Programme: BScHons (Chemistry)

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Code Faculty Department
02240123 Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Department: Chemistry
Credits Duration NQF level
Minimum duration of study: 1 year Total credits: 135 NQF level:  08

Admission requirements

  1. Relevant BSc degree
  2. A weighted average of at least 60% for chemistry modules at final-year level

Note: Additional modules may be required in order to reach the desired level of competency 

Minimum credits: 135

Students must choose any two of the three research modules: CMY 718, CMY 719, CMY 731.

Core modules

  • Module content:

    Selected aspects of: Mass spectometry: ion sources, analysers, detectors, isotope ratios, accurate mass, ion fragmentation, tandem mass spectrometry. Chromatography: theory and instrumentation of gas, liquid and supercritical fluid chromatography, multidimensional systems and coupling to mass spectrometry.

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  • Module content:

    Selected aspects: Electrochemistry: fundamental theory, voltammetry, metal-ligand equilibria, modelling and measurement of solution composition. Statistics: precision and accuracy, random errors, hypothesis testing, method of least squares, curve fitting, multivariate statistics, interpreting patterns of data. Chemical metrology: propagation of errors, quality control of quantitative and qualitative analytical information, international standards, interlaboratory calibration

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  • Module content:

    Stereocontrolled organic synthesis: substrate stereocontrol in diastereoselective synthesis. Retrosynthesis: principles and applications. Protecting groups in synthesis. Aromatic and heteroaromatic chemistry.

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  • Module content:

    Stereocontrolled organic synthesis: chiral auxiliaries in synthesis; reagent controlled synthesis; catalyst controlled synthetic methods. Pericyclic reactions and transition metals in organic synthesis. Aliphatic and heterocyclic amine chemistry.

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  • Module content:

    Inorganic and organometallic chemistry. Classification of ligands and complexes. Synthesis, structure, bonding and reactivity of complexes. Homogeneous catalysis and template effects.

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  • Module content:

    Main group chemistry. From complexes to clusters to networks. Reaction kinetics and mechanisms. Supramolecular chemistry Bioinorganic and bioorganometallic compounds. Metals in medicine.

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  • Module content:

    Crystallography: theoretical principles, symmetry elements and operations, point groups, space groups, theory of crystals, X-rays, crystallographic techniques, structure determinations, powder diffraction and crystallographic data bases.

    Molecular modelling: molecular structure/energy, methodology, principles and and molecular surfaces.

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  • Module content:

    Chemical kinetics: rates of chemical reactions, equilibrium reactions, temperature dependence of reactions, complex reactions, reaction mechanisms and kinetics by thermal analysis. Statistical mechanics: Boltzmann distribution, partition functions, ensembles, thermodynamic functions, equilibria.

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  • Module content:

    Students work on one project during the year which has a significant component that can be described as instrumental or computational or analysis of data or theoretical. A report and a presentation are required.

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  • Module content:

    Students work on one project during the year which has a significant component that can be described as instrumental or computational or analysis of data or theoretical. A report and a presentation are required.

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  • Module content:

    Chemical information literacy; Molecular modelling; NMR spectroscopy; Mass spectrometry; Crystallography and Metrology will be presented from a practical point of view with an emphasis on the interpretation of data and use of instrumentation rather than on underlying theory.

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  • Module content:

    Students may select one project per year which can be described as research into the teaching and learning of chemistry at tertiary level.

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