Integration

Four areas of integration are prominent in the course.
Working together

Integration of facts and concepts
The course seeks to explore the links between general theoretical principles and the evidence on which they are based. The aim is to given students some insight into three aspects of the nature of science (see also Teaching About Science):

• the nature of theoretical explanations in science,
• assessing the quality of scientific data, and
• the purposes of scientific investigations.

Integration of theory and practical work
Chemistry is mainly an experimental subject and students can only understand it by frequent work in the lab. Theory and relevant practical experience are integrated as fully as possible. Practical work is meagre in a few areas, particularly structure, but these are rare. Students gain experience in using theoretical principles to predict the outcome of reactions, and in testing their predictions by experiment.

Integration of pure and applied chemistry
The Special Studies and background reading are important features of the course which illustrate the practical importance of the subject. Advanced chemistry should not be rigidly separated from related subjects such as metallurgy, biochemistry, and chemical engineering. The academic chemist and the technologist work on similar lines though their aims and outlook may differ. Also it is important that students should be aware of the nature, scope, and challenge of technological subjects so that they can consider a career in one of these fields.

Integration of inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry
This is realized in the treatment of general chemical principles, which are introduced at intervals throughout the course. The courses uses examples in both inorganic and organic chemistry to illustrate the significance of theoretical ideas related to atomic structure, crystal and molecular structure, bonding and energetics.