Coordination and Organometallic Chemistry (F1611)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

Develop your understanding of the physical, spectroscopic and magnetic properties of transition metal coordination compounds and their reactivity. You’ll also study electron transfer reactions.

You’ll explore the main principles, looking at examples of transition metals in biological systems, including:

• ferritin
• haemoglobin
• photosynthesis 
• nitrogenase enzymes.

You’ll also focus on the chemistry of metal-carbon bonds, including how unsaturated organic ligands coordinate to transition metals. In addition, you’ll study the reactivity of organometallic compounds, using examples of homogeneous catalysis such as:

• polymerisation
• hydroformylation
• cross-coupling.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 32 hours of contact time and about 118 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2023/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

Courses

This module is offered on the following courses:

• Chemistry (with an industrial placement year) MChem
• Chemistry BSc
• Chemistry MChem
• Chemistry with Summer Research Placements MChem