Chemistry

• Knowledge of basic concepts and principles from the field of structural characteristics of substances and chemical changes
• Knowledge of elements systematics, their compounds and periodic properties
• Understanding of relation between chemical and physical properties of elements and their compounds, and their electronic structure and bonding type
• Understanding of stoichiometry principles in order to use them in practice
• To gain basic experimental skills in the chemical laboratory
• Knowledge of how to name organic compounds using systematic nomenclature IUPAC.
• You will understand how the basic chemical and physical properties of organic compounds
• Propose reaction mechanisms for common organic chemistry reactions. Plan the synthesis of organic compounds utilizing the specific reactions of functional groups.

No prerequisite knowledge required.
The course provides students with the knowledge useful in other courses such as Environmental chemistry, Green chemistry, Biochemistry, Environmentally friendly technologies, Waste treatment and management and others.

The following chapters from general and inorganic chemistry are covered: introduction to general chemistry, stoichiometry, atomic structure and periodicity, chemical bonding, gases, liquids and solids, phase changes, properties of solutions, electrolytes, thermochemistry, chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, electrochemistry, chemical kinetics, introduction to inorganic chemistry and chemical nomenclature, the representative elements (hydrogen, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, group 3A elements, group 4A elements, group 5A elements, group 6A elements, halogenes, noble gases), transition metals.

The organic chemistry courses will cover: alkanes (conformational analysis, structural isomerism and nomenclature), alkenes (nomenclature, E-Z notation) and alkynes (bonding, relative stabilities, double and triple bonds). Stereochemistry - chirality, enantiomerism, R-S notation, diastereomerism, optical resolution. Alkyl halides, substitution reactions of alkyl halides- SN2 and SN1 mechanisms. Elimination reactions- E1 and E2 mechanisms. Carbocation rearrangements, addition of halogens to alkenes, alkene oxidations, addition reactions of alkynes. Other topics inlude: alcohols, aldehydes, ketons, carboxilic acids and polymers. Introduction to Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and UV-VIS spectroscopy.

Students understand and can explain basic concepts in the field of general and inorganic chemistry: (i) chemical foundations (they are familiar with chemical and physical properties of a substance, substance state and changes, they master relations pure substance – mixture, elements – compounds, atoms – molecules, chemical formulae – reactions, they know how to use stoichiometry laws, a mole unit, they know calculations with concentrations and other chemical quantities), (ii) atomic structure (they are acquainted with atomic model development, with difference between Bohr and quantum mechanical model of the atom, they know how to determine electronic configurations, they understand periodicity of atomic sizes and ionization energies, they know how to balance chemical and nuclear reactions), (iii) chemical bonding (they know types of chemical bonds, they can predict structure of simple molecules), (iv) gases (they get knowledge about gas laws and ideal gas law, they distinguish between ideal and real gas, they know basics of the kinetic molecular theory of gases), (v) liquids and solids (they are familiar with molecular forces, physical properties of liquids, different crystal structures), (vi) phase changes (they know how to interpret phase diagrams), (vii) properties of solutions (they understand Raoult law and deviations from it in real solutions, distillation process, they know colligative properties of solutions, what colloids are), (vii) electrolytes (they know strong and weak electrolytes, dissolution process, electrolysis), (ix) thermochemistry (they differentiate between internal energy and enthalpy, standard enthalpy of formation, they know how to calculate reaction enthalpy), (x) chemical equilibrium (they know how to express the equilibrium constant and its meaning, influence of conditions according to Le Chatelier principle), (xi) acids and bases (they know Brønsted and Lewis definition, which are strong and which are weak acids or bases, they know how to calculate pH, how to interpret titration curves), (xii) electrochemistry (they are familiar with functioning of galvanic cells, standard reduction potential, corrosion), (xiii) chemical kinetics (they know the dependence of reaction rate, rate laws and integrated rate laws, importance of catalysis), (xiv) inorganic chemistry fundamentals and nomenclature (they are familiar with types of reactions of inorganic compounds, they know how to name simple and coordination compounds), (xv) representative elements (they know systematics of elements and their important compounds throughout A groups in periodic system, they know the most important procedures in industrial chemistry), (xvi) transition elements (they know general properties of these elements and their important compounds).
During tutorial students get familiar with all important stoichiometry calculations and with experimental skills in a chemical laboratory, in relation with certain general chemistry contents.

After the completion of Organic Chemistry course the student is familiar with fundamentals of organic chemistry: structures and properties of organic compounds, basic reactions and basic types of mechanisms. The students know how to classify organic compound according functional groups.

• Atkins, P. W., Clugston, M. J., Frazer, M. J. in Jones, R. A. Y. 1997. Kemija, zakonitosti in uporaba. Ljubljana: Tehniška založba Slovenije. Catalogue
• Lazarini, F. in Brenčič, J. 2004. Splošna in anorganska kemija. Ljubljana: DZS. Catalogue
• Zumdahl, S. S. in Zumdahl, S. A. 2014. Chemistry, 9th edition. Belmont: Brooks Cole. Catalogue
• Černigoj, U. in Bavcon Kralj, M. 2010. Kemijsko računanje: zbirka nalog z rešitvami za študente Okolja in drugih naravoslovnih programov. Nova Gorica: Univerza v Novi Gorici. Catalogue UNG Publisher
• Slides for the lectures, Univerza v Novi Gorici.
• Slides for the lectures, Univerza v Novi Gorici.

Successfully done exercises (stoichiometry and lab exercises): 40 %; Examination (homework done, written examination – it is possible to pass it with three midterm tests, oral exam): 60 %

Doc. Dr. Tina Škorjanc je zaposlena na Univerzi v Novi Gorici, kjer poučuje na Fakulteti za znanosti o okolju in raziskuje v Laboratoriju za raziskave materialov. Njeno področje raziskovanja so porozni organski polimeri (POP) in kovalentni organski okvirji (angl. covalent organic frameworks, COF) ter različne rabe teh vrst materialov. Njena doktorska dizertacija (New York University, 2020) je obravnavala POPe in COFe temelječe na organskih makrociklih kot sta kaliksaren in porfirin za zajemanje onesnaževal iz vode in zraka. Za doktorsko nalogo ji je Kemijski inštitut podelil Preglovo nagrado za izjemno doktorsko delo, kasneje pa je bila tudi finalistka izbora za nagrado Prometej znanosti, ki jo podeljuje Slovenska znanstvena fundacija. Leta 2021 je pridobila dvoletno financiranje Evropske komisije iz sheme Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (MSCA). V okviru projekta COFsensor se je na Univerzi v Novi Gorici posvečala razvoju elektrokemijskih in fluorescenčnih biosenzorjev iz POPov in COFov. Med letoma 2023 in 2024 je na Univerzi v Kjotu sintetizirala porozne materiale za sinergistične protirakave terapije in se usposabljala na področju celične endoskopije, za kar je pridobila sredstva japonske vladne organizacije The Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS). Je avtorica enega knjižnega poglavja in več kot 30 znanstvenih člankov z več kot 1450 citati; njen h-indeks je 18, i10-indeks pa 23.

Izbrane objave:
1) Skorjanc, T., Shetty, D., Kumar, S., Makuc, D., Mali, G., Volavšek, J., ... & Valant, M. (2023). Nitroreductase-sensitive fluorescent covalent organic framework for tumor hypoxia imaging in cells. Chemical Communications, 59(38), 5753-5756.
2) Skorjanc, T., Mavrič, A., Sørensen, M. N., Mali, G., Wu, C., & Valant, M. (2022). Cationic covalent organic polymer thin film for label-free electrochemical bacterial cell detection. ACS Sensors, 7(9), 2743-2749.
3) Skorjanc, T., Shetty, D., Mahmoud, M. E., Gándara, F., Martinez, J. I., Mohammed, A. K., ... & Trabolsi, A. (2021). Metallated isoindigo–porphyrin covalent organic framework photocatalyst with a narrow band gap for efficient CO2 conversion. ACS applied materials & interfaces, 14(1), 2015-2022.
4) Skorjanc, T., Shetty, D., & Valant, M. (2021). Covalent organic polymers and frameworks for fluorescence-based sensors. ACS Sensors, 6(4), 1461-1481.
5) Garai, B., Shetty, D., Skorjanc, T., Gándara, F., Naleem, N., Varghese, S., ... & Trabolsi, A. (2021). Taming the topology of calix [4] arene-based 2D-covalent organic frameworks: interpenetrated vs noninterpenetrated frameworks and their selective removal of cationic dyes. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 143(9), 3407-3415.
6) Skorjanc, T., Shetty, D., & Trabolsi, A. (2021). Pollutant removal with organic macrocycle-based covalent organic polymers and frameworks. Chem, 7(4), 882-918.
7) Skorjanc, T., Shetty, D., Gándara, F., Ali, L., Raya, J., Das, G., ... & Trabolsi, A. (2020). Remarkably efficient removal of toxic bromate from drinking water with a porphyrin–viologen covalent organic framework. Chemical Science, 11(3), 845-850.