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Engineering, Mathematics and Science
145
Chemistry
Students who wish to study Chemistry for their degree
apply to the Science degree (TR071) and may select
Chemistry as their specialist subject for the 3rd and 4th
years.
Junior Freshman (first) year prerequisite: Chemistry
CH1101 and Chemistry CH1102 plus Mathematics or
Mathematical methods.
Senior Freshman (second year) prerequisite: Chemistry
CH2201 and CH2202.
For details of the first two years of the Science course,
including entry requirements, see page 140.
Chemistry is also an integral part of the following courses:
TR074: Chemistry with molecular modelling, see page 160.
TR075: Medicinal chemistry, see page 165.
TR076: Nanoscience, physics and chemistry of advanced
materials, see page 167.
What is Chemistry?
Chemistry is a central science. Without it, many modern
disciplines such as materials science, molecular biology and
environmental science would not be possible. Modern chemistry
and chemical technology are vital and very major contributors
to modern lifestyle in areas as diverse as food production,
health, medicines and communications. Chemists are molecular
engineers involved in developing novel target compounds for
applications as diverse as pharmaceuticals and drugs, photo-
and electro-responsive materials, and polymers and catalysts.
What will you study?
Junior Sophister (third year) courses will cover the three main
disciplines:
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Inorganic chemistry
– organometallic chemistry, catalysis,
group theory, bio-inorganic chemistry, spectroscopic
methods, identification and characterisation of compounds,
inorganic polymers
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Organic chemistry
– organic synthesis, spectroscopy,
stereochemistry, heterocyclic chemistry, reaction
mechanisms, amino acid and peptide synthesis
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Physical chemistry
– macromolecules and interfacial
chemistry, spectroscopy, quantum chemistry, kinetics,
electrochemistry, thermodynamics, analytical chemistry,
chemisorption and catalysis
In addition there are courses on environmental chemistry,
computer programming, maths and physics, and you have the
option of taking complementary courses from other disciplines.
Lectures are complemented by laboratory experimental classes
where you will gain experience in more sophisticated preparative
chemical techniques and will also be able to carry out your own
spectroscopic analyses and computer-based modelling.
In the Senior Sophister (fourth) year, lectures consist of core
fundamental material and an extensive range of optional
courses that allow each student to develop her/his own particular
interests. The practical component of this year is an extended
research project
which you will carry out from September to
December.
This may be conducted in Trinity College or in
an academic laboratory abroad.
A wide range of projects at
the forefront of chemistry are available within the many research
areas located in the School.
Study abroad
The School of Chemistry has exchange agreements with a
large number of other universities where students carry out
their final-year research projects, from September to December.
Centres where students have completed their research projects
in recent years have included Vienna, Berlin, Bologna, Toulouse
and Utrecht in Europe and McGill and Duke Universities in North
America. The areas of research cover modern chemical interests
such as cancer chemotherapy and DNA chemistry, through
device fabrication and materials processing, to homogeneous
catalysis and supramolecular chemistry.
Assessment
You will be assessed by a combination of continuous
assessment and end-of-year examinations.
Career opportunities
The chemical and pharmaceutical industries, which contribute
some 20% to Ireland’s exports, are excellent employers of Trinity
College’s chemistry graduates. Former graduates of chemistry
are working in companies such as Henkel, Pfizer, Glaxo-Smith-
Kline and Bristol Meyers Squibb. Patent offices, government
advisory and information services, libraries, public analytical
laboratories, schools and third-level institutions also employ
chemists. Or you may decide to carry out postgraduate research
leading to a higher degree either in Trinity College or in another
university in Ireland or abroad. Other equally successful routes
graduates have taken in the past include careers in the business
and financial services sectors, and in management.
Did you know?
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As well as offering a broad choice of topics for study
in the traditional areas of chemistry (organic, inorganic
and physical chemistry), the School of Chemistry
has
research strengths
in the cutting-edge areas of
medicinal and biological chemistry, materials and nano-
chemistry and computational chemistry. Students can
select a range of lecture courses from topics as diverse
as the chemistry of cancer, biological polymers and
synthetic materials, metal chelation therapy, catalysis
and molecular recognition and synthetic receptors,
providing fascinating illustrations of the basic modes
of chemical reactivity. These topics are used to review
important chemical principles, to gain insight into the
history of discovery, and to become acquainted with
cutting-edge research that fills the pages of the scientific
literature and occasionally enters those of the popular
press.
Further information
Tel: +353 1 896 1726 / 2040
