General Chemistry II

Recommended Prerequisites

Secondary school Chemistry (preferably 12th year) and basic English.

Teaching Methods

Teaching is based on lectures, encouraging student participation and discussion of topics, and exercise-solving classes aimed at analysing and obtaining the solution for problems, while encouraging, once again, the participation of students, now gathered  in smaller groups.

Learning Outcomes

This course provides the foundations to be developed along the course in later subjects.
Establishes the scales (from microscopic to macroscopic) of the relevant systems, and defines, in a simple way, their relationship.
Promotes a reasoning aiming at integrating complementary subjects.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Introduction to Chemical Thermodynamics.
Energy and the 1st law of thermodynamics. Work, heat and energy conservation. Internal energy and enthalpy. Thermochemistry. Entropy and the 2nd law of thermodynamics. Free energy.

2. Chemical Equilibrium
Nature of chemical equilibrium. Equilibrium constant. Energy, equilibrium constant and temperature. Chemical potential.

3. Acids and Bases
Acid-base reactions in aqueous solution. Mono and polyprotic acids. pH and pK. Acid-base titrations. Indicators. Buffering effect.

4. Solubility and precipitation of salts
Solubility of salts in water. Precipitation reactions. Common ion effect and ionic strength. Selective precipitation.

5. Oxidation-reduction reactions
Redox reactions. Electrochemical cells. Normal potential. Nernst equation. Potential and equilibrium constant. Redox titrations. Electrolysis.

6. Complex ions
Structure. Formation constants. Complexes and solubility. Complexometry.

Head Lecturer(s)

Alberto António Caria Canelas Pais

Assessment Methods

Assessment
Resolution Problems: 10.0%
Mini Tests: 20.0%
Exam: 70.0%

Bibliography

1. R. Chang, Chemistry, 8th Ed., McGraw-Hill (New York, 2004);
2. P. Atkins and L. Jones, Chemical Principles: the quest for insight, 5th Ed., Freeman (New York, 2010).