MChem Chemistry with Drug Discovery

You normally have the same Personal Development Adviser (PDA) throughout your degree. PDP is an important part of learning and personal development. It's not only associated with your university course, it allows you to plan for the future.

These lectures and tutorials cover all the broad areas of chemistry including: Analytical Chemistry, Structure & Bonding, Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Spectroscopy.

You will have one laboratory class per week which runs in both Semester 1 and Semester 2.

This module will provide you with a basic understanding of mathematical functions, differentiation, integration, complex numbers, matrices and vectors.

This module covers cellular structure and function and is concerned with the chemical basis of life and the fundamentals of cell biochemistry. The molecular basis of inheritance, human genetics, genes and the environment are also covered.

This module will provide you with a broad foundation in fundamental scientific thought and theory, underpinning your future as a professional scientist.

You can select elective modules freely from the University timetable subject to your possessing appropriate entrance qualifications, there being places available, and the times do not clash with compulsory chemistry modules.

Subjects are available in:

• Science
• Engineering
• Business
• Arts & Humanities

Chemistry students are provided with a list of classes where the timetable is suitable, although other options are also available. Students often choose a language class as an elective.

This module will provide you with a broad knowledge of the important concepts in inorganic chemistry from which more specialist topics can be tackled. This includes investigation of the chemistry of the main group and transition metals and introduces topics at the forefront of inorganic and materials chemistry.

This module covers the fundamental principles of infra-red, ultra-violet, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy; develops competence in the interpretation of spectra and your awareness of the role of spectroscopic techniques. It will also develop your knowledge of reactions, understanding of mechanisms and appreciation of the role of reactivity in organic chemistry.

This module provides a broad knowledge of the important concepts in Thermodynamics, investigating the major features as applied to chemical systems. Topics include:

• the importance of reaction rates in chemical systems
• concepts of the electrode/solution interface
• equilibrium and electron transfer kinetics
• mass transport
• the composition and utilisation of fossil fuels with their environmental pollutants
• nuclear and renewable energy sources

You'll receive a practical demonstration of topics contained in the lectures. You'll develop basic laboratory skills in preparative chemistry and analysis, and gain experience in the applications of spectroscopy and common instrumental techniques.

You'll conduct experiments and gain practical experience of the theoretical aspects covered in lectures. You'll develop skills in the demonstration of physical chemical principles, observation, the use of statistical methods, interpretation of data and the writing of laboratory reports.

This class provides an introduction to:

• thermodynamics, and its application to pharmaceutical systems
• chemical kinetics, and the stability of drug molecules
• the solid state, where a knowledge of crystal structure often explains drug properties
• dissolution and solubility, and their importance to drug absorption
• surface chemistry, and the role of surface-active compounds in formulation in the solubilisation of drug molecules

You have the option to spend your third year studying abroad in a sister University in the European Union or the European Free Trade Area.

We're leading practitioners of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), designed to simplify and facilitate the planning and recognition of periods of study in other universities. Additional EU funding under the ERASMUS programme may be available to some students each year to supplement their SAAS grants. There will also be opportunities to spend third year at one of the premier universities in the USA or in Canada, but you will have to find some money towards the costs.

This module provides you with an understanding of intermolecular forces and their importance in defining key aspects of chemical behaviour and molecular organization. It introduces:

• surface chemistry and the common systems in which it plays a major role
• the electronic structure of atoms and molecules through the prism of quantum chemistry
• group theory and how it can be applied to the determination of the symmetry of molecules and their properties
• the principles of bonding in molecules as described by valence bond and molecular orbital theories

In this module you'll receive a practical demonstration of topics contained in the lectures. You'll develop basic laboratory skills in preparative chemistry and analysis, and gain experience in the applications of spectroscopy and common instrumental techniques.

This module teaches you modern NMR spectroscopy as it is applied to chemistry. It covers:

• skills for handling and interpreting NMR data for the purposes of chemical structure elucidation
• theoretical basis of the NMR experiment using the vector formalism
• reactivities of organic molecules
• organic syntheses using the disconnection approach
• synthesis and reactivities of electron-poor and electron-rich heterocyclic molecules

It provides an insight into the role of computational chemistry in chemical research and training in the use of modern computational chemistry software.

This module provides you with a more advanced view of main group and transition metal coordination and organometallic chemistry. Themes to be covered include ligands and their influence on complexes, trends in structure and bonding, stereochemistry, reactivity, and the application of spectroscopic and other methods of identification. Also, modern spectroscopy as it is applied in chemistry.

In this module you'll conduct experiments and gain practical experience of the theoretical aspects covered in lectures. You'll develop skills in: the demonstration of physical chemical principles; observation; the use of statistical methods; interpretation of data and the writing of laboratory and court reports.

This module will provide a detailed overview on the structure, function and chemistry of biological macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and carbohydrates. Topics include:

• protein & nucleic acid folding
• energetics of macromolecular interactions (kinetics & thermodynamics)
• mechanistic enzymology

The overarching theme in this course is that structure and function are intimately linked.

Students on placement in Year 4 continue their studies using online learning materials, with progress assessed through the submission of coursework. Topics studied through distance learning include:

• Process analytical chemistry
• Oxidation and reduction processes in organic synthesis
• Polymers and mechanism

Students may undertake a 12-month placement in the UK or overseas at a chemical company. Examples of companies with which our students have been placed include GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Astra Zeneca and Roche. In addition to providing you with relevant industrial experience, you will receive a salary from the company that you work for.

Students may opt to undertake a 12-month placement within the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, working on a research project with one of our experienced academic staff to address real-life challenges in the field.

Students may opt to undertake a 12-month placement within Strathclyde’s ‘Chemistry Clinic’. This initiative provides opportunities for businesses to access advice, facilities and instrumentation from students and staff within Strathclyde’s Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, to further their projects, processes and materials.

This class covers more advanced topics in chemistry, such as:

• Key reactions in organic chemistry
• Cage & cluster molecules
• Environmental chemistry
• Chemistry in the Excited State

In this module, you'll have the opportunity to specialise in a number of areas within chemistry, such as:

• Advanced & modern methods in organic synthesis
• Biomolecule analysis
• Advanced medicinal chemistry
• Chemical biology IIb

Over the course of the year, you'll complete a practical research project relating to your chosen area of chemistry under the supervision of one of our experienced academics, leading to the production of a dissertation.