Study Guide

Location and time

Lessons are given according to the curriculum. Some lessons will be video only and the students are expected to watch the videos in their own time.

Exam schedules

- The first interim exam ("a half exam") is in April (date subject to change)
- The second interim exam ("a half exam") and the final exam are in May
- The exam retake date will be announced during the course.
- Note that you can try a failed final exam again one time (grade 0)

Assessment methods and criteria

Grading will be based on the following (preliminary) point system:

TWO INTERIM EXAMS

points /36 18 21 25 28 33

grade 1 2 3 4 5

FINAL EXAM

points / 30 15 18 21 24 27

grade 1 2 3 4 5

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

The course will be given in English via Zoom. The course consists of lessons, voluntary exercises and exams.

- You can earn 1 - 3 extra points for doing the exercises (points are added ONLY to a passed course (grade 1 or higher)).
- Exercise sets will be published at the bottom of the Moodle page.

Learning materials

The course will follow the following book closely: Physical Chemistry, 8th edition or later (Peter Atkins & Julio de Paula)
It is not necessary to buy the book. Lecture material will be published in Moodle and is sufficient to pass the course (grades 1-5).

Content scheduling

The course is divided into two major topics:
- Equilibrium thermodynamics
- Chemical kinetics

Completion alternatives

- To pass the course the student will have to do either two interim exams OR one final exam.
- Note: The student must pass both interim exams in order to pass the course (9/18 points for each interim exam).
- Interim exams have four (or five) assignments each and you can choose to do three (or four) of them (at maximum).
- Final exam has six or seven assignments and you can choose to do five at maximum.
- The student must get at least half of the points of the final exam to pass the course (15/30 points).

Further information

The course starts online in spring, 2025.
- Zoom link: https://tuni.zoom.us/s/7195092696
- Passcode (if needed): 966698
- Moodle page for the course will open before the course starts.

Assessment criteria - fail (0) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

The student does not get at least 18/36 points from the two interim exams OR 15/30 points from the final exam.

Assessment criteria - satisfactory (1-2) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

- The student demonstrates understanding of the basic theory of thermal equilibrium and chemical reaction kinetics.
- The student is able to solve the easier exercises given during the course.

Assessment criteria - good (3-4) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

- The student demonstrates a more profound understanding of the theory of thermal equilibrium (including electrochemistry) and chemical reaction kinetics (including the rate laws)
- The student also understands the concept of simple mixtures and understands phase diagrams
- The student is able to solve the easier as well as many harder exercises given during the course.

Assessment criteria - excellent (5) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

- The student demonstrates a profound understanding of the theory of thermal equilibrium and chemical reaction kinetics (as presented on the course material).
- The student also understands the concept of basic mixtures and can interpret phase diagrams
- The student understands processes at solid surfaces covered on the course.
- The student is able to solve nearly all of the exercises given during the course