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"Course Thesis" as End of the Laboratory Experimental Program

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Alexandre A. Dobrev

University of Sofia, Faculty of Chemistry, Sofia 1126, Bulgaria

J. Chem. Educ., 1996, 73 (9), p 856

DOI: 10.1021/ed073p856

Publication Date (Web): September 1, 1996

Abstract

The "course thesis" is introduced as end of the laboratory experimental program for the students in organic chemistry and consists of two- or three-step synthesis of an organic compound for which good procedures for synthesis are described in the literature. During the second semester, the student searches by himself the parameters and the known synthetical methods for the desired compound beginning with the general chemical encyclopedias and reaching to the original publications. The reaction scheme and the appropriate methods for the preparation of the target compound and its precursors are discussed with a member of the Department as a tutor.

All results and information accumulated during the searching and the experimental work are summarized in a small thesis (5-10 pages) written in the style of scientific publication, with a title page, short introduction about the subject, review on the principal synthetic methods, experimental results and the literature sources. The student presents the essence of the thesis at a special Jury in the presence of his collegues and answers questions on the general aspects of the reaction used.

The contribution of the thesis is that the student is placed in the real conditions of the research laboratory with self-dependent evaluation of the synthetical methods and all responsability of preparing the target compound.

Keywords (Audience):

Second-Year Undergraduate

Keywords (Domain):

Organic Chemistry

Keywords (Pedagogy):

Communication / Writing

Keywords (Subject):

Synthesis

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