CM4228 — Catalysis for sustainable chemical synthesis

Academic Year 25/26 - Semester 1

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Lecturer: A/P Koh Ming Joo (Homogeneous) & Asst. Prof. Ou Pnegfei (Heterogenous)

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Assessments:​

• Homogenous Catalysis Lecture Test: 25%

• HeterogeneousCatalysis Lecture Test: 25%

• Finals: 50%​​

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No. of responses : 3

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REVIEWS

What advice would you give to someone considering taking this course?

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Anonymous: This year was the first iteration of a two-part course. For the first part (KMJ), it is mainly organic chemistry, and thus I would highly suggest having CM3121 done beforehand. For the second part (OPF), his part is mainly computational chemistry, lecture notes feel like a lab literature review. The examinations for this part are just simple MCQs, some lifted from tutorials, alongside simple calculations.

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George: The first part of this course involves homogenous catalysis, which involves organic chemistry concepts. The second part involves heterogeneous catalysis which involves material science concepts. Compared to other chemistry courses, CM4228 will definitely rank within the top 3 in terms of conceptual difficulty. It is probably the second hardest non-research Chemistry course behind Prof Koh Ming Joo's other course, CM3221 (before anyone comments about a skill issue, I shall pretext that I have scored 99/100 for CM2122 midterms and full marks for CM3121 midterms, median 60%).

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For the first part, only 1-step syntheses and mechanisms are tested. For the second part, calculations are involved. Anyone who wishes to pursue a career in chemical research or chemical synthesis should read this course as it covers content that is highly relevant to the production of fine (Part 1) and bulk (Part 2) chemicals. There are 3 tutorials for each part of this course (Weeks 3-5, 8-10).

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DolleEicir: Good to do after CM3121 but can be done concurrently as well. Concepts will be tough, so practice as much as possible, and ask for help early on if need be. Go in with an open mind and just enjoy the process.

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What did you enjoy or find most useful from this course?

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Anonymous: It is somewhat interesting to understand how the catalyst exactly catalyses the reaction by learning how it forms the bonds.
 

George: Covering both heterogeneous and homogenous catalysis, CM4228 puts students in a good position to appreciate the chemical processes in their future jobs or academic pursuits. Tutorials were also highly beneficial as both Prof Koh and Prof Ou provided additional insights towards the question and their background (eg: use of cyclopropyl groups as radical reporters).

 

DolleEicir: Content is really useful for applications into industry, such as homogenous catalysis for small molecule synthesis, and heterogeneous-computational catalysis for bulk materials synthesis.

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What aspects of the course did you find most challenging, and why?

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Anonymous: It was slightly challenging for me initially since I did not take CM3121 before. The content are probably needed.
 

George: Without knowledge from CM3111 and CM3121, much of the course contents feel extremely descriptive as different principles are applied to different reactions, seemingly with no logic. For example, we are told that when Sn is used for transmetallation in Stille coupling, carbonylation may occur. However, we are not given any reason as to why this only occurs when Sn is used, as opposed to other metals used in cross-coupling.

 

DolleEicir: For 1st half, you will be exposed to new reactions, or familiar reactions from 2k/3k courses facilitated by homogenous catalysts, which will require greater understanding of the activation mechanism and selectivity of the reactions.

For 2nd half, as the overall theme was using computational methods in heterogeneous catalysis, it can be rather overwhelming to learn something completely new and foreign from the get-go. To this, look at it from the bigger picture, and try to simply understand: 1. What is it used for? 2. How is it being done? The intricate details are more useful for those who are keen to actually use or practice computational catalysis in the future.​

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What resources did you find most helpful in helping you better understand the course material?​​​​

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George: Many of the reactions covered in this course are named reactions, as the lecturers for both parts wanted to use real-world catalysis reactions. Hence, the Wikipedia page or www.organic-chemistry.org/namedreactions are helpful resources to start if one does not have the fundamentals behind the reactions discussed.

 

DolleEicir: Asking Prof Koh Ming Joo (1st half) and Prof Ou Pengfei (2nd half) are probably your best options.

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What other courses do you think should be taken before or concurrently with this module?

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Anonymous: CM3121 should be taken before this module to help understand the first part.
 

George: Having spoken to the course coordinator, the prerequisites for this course are outdated. For the first part (organic chemistry), Prof. Koh assumes that students are familiar with reactions such as Diels-Alder reactions, metathesis reactions, and carbonyl reactions which were previously covered in the pre-CHS level 2 organic chemistry course, but are now only covered in CM3121.

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DolleEicir: Good to take CM3121 prior to CM4228, else taking it concurrently is viable as well, though some effort is required to bridge the temporary gaps in knowledge between CM2122 and this course.

If you are keen on the particular aspect of asymmetric catalysis, as well as more in-depth into things like enantioselective catalysis, you may consider exploring CM5225 Asymmetric Catalysis for interest.