Course Catalogue

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A lecture course illustrating the application of advanced techniques to understanding chemical structure and dynamics. The course comprises individual lecture courses on: Molecular Detection (Chemical Sensing & Gas Phase Techniques), Neutron Scattering and Materials Characterisation, Structure Dynamics, Solid State NMR, and Photochemistry in Action. Either the Level 10 or Level 11 version of this course (as specified in the degree programme tables) is a compulsory requirement for Year 4/5 students on degrees in Chemical Physics and Chemistry with Materials Chemistry, but can be taken by Year 4/5 students on any Chemistry degree programme.

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PHYS5044 Fundamentals of Sensing

This course is 100% exam - 3 hour examination Summative Assessment

Edinburgh University does not provide resit examinations for MSc students. In cases where an assessment is affect by reasons of good cause a revised mark, based on other completed assessments, may be substituted.

The course consists of lecture courses that illustrate advanced techniques used in chemistry to measure and understand chemical structure and dynamics. Lectures are illustrated with examples of the state-of-the-art with respect to experimental and theoretical physical chemistry. Topics include measurements in a range of environments including gas, liquid and solid phases, and with a range of target species, such as biological molecules and functional crystalline materials. Each series of 5 lectures is backed up with examples sessions where students explore a range of problems on which they will obtain feedback to develop their learning. At Level 11 more emphasis is placed on independent learning, and integrating different approaches towards solving of unseen problems.

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

1. Explain the physical principles behind contemporary techniques for determining specific structural and dynamical information in chemical systems.

2. Interpret diverse structural and dynamical information from chemical systems using a range of contemporary experimental and computational methods.

3. Identify appropriate methods for making specific measurements or to study specific chemical systems.

4. Integrate techniques discussed during the course and extend these to novel problems.

5. Apply critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis to problems at the forefront of physical chemistry.

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