Organic Chemistry (CHEM3001)

Course overview

Molecular conformations, effective sizes of groups. Types of organic transformations and their mechanisms: stereochemical outcomes, structural effects on reactivity, role of intermediates. Analytical approaches to organic synthesis: reagents, methodologies, specificities and stereochemistry, illustrated by synthesis of natural and non-natural compounds. Functional group and whole molecule retrosynthesis.

The course will expand on fundamental concepts and techniques in organic synthesis pitched at the third level. It will specifically cover new organic reactions, molecular conformations, effective sizes of groups, types of organic transformations and their mechanisms.ﾠStereochemical outcomes of organic reactions, structural effects on reactivity, protecting groups and the role and understanding of intermediates will be canvassed.ﾠAnalytical approaches to organic synthesis will include discussions concerning reagents, methodologies, specificities andﾠstereochemistry, illustrated by synthesis of natural and non-natural compounds, along with in-depthﾠfunctional group and whole molecule retrosynthesis strategies.

Course requirements

Assumed background

The presentation will assume a very sound knowledge of first and second-year organic chemistry modules and courses (i.e. CHEM1100, CHEM1200, CHEM2054 and/or CHEM2050). Therefore,ﾠregular revision of relevant level I and level II course material is very strongly recommended.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

CHEM2054 + (CHEM2050 or CHEM2091)

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Aims and outcomes

The course aims to expand student knowledge of fundamental concepts and techniques in organic synthesis building on and beyond second year content. The course will specifically cover new organic reactions, molecular conformations, effective sizes of groups, types of organic transformations and their mechanisms. This will include stereochemical outcomes of organic reactions, structural effects on reactivity, protecting groups and the role and understanding of intermediates. Analytical approaches to organic synthesis will cover reagents, methodologies, specificities and stereochemistry, illustrated by synthesis of natural and non-natural compounds, along with in-depth functional group and whole molecule retrosynthesis strategies.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Experimental Reporting Skills

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Quiz

Weight

5%

Due date

12/03/2025 - 13/03/2025

Opens at 2pm on 12 March and closes at 2pm on 13 March.

Learning outcomes

L04, L05, L06

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit through the course submission point in Blackboard. Before submitting your assessment item please name your file in the following way. FAMILY NAME_GivenName_StudentID_CourseCode_AssignmentName For example: Bob Smith (ID: 54329876) would name his ABCD1234 essay 1 in the following way. SMITH_Bob_54329876_ABCD1234_Essay1

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Applications for Extensions

Information on applying for an extension can be found here: my.UQ Applying for an extension.

Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.

If you are unable to provide approved documentation to support your application by the due date and time, you must still submit your application by the deadline but with an attached Word document that outlines why you cannot provide the approved documentation by the deadline. You will then need to acquire and upload the approved documentation to your request within 24 hours. Please note: When an extension request has been submitted and is pending, students are expected to continue to work on the assessment item, with the aim of submitting by the requested due date and time.

Prolonged Absence

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester.

Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)

For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g. a medical certificate.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 10% will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point your submission will receive a mark of zero (0) unless an extension has been approved.

In most instances one or more hurdles will apply to your assessment item so you will need to submit it to fulfil the requirements of the course regardless of how late it is and the mark you are likely to be awarded.

In-Semester Exam

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

16%

Due date

3/04/2025 6:00 pm

Venue details are available in your timetable.

Learning outcomes

L01, L03

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Synthesis and mechanism in Organic Chemistry - Laboratory Practicals

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

31%

Due date

10/04/2025 2:00 pm

8/05/2025 2:00 pm

29/05/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L04, L05, L06

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Submission guidelines

Submit through the course submission point in Blackboard. Before submitting your assessment item please name your file in the following way. FAMILY NAME_GivenName_StudentID_CourseCode_AssignmentName For example: Bob Smith (ID: 54329876) would name his ABCD1234 essay 1 in the following way. SMITH_Bob_54329876_ABCD1234_Essay1

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

Applications for Extensions

Information on applying for an extension can be found here: my.UQ Applying for an extension.

Extension applications must be received by the assessment due date and time.

If you are unable to provide approved documentation to support your application by the due date and time, you must still submit your application by the deadline but with an attached Word document that outlines why you cannot provide the approved documentation by the deadline. You will then need to acquire and upload the approved documentation to your request within 24 hours. Please note: When an extension request has been submitted and is pending, students are expected to continue to work on the assessment item, with the aim of submitting by the requested due date and time.

Prolonged Absence

If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, we advise you to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester.

Extensions with Student Access Plans (SAP)

For extensions up to 7 days, your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, extension requests longer than 7 days (for any one assessment item) will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g. a medical certificate.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item, then 10% of the maximum possible mark for the assessment item (assessment ‘marked from’ value) will be deducted as a late penalty for every day (or part day) late after the due date. For example, if you submit your assignment 1 hour late, you will be penalised 10%; if your assignment is 24.5 hours late, you will be penalised 20% (because it is late by one 24-hour period plus part of another 24-hour period). 10% will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point your submission will receive a mark of zero (0) unless an extension has been approved.

In most instances one or more hurdles will apply to your assessment item so you will need to submit it to fulfil the requirements of the course regardless of how late it is and the mark you are likely to be awarded.

Synthesis and mechanism in Organic Chemistry - End of Semester Exam

• Hurdle

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

48%

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Learning outcomes

L01, L03

Task description

Hurdle requirements

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Assessment Hurdles

In order to pass this course, you must meet ALL of the following requirements (if you do not meet these requirements, the maximum grade you will receive will be a 3):

1. You must obtain an overall course mark of 50% or more; and
2. You must obtain a weighted average mark of 40% or more across the two examination components; and
3. You must obtain a minimum weighted average mark of 40% across all other non-examination course assessment items; and
4. You must complete 100% of the laboratory component of the course.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment can take any form (such as a written report, oral presentation, examination or other appropriate assessment) and may test specific learning outcomes tailored to the individual student, or all learning outcomes. 

To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Assessment Submission

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the on time, correct and complete submission of all assessment items.

Students are responsible for retaining evidence of submission by the due date for all assessment items, in the required form (for example, screenshot, email, photo, and an unaltered copy of submitted work).

In the case of a Blackboard outage, contact the Course Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm the outage with ITS.

Assessment/Attendance

Notify your Course Coordinator as soon as you become aware of any issue that may affect your ability to meet the assessment/attendance requirements of the course. The my.UQ website and the Course Profile (CP) for your course provide information about your course requirements, the rules associated with your courses and services offered by the University.

A note for repeating students in this course

Only learning activities and/or assessment items completed during the study period of enrolment, including any approved extensions, may contribute to your grade in this course. The whole or partial use of assessment items previously submitted for the same course, for a course at any institution, or for published material, is not permitted without written permission of the Course Coordinator.

Important Note

Turnitin is to be used for assignments/laboratory reports to check for plagiarism. Penalties can be severe for plagiarism.

The University has adopted the following definition of plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as one's own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another either intentionally or unintentionally. These include published and unpublished documents, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group. These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media.

Students should read the UQ Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Retention and actual use of aﾠfirst level organic chemistry text (e.g. Blackmanﾠet al., "Chemistry", 3rd Wiley), and a second level text ﾠ(e.g. "Organic Chemistry" by Clayden, Greeves, Warren and Wothers, Oxford University Press, 2001; or second edition, 2012) is strongly urged. Appropriate notes and summaries will be distributed, and lecturers will alert students to useful additional reading material or illuminating summaries and examples. A large proportion of presented material will be given on the whiteboard and/or AV equipment during lectures (Zoom sessions during a pandemic), which is essential for developing student skills in drawing organic molecules in 3D. Note: the AV equipment/Zoom sessions doﾠnot always pefectlyﾠcapture/record all the material being presented, and tutorials or podium sessions are generally not captured/recorded via Echo360. Many texts on organic chemistry contain discussions, examples and problems that are very relevant to the fundamental concepts presented in this course, and these can be found in the UQ library and on the Podium of the Chemistry building (68), as well as in the student study area on the 4th floor of the Chemistry building.

Students are also reminded that ChemOffice (e.g. ChemDraw)ﾠsoftware is available free for download by UQ students and now available on every library computer at UQ as well as on the chemistry building computers.

Blackboard

Additional supplementary material may be posted on the Blackboard site for CHEM3001 at learn.uq.edu.au

Please check the Announcements section of the Blackboard site regularly for information updates.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.

You'll also need to be aware of the following policies and procedures while completing this course:

• Occupational Health and Safety in the Laboratory Guideline