Chemistry Master Program

1Overview of the Program

In recent years, the discipline construction has achieved leapfrog developments, with
the international influence rising significantly. According to the ESI evaluation
retrieval data of academic influence of subjects, chemistry in BIT is ranked 405th out
of the global 1053 institutions which are in the TOP1% of this system, and 26th out of
the 71 universities in China, which is one of the important bases of chemical scientific
research and talents training at home and abroad
This is a full-time degree program, involving both coursework and projects. It aims at
cultivating the high-level specialized personnel with a firm grasp of basic theories and
professional knowledge of chemistry, with experimental skills and abilities to solve
practical problems. Students will be awarded with the master degree after getting
required credits. They will participate in projects in relevant fields under the guidance
of his or her supervisor and complete their graduation thesis based on the projects
they have conducted.
On the basis of the projects conducted by the school, we have developed a discipline
for this program:
Chemistry: this discipline involves x-ray crystallography, coordination chemistry,
materials science, solid state chemistry and physics, inorganic synthesis and
preparative chemistry, nano-science and technology, advanced analytical chemistry,
electrochemistry and electroanalytical chemistry, new energy technology,
supramolecular chemistry, and so on.

2. Length of Schooling
Chemistry Master Program is a two-year degree program. Students will complete
coursework in the first year and prepare for graduation thesis under the guidance of a
supervisor in the second year. Students will have the opportunity to conduct projects
during their graduation thesis preparation period.

3. Curriculum and Credit Requirements

The requirements and courses are shown in the course list below.

Course Course Course

Course Name Credits Semester Requirements
Classification Code Hours

Compulsory 3700001 Chinese Language 96 6 1+2 Both

Public
Required
Courses 3700002 Outline of China 32 2 1/2
 Inorganic
Synthesis and
1900004 48 3 1
Preparative
Chemistry

1900005 Materials Science 48 3 1

X-Ray
1900006 48 3 1
Crystallography

Nano-science and
1900007 32 2 2
technology

Compulsory Advanced
Major 1900009 Experiment of 48 3 2 10Credits
Courses Organic Chemistry

Spectrometric
Identification of
1900010 32 2 1
Organic
Compounds

Advanced
1900012 Analytical 48 3 1
Chemistry

Electrochemistry
and
1900014 32 2 2
Electroanalytical
Chemistry

Coordination
1900016 48 3 1
Chemistry

Solid State
1900017 Chemistry and 32 2 1
Physics
Elective
Advanced Topics
Major 6 Credits
1900020 in Organic 48 3 2
Courses
Chemistry

New Energy
1900025 32 2 1
Technology

1900026 Supramolecular
32 2 2
Chemistry

NotesElective Major Courses: two credits can be chosen from cross-disciplinary

majors.

Below is a brief introduction of the major courses that students will take in
coursework year.

Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry

This is an experiment course for master students with chemistry related majors.
Topics of experiments are chosen considering following factors:
(1) Comprehensiveness. Every experiment unit covers various contents including
material synthesis, characterization and performance test.
(2)Variety. Experiments in this course cover hot topics in inorganic research field like
the synthesis of nanomaterial, polyoxometalate, coordination complex and chiral
reagent.
(3)Typicality. Experiment contents and methods are featured in every topic.

Materials Science
Materials Science is a multidisciplinary subject involving studying the properties of
matter and its applications to various areas of science and engineering. It focuses on
the factors that make one material different from another, such as elemental
composition, arrangement, bonding, impurities and surface structure. The ability to
understand the relationships between these factors and the properties of a material is
crucial for master students specialized in chemistry . This course will help students to
develop a fundamental understanding of materials at the nano, micro and macro
scales.

X-Ray Crystallography

The contents of this course are fundamentals of crystallography, X-Ray diffraction by

crystals, theory and practice of crystal structure determination and the principles and
practice of powder diffraction analysis. Topics to be covered in each part are briefly
listed below. Fundamentals of crystallography: Crystal and its nature, feature
properties of crystals, crystallographic coordination system, Miller indices, and
directions in crystals, 7 crystal systems and the 32 crystallographic point groups,
space lattice and the 14 Bravais lattice, the 230 space groups, and the close packing of
spheres. X-ray diffraction by crystals: nature of X-Rays and it interaction with matter,
absorption and scattering, structure factor and diffraction intensity, diffraction
condition and the Laue equation, reciprocal lattice and the Ewald sphere. Crystal
structure determination: single crystal diffraction experiments, data collection
strategies and the theories behind, structure factor, electron density and the Fourier
transform, the phase problem, trial and error method, Patterson method and the direct
methods, Least square refinement of crystal structure, description and visualization of
the refinement results. Powder diffraction: Bragg equation and the powder diffraction
pattern, powder diffractometer and data collection, quantitative and qualitative phase
analysis, pattern indexing and cell refinement, structure determination from powder
diffraction data, direct and reciprocal space approach, simulated annealing and charge
flipping, Rietveld refinement, particle size and the Scherrer equation.

Nano-science and technology

The course relates to the basic knowledge of the nano-material and nano-technology.
This course will help students to learn the relative knowledge of the nano-materials
including the structure, analysis and synthesis method of materials. At the same time,
it will help students to thoroughly understand new theories, methods and materials of
modern nano-materials chemistry in the field of nano-material research and to grasp
the basic theory of various nano-materials in chemistry. More importantly, students
will be required to understand the current development of nanotechnology, grasp the
micro structure and transformation of nano material as well as the relationship
between nano materials and the various physical or chemical properties to develop
new nano materials.

Advanced Experiment of Organic Chemistry

The main focus of this course is on the advanced training and design methodologies
for the organic chemistry experiments. The content includes the synthesis of
organometallic compounds and typical natural compounds by the multi-steps organic
synthesis. At the same time, basic procedure for flash column chromatography,
reduced pressure distillation, and recrystallization also are introduced.

Spectrometric Identification of Organic Compounds

An introductory course on identification of organic and organometallic compounds
using various spectroscopic techniques with emphasis on Nuclear Magnetic
Resonance(NMR) Spectroscopy. Advanced methods for the structural identification
using multinuclear NMR techniques in a practical way will be discussed. The
theoretical aspects behind the various techniques will be briefly mentioned.

Advanced Analytical Chemistry

The course of advanced analytical chemistry includes mainly four parts which are
atomic spectroscopy, molecular spectroscopy, electroanalytical chemistry and
separation methods, respectively. Atomic spectroscopy covers an introduction to
optical atomic spectrometry, atomic absorption and atomic fluorescence spectrometry,
atomic emission spectrometry, atomic mass spectrometry and atomic X-ray
spectrometry. Molecular spectroscopy comprises ultraviolet/visible molecular
absorption spectrometry, molecular luminescence spectrometry, infrared and raman
spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and molecular mass
spectrometry. Electroanalytical chemistry covers potentiometry, coulometry and
voltammetry. Separation methods include gas chromatography, high-performance
liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and capillary
electrochromatography.

Electrochemistry and Electroanalytical Chemistry

This lecture provides a very good introduction to newcomers in the field of
electrochemistry and electroanaltical chemistry. It starts with the fundamentals of
electrochemistry. Then it presents the interface and the electrochemical double layer
(the two side of interface at which electrochemical reactions take place, the electrode
and the electrolyte, and the electron transfer process). Experimental electrochemistry
for laboratory work are presented and discussed. This part will also introduce various
electrochemistry techniques for the study of electrochemical reactions and the
construction of electrochemical sensor. Finally, we will deal with recent trends in
electrochemistry and electroanalytical chemistry, including electrocatalysis, fuel cells
and electrochemical sensor.

Coordination Chemistry
The course develops the concepts of coordination chemistry and metal-based
supramolecular chemistry and their applications. It will cover the fundamental aspects
of transition metal complexes including crystal field theory, physical and chemical
properties of coordination complexes, electronic spectra, etc. Special attention will be
paid to construction of coordination polymers with novel and prospective crystal
structures and functional properties. Also, the course will provide an overview of the
experimental techniques used for structural characterization of sophisticated
coordination complexes, such as: X-ray single crystal and powder diffractometry,
IR/Raman spectroscopy, NMR, Mass spectrum, electron microscopy, STM and AFM.
Finally, the supramolecular coordination assemblies are considered promising
candidates for a variety of applications, from molecular-based materials, solar cells,
electronic circuits, light-emitting devices, data storage, biological tags, cancer
treatments, drug delivery and catalysts.

Solid State Chemistry and Physics

This is an introductory course designed for master students who are not specialized in
crystallography and magnetology. It is intended to serve as a broad introduction to a
variety of concepts in solid state chemistry and physics so that the students can realize
the omnipresence and the importance of solid state materials, understand the basic
principles in solid state physics and apply what they learn in their research works. The
course not only covers a range of basic theoretical topics in crystallography, group
theory, diffraction spectroscopy and statistical mechanics, but emphasizes the
application of solid state materials in diverse fields such as electronics, magnetics,
phonics and so on, making it an indispensible course in the curriculum of future high-
calibre scientists and engineers.

Advanced Topics in Organic Chemistry

A discussion of current and general topics related to novel and interesting areas of
organic chemistry appearing in the current literature. A review of the basic reactions
involving transition metal catalysts in transformations of organic compounds will be
discussed. Reactions of importance to organic chemistry including hydrogenations,
oxidations, cross coupling reactions, metathesis and other pertinent reactions, as well
as kinetics and mechanisms of reactions of transition metals in biological systems,
including metalloproteins and metalloenzymes will be covered. Physical basis for
organic chemistry, dealing with specific mechanistic pathways and the tools necessary
for the understanding of organic reaction mechanisms will be discussed.

New Energy Technology

This course will focus on the practices, skills, and knowledge necessary for
employment in the numerous industries associated with the emerging field of energy.
Students will explore the new energy industries and the integrated roles played by
producers, managers, laborers, regulators, planners, and others in the field.
Educational experiences will include a basic introduction to new energy technology as
well as basic courses in safety instruction, basic electricity, technical thinking, and a
basic mechanics course as well as more advanced courses like biomass, biofuels and
bioprocess practices, and process instrumentation. Accordingly, the curriculum
provides students with the knowledge, skills and experience to be successful in the
rapidly expanding field.

Supramolecular Chemistry
This course develops the concepts of supramolecular chemistry and its applications.
Besides the basic knowledge for the understanding and experimental setup of
research, studies aimed at the new development of devices which exploit
noncovalent interactions will be discussed.

4. Compulsory Part
4.1 Academic Activity (0.5 credits)
Master students must participate in academic activities not less than 6 times during
the period of school, which includes not less than 1 time for students to conduct a
formal academic report. After each academic activity, students should summarize a
report about 500 words.
4.2 Professional Foreign Language (0.5 credits)
Instructors are responsible to conduct master students to read and translate foreign
literature about their own academic field, making them understand and be familiar
with the foreign paper writing and the requirements of publishing thesis and reporting
in international conferences. Instructors are responsible for the organization of
professional foreign language assessment.
4.3 Practice (0.5 credits)
With the guidance of instructors, master students study courses closely related to their
academic degree theses, conduct experiments, practice other related skills and train
the ability of scientific research and innovation. The instructor is responsible for the
assessment.

5. The Dissertation Related Work

5.1 Literature Review (0.5 Credit)
During the period of study, master students shall read at least 30 domestic and foreign
literatures in their research fields, understanding and learning the new techniques,
new methods and new material research progress, and students shall write no less than
4,000 words literature review report based on this. The literature review should
include in-depth understanding and systematic analysis of the research direction, and
the domestic and foreign research status of research topic.
5.2 Opening Report (0.5 Credit)
Opening report should be based on the literature review report, mainly introducing the
research purpose, significance, technical route, implementation plan, schedule, and
the expected results.
5.3 Mid-Term Evaluation
The school is responsible for master's course of study, the literature review, opening
report, published scientific papers, and the research progress of dissertation for
intermediate inspection. For master students, the intermediate inspection should be
completed in the middle of the third semester. For doctor students, the intermediate
inspection should be completed in the end of the fifth semester.
5.4 Interim Assess
Graduate students should complete the study program described above and obtain all
these course credits, complete the compulsory training scientific research; as well as
the literature review, thesis opening report and other related work. Upon completion
of the above, students may apply for the thesis defense.
5.5 Thesis Writing and Thesis Defense
Graduate student must be under the guidance of an advisor required to achieve a
master's degree. Master thesis is to reflect academic achievements in the discipline of
the field, showing a good understanding of the basic theory of the discipline,
specialized knowledge and basic skills. It shows the student has engaged in the
discipline or related disciplines scientific research.
Master Thesis defense meeting shall be arranged within 9 months after submission of
the opening report.
5.6 Degree Conferment
In terms of the academic requirements for master students to get the degree, the
Second Meeting Minutes of the 10th Degree Evaluation Committee of Beijing
Institute of Technology stated that the university encourages international students to
study hard and publish high level academic papers; it has no mandatory requirements
for masters to publish academic papers.