20437 General Chemistry 1
Credits: 6 intermediate credits in Chemistry
Prerequisites: none
Recommended: Background in Chemistry on a 3-point matriculation level, or The World of Chemistry. This course is not recommended as a first course in Chemistry for students lacking such background.
The course is based on a translation of the first 13 chapters of Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight (3rd ed.), by P. Atkins and L. Jones (W. H. Freeman, 2005).
The course is intended for students who are focusing on the Natural and Life Sciences and require comprehensive knowledge of Chemistry. It deals with the main principles underlying chemical processes and the problems of structure, energy, dynamics and chemical mechanisms, together with descriptive chemistry, bringing examples from Chemistry, Biology, Geology and Physics. The course includes two mandatory laboratory sessions.
Topics: Atoms – the quantum world; Chemical bonds; Molecular shape and structure; The properties of gases; Liquids and solids; Thermodynamics – the first law, the second and third laws; Physical equilibria; Chemical equilibria; Acids and bases; Aqueous equilibria; Electrochemistry; Chemical kinetics.
1There is some overlap in the content of this and other courses. For details, see Overlapping Courses.