CHM2922: Spectroscopy and Analytical Chemistry

- Mid-semester test: 20% (hurdle requirement)
- Practicals: 30%
- Assessments: 10% (pretty sure this was in tutorials and Moodle quizzes)
- Exam: 40% (hurdle requirement)

- Associate Professor Mike Grace
- Dr. Toby Bell
- Dr. Jie Zhang

Yes, from memory, there were 1 or 2 practise exams provided. Can't quite remember if answers were provided or not. (Refer to Important Note above.)

3 out of 5

Yes, with screen capture (may not be available post-2017 due to changes in the unit)

Principles of Instrumental Analysis by Skoog et al. (7th ed.) - If I recall, I personally borrowed this a few times from the library, simply to reconsolidate some information taught or get a bit more in-depth at times, when I could. Not really necessary, but was recommended if you were going to do 3rd year from memory.

- 3 x lectures (pretty sure this got cut down signficantly after 2017, as there was talk of this and it appears to have happened, because in 2020, there are no lectures and instead there's 2 x workshops)
- 1 x tutorial
- 1 x 3- 4 hr lab

Semester 2, 2017

It was pretty average, but I felt it was good given my circumstances at the time.

Practical work: 30% (consists of 8 Lab Reports and a Moot Court Presentation)
Three online Moodle Tests - 3.33% each (10%)
One Mid-semester test - 20%Final exam - 40%

starts off with an extension of the Mass Spectrometry you learnt in Year 12, except now it goes into more detail, like why you're likely to find certain fragments at certain intensity values, how isotopes affect mass spectra (behold, the BINOMIAL THEOREM!), and how fragmentation actually occurs (through the use of 'mechanisms', not dissimilar to mechanisms in organic chemistry)! Again, we go through the techniques and instrumentation (such as 'hard' and 'soft' methods of ionisation, and different kinds of detectors). Electrochemistry begins with a review of your standard Year 12 Redox section (so once again, we have the electrochemical series, salt bridges, anodes and cathodes and all that), before moving on to the Nernst equation, which FINALLY allows you to work out cell potentials under NON-STANDARD CONDITIONS!! We also further the concept of 'activity' versus 'concentration', and learn about the Debye-Huckel equation, and the ionic strength of a solution. We then learn about potentiometry, which is about how we can use electrochemistry to measure the concentrations of things, and go into some detail about the various electrodes used. There was meant to be a lecture on voltammetry, it got cancelled this year, but still appeared on the exam! Grrrr. . .

This subject is a prerequisite for most 3rd-year chemistry units. (so definitely a must if you wish to major in Chemistry).

Each of the three lecturers mentioned above takes four weeks of content:

General analytical principles, UV-Vis Spectroscopy, Atomic Spectroscopy, Chromatography: Mike Grace
Mass spectrometry, Electrochemistry: Chris Thompson
Fluorescence, IR spectoscopy, Raman spectroscopy: Toby Bell

begins with an introduction to analytical chemistry, which is about key terminology in describing experimental results and methods (such as sensitivity, selectivity, accuracy, precision and so forth), and a brief description of what analytical chemistry is used for (as DisaFear mentions, there is an emphasis on forensic applications in this unit). The actual chemistry starts off with UV-Visible spectroscopy, and extends on from your first-year knowledge of the Beer Lambert Law, with complications and additional techniques introduced. We then move on to Atomic Absorption and Emission spectroscopy - so we learn about the Boltzmann distribution, briefly cover Grotian diagrams, and learn about the different types of techniques (e.g. Graphite Furnace AAS, Flame Ionisation Detection). Finally, we learn more about chromatography, with HPLC and GC techniques, along with general chromatographic principles such as gradient elution and resolution.

Prac work is a hurdle requirement; you need at least 50% in the prac component to pass the unit.

Yes, several from past years available on the Monash Library Database. No solutions provided. Note that not all topics in these past exams may be relevant, because the topics assessed in the mid-semester test and final exam occasionally get switched around (more on this later).

4.75/5

Yes, with screen capture.

Principles of Instrumental Analysis, by Skoog, Holler and Crouch. (6ed. in Semester 2, 2013).
Did not consult much throughout the semester.

is an introduction to the process of fluorescence, which covers the physical chemistry of fluorescence with Jablonski diagrams (basically more fancy energy level diagrams), Kasha's Rule, and some calculations on the kinetics of fluorescence (we get rate constants here too, and natural lifetimes). We also have a short bit on molecular orbital theory, and how it applies to more complicated molecules, and a bit on chemical and biological luminescence. We then move on to IR spectroscopy, but now we actually see why only some vibrations of some molecules show up on an IR spectra (if you do physics, this will be a piece of cake, if not, don't fret!). We consider IR instrumentation, as well as a modified form of the Beer-Lambert Law. Finally, we look at Raman spectroscopy, and how it differs from IR spectroscopy, Stokes and Anti-Stokes radiation, and applications such as monitoring ozone levels, and rocket fuel.

This was a nice unit. All the lecturers were really helpful at answering questions during and after lectures, and all taught logically and clearly. If you've somehow taken it upon yourself to read my summary of the course above, you'll notice that I mention "instrumentation" and "techniques" a lot. This is because this unit has a focus on not only the chemistry involved, but also on being a good experimental chemist. To this end, you're expected to learn a very basic knowledge of how instruments work (something as simple as knowing examples of a source of light, what kind of devices are used to select a particular wavelength, or how we can differentiate ions by their mass/charge ratio), as well as 'practical considerations' - where certain laws don't always hold, what kinds of things can interfere with your experiment and how to deal with them, and some statistical treatment of your results, with confidence intervals, standard deviations, and other related things.

Of course, the same focus on being a good experimental chemist also shows up in the lab. Being meticulous is encouraged (though after a few weeks, I think everyone just starts to slacken a bit on that), because you really want good experimental results (you get some marks for that, and also it comes in handy for the Moot Court). Often, you are asked to make multiple samples and readings, and then use statistical analysis on them in your lab reports, in order to demonstrate your findings. On that note, if you've done CHM2911 (Synthetic chemistry), I shall say now that the lab reports are a lot more involved than those proformas. You're now expected to do a formal write up of your experiment, due on the next lab session(with introduction, method, results, analysis, discussion and conclusion). I was spending at least 5 hours each week writing the lab reports, just trying to get a decent mark. The lab work is always done in groups of two or three, and the lab you do might not be related to what part of the course you're currently on.

For a couple of weeks, you don't have to write up a lab report; instead your group gets questioned by your demonstrator at the end of the prac, on the theory and results you have. This can sound a bit intimidating, so doing a bit of reading up on the theory beforehand helps. Usually though, the demonstrators try to guide you along and aren't too harsh (I definitely said a couple of things that were wrong, but still got a reasonable mark). And it's honestly a nice feeling to not have to write up a lab report.

Finally, there's the Moot Court. This is where you use your data from one of the pracs throughout the semester, and try to argue a pseudo-legal case against another group from your prac session (who are also given the same prac). You'll have to give a copy of your data to the other group for scrutiny, and in turn, they will give their data to you, so make sure you take good records, and perform your experiments well! Then, you have a week to prepare your case and argue it in front of a "judge" and "jury". This takes you all the way back to those key analytical chemistry terms at the start of the semester, as well as all those experimental considerations with the techniques used in the prac. It's honestly a lot of fun, some students dress up in suits, and you get to ask questions of your opposing group, and let your inner lawyer rule.

In terms of the assessment, I've already gone over the lab reports. The online tests are of a reasonable standard. Sometimes, you get to practice on a 'tutorial' mode before you undertake the 'assessment mode', and it's no surprises that lots of people just wrote down all the answers from the tutorial mode, and put them in to the assessment mode.

The mid-semester test was on Mike's section this year. A key thing is that the stuff on the mid-semester test doesn't appear on the final exam. The week beforehand, there was no practical, and instead Mike generously went through a past paper in the prac section, which really helped. Make sure you revise for it, as it's worth 20%, and can really put you in a good position before the final exam.

The final exam was on Chris and Toby's section this year. It wasn't incredibly difficult, but there was definitely a fair bit of time pressure on, and a few challenging questions in there. It definitely would end up separating students. In SWOTVAC, both Chris and Toby held a revision session (and there was free pizza afterwards!) where they also went through typical exam questions, so it's really worth going to those.
This unit could be tiring at times, and its experimental focus can be annoying to the theory-minded amongst us (as Mike said, "If you think 'analytical chemistry' is overly pedantic, look at the first four letters of 'analytic'. Does that make sense now?"), but the lecturers were simply awesome, had a great connection with the students, and all had a great sense of humour. If you want to major in Chemistry, you'll be taking this unit anyway, so I can't really tell you to take it or not. But it certainly offers perspective into 'real-world' chemistry, so I'd recommend to make the most of it.

3 x 1 hour lectures per week
1 x 4 hour lab per week

Semester 2, 2013

Unknown at this point.

A few. No answers as per School of Chemistry rules

4/5

TBA