What do chemistry courses in the department look like this semester? Have you ever been interested in studying chemistry’s affect in nature and living organisms, or chemical reactions and inorganic compounds like salts and metals? Emmanuel chemistry students are pursing these ideas in two two upper level chemistry courses this semester. These courses include CHEM 3115 – Intro to Toxicology taught by Dr. Michelle Watt and CHEM 2115 – Inorganic Chemistry with Dr. Nathan Lau.
Toxicology, also known as “the science of poison”, is the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms. In this course, students can study the symptoms, mechanisms, treatments, and detection of selected human poisons. Students are introduced to the concepts of dose-response relationships, toxicity of metabolites, and chemical toxicology. Toxicology holds great value as it is used by forensic scientists who perform tests on tissue samples and bodily fluids to identify any chemical or drugs present in the human body. Working in a lab, a forensic toxicologist can perform tests on samples collected by pathologists during an autopsy or by crime scene investigators.
Inorganic Chemistry is the study of the formation, synthesis, and the properties of compounds with no carbon-hydrogen containing bonds. This course is taught by Dr. Lau who studied Inorganic Chemistry in graduate school and has performed extensive research in the field. The course covers the basic concepts of stereochemical principles, atomic structure and bonding models applied to main group and transition metal compounds and to the structure of solids. It considers an introduction to bond theories and reaction mechanisms of d-block complexes as well as the fundamental knowledge of the role of metal complexes in living organisms. The basic principles of inorganic coordination chemistry are being discussed and correlated to important application in organic synthesis, medicine, and biological catalysis. Inorganic chemistry is an essential subject as it is used to develop catalysts, fuels, coatings, materials, superconductors, and drugs. Also, important chemical reactions such as double displacement, acid-base, and redox reactions are studied in inorganic chemistry.
This is just a glimpse at the amazing chemistry courses being offered this semester!
~Written by Amanda Castelluccio, edited by Aren Gerdon
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