| CODE | RFS0200 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | Principles of Agricultural Chemistry | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 00 - Mod Pre-Tert, Foundation, Proficiency & DegreePlus | ||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Rural Sciences and Food Systems | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study unit deals with the basic concepts of chemistry. The students will be introduced to several topics, which include branches of Chemistry; The Atom, Elements; Composition and valence; Chemical Bonding; Intermolecular Forces; Shapes of molecules; Moles; Properties and Kinetic Theory of Matter; Stoichiometry and Reaction types; Periodicity and the elements of the periodic table and Nutrient Cycles. These topics will be explained alongside examples from the agricultural context. Study-Unit Aims: To introduce the students to the basic concepts of chemistry and illustrate the relevance of chemistry in the agricultural field. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - name and define the constituents of an atom; electrons, protons and neutrons; - recognize the different regions of the periodic table; and recall the trends in atomic size and ionisation energy down a group and across a period; - relate the electronic properties of atoms to bonding types; - describe the concept of moles; - match reactants and products to balance chemical reactions; - define acids and bases, and relate the pH to acids and bases; - recall the types of chemical reactions. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - apply the atomic number and mass to determine the number of protons, electrons and neutrons; - use the periodic table to explain the nature of elements under different conditions; - relate electronic configurations to the bonding properties of elements; - classify compounds in terms of bonding, e.g. ionic bonding in salts, etc; - work out moles to prepare standard solutions; - work out the stoichiometry of a chemical reaction; - apply moles to determine the yield of a product or the quantity of reactant required in a reaction, including titrations; - discuss pH in terms of acidity and alkalinity of agricultural products, e.g. wine, milk, honey, olive oil, etc.; - describe nutrient cycles, particularly for nitrogen and carbon. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Lister, J. and Crenshaw, W. (1994) Understanding Chemistry, London: Stanley Thorns; - Redmore, F. (1979) Fundamentals of Chemistr, Prentice-Hall- Lecture handouts. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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