Fundamentals of Chemistry 1 (5 ECTS)

Objective

After completion of the course the student understands the essential concepts related to the structure of elements and compounds. He/she is also able to conduct basic calculations concerning the amount of substance, irreversible reactions, the contents of solutions and the pH of strong acids and bases. He/she is also familiar with the concepts of oxidation and reduction and their application. In addition, he/she understands the behavior of element groups on a general level and of the most important organic compounds and their naming.

Content

• Atomic structure, periodic table.
• Chemical bonding.
• Amount of substance, stoichiometry of compounds.
• States of matter, simple calculations based on the ideal gas law.
• Heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures, calculation of contents.
• Chemical reaction equation, stoichiometry of reactions.
• Oxidation and reduction, writing the reaction equation of oxidation-reduction reactions starting from the partial reactions.
• The concepts of acids and bases, the pH of strong acids and bases.
• Chemistry of element groups.
• Introduction to organic chemistry: types of compounds, functional groups, basics of naming.

Location and time

Lessons according to the schedule. Remote connection used during lessons.
Online implementation at a time of your choice.

Materials

Material given by the teacher and material found on the Internet (open stax material)
Hänninen, Karppinen, Leskelä and Pohjakallio: Technical Chemistry (16th edition, 2022, Edita), Publisher changed to Sanoma Pro in 2025
MAOL book of tables & data

Teaching methods

Interactive essons, guided exercices

Employer connections

N/A

Exam schedules

To be agreed with students (exam + resits)

International connections

N/A

Completion alternatives

Online implementation on the Internet

Student workload

Guided lessons 56 h
Exams 6 h
Homework 25 h
Self study: 48 h
Total: 135 h

Content scheduling

• Atomic structure, periodic table.
• Chemical bonding.
• Amount of matter, stoichiometry of compounds.
• States of matter (qualitatively)
• Heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures, concentration calculations.
• Chemical reaction equation, reaction equation coefficients, reaction stoichiometry.
• Oxidation and reduction, treatment of oxidation-reduction reactions using partial reactions.
• Acid-base concept, pH of strong acids and bases.
• Chemistry of groups in periodic table is reviewed through presentations given by students.
• Introduction to organic chemistry: types of compounds, functional groups, principles of nomenclature

Further information

Lessons may be recorded in order to enable more flexible studies.

The use of artificial intelligence is permitted in homework assignments, but the use must be mentioned and it must be specified what was done with artificial intelligence.

Evaluation scale

0-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The student
- knows the basic concepts of chemistry, is able to conduct basic calculations and shows that he or she has reached the goals of core competence.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The student:
- has become familiar with the concepts and principles of chemistry. He or she is able to explain and interpret chemical formulae and equations related to chemical phenomena.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student
- can use basic concepts and knowledge logically and solve applied exercises of chemistry related to his or her study field.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

The student
- knows the basic concepts and calculations of chemistry and shows that he or she has achieved the targets of core competence.

Assessment methods and criteria

In class implementation:
Exams: 100%. Two midterm exams. Compulsory homework assignments to be completed before each midterm exam. There is no minimum score for individual midterm exams, the grade is determined based on the combined score of the two exams.

Grades: combined score for the two midterm exams:
less than 20 points = 0
20 points = 1
26 points = 2
32 points = 3
38 points = 4
44 points = 5

The maximum score for the resit exam is 25 points and the limits are half of the mentioned above.