You will work on an in-depth research project in an area of your choice. The project will develop not only your practical ability, team working and problem-solving skills, but also your literature and presentation skills.
Advanced Physical Chemistry
Building on your knowledge from the previous years' modules in inorganic chemistry, you’ll study topics including:
- electron transfer pathways
- inorganic chemistry in biological systems
- the principles of molecular and supramolecular photochemistry
- applications of inorganic photochemistry
- photocatalysis
You’ll attend two lectures each week in this module.
Contemporary Organic Synthesis
Explore the synthesis of a variety of natural (and unnatural) compounds of relevance to biology and medicine, with reference to the goals and achievements of contemporary organic synthesis through a range of case studies. There is an emphasis on the use of modern synthetic methodology to address problems such as chemoselectivity, regiocontrol, stereoselectivity, atom economy and sustainability.
You will also study the application of new methodology for the rapid, efficient and highly selective construction of a range of target compounds - particularly those that display significant biological activity. There will also be an opportunity to address how a greater understanding of mechanism is important in modern organic chemistry. This module is assessed by a two hour exam.
Nucleic Acids and Bioorganic Mechanisms
During this module you will learn to understand in depth the structure, chemistry and molecular recognition of nucleic acids and their reactivity towards mutagens, carcinogens and ionising radiation and anti-tumour drugs. You will appreciate the plasticity and dynamics of the DNA duple helix through base motions that underpin its function.
The bacterial replisome will be used as the prime example to highlight the problems associated with DNA replication and the significance of telomeres will be discussed. Alongside this you will develop an understanding of the chemical reactivity of coenzymes and how these add significantly to the functionality of the 20 amino acids found in proteins.
Inorganic and Materials Chemistry
In this module you will explore inorganic photochemistry, electron transport pathways, molecular and supramolecular photochemistry, and artificial photosynthesis together with the principles that underpin green chemistry.
You will attend two lectures per week in this module.
Molecular Interactions and Supramolecular Assembly
In this module you’ll learn about the importance of intermolecular forces, across a wide cross-section of subject areas from biology through to supramolecular chemical systems.
You'll study molecular organisation, assembly and recognition in biological and supramolecular systems.
In addition to appreciating the rich chemistry underlying self-assembling systems, you'll learn about the phenomena that impact on the properties of materials and important interactions in biology.
You'll attend two lectures per week in this module.
Enterprise for Chemists
Students will learn about the factors that lead to successful innovation, including evaluation and management of an idea/concept.
In addition, students will consider the factors required to extract the value from a product/concept (e.g. market awareness) and the potential routes to market available from both an academic and industrial viewpoint.
Advanced Biocatalysis, Biosynthesis and Chemical Biology
Advanced Chemical Biology
To introduce concepts of chemical genetics and including activity-based protein profiling, non-natural amino acid incorporation, bio-orthogonal reactivity and the use of bump-and-hole strategies, applied to various challenges such as finding kinase/target pairs.
Biocatalysis
To introduce enzyme engineering and the synthetic utility of designer biocatalysts, especially highlighting chemo-enzymatic approaches toward chiral commodity molecules (e.g. pharmaceuticals) and their precursors.
Biosynthesis
To introduce the biosynthetic pathways and enzyme catalysed reactions leading natural products polyketides, terpenes, fatty acids and non-ribosomal peptides.
The above is a sample of the typical modules we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. Modules (including methods of assessment) may change or be updated, or modules may be cancelled, over the duration of the course due to a number of reasons such as curriculum developments or staffing changes. Please refer to the
module catalogue for information on available modules. This content was last updated on