This Course Guide has been taken from the most recent presentation of the course. It would be useful for reference purposes but please note that there may be updates for the following presentation.
CHEM S402
Contemporary Chemistry Development
CHEM S402 Contemporary Chemistry Development is a one-semester, 5-credit course to be offered by the School of Science and Technology. CHEM S402 is a core course for students pursuing the Honours degree of the Bachelor of Science in Applied Science (Biology and Chemistry).
CHEM S402 covers a wide range of topics at the cutting edge of chemistry: from chemical structures to molecular design, and from chemical principles to real-world applications. It provides you with opportunities to harness contemporary research findings and professional skills. This course covers high-profile journal articles and reviews that have received great attention in the international scientific community.
Using an interactive approach, this course will guide you to think analytically, to critically evaluate research publications in high-profile scientific journals, and to write a scientific review article in your own area of professional interest. Above all, through studying this course you will be able to appreciate the modern multi-disciplinary research trends in the scientific world.
This course is organized into units based on four frontier research areas in chemical sciences:
In each unit, the rationale behind a main current research topic and its corresponding application will be presented.
After completing the course, you will have become familiar with the contemporary chemical research topics, broadened your chemical knowledge, and developed the skills of critical thinking in different current research areas in chemistry.
CHEM S402 will be delivered in the print mode, with support from the University's Online Learning Environment (OLE). Aside from the study units, journal articles and reviews are the principal sources of course materials. In each unit, textbook chapters and sections are suggested to supplement and enhance your understanding of the topic presented. Tutorials and a day school further support different learning activities and tutor-student communication. Assignments and presentations provide a platform for practice and prepare you for the final project.
This Course Guide gives you an overview of CHEM S402 and helps you to work through the materials. In this guide, you will find out about the resources of information and support provided by HKMU to facilitate your learning, as well as the assessment procedures used to evaluate your performance. Please read through and refer to this Course Guide when needed.
CHEM S402 Contemporary Chemistry Development aims to:
Upon completion of CHEM S402 Contemporary Chemistry Development, you should be able to:
This course covers four study units which are cutting-edge topics in contemporary chemistry development. They are:
Each unit presents at least one advanced subject, with elaboration of key concepts to help students fully digest the course content. Journal articles are the main supplementary study materials. In addition, activities and self-tests are interspersed throughout each unit. Activities help you to explore and apply the concepts you are learning, while self-tests are useful for checking how well you have grasped the materials. Feedback to the activities and self-test questions is also provided. Throughout the course, we will assess your understanding of the course materials by means of two assignments, one day school presentation, and a final project.
Course overview
The following table gives a general overview of the course structure.
| Units | Weeks | Assessment | |
| 1 | Bio-organic chemistry | 4 | |
| 2 | Supramolecular chemistry | 3 | Assignment 1 (Units 1-2)# |
| 3 | Materials chemistry | 4 | |
| 4 | Advanced instrumental analysis | 3 | Assignment 2 (covering materials in Units 3–4 and Mini-review)# * |
| Final project | 2 | Oral presentation, PowerPoint slides and a final report (based on the mini-review in Assignment 2) | |
| Total | 16 | ||
Equipment requirements
Hardware
You will need access to a computer system suitable for connecting to the Internet. The recommended minimum computing requirements are:
Software
You will need access to a computer with Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7 and a Web browser.
A brief description of each study unit is given below.
Unit 1 Bio-organic chemistry
Bio-organic chemistry is a fusion of organic chemistry and biochemistry. In this research area, organic chemistry, such as synthesis, is used to solve biological problems. This unit first focuses on the design and application of artificial receptors and artificial enzymes. We then introduce the emerging field of bioorthogonal chemistry.
Unit 2 Supramolecular chemistry
Supramolecular chemistry is a study extended beyond atomic and molecular chemistry, which corresponds to chemical systems constructed from organized ensembles of molecular components. Research in supramolecular chemistry has been applied to the creation of mesostructured assemblies featuring a variety of useful functional behaviour. This unit covers an important concept in this area called host-guest chemistry, in which discussion focuses on the application of a prominent example, cyclodextrin. The second part addresses another concept of molecular self-assembly. In this part, the examples of design of foldamer frameworks and its potential applications will be addressed.
Unit 3 Materials chemistry
The design and synthesis of new materials is a major focus in contemporary chemistry. The development of new functional materials has a huge impact on our social development and leads to improvements in our daily life. Research in materials chemistry disregards the barriers between traditional sub-disciplines of chemistry and combines organic, inorganic, physical, polymer, biological and analytical chemistry, and applied physics. This unit focuses on the development of nanoparticle materials, which have profound applications in optoelectronics, bio- medicine and catalysis. We also emphasize the change of structures and properties of nanoparticle materials with their sizes. Finally, we point out the difficulty of designing and manipulating the nano-materials.
Unit 4 Advanced instrumental analysis
With the rapid development of contemporary chemistry, it is important for scientists to study the new compounds and materials in an accurate and precise manner. Thus, a thorough understanding of the principles and operations of modern analytical instruments is essential for making correct choices of instrumentation methods. This unit covers the modern instrumental techniques, which are commonly used by chemists for studying the binding interactions in bio-organic and supramolecular chemistry discussed in Unit 1 and 2, and characterizing the structure of nanoparticle materials discussed in Unit 3. We also explain, with examples, how these instrumental techniques help chemists develop new compounds and materials for practical applications.
Set textbook
As the goal of this course is to introduce current chemical science advancement to students, the course content will be largely based on journal articles, and no set textbook is required.
Readings
This course has a number of supplementary readings. These are supplied in your course materials package.
You may be instructed in the study units to read articles or other supplementary materials. These will be available online or provided as hard copies.
E-Library E-Reserve readings
You may be instructed to read articles in the E-Library E-Reserve. To read these items, go to the HKMU E-Library and click on 'E-Reserve'. Log in, click 'Accept/Agree' on the Copyright Restrictions page, fill in the 'Course Code' box, and click 'Search'.
Online and multimedia materials
OLE
CHEM S402 is supported by HKMU's Online Learning Environment (OLE), which is a fully integrated e-learning platform for all teaching and learning activities of the course. Journal articles and the other course materials will be easily accessible through the OLE. A discussion board will also be set up for communication among students, tutors, and the Course Coordinator.
Other online resources
This course encourages students to search for relevant and useful materials from the corresponding academic research groups and industrial company websites. The websites below allow students to gain more insight into the contemporary chemistry being developed by the current researchers:
CHEM S402 assesses student performance through two assignments, one oral presentation, and a final project (including PowerPoint slides and a full literature review). Continuous assessment and the project are the formal means of performance evaluation. Two assignments and a mini review account for 50% of the overall course score (OCS). The presentation and report submitted at the end of the course makes up the other 50% of OCS. You are required to obtain 40% or above in both the overall continuous assessment score (OCAS) and the course-end project to pass the course.
There will be no final examination for this course.
Assignments
There are in total two assignments for the course. You are required to submit both assignments for the assessment of your understanding of different units, and hence to evaluate your writing and presentation skills. Tutors will return the assignments with their comments and feedback after marking. Assignment 1 consists of reading materials and short essay questions. Assignment 2 consists of some short questions plus a brief, student-initiated literature review (1–2 pages, double spacing) on articles of your area of interest. Details on topic selection will be provided in the Assignment File. This brief review will serve as an outline for your oral presentation and final project (see below), which will be graded and commented on by your tutor.
Oral presentation
You are required to conduct an oral presentation on the topic chosen at the end of the course. The presentation will take place in the compulsory day school and each student will present on their topic for 15 minutes, including a question-and-answer session.
The assignments and the oral presentation allow you to prepare yourself for the final project by testing your communication skills and logical thinking in scientific research.
Final project
The final project is an individual project to evaluate your overall understanding and performance in the course, consisting of a written full literature review on the selected topic in Assignment 2 (8–10 pages, double spacing). We allow you to select your topic from among the four units (recommendations will be provided but the selection is not limited to those materials). Each student is required to submit an individual report in the specific format of a full literature review together with the PowerPoint slides from their oral presentation.
The assessment items are outlined in the following table:
| Assessment type | Course area covered | Marks | |
| Continuous assessment | Units 1-2 | Assignment 1 15% | 50% |
| Units 3-4 + Mini-review | Assignment 2 35% | ||
| Final project: Literature review | Oral presentation + PowerPoint slides + a final report (based on the mini-review in Assignment 2) | 50% | |
| Total | 100% | ||
This course provides face-to-face tutorials and electronic means of support, including a discussion board, electronic mail and the OLE.
Tutorials
There will be four two-hour tutorial sessions, totalling eight hours, in the course. The tutorials comprise interactive learning and activities involving supplementary materials. Tutors will provide guidance on planning and completing your individual projects (Assignment 2 and the final project).
Surgeries
Surgery sessions will be held every three weeks throughout the course. Students can have face-to-face consultation with an on-duty tutor, who will address any course-related questions.
Day school
One day school session (2–3 hours) will be allocated to evaluate student performance in the course. Students will deliver a presentation based on the topic chosen in Assignment 2. Each presentation will be allocated 8–10 minutes and will be followed by a 5-minute question-and-answer session. Assessment will be based on your presentation skills, content, time management, interaction with the audience, and performance in the question-and-answer session. Peer evaluation will also be part of the assessment.
Electronic means
Electronic mail and the discussion board on the OLE will allow you to post any questions and problems to your assigned tutors and fellow students. These interactive channels provide an effective and flexible way for the students and tutors to communicate with each other. You can also access the study units on the OLE.
CHEM S402 Contemporary Chemistry Development is a five-credit, one-semester course that covers a wide range of topics at the cutting edge of chemistry. It provides you with opportunities to harness contemporary research findings and professional skills. You will be able to think analytically, to critically evaluate research publications in high-profile scientific journals, and to write a scientific review article in your own area of interest professionally. The course will help you to familiarize yourself with contemporary chemical research topics, broaden your chemical knowledge, and develop critical thinking skills in different current research areas in chemistry. Above all, you will learn to appreciate the modern multi-disciplinary research trends in the scientific world.
Pushing yourself is the most important key to success. You will need to search for and analyse scientific information actively, to think critically, and to learn how to present your findings in the form of scientific writing. We hope you will enjoy the self-learning process provided by CHEM S402 Contemporary Chemistry Development.
Dr Danny Hsu
Danny Hsu attended the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), where he received his BSc. in Chemistry with first class honours in 2002. He then moved to Virginia Tech and conducted his graduate research under the guidance of Prof. Paul Carlier. While in Prof. Carlier's laboratory, Danny elucidated the mechanism of enantioselective alkylations of 1,4-benzodiazepin-2-ones involving self-regeneration of stereocenters via stereolabile axially chiral intermediates (previously termed as memory of chirality), and performed structure-based design of insecticidal acetylcholinesterase inhibitors for the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae. In 2007, he graduated with his Doctoral Degree in organic and medicinal chemistry.
The experience of using organic synthesis to solve biological problems in graduate school cemented Danny's interest in chemical biology and led him to work as a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Paul Hergenrother at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). While at UIUC, Danny was involved in defining the structure-activity relationship of PAC-1, an anti-cancer compound obtained from the high-throughput screening of procaspase-3 activator. This work enabled him to synthesize a fluorescent version of PAC-1, which was shown to co-localize with sites of caspase activity inside cancer cells by confocal microscopy. Due to PAC-1's neuro-toxicity, Danny also developed a safe derivative, S-PAC-1, for a clinical trial in pet dogs with lymphoma.
Danny has received the American Association of Cancer Research Scholar-in-Training Award, the American Chemical Society Travel Grant Award, the Virginia Tech Graduate Teaching Assistant Award, and the Hong Kong University Chemistry Olympiad Silver Medal. Since 2010 he has been an assistant scientific officer at the HKUST Biotechnology Research Institute, where research focuses on drug discovery through identification of active ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine.
His current work includes grant application, patent filing, and research coordination among biology, chemistry, and animal studies.
Dr David Chui
David Chui started his research career in his final year of undergraduate study in 2000. His research project was on developing a tool to visualize the results from Molecular Dynamics simulations. He performed MD simulations for ion transport in nanopores and oxygen adsorption on supported platinum nanoparticles, and identified rare events in the simulations using the tool he developed.
After graduating from the University of Hong Kong in 2001, David began his Master's study under the supervision of Professor G K Y Chan at the same university. His research project was about the simulations of platinum and platinum alloy nanoparticles using empirical atomistic potential. In 2004, David finished his Master's study, and then moved to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) for his doctoral study, under the supervision of Prof. Salvy Russo and Professor Ian Snook. His research project at RMIT was about simulating and modelling gold nanostructures of different dimensions, morphologies and sizes. In computer simulations, David discovered a new type of icosahedron with interesting concave reconstruction at the vertex positions, which may provide an active site for catalysis and a preferential binding site for biomedical application (see the reference).
In 2007, David graduated with his Doctoral Degree in Applied Physics and moved to Mainz University for a postdoctoral fellowship with Prof. Kurt Binder at the Institute of Physics. Using Monte Carlo simulations, David and Prof. Binder discovered a new state of colloidal system which hadn't been found previously in experimental studies.
By computer simulation of a two-dimensional crystal confined by corrugated walls, they showed that confinement can be used to impose a controllable mesoscopic superstructure of predominantly mechanical elastic character. They believe their findings should give a novel idea for new structure formation in the self-assembly of various mesoscopic and nanoscopic materials. Due to the success of the project, the funding period was extended in 2009.
In 2010, David moved back to Hong Kong for a Lectureship and an Assistant Professorship in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Hong Kong. He was responsible for an Interfacial Science and Technology course, which covers the fundamentals of nano-science and technology. After lecturing at HKU, David took a senior research position at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Currently, he is an Honorary Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, HKU.
