B5462 - Prebiotic Chemistry inthe Early Universe

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student has acquired a deep knowledge of the chemistry occurring in space in connection with the formation of prebiotic molecules, as well as the principles and the techniques for the discovery of molecules in space and the theories at the basis of the origin of life on Earth.

Course contents

Theoretical part (3 CFU)

Introductive concepts.

The life cycle of a star: the interstellar medium, stars formation regions and formation of a planetary system. Molecules in space: their role and importance, chemical complexity and evolution.

The theories of the origin of life.

Endogeneous synthesis: Abiogenesis and Miller-Urey experiment. Titan as a primordial Earth. Exogeneous delivery: prebiotic chemistry in space, complex organic molecules and cometary/meteoritic bombardment. The role of prebiotic chemistry in the early Universe in the origin of life mistery.

Origin of life on Earth.

The RNA-World hypothesis.

Computational lab (3 CFU)

The computational lab is organized into two parts:

I. Learning how to use the computational tools:

Two lab days (two mornings) will be devoted to learning how to use the Gaussian program (exploiting its graphical interface, GaussView) and, in particular, the tool required for the actual lab exercises.

II. Chemical reactions in the interstellar medium:

Four days (four mornings) will be devoted to studying a simple gas-phase reaction and a reactive process occurring on interstellar icy-dust grains.

Readings/Bibliography

The lecture notes, taken by the students in class, and the slides projected in the lecture form the basis for the learning process. Professor is available for supervising the lecture notes and for additional explanations.

Slides, book chapters and literature papers are available for download on the institutional-online repository for didactic material (Virtuale). 

For further information, the followings text books are recommended:

1) Astrobiology (From the Origins of Life to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). A. Yamagishi, T. Kakegawa, T. Usui (Editors). Springer (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-13-3639-3)

2) Astrochemistry: from Astronomy to Astrobiology. A.M. Shaw. Wiley (https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Astrochemistry:+From+Astronomy+to+Astrobiology-p-9780470091364)

3) Introduction to Astrochemistry (Chemical Evolution from Interstellar Clouds to Star and Planet Formation). S. Yamamoto. Springer (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-4-431-54171-4)

Teaching methods

The course consists of two parts. The first part is a theory part and involves oral lectures supported by video-projection. The second part involves computational practicals aimed at applying the knowledge acquired in the first part.

As concerns the teaching methods of this course unit, all students must attend Module 1, 2 [https://www.unibo.it/en/services-and-opportunities/health-and-assistance/health-and-safety/online-course-on-health-and-safety-in-study-and-internship-areas] on Health and Safety, online.

Assessment methods

The final examination aims to ascertain the student's acquired skills, and consists of:

- Oral presentation of one topic (chosen by the student) based on the theory part. The student should be ready to answer a few questions on the chosen topic and on the topics closely related to it.

- Written report based on one of the lab exercises (chosen by the student). The results obtained during the lab practicals should be reported together with a critical discussion based on the theoretical fundamentals.

The final grade is given by the arithmetic mean of the oral exam and the laboratory report.

For both the oral exam and the report, grading is based on the following criteria:

Pass: Barely appropriate language, poor argumentative ability, and minimal knowledge of the exam topics.

Good: Good knowledge of the subject matter, and reasonable ability to synthesize and elaborate analysis, using appropriate technical language.

Excellent: In addition to the knowledge skills, elaboration skills are required; a clear and comprehensive understanding of the topics, strong argumentative ability, and specific technical language are required.

The use of AI is prohibited during assessments. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Students with learning disabilities (LD) and/or temporary or permanent disabilities:

Please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the professor, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

 

 

 

Teaching tools

1) Lectures supported by projection of slides and literature papers.
2) computational lab praticals (notes are provided).

All teaching material is available on Virtuale.

 

Office hours

See the website of Cristina Puzzarini