Organic chemistry I

Duration

40h Th, 50h Pr

Number of credits

Lecturer

Jean-Christophe Monbaliu

Language(s) of instruction

French language

Organisation and examination

Teaching in the second semester

Schedule

Schedule online

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents

The Organic Chemistry I course lays the foundations and fundamental concepts of organic chemistry. After a brief historical overview and a contextualization of organic chemistry in the 21st century, the course will focus on the structure of the atom and the nature of chemical bonds, as well as their properties. Following an introduction to organic chemistry nomenclature, the elementary aspects of reactivity and selectivity will be detailed in order to guide the bachelor student towards a general description of chemical reactions and to introduce stereochemistry (the three-dimensional aspects of molecules). The course will then address the structural and reactive aspects of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, and aromatic derivatives. To complete the fundamental aspects of olefin reactivity, thermal cycloadditions will be illustrated. The course will then explore the reactivity of alkane derivatives, namely halogenated derivatives, alcohols and ethers, aldehydes and ketones, and finally carboxylic acids and their derivatives.

 The course is organized into 11 chapters:

- Chapter I: Organic Chemistry: some history and current status
- Chapter II: Structure and bonding
- Chapter III: Nomenclature
- Chapter IV: Stereochemistry
- Chapter V: Fundamentals of reactivity
- Chapter VI: Alkanes et cycloalkanes
- Chapter VII: Alkenes et alkynes
- Chapter VIII: Introduction to thermal cycloadditions
- Chapter IX: Aromatic compounds
- Chapter X: Nucleophilic substitution and elimination reactions
- Chapter XI: Carbonyl derivatives

Tutorial sessions (8 x 2 h) will accompany the theoretical course and serve to illustrate it:

- Session 1: Chapters II-III-IV (Nomenclature, orbitals, and stereochemistry)
- Session 2: Chapter V (Fundamentals of reactivity)
- Session 3: Chapters VI-VII (Alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes)
- Session 4: Chapter VIII (Thermal cycloadditions)
- Session 5: Review and Preparation for quizzes
- Session 6: Chapter IX (Aromatic compounds)
- Session 7: Chapter X (Nucleophilic substitution and elimination reactions)
- Session 8: Chapter XI (Carbonyl derivatives)

In addition, three optional remediation sessions are scheduled. The first two sessions will be devoted to correcting the quizzes, while the final session will serve as intensive preparation for the exam.

The lab sessions consist of 9 four-hour sessions related to the theoretical material covered in the course and illustrate basic techniques in organic synthesis (isolation, purification, identification) as well as the preparation of simple organic compounds. Students will be confronted with issues of toxicity and hazards associated with handling chemicals, as well as with good laboratory practices and the ethics of laboratory work.

Lab sessions:

- Project I: Recrystallization of a mixture of benzoic acid and phthalic acid (basic skills)
- Project II: Distillation and steam distillation: extraction of limonene (basic skills)
- Project III: Introduction to thin-layer chromatography and separation of a mixture by column chromatography (basic skills)
- Project IV: Liquid-liquid extraction at controlled pH (basic skills)
- Project V: Resolution of a racemic mixture (illustration of Chapter 4)
- Project VI: Alkenes (illustration of Chapter 7)
- Project VII: Nucleophilic substitution (illustration of Chapter 10)
- Project VIII: Aldol condensation (illustration of Chapter 11)
- Project IX: Protection of ketones/aldehydes by acetal formation (illustration of Chapter 11)

Learning outcomes of the learning unit

• Acquire the fundamental concepts of organic chemistry
• Understand and rationally explain the reactivity of common functional group
• Practice the fundamental techniques of isolation, purification, and synthesis 

Prerequisite knowledge and skills

The bachelor candidate must possess basic notions of chemistry and, in particular, the fundamentals of the structure of matter, chemical reactions, and chemical equilibrium.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Tutorial sessions

Eight tutorial sessions (8 x 2 h) are given alternately with the theoretical course. These exercise sessions accompany each chapter of the course, providing illustration and practical application of the theoretical concepts (see description above). Students are advised to bring a molecular model, identical to the one used in the CHIM0748-1 (General Chemistry) course.

Laboratory Sessions

The laboratory sessions take place in rooms R14 and R20, on the ground floor of building B.6d. Attendance at the laboratory sessions is mandatory; any absence must be justified with a medical certificate or other appropriate documentation. For safety reasons, access to the laboratory is only permitted to students wearing a laboratory coat (made of non-flammable fabric) and a pair of safety goggles. Both the coat and goggles must be worn at all times. The safety instructions will be reviewed during the first session. Any deviation from the safety regulations will result in exclusion from the laboratory.

Each laboratory session must be carefully prepared in advance using the laboratory manual. The instructions and objectives for each session will be clearly explained during the introduction to the practicals and reiterated in the laboratory. Each laboratory session will begin with a quiz on the day's material. Students are solely responsible for keeping their laboratory notebook and equipment in good order. The notebook may be checked periodically for formative purposes in preparation for the second block. A notebook that is not completed according to the standards explained in class will be penalized through the behavior grade. A written report is also expected for each project (see details below). A contribution to laboratory costs is required.

Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)

Delivery of material in a lecture format (open discussion); Possibility of e-learning (online additional references and resources).

Course materials and recommended or required readings

Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège

Other site(s) used for course materials
- DOX (https://dox.uliege.be/index.php/s/XpFSFNx6uDtpRQz)


Further information:

The lecture notes (in French, with audio commentary) are available via the myULiège and DoX platforms. Numerous exercises and supplementary readings are suggested during class sessions. A practical manual (in French) will be distributed during the introductory session. This manual includes a theoretical and mechanistic introduction as well as the experimental procedures. The exercise questions are distributed during the guided sessions. Additional exercises (for review and further study) are also available.

A self-assessment form and a glossary of fundamental terms and concepts will be made available before each quiz and before the exam to guide students' study.

The recommended reference books (not mandatory) are available at the Science and Technology Library:

• Introduction à la chimie organique, H. Hart, J.-M. Conia, Dunod, 2000, ISBN 2-210-00-5361-2
• Chimie organique - simple et intuitive, D. Klein, De Boeck Supérieur, 2018, ISBN 978-2-8073-1476-4
• Organic Chemistry, J. Clayden, N. Greeves, S. Warren and P. Wothers, Oxford University Press, 2012, ISBN 9780199270293

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam ( open-ended questions )

Written work / report

Out-of-session test(s)


Further information:

Exam(s) in session

Any session

- In-person

written exam ( open-ended questions )


Additional information:

The exam is mainly based on solving exercises and direct applications of the principles covered in the course. A resit session will take place in August/September if the June grade is below 10/20. The modalities are the same as for the June exam.

Assignments - Reports

Additional information:

For each laboratory session, a report must be completed per bench/pair. Unless otherwise specified during the session, this report must be submitted on the same day, at the end of the session. The report mainly consists of answering a series of questions related to the session, following a defined template.

Mid-term quiz(zes)

Two mid-term quizzes are scheduled. They are not optional and are included in the overall course grade. The first quiz covers material from Chapters I-V; the second covers Chapters VI-XI. Both quizzes are corrected during two optional remediation sessions.

Each laboratory session also begins with a short quiz of three questions related to the day's material.

Overall course grade

The overall course grade integrates both the evaluation of knowledge acquired in the lectures and tutorials, as well as the overall assessment of the laboratory work.

The final grade is out of 20. It is calculated as follows: 70% from the exam and quizzes (exam rescaled to 80 points + 2 quizzes of 10 points each = 100 points total) and 30% from the laboratory work.

Waiver of laboratory sessions

Any repeating student who obtained at least 13/20 in the laboratory work during year n-1 is exempted from the laboratory sessions in year n.

In this case, the overall course grade no longer includes the laboratory component. The final grade is therefore entirely based on the exam and quizzes (weight 100%).

If a repeating student has obtained a grade equal to or higher than 13/20 in the laboratory work, they may choose to retake the entire laboratory component in order to improve their score. In that case, the overall course grade will be calculated under the same conditions as for a first registration.

Work placement(s)

Nihil

Organisational remarks and main changes to the course

Orbit molecular building system", Aldrich, réf. Z18,475-6).
Safety gears (labcoat, safety glasses) and notebook (A4).

Contacts

Course Instructor: Prof. Jean-Christophe M. Monbaliu

Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis - CiTOS

Department of Chemistry, Building B6a, Room 3/19

phone: 04 366 35 10 

email: jc.monbaliu@uliege.be  



Teaching Assistant: Sébastien Renson

Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis - CiTOS

Department of Chemistry, Building B6a

phone: 04 366 90 91

email: srenson@uliege.be

 

Teaching Assistant - lab practice: Loïc Bovy

Center for Integrated Technology and Organic Synthesis - CiTOS

Department of Chemistry, Building B6a

phone: 04 366 27 67

email: Loic.Bovy@uliege.be 

 

Association of one or more MOOCs

There is no MOOC associated with this course.

Items online