect

Energy

  • Entropy, spontaneity, standard entropy
  • Gibbs free energy
  • REDOX
  • Electromotive force
  • Voltaic cells
  • Standard Potentials and the Nernst equation

Textbook Information

T1. J.C. Kotz et al. - Chimica – EdiSES

T2. P.W. Atkins, L. Jones - Chimica Generale - Zanichelli

T3. Petrucci et al., -Chimica Generale- Piccin

T4. P. M. Lausarot, G.A. Vaglio - Stechiometria per la Chimica Generale- Piccin