CH4614 Heterocyclic and Pericyclic Chemistry

Academic year

2024 to 2025 Semester 1

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

10

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Availability restrictions

Not automatically available to General Degree students

Planned timetable

To be arranged.

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Dr E R Kay

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Dr E R Kay, Dr R A Aitken

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module covers the important areas of heterocyclic and pericyclic chemistry in detail. In heterocyclic chemistry, the nomenclature and numbering of single and fused ring systems, and structure, reactivity, synthesis and applications of the main five and six-membered ring systems with one and two heteroatoms will be covered. Selected industrial syntheses of heterocyclic medicinal compounds are used to illustrate the basic principles as well as the factors to be considered in large scale synthesis. In pericyclic chemistry, a frontier molecular orbital approach based on the Woodward-Hoffmann rules will be applied to pericyclic reactions and used to provide an understanding of the energetics and stereochemistry of Diels-Alder and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions as well as electrocyclic processes and sigmatropic rearrangements. Synthetic applications of these processes will also be illustrated.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST ( PASS 1 MODULE FROM {CH2601, CH2603} AND PASS AT LEAST 1 MODULE FROM {CH2501, CH2701} ) OR ( PASS 2 MODULES FROM {CH2501, CH2701} AND PASS CH1601 OR PASS CH1202 )

Anti-requisites

YOU CANNOT TAKE THIS MODULE IF YOU TAKE CH4456

Assessment pattern

2-hour Written Examination = 100%

Re-assessment

Oral Re-assessment = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

2 - 3 lectures per week over 9 - 10 weeks (within Weeks 1-11) and 2 - 3 tutorials in total

Scheduled learning hours

20

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

80

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • Understand and apply systematic nomenclature of heterocyclic ring systems
  • Propose and rationalise synthetic strategies to common heterocyclic rings and comment on industrial applicability
  • Understand the unique features of pericyclic reaction mechanisms
  • Identify and understand the mechanisms of the four main categories of pericyclic reaction
  • Apply molecular orbital approaches to rationalise and predict the selective and specific outcomes of pericyclic reactions