Introductory Practical Chemistry

Module code: CH1205

Chemistry is an experimental science and, thus, you'll be taking part in many practical experiments during your undergraduate study.

You will have done small-scale practicals during your time at school or college, but transitioning to a university lab environment can be difficult. There's a lot to get to grips with - new equipment, different chemicals, new terminology, more safety procedures, longer experiments and much more. That's why we've designed this module to introduce you to practical chemistry at an undergraduate level.

Topics covered

• The manipulation of simple laboratory equipment and glassware
• Basic synthetic and analytical practical procedures individually safely and following good chemistry laboratory practice
• The accurate observation and recording of experimental details and results
• Different types of errors that may occur and how to deal with them
• Interpreting experimental data and reporting the findings in a concise written report
• Preparing, separating and purifying compounds using different techniques including recrystallisation, distillation and Thin Layer Chromatography
• Characterising and identifying these compounds using a variety of analytical and spectroscopic methods