Course overview
Chemical analysis - both quantitation and speciation - is one of the most valuable employment skills carried by trained chemists. This course aims to equip students with a working knowledge and practical skill set for professional analytical chemistry and its application to a number of environmental systems and industrial applications. Students will be trained in techniques used by professional chemists to determine chemical composition and analyse for trace compounds, central to the environmental systems that are covered. The fundamentals of analytical rigour will be addressed and developed through both theory and practical application.
The course will establish a sound understanding of the chemistry of the biosphere and the impact of natural and human induced events on local and global environments. The atmospheric, terrestrial, riverine and oceanic chemical compositions and their interactions to produce climate and other environmental variations are examined.
Course learning outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles of quantitative analysis and the underlying principles of the sustainable use ofchemicals in a variety of quantitative chemical contexts
- Develop analytical solutions to a variety of chemical problems identified from application contexts; critically analyse and evaluate quantitative and qualitative chemical informations
- As part of a team or individually, design, conduct, analyse and interpret results of an experiment, and effectively communicate these in written reports and other formats
- Describe and explain how chemical analysis has allowed/continues to allow humankind to understand and mitigate its impact on the natural world where it must survive
- Gain an understanding and appreciation for how fundamental analytical chemistry impacts on life, environmental and industrial processes