Quantitative Chemistry

About this Course

About the Course

In this 90-minute course on Quantitative Chemistry, Dr Mark Read (University of Birmingham) introduces to the mathematics chemists use everyday to measure the amount of substance, pressures and volumes, percentage compositions and elemental analysis. We begin by: (i) defining the mole and Avogadro’s number; then (ii) moving on to define formula mass and how this is calculated using values from the periodic table; then (iii) understanding the term limiting reactant and how we can determine which reactants are in excess and which are limiting; before (iv) defining the term concentration of solution, and how this can be determined if we know the volume and amount of substance; then (v) looking at a experimental technique called a titration which is used to determine the concentration of an unknown solution; then (vi) defining atom economy and percentage yield, tools used to determine the efficiency and economy of a given reaction; before (vii) looking at in depth the ideal gas equation, the assumptions made when using and how it can be manipulated to our advantage; and finally (viii) defining and working through problems involving percentage composition.

About the Lecturer

Mark Read a Senior Lecturer in the School of Chemistry, at the University of Birmingham, teaching Physical Chemistry within the School, as well as contributing to teaching programmes about Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Management for the Birmingham Centre for Nuclear Education and Research. He leads an active research group, using computational modelling to simulate solid materials, in order to extend our understanding of their structure, stability, and reactivity. This is incredibly important for predicting the long-term stability of contemporary materials used in industry and energy applications. Currently, his research focuses on the simulation of ageing effects on nuclear fuels (uranium and plutonium oxides), radiation damage and modelling the defect chemistry within the bulk and at surfaces (which control many important material properties). Indeed, the corrosion of nuclear fuels is an extremely pertinent area of research and is crucial to the safety and sustainability of the nuclear fuel cycle.