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.