Academic Year 2017/2018

  • Docente: Adriana Bigi
  • Credits: 9
  • SSD: CHIM/03
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Geological Sciences (cod. 8015)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student knows the basic principles of general chemistry and the chemical properties of elements and compounds, which are necessary for the study of geological processes and materials. He can : - utilize the IUPAC nomenclature, SI units, concentration expressions; - illustrate the atomic structure of the elements and classify compounds on the basis of the different kinds of chemical bond; - perform stoichiometric calculations using mole, concentration, pH, solubility; apply the principles of chemical equilibrium to homogeneous and heterogeneous systems, and illustrate the properties of the different aggregation states; - use the Periodic Table to identify the characteristics of the main elements and of their inorganic compounds.

Course contents

Introduction. Chemical and physical properties of matter; states of aggregation; phases.

Atoms and atomic theory. The fundamental laws of chemistry; subatomic particles; atomic symbols, atomic number and mass number, isotopes, ions; mole.

Atomic structure. Wave-particle dualism and quantum-mechanical model of atom; quantum numbers and their meaning, orbital shells and sub-shells, Hund rule and Pauli principle, electronic configurations.

Chemical compounds and periodic properties. The Periodic Table. Dimensions of atoms and ions, ionization energy, electronic affinity and interpretation of their periodic behavior. Chemical compounds.

Chemical bond. Ionic bond: reticular energy, Born-Haber cycle, ionic radii and lattice structures. Covalent bond: octet rule, Lewis structures, multiple bonds, resonance, partial and formal charges, molecules geometry, valence bond model, hybrid orbitals. Electronegativity and polar bond. Intermolecular bonds: Van der Waals forces, hydrogen bond.

Name of inorganic compounds. Oxidation number. Rules to determine the oxidation number. Name of inorganic compounds.

Stoichiometry. Chemical reactions, chemical equations and their balancing. Reactions in solution. Acid-base reactions. Redox reactions and their balancing. Combustion reactions. Titrations.

Gases. Properties of gases, laws of gases, ideal gas law, Dalton law on partial pressures; molecular kinetics theory; deviations from the ideal behavior in real gases; critical parameters.

Chemical thermodynamics. Heat and energy; first principle of thermodynamics. Enthalpy of reaction, standard states, Hess law, enthalpy of formation. Entropy and the second  principle of thermodynamics. Free energy and reaction spontaneity.

Phase diagrams. Clausius-Clapeyron equation. Phase diagrams of pure substances: equilibrium curves, triple point, critic point.

The solid state. Brief mention to the solid state and the physical properties of solids. Crystal structures. Ionic, covalent, molecular and metallic solids. Polymorphism. Isomorphism.

Liquids and solutions. Liquid properties. Solutions. Concentration. Solubility. Colligative properties: Rault law, ebullioscopy, cryoscopy, osmotic pressure.

Chemical equilibrium. Free energy reaction variation and equilibrium constant. Law of mass action. Relation between Kp and Kc. Principle of Le Chatelier. Homogeneous equilibrium. Dissociation of gases. Heterogeneous equilibrium.

Acid-base equilibria. Dissociation of water, pH, Properties of acids and bases, Brønsted-Lowry definition, acid-base conjugated pairs; strength of acids and bases; pH calculations for strong and weak acids and bases, salts and pH of their solutions; buffer solutions and buffering ability; titration curves; indicators.

Solubility equilibria. Solubility product. The common ion effect.

Electrochemistry. Chemical cells, Nerst equation, Table of standard-state reduction potentials, batteries. Electrolysis: electrolytic cells, Faraday laws.

Chemical kinetics. Reaction rate, instantaneous rate, kinetic law and rate constant; relationship between kinetic law and reaction stoichiometry, order and molecularity; first order reactions; activation energy; Arrhenius equation, catalysis.

Overview on the chemical properties of the principal elements. The periodic table and the periodic chemical characteristics; Elements and compounds of high geological relevance.

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture notes.

The topic treated in this course can be found in any recent university textbook of general chemistry. See, for exemple: L. Palmisano  M. Schiavello Elementi di Chimica EdiSES Napoli.

 

Teaching methods

Lectures with the use of PowerPoint presentations. Exercises aimed to solve stoichiometry problems. Laboratory experiments.

Assessment methods

The final examination consists in an oral exam, which tests the acquired abilities and knowledge. During the exam, the student can use the Periodic Table of the Elements. The first question of the test is a stoichiometry problem aimed to verify the student's knowledge of the names  of inorganic compounds and of the meaning of chemical reaction, which are mandatory requirements to pass the exam. Further questions are addressed to evaluate the student's knowledge of the basic principles of general chemistry and of the chemical properties of elements and compounds.

Teaching tools

Overhead projector, PC, video projector, powerpoint presentations, laboratory instruments and tools.

Office hours

See the website of Adriana Bigi