It:assignment-2011
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CIT Assignment 2011
The CIT assignment is an exercise which is designed to help you gain experience in gathering information on a given molecule. This is something which you will need to be able to do in order to do well in coursework while studying Chemistry, and in a wider context, is a skill which will be invaluable to you should you decide to take up a career in research.
The deadlines for submission of the assignment are different for each group - PLEASE make note of when your deadline falls:
- Group A1: Thursday 1st December 2011, 12noon
- Group A2: Thursday 8th December 2011, 12noon
- Group B1: Monday 28th November 2011, 12noon
- Group B2: Monday 5th December 2011, 12noon
Deadlines are two weeks after your second workshop session at midday, 12noon. You are free to start your assignment as soon as you wish, and can submit it any time up to the deadline, however feedback will only be delivered once everyone has submitted.
Details of the assignment
Your task is to produce a brief report on a given molecule (no more than three sides A4), finding relevant information including its physical data, a route to synthesise the molecule, and one reaction of importance for this molecule. All information should be appropriately cited from a creditable primary or secondary resource. You will most likely turn up a wealth of information on most of the molecules shown below; part of the task is deciding what is relevant information.
Structure of report
Your report should include an introduction to the molecule of interest, explaining why it is of interest. Further discussion should go into its further reactions and explaining (simply) how it does its job, particularly if the molecule has application in biology. A synthetic route for making the molecule should include a brief discussion on the starting materials, where they are sourced (if they are natural products etc.). Any schemes should be large enough to be readable.
Physical data should be relevant to the introduction, going some way towards backing up the statement of 'interest' made in the introduction.
Above all, your report should be engaging and interesting to read; you should be writing in language intended for a general chemistry audience, rather than a technical discussion on the preparation of the molecule.
The total text content should be between 700-1000 words (not including citations or figure captions), and the report as a whole should not exceed 3 pages.
List of molecules
Choose one of the following molecules on which to base your report. Be sure to study a different molecule from those around you - it would be awfully dull reading if everyone does the same molecule! Alternatively, if there is another molecule which is of interest to you, please feel free to add it to this list and submit a report on that.
- Thyroxine
- Quinine
- Ramipril
- Acetyl salicylic acid
- Minoxidil
- Riboflavin
- Aspartame
- Serotonin
- Capsaicin
- Ascorbic acid
- Sodium laureth sulfate
- Phenylalanine
- Sorbitol
- Methyl salicylate
- Methylene blue
- Trimethyl arsenic
- sarin
- DDT
- zinc dithiophosphate
- formic acid
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