UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

FOUNDATION SCIENCE TEACHING SYLLABUS

Year : 2012/2013
Programme : Foundation Science course
Course Code : CHE 100
Course Title : Chemistry
Course Coordinator : M.W. Kamiyango
Course Year : Semester 1
Course Format : 3 hours of lectures and 3 hours of tutorials per week
Course Assessment : Continuous: 40%
Final Exam: 60%
Pass mark: 50%

AIM: To introduce fundamental concepts of Chemistry that will enable students to

recognize the behavior, patterns and properties of chemical systems.

WEEK TOPIC TYPE DATE

4 ORIENTATION WEEK

Atomic theory: Dalton’s atomic theory, Thomson’s cathode

ray tube experiment, Rutherford’s gold foil experiment. Lecture 5 Nov
Isotopes: Average atomic mass, Mass spectrometry. Lecture 6 Nov
Laboratory Safety, Units of measurement, and significant Lecture 8 Nov
5 figures
The quantum-mechanical model of the atom: Bohr’s
model of H atom Lecture 9 Nov

The quantum mechanical model of the atom: Quantum

numbers and shapes of orbitals Lecture 12 Nov

The periodic Table of the Elements: The periodic Law, the

6 Pauli Exclusion Principle, Electron configuration Lecture 13 Nov

Quantum numbers Tutorial 15 Nov

The periodic Table of the Elements: Writing electron Lecture 16 Nov

configuration

1
 The Periodic Table of the Elements: Periodicity Lecture 19 Nov
Atomic and ionic radii
The Periodic Table of the Elements: Periodicity
7 Ionization energy and electron affinity Lecture 20 Nov

Chemical bonding I: Ionic and covalent bonding, Lewis Lecture 22 Nov

theory, polarity of bonds
Chemical bonding I: Lewis structures of molecules, formal
charges, resonance structures Lecture 23 Nov

Chemical bonding II: Molecular geometry (no lone pairs of

electrons on the central atom) Lecture 26 Nov
Chemical Bonding II: Molecular geometry (including
molecules whose central atoms have lone pairs of Lecture 27 Nov
8 electrons)
Lewis structures of molecules, formal charges, resonance Tutorial 29 Nov
structures
Chemical Bonding II: Polarity of molecules Lecture 30 Nov

Intermolecular forces: Dispersion forces, dipole-dipole Lecture 3 Dec

attractions.
9 Intermolecular Forces: Ion-dipole attractions, hydrogen Lecture 4 Dec
bonding, solubility.
Valence bond and Molecular orbital theories: Valence
bond theory and hybridization. Lecture 6 Dec

Valence bond and Molecular orbital theories:

Bonding and antibonding molecular orbitals, bond order Lecture 7 Dec
Naming ionic and molecular inorganic compounds: Lecture 10 Dec
Naming and writing formulae of ionic compounds.
Naming ionic and molecular inorganic compounds:
10 Naming and writing formulae of binary molecular Lecture 11 Dec
compounds and hydrates.

Polarity of molecules and hybridization Tutorial 13 Dec

The Mole Concept:
Definition, Mole – mass relationships Lecture 14 Dec

11 MID-SEMESTER 1 EXAMINATIONS 17 – 21
Dec

23 – 29
MID-SEMESTER 1 BREAK Dec
12

2
 Molecular and Empirical Formulae: Working out percent
composition and empirical formulae of molecules. Lecture 3 Jan
Molecular and Empirical Formulae:
13 Working out molecular formulae of molecules Lecture 4 Jan

Stoichiometry:
Limiting reactants, theoretical yield, percentage yield Lecture 7 Jan

14 Solutions: Molarity, dilution, stoichiometry Lecture 8 Jan

Solutions: Titration calculations, Predicting formation of Lecture 10 Jan
precipitates
Chemical Equilibrium: Reversible reactions, expressions for
equilibrium constants. Lecture 11 Jan

Chemical Equilibrium: Calculating equilibrium Lecture 14 Jan

concentrations, the reaction quotient
15 Chemical Equilibrium: Disturbing and re-establishing Lecture 17 Jan
equilibrium (Le Chatelier’s principle).
Acid-base theory: Defining acids and bases using,
Arrhenius, Bronstead-Lowry, and Lewis theories. Lecture 18 Jan

Acid-base equilibria: The acid ionization constant, ion Lecture 21 Jan

product of water, pKa, pOH, calculating pH of a strong acid.
16 Acid-base equilibria: Calculating the pH of a weak acid
Lecture 22 Jan
Acid-base equilibria: Calculating pH of strong and weak Lecture 24 Jan
bases.
Acid-base equilibria: How buffers work, the common ion Lecture 25 Jan
effect, calculating pH of acidic buffers.
Acid-base equilibria: Calculating pH of basic buffers,
discussing buffering effectiveness, buffering range and Lecture 28 Jan
buffering capacity, theory of indicators
17 Aqueous ionic equilibrium: Solubility product, molar Lecture 29 Jan
solubility.
Problems from various topics Tutorial 31 Jan
Aqueous ionic equilibrium: The common ion effect on
solubility, saturation of solutions and precipitation Lecture 1 Feb

18 REVISION WEEK 3 – 9 Feb

19 END OF SEMESTER 1 EXAMS 11 – 15 Feb
20 END OF SEMESTER 1 BREAK 18 – 24 Feb

3
PRESCRIBED TEXT BOOKS

1. Chang R. (2010). Chemistry. 10th Edition. McGraw-Hill Inc, New York.

2. Ramsden E.N. (2000). A-Level Chemistry. 4th Edition. Nelson Thornes Ltd, Cheltenham,
UK.