00088 - Chemistry

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will acquire basic knowledge on the structure of matter and on kinetics and thermodynamics principles regulating its transformation. The student will also be able to understand, from the molecular point of view, the chemical reactions occurring in biosphere and all relationship among structure, properties and reactivity of organic molecules. The student will be able to critically analyze information concerning ecosphere, and will own basic knowledge for understanding the biochemistry, biology, genetic and physiology courses and to proceed with single activities in food technology.

Course contents

SPECIFIC PREREQUISITES FOR THIS COURSE:

To better understand the topics covered in this course, students are advised to have already acquired knowledge in the following areas:

Knowledge of the elementary real functions: power functions, roots, exponential and logarithm.

Solving algebraic equations.

Knowledge of the main physical quantities, their mutual relationships and main unit measurements.

COURSE CONTENTS

General and inorganic chemistry.

• Matter: properties, measures and classification (1 hour).
• Structure of the atom (2 hours).
• Periodic table and periodic properties of elements (2 hours).
• Chemical bond (5 hours).
• States of aggregation of matter (3 hours).
• Chemical reactions and stoichiometry (2 hours).
• Thermodynamic (2 hours).
• Chemical reactions kinetics (1 hour).
• Chemical equilibrium (2 hour2).
• Acid-base equilibrium in water: self-dissociation of water; pH; acidic and/or basic solutions pH; hydrolysis; pH buffers. Water chemistry. (3 hours)

Organic chemistry.

The course aims at providing information on the general properties of organic compounds and of their functional groups, by pointing out the relationship between biological relevance and chemical features. The following topics will be considered:

• Hybridization of carbon orbitals and introduction to organic chemistry (3 hours).
• Isomerism of organic compounds (2 hours).
• Nomenclature and chemical properties of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, cyclic hydrocarbons, aromatic compounds and halogenated hydrocarbons (5 hours).
• Nomenclature and chemical properties of organic molecules featured by a functional group: alcohols and phenols; ethers and thiols); amines; aldehydes and ketones; carboxylic acids and their derivatives (5 hours).

Main organic reactions: electrophilic and nucleophilic addition and substitution, elimination and condensation reactions (2 hours).

Readings/Bibliography

The teaching materials for this course are available on the Virtuale Learning Environment (https://virtuale.unibo.it/?lang=en ).

Required readings:

One text of choice among:

• Alberto Credi, Alessandro Del Zotto, Alberto Gasparotto, Fabio Marchetti, Daniele Zuccaccia: "Viaggio nella Chimica", EdiSES Università;
• Luciano Binaglia e Bruno Giardina: “Chimica e propedeutica biochimica 3/ed”, McGraw-Hill Education;

Ketherine J. Denniston, Joseph J. Topping, Robert L. Caret: "Chimica Generale. Chimica Organica. Propedeutica Biochimica", McGraw-Hill.

Teaching methods

The course includes theoretical lectures integrated with exercises and discussion with the students.

Assessment methods

The assessment for the Chemistry Course consists of a written exam and an oral exam:

• The written exam consists of problems, exercises and open answers on the topics of the course. Examples of problems and questions similar to those of the final exam are provided on the course web-site. The written exam typically consists of 9 questions/exercises; to each of them are assigned 2-5 points depending on the topic and complexity. The maximum score which can be obtained by correctly answering to all questions is 30. A minimum score of 18/30 is required to pass the written exam. A score of zero is assigned to incorrect or unanswered questions. No supplementary materials or electronic devices (e.g., tablets, smartwatches, computers) may be used during the exam, except for those explicitly allowed by the instructor. The results of the written exam will be published within 5 working days on the Virtuale Learning Environment (https://virtuale.unibo.it/?lang=en ) by the designated course contact.

Oral exam: access to oral exam is possible after passing the written exam. The oral exam is aimed at evaluating the knowledge and abilities indicated among the learning objectives of the course. The result of the oral exam will be communicated at the end of the session. The minimum passing grade is 18/30. In evaluating the oral exam, the instructor will use the following grading scale:

- Basic understanding of only a few course topics; analysis skills emerge only with the instructor’s help; generally correct language → 18–22

- Limited knowledge of several topics; independent analysis only on procedural issues; correct language use → 23–26

- Broad knowledge of course topics; ability to make autonomous critical judgments; mastery of discipline-specific terminology → 27–29

- Comprehensive understanding of course content; fully independent critical analysis and connections; excellent command of terminology and argumentation skills → 30–30 with honors

The exam is considered passed only if all parts are successfully completed. The final grade is determined by the average of the grades from the various parts of the exam, expressed out of 30. A minimum final grade of 18/30 is required.

Negative results are not graded numerically but recorded as “withdrawn” or “failed” in the electronic transcript on AlmaEsami, and do not affect the student’s academic record.

Grades for individual parts and the final grade will be published on the Virtuale Learning Environment (https://virtuale.unibo.it/?lang=en ) by the designated course contact within 5 working days of the exam.

Students may reject the final grade one time, by informing the course examiner via email within 5 working days.

The designated course contact for this course is Prof. Stefano Zacchini (stefano.zacchini@unibo.it [mailto:stefano.zacchini@unibo.it] )

Students must register for exams through the AlmaEsami platform (http://almaesami.unibo.it/ ). Exams are scheduled during the designated periods in the academic calendar. Additional sessions are available for students beyond the standard program duration.

Students with learning disorders 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 lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Blackboard and PowerPoint presentations for lectures. Documents and slides shown are made available to students by https://virtuale.unibo.it/ .

In case of difficulty understanding the course content, the instructor is available for clarification meetings, which must be scheduled via email.

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Zacchini