Page 186 - FINAL_HANDBOOK_20252026

Faculty of Science Handbook, Academic Session 2025/2026
SYNOPSIS COURSES
SIC1001 PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY
Part A:
Atoms, Molecules, Ions and Mass Relationship in
Chemical Reaction. The atomic theory, the
structure of the atom, atomic number, mass
number and isotopes, molecules and ions,
chemical formulas, naming compounds,
Avogadro’s number and the molar mass of an
element, percent composition of compounds,
empirical formulas, chemical reactions and
chemical equations, stoichiometry calculations,
amounts of reactants and products, limiting
reagents, percentage of yield.
Reactions in Aqueous Solution. General properties
of aqueous solutions, precipitation reactions, acid-
base reactions, oxidation-reduction reactions, and
concentration of solutions.
Periodic Relationships Among the Elements.
History of the periodic table, classification of the
elements, trends in the periodic table (atomic
radius, ionisation energy, electronegativity,
electron affinity, bond energy, lattice energy).
Chemical Bonding. Ionic bond, covalent bond,
dative/coordinate bond, metallic bond, hydrogen
bond, Van der Waals interaction, dipole moment,
Lewis structure (formal charge and resonance),
exceptions to the octet rule, molecular geometry,
valence bond theory, hybridization of atomic
orbitals, hybridization in molecules containing
double and triple bonds, molecular orbital theory,
molecular orbital configurations, delocalized
molecular orbitals.
Chemical Equilibrium. The Equilibrium Law of
reactions, relationship between Kp and Kc, Le
Chatelier’s Principle, equilibrium calculations.
Part B:
Atomic Structure. Models of atomic structure
(Dalton, Rutherford, Bohr, quantum theory),
wavefunction (quantization, atomic orbitals),
particle-wave duality, many-electron atoms
(Heisenberg uncertainty principle, Pauli exclusion
principle, Hund’s rule, Aufbau principle, electronic
configuration).
Gas.Ideal gases (states of gases, gas laws, ideal
gas law, gas stoichiometry, Dalton’s law of partial
pressures, kinetic molecular theory of gases, mean
free path and collision diameter), molecular speed
distribution, Boltzmann distribution law, effusion,
diffusion and viscosity, real gases (molecular
interactions, Van der Waals equation, behaviour of
real gases, the critical state, the law of
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corresponding states).
Electrolyte. Properties of electrolyte solutions
(Kohlrausch's Law, ionic conductivity).
Assessment Weightage
Continuous assessment 40%
Summative assessment 60%
References:
1. R. Chang and K. A. Goldsby, Chemistry, McGraw-
Hill Education, 2015, 12th Edition.
2. P. Atkins, T. Overton, J. Rourke, M. Weller and F.
Armstrong, Shriver & Atkins' Inorganic Chemistry,
Oxford University Press, 2018, 7th Edition.
3. M. S. Silberberg, Chemistry: The Molecular Nature
of Matter and Change, McGraw-Hill, 2017, 8th
Edition.
4. P. W. Atkins, J. de Paula and J. Keeler, Atkin’s
Physical Chemistry, Oxford University Press, 2018,
11th Edition.
SIC1006 Computer Programming for the
Sciences
This course equips science students with
fundamental programming skills in Python,
covering how to construct a program from simple
instructions. It has no prerequisites and only uses
basic mathematics. Anyone with some computer
experience can master the materials. By the end,
students should be able to:
Map scientific problems into Computational
frameworks. Read, write, and debug Python code
for these scientific problems. Describe the
advantages and limitations of a programming
language in resolving these issues. Students who
successfully complete this course will be prepared
for more advanced programming concepts and will
effectively utilise external modules related to
various fields of science to tackle more
sophisticated problems.
Assessment Weightage
Continuous assessment 40%
Summative assessment 60%
References:
1. Eric Matthes, Python Crash Course: A Hands-On,
Project-Based Introduction to Programming, No
Starch Press, 2016
2. Allen B. Downey, Think Python How to Think Like
a Computer Scientist, 2nd Edition, O'Reilly Media,
Inc., 2015
3. Langtangen, Hans Petter A Primer on Scientific
Programming with Python, Springer 2016