OVERVIEW

This course illustrates the basic principles of chemistry which are useful for the study of cultural heritage.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The main educational objective of “chemistry for cultural heritage” teaching is to provide students with chemistry bases. In particular, it deals with the essential principles like structure (atomic and molecular level), bond types, resonance, isomerism, main chemical-physical properties of the aqueous solutions. Some practical activities are also planned to introduce to students the main synthetic routes of pigment preparations and the use of routine instrumental techniques in the field of diagnostics of inorganic materials as a part of various art heritage.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The attendance to the programmed educational activities (lectures and laboratory experiments) will allow the student to acquire basic knowledge on the atomic and molecular structure,on the different typologies of chemical bonds, on the principles of the physico-chemical behavior of solutions and on acid/base or redox processes, on the chemical nomenclature and on the principles of isomerism. 

More specifically, the student will acquire knowledge:

• on the nature of the atom, on the electronic configuration and on the significance of the periodic table of the elements  in foreseeing the behavior of the main elements which participate in the constitution of artistic materials.
• on the various typologies of chemical bonds and on their relevant impact on the stability and the behavior of inorganic and organic compounds;
• on the meaning and significance of resonance and electronic delocalization;
• on the principles of chemical nomenclature;
• on the basic principles of isomerism;
• by means of laboratory activities, of the preparation of some of the most common pigments.

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching consists of classroom lectures and practical/theoretical laboratory activities. A regular attendance to lectures and laboratory activities is strongly recommended.

Classroom lessons are delivered through multimedia devices (such as powerpoint presentations, made available on the Aulkaweb instance of the courzse); the lessons will be carried out if possible in presence, guaranteeing in any case their fruition by remote, by video recording, synchronous or asynchronous. At the end of each part of the program, self-assessment learning tests are programmed.

The laboratory activities (carried out in DCCI equipped classrooms) are aimed at the practical application of the theoretical knowledge acquired during lectures; the activities will be organized if possible in presence, possibly with more shifts (i.e. dividing the students in groups).

All the activities in presence will be carried out in compliance with the limits of capacity of the classrooms / laboratories and the distancing rules, as established by the updated legislation relevant to the COVID19 emergency.

Please refer to the specific AulaWeb instance for any updates due to changes in the health and epidemiological situation.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The program consists of the presentation and discussion of the following arguments:

• atomic structure and electronic configuration of the main elements;
• hybridization;
• resonance;
• chemical bond and molecular structure;
• physico-chemical properties of solutions;
• main physico-chemical properties of minerals;
• redox processes and electrochemistry principles;
• basic principles of the chemical nomenclature;
• main general and physico-chemical properties of organic compounds;
• isomerism (constitutional, configurational and conformational);
• classroom exercises or laboratory activities on some of the arguments in program (e.g. pigment preparation).

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

All slides used for the lectures, together with further educational aids, will be available on the AulaWeb platform at the end of any series of lectures or lab activities.

The books indicated below are suggested as reference books, available for consultation from the library of the School of “Scienze M.F.N.” The students can anyway make use of further books at the university level.

Chang – Goldsby, Fondamenti di Chimica Generale, Ed. Italiana, McGraw-Hill Education (Italy).

Brown - Poon, Introduzione alla Chimica Organica, EdiSES.

Matteini - Moles, La Chimica nel Restauro – I materiali dell’arte pittorica, Nardini Ed.

Mills - White, The Organic Chemistry of Museum Objects, 2° Ed., Routledge, 1994.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

GIOVANNI PETRILLO (President)

LAURA GAGGERO

FEDERICO LOCARDI

PAVLO SOLOKHA

LESSONS

LESSONS START

21 September 2020.

Class schedule

CHEMISTRY FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE MODULE I

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam, common for both modules of the course (Module 1, first semester, and Module 2, second semester) or, at the student's request, for individual Modules, but with a single mediated final mark, consists of an interview on topics covered in class, in front of a commission of at least two people, with the aid of a blackboard or other suitable support on which to report the necessary graphics.

In case, examinations in presence will be carried out in compliance with the limits of capacity of the classrooms / laboratories and the distancing rules, as established by the updated legislation relevant to the COVID19 emergency.

Please refer to the specific AulaWeb instance for any updates due to changes in the health and epidemiological situation.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Details on procedures for the preparation of exams and on the required in-depth degree of knowledge for each argument will be provided during the lectures.

The exam will be based mainly ofn the arguments treated in the lectures, aimed to the evaluation not only of the attainment, by the student, of an adequale knowledge level, but also of the possess of the ability to recall theory, applying them to real contexts. The student will be also asked to correlate and integrate knowledges from the laboratory activities whith those acquired during lectures. The ability to present arguments clearly, in a lessically correct and non mnemonic way will also be evaluated.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

A regular attendance to lectures and laboratory activities is strongly recommended.