CHEM 3630 - Physical Chemistry III

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2021

Physical chemistry underpins many of the greatest challenges facing society today, from climate change to energy security to accessible clean water. This course provides the student with an in-depth understanding of the basic principles of physical chemistry, including statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, chemical kinetics and spectroscopy, which govern the energy-conversion processes, light-matter interactions, and physicochemical transformations that are central to tackling these challenges. The course also introduces the student to state-of-the-art numerical methods to solve physical chemistry problems, furnishing transferable computational skills in the "big data" era. Hands-on practical experience of experimental techniques for physical analysis and spectroscopic characterisation is provided through extensive laboratories activities.

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Course Details

Course Code	CHEM 3630
Course	Physical Chemistry III
Coordinating Unit	School of Physical Sciences
Term	Semester 1
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	up to 9 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	CHEM 2550 & MATH 1011 or equivalent; high-achieving students without pre-requisites may be granted exemption on application to Head of Chemistry
Incompatible	CHEM 3111
Assessment	assignments, practical reports, final examination

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor David Huang

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1	describe and explain fundamental concepts of physical chemistry, including those of statistical mechanics, chemical kinetics, quantum mechanics, and spectroscopy.
2	apply simple physical models to predict properties of chemical systems.
3	apply numerical or computational methods to calculate physical properties of chemical systems and assess the appropriateness of different computational techniques and numerical approximations for solving particular physical chemistry problems.
4	demonstrate proficiency in undertaking individual and/or team-based laboratory investigations using appropriate apparatus and safe laboratory practices, including the collection, analysis, interpretation and communication of results of an experiment.
5	design and plan an investigation by selecting and applying appropriate practical, theoretical, and/or computational techniques or tools.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1-5
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	2-5
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	4
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1-5
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	4,5
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	4,5

Learning Resources
Required Resources

There is no prescribed text for this course. All required course material will be provided by the course instructor(s).

Recommended Resources
Textbooks
- Engel and Reid, Physical Chemistry (Pearson)
- Atkins, Physical Chemistry (Oxford University Press)
All of these texts are available for loan from the Barr Smith library. References to other material and recent literature will be given in lectures.

Maths Resources
The Maths Learning Centre (MLC) helps all students learn and use the maths they need at uni. The MLC offers seminars, workshops, online, and print resources. It also run a drop-in room in Hub Central from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday during teaching weeks. For more information, visit http://www.adelaide.edu.au/mathslearning/
Online Learning

Teaching materials and course documentation will be posted on the MyUni website (http://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/).
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
This course consists of the components below:
- Lectures/Tutorials: 12 x 3 hours per week (timetabled as "Workshops")
- Practicals: 6 x 5.5-hour sessions with one session per week
- Workshop: 4 x 5.5-hour sessions run during a Practical timeslot
Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).

Learning Activities Summary
Coursework
Course material will cover the following topics:
- Electronic and Nuclear Spectroscopy
- Statistical Mechanics and Kinetics
- Advanced Quantum Mechanics
Computational Workshop
The computational workshop will provide students with “hands on” experience of numerical and computational methods for calculating and predicting the physical properties of chemical systems. The computational exercises in the workshop will be closely aligned with the theoretical concepts covered in the lectures.

Practicals
Practical exercises will provide students with "hands on" experience of experimental techniques for physical analysis and spectroscopic characterisation of chemical samples and quantitative measurement of physicochemical transformations. Training and direction on communicating the results of these investigations in various formats will be provided.

Tutorials
Tutorial sessions will be held weekly and will provide the student with the opportunity to discuss material from the lecture course. Formative tutorial questions will be used to reinforce the concepts introduced in lectures through a combination of qualitative and quantitative problem solving.
Specific Course Requirements

Attendance is compulsory at all scheduled chemistry practical sessions. The learning outcomes for this course are substantially dependent on laboratory experience and practice. Therefore, missing any practical class or failing to submit a reasonable attempt at any practical report in a semester will result in a grade of FAIL being recorded for the course. Students with medical or compassionate reasons for non-attendance will be given an opportunity to make up missed practical sessions.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Hurdle yes/no	Learning Outcome	Due
Summative Assignments	Formative & Summative	10%	No	1,2	Weeks 5.9.13
Workshop Assignment	Formative & Summative	10%	No	2.3.5	Week 12
Practical Reports	Formative & Summative	30%	No	1,2,4	Weeks 4-10
Examination	Summative	50%	Yes (45%)	1,2,3	Exam period

Assessment Related Requirements

Assessment Item	% needed to meet course requirement	Additional Assessment
Examination	45%	Yes - RAA Exam; a grade of at least 45% must obtained
Practical work is compulsory	Satisfactory completion of all practicals, including attendance of ALL practical sessions and reasonable attempt at ALL practical reports	Missed practicals can be made up

Assessment Detail

Summative Assignments
Students will complete an assignment on each of the three lecture topics (worth 3.33% each). Each assignment will consist of multiple-choice and/or short-answer questions.

Workshop Assignment
Students will undertake the computational workshop during four weeks of normal laboratory sessions. During the workshop, they will complete an assignment worth 10% of the assessment in which they will present calculation results and answer short-answer questions addressing the application of computational methods to problems in physical chemistry.

Practical Reports
Students will complete experiment reports (3 major reports and 3 minor reports). Students will be provided with sample reports or rubrics with guidelines on report structure and approximate length. Each major report is worth 8% of the assessment and each minor report is worth 2% of the assessment. Students will complete 3 experiments, with each experiment taking 2 lab sessions (1 experiment approximately every 3 weeks). They will submit a minor report in the lab session on completion of an experiment in which they report data collected and preliminary data and a major report approximately one week after the completion of an experiment. In general, each experiment will be assessed on laboratory results (graphs, quality of data, calculations, etc.) as well as the laboratory note books and reports.

Examination
The final 3-hour examination will examine all components of the course. It may consist of any combination of multiple choice, short-answer and/or long-answer questions.

Submission

Submission of Assigned Work
Coversheets must be completed and attached to all submitted work. Coversheets can be obtained from the School Office (room G33 Physics) or from MyUNI. Work should be submitted via the assignment drop box at the School Office or via MyUni as instructed.

Extensions for Assessment Tasks
Extensions of deadlines for assessment tasks may be allowed for reasonable causes. Such situations would include compassionate and medical grounds of the severity that would justify the awarding of a supplementary examination. Evidence for the grounds must be provided when an extension is requested. Students are required to apply for an extension to the Course Coordinator before the assessment task is due. Extensions will not be provided on the grounds of poor prioritising of time. The assessment extension application form can be obtained from: https://sciences.adelaide.edu.au/study/student-support/forms-and-policies#academic-forms

Late Submission of Assessments
If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days or more late without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the mark.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator