What you will study
This online module has three blocks. They’ll develop your understanding of key chemical concepts, whilst you discover the role of chemistry in human health and sustainability. At key points, experts from industry discuss the context of the chemistry under discussion.
Block 1: Food
This block introduces you to the relationship between nutrition, food production processes, and chemistry. You’ll see how an understanding of molecular properties can be used to explain why we need food; what the body does with it; and how raw materials can be processed to make products for the food industry. You’ll study the chemical properties of the food groups (fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals) which will allow you to understand interplay between molecular structure and chemical behaviour. You’ll then study food digestion; how the body extracts energy from food; and how food energy content is measured. The block finishes with a home experiment, in which you will synthesise and analyse the degradation of a sustainable food packaging material.
Block 2: Water
This block focuses on water as it plays a ubiquitous role in our daily lives. You’ll study the unique properties of water in a fundamental sense. You’ll begin by studying pH, buffers and buffering, antacids and why some substances are strong or weak acids. Alongside this, you’ll remotely access apparatus at the OU campus to measure the acidity of a compound. In the next section. you’ll focus on other substances that are commonly dissolved in water (soaps, detergents, antibacterials and metal ions), further studying the close relationship between chemical properties and function. You’ll also address the issue of environmental sustainability through the study of drinking water and waste-water treatment.
Block 3: Health
The block starts with a home experiment investigation relating to sustainable approaches to water purification. The focus of this block then shifts to medicines. You’ll learn about the drug discovery process and how drug molecules are designed. In doing this, you’ll see the key structural features and chemical properties of different classes of drug molecules. You’ll study the interactions between drug molecules and their receptors, which will bring together much of the chemical thinking you developed in the module. You’ll also study drug absorption, allowing you to gain an understanding of how particular drugs must be administered. Your learning will be supported throughout the block by extensive use of the Protein Data Bank. This will enable you to visualise in three dimensions how drugs interact with their targets (receptors or enzymes) and interrogate the nature of the molecular interactions.
You will learn
As well as studying key conceptual skills relating to chemistry, you’ll also develop your skills for further study of science including:
- investigation
- numeracy
- problem solving
- handling and presenting data
- collaboration
- communication.