Department of Chemistry course timetable

AO1 is a 3 part series, which runs over the course of three years in rotation and sees Molecular Orbitals in Organic Chemistry (the first part) being given this year. These lectures do not need to be taken in order. The series is as follows:

AO1 Part 1. Molecular Orbitals in Organic Chemistry (4L, current) These lectures introduce molecular orbitals – the fundamental description of electron distribution that chemists use to explain chemical bonding and chemical reactivity. There is no mathematics, only the basic physics. Topics include s-bonding, p-conjugation using the Hückel picture, hard and soft acids and bases, and reactivity using, with some circumspection, frontier orbital theory and the Salem-Klopman equation.

AO1 Part 2. Stereospecific Reactions in Organic Synthesis (4L, 2018) These lectures describe how the sense and degree of stereospecificity in several fundamental chemical reactions – substitution, elimination and addition – and the sense and degree of stereoselectivity in others – nucleophilic and electrophilic attack on double bonds with diastereotopic surfaces – can be explained by considering the molecular orbitals involved.

AO1 Part 3. Pericyclic Reactions (4L, 2019) These lectures continue the subject of stereospecificity, which is seen in its most powerful form in pericyclic reactions. The four classes of pericyclic reaction are described, and their allowedness and stereochemistry explained. The Woodward-Hoffmann rule is illustrated with the most telling examples.

AO1 is a 3 part series, which runs over the course of three years in rotation and sees Molecular Orbitals in Organic Chemistry (the first part) being given this year. These lectures do not need to be taken in order. The series is as follows:

AO1 Part 1. Molecular Orbitals in Organic Chemistry (4L, current) These lectures introduce molecular orbitals – the fundamental description of electron distribution that chemists use to explain chemical bonding and chemical reactivity. There is no mathematics, only the basic physics. Topics include s-bonding, p-conjugation using the Hückel picture, hard and soft acids and bases, and reactivity using, with some circumspection, frontier orbital theory and the Salem-Klopman equation.

AO1 Part 2. Stereospecific Reactions in Organic Synthesis (4L, 2018) These lectures describe how the sense and degree of stereospecificity in several fundamental chemical reactions – substitution, elimination and addition – and the sense and degree of stereoselectivity in others – nucleophilic and electrophilic attack on double bonds with diastereotopic surfaces – can be explained by considering the molecular orbitals involved.

AO1 Part 3. Pericyclic Reactions (4L, 2019) These lectures continue the subject of stereospecificity, which is seen in its most powerful form in pericyclic reactions. The four classes of pericyclic reaction are described, and their allowedness and stereochemistry explained. The Woodward-Hoffmann rule is illustrated with the most telling examples.

AO1 is a 3 part series, which runs over the course of three years in rotation and sees Molecular Orbitals in Organic Chemistry (the first part) being given this year. These lectures do not need to be taken in order. The series is as follows:

AO1 Part 1. Molecular Orbitals in Organic Chemistry (4L, current) These lectures introduce molecular orbitals – the fundamental description of electron distribution that chemists use to explain chemical bonding and chemical reactivity. There is no mathematics, only the basic physics. Topics include s-bonding, p-conjugation using the Hückel picture, hard and soft acids and bases, and reactivity using, with some circumspection, frontier orbital theory and the Salem-Klopman equation.

AO1 Part 2. Stereospecific Reactions in Organic Synthesis (4L, 2018) These lectures describe how the sense and degree of stereospecificity in several fundamental chemical reactions – substitution, elimination and addition – and the sense and degree of stereoselectivity in others – nucleophilic and electrophilic attack on double bonds with diastereotopic surfaces – can be explained by considering the molecular orbitals involved.

AO1 Part 3. Pericyclic Reactions (4L, 2019) These lectures continue the subject of stereospecificity, which is seen in its most powerful form in pericyclic reactions. The four classes of pericyclic reaction are described, and their allowedness and stereochemistry explained. The Woodward-Hoffmann rule is illustrated with the most telling examples.

AO1 is a 3 part series, which runs over the course of three years in rotation and sees Molecular Orbitals in Organic Chemistry (the first part) being given this year. These lectures do not need to be taken in order. The series is as follows:

AO1 Part 1. Molecular Orbitals in Organic Chemistry (4L, current) These lectures introduce molecular orbitals – the fundamental description of electron distribution that chemists use to explain chemical bonding and chemical reactivity. There is no mathematics, only the basic physics. Topics include s-bonding, p-conjugation using the Hückel picture, hard and soft acids and bases, and reactivity using, with some circumspection, frontier orbital theory and the Salem-Klopman equation.

AO1 Part 2. Stereospecific Reactions in Organic Synthesis (4L, 2018) These lectures describe how the sense and degree of stereospecificity in several fundamental chemical reactions – substitution, elimination and addition – and the sense and degree of stereoselectivity in others – nucleophilic and electrophilic attack on double bonds with diastereotopic surfaces – can be explained by considering the molecular orbitals involved.

AO1 Part 3. Pericyclic Reactions (4L, 2019) These lectures continue the subject of stereospecificity, which is seen in its most powerful form in pericyclic reactions. The four classes of pericyclic reaction are described, and their allowedness and stereochemistry explained. The Woodward-Hoffmann rule is illustrated with the most telling examples.

Part of Induction Week

Part of Induction Week

In this short talk we will cover what supervisions are, the role they play in Cambridge teaching, and how supervisors are recruited. We will then go on to look at how you can prepare for supervising, how you can conduct a supervision, and how to deal with common pitfalls.

For new PhD students within the Chemistry Department

For new PhD students within the Chemistry Department

This compulsory session introduces new graduate students to the Department of Chemistry Library and its place within the wider Cambridge University Library system. It provides general information on what is available, where it is, and how to get it. Print and online resources are included.

This session is compulsory for all experimentalists to attend and will provide useful information regarding analytical facilities at this Department including NMR, mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography. Short descriptions will be given of all available instruments, together with a tour to show participants where these instruments are located, as well as explain the procedures for preparing/submitting samples for the analysis will also be discussed.

This is a compulsory session which introduces new graduate students to the Department of Chemistry Library and its place within the wider Cambridge University Library system. It provides general information on what is available, where it is, and how to get it. Print and online resources are included.

You must choose one session out of the 9 sessions available.

This is a compulsory session which introduces new graduate students to the Department of Chemistry Library and its place within the wider Cambridge University Library system. It provides general information on what is available, where it is, and how to get it. Print and online resources are included.

You must choose one session out of the 9 sessions available.

This is a compulsory session which introduces new graduate students to the Department of Chemistry Library and its place within the wider Cambridge University Library system. It provides general information on what is available, where it is, and how to get it. Print and online resources are included.

You must choose one session out of the 9 sessions available.

Mass spectrometry is one of the main analytical-chemical techniques used to characterise organic compounds and their elemental composition. This overview will discuss some of the most frequently used mass spectrometry techniques and their specific strengths (e.g., quadrupole, time-of-flight and high-resolution MS), as well as ionisation techniques such as electron ionisation (EI), electrospray ionisation (ESI), matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) and MS techniques to quantify metal concentrations (e.g. inductively coupled plasma MS, ICP-MS) and isotope ratios.

This is a compulsory session which introduces new graduate students to the Department of Chemistry Library and its place within the wider Cambridge University Library system. It provides general information on what is available, where it is, and how to get it. Print and online resources are included.

You must choose one session out of the 9 sessions available.

This is a compulsory session which introduces new graduate students to the Department of Chemistry Library and its place within the wider Cambridge University Library system. It provides general information on what is available, where it is, and how to get it. Print and online resources are included.

You must choose one session out of the 9 sessions available.

This is a compulsory session which introduces new graduate students to the Department of Chemistry Library and its place within the wider Cambridge University Library system. It provides general information on what is available, where it is, and how to get it. Print and online resources are included.

You must choose one session out of the 9 sessions available.

Mass spectrometry is one of the main analytical-chemical techniques used to characterise organic compounds and their elemental composition. This overview will discuss some of the most frequently used mass spectrometry techniques and their specific strengths (e.g., quadrupole, time-of-flight and high-resolution MS), as well as ionisation techniques such as electron ionisation (EI), electrospray ionisation (ESI), matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) and MS techniques to quantify metal concentrations (e.g. inductively coupled plasma MS, ICP-MS) and isotope ratios.

During the last decade, mass spectrometry (MS) has become an indispensable tool in experimental biophysics, capable of providing unique information on the conformation and dynamics of biomolecules, as well as their interactions with physiological partners. In this short course, the current state of biophysical MS will be presented, with emphasis on experimental techniques that are used to study protein higher order structure and dynamics. Biophysical methods that use MS are native MS, tandem MS (MS/MS), liquid chromatography MS (LC-MS), hydrogen-deuterium exchange MS (HDX-MS), chemical cross-linking MS (CXL-MS) and ion mobility MS (IM-MS).

A ‘recommended’ optional course that introduces all the relevant online databases available to you in the university: citation databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed, which index all the scientific literature that is published, as well as chemistry and related subject-specific databases. You will be guided on how to search citation databases effectively and the session includes a hands-on element where you can practise searching using the PCs available. You are welcome to bring your own laptop.

The session will be most suitable for those who are new to searching citation databases or would like a refresher.

Please note that this session will not cover searching the databases Reaxys and SciFinder. These are covered by IS5.

This session introduces new undergraduate Chemistry students to the Department of Chemistry Library and its place within the wider Cambridge University Library system. It provides general information on what is available, where it is, and how to get it. Print and online resources are included.

During the last decade, mass spectrometry (MS) has become an indispensable tool in experimental biophysics, capable of providing unique information on the conformation and dynamics of biomolecules, as well as their interactions with physiological partners. In this short course, the current state of biophysical MS will be presented, with emphasis on experimental techniques that are used to study protein higher order structure and dynamics. Biophysical methods that use MS are native MS, tandem MS (MS/MS), liquid chromatography MS (LC-MS), hydrogen-deuterium exchange MS (HDX-MS), chemical cross-linking MS (CXL-MS) and ion mobility MS (IM-MS).

This session introduces new undergraduate Chemistry students to the Department of Chemistry Library and its place within the wider Cambridge University Library system. It provides general information on what is available, where it is, and how to get it. Print and online resources are included.