Practical skills: Testing CHEM5126

  • Academic Session: 2025-26
  • School: School of Chemistry
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Runs Throughout Semesters 1 and 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

The practical laboratory training of this testing course will provide the skills training for the students to test a series of catalysts they prepared in the Practical Laboratory 1. The catalysts will be tested for their activity in a liquid phase hydrogenation reaction where rates of reaction and product selectivities will be determined via gas chromatography measurements. The course will comprise of laboratory based work and analysis of results. At the end of the course you will write a lab report..

Timetable

90 hours of practical labs (demonstrated and independent lab work), 3 seminars and 4 meetings with the assigned supervisor who will guide analysis of results and the written report.

Requirements of Entry

Admission to MSc programme in Industrial Heterogeneous Catalysis

Excluded Courses

none

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

1. Laboratory report (75%)

Writing 20%, Presentation and Figures 15%, Organisation and structure 15%, Technical content 40%, References 10%

2. Portfolio mark from the assigned supervisor (10%),

Planning (25%), Initiative (25%), Tech quality of work (25%), understanding of experiments undertaken (25%)

3. Practical skills assessment, from academic in charge of lab (15%),

Following safety 25%, time management 25%, attendance 25%, ability/effort to pick up new skills 25%

Course Aims

The students will be introduced to liquid phase heterogeneous catalysis reactions using gas-liquid chromatography to determine the products formed. The students will learn how to perform the testing safely and how to analyse the results. Analysis of the reaction mixtures will be undertaken by gas-liquid chromatography. An awareness of mass transport restrictions and reaction energetics will be explored within a series of four discrete practical exercises. The course aims to add practical knowledge to the lecture course Testing and Industrial Process Development (CHEM5069).

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Follow the safety protocols of the laboratory, working in ways which show a clear awareness of own and others' responsibilities and demonstrate skills of personal safety, and the safety of others, in a research environment.

2. Follow the instructions to set up and perform the reactions and execute a defined project of research within an approved area of chemistry, working effectively under guidance.

3. Show competence in a range of technical skills (experimental and other) related to practical chemistry and deliver accurate output of data and/or critical analysis and demonstrate some independent thought in interpretations of results or solutions to practical problems which may arise.

4. Critically analyse data generated from the reactions and gain an understanding of measurement statistics and repeatability. In particular, use the data generated to calculate rates of reactions, activation energies and understand mass transport limitations.

5. Use literature searching methods and critically evaluate and interpret research literature in areas related to the project.

6. Write a laboratory report based on the results obtained during their practical weeks

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.