Graduate Calendar 2008-2009

Ottawa-Carleton Chemistry Institute

203 Steacie Building
Telephone: 613-520-2600 ext. 3523
Fax: 613-520-3749

The Institute

Director of the Institute: P.R. Sundararajan
Associate Director of the Institute: D. Richeson

The Ottawa-Carleton Chemistry Institute, established in 1981, is a joint program of graduate studies and research in chemistry for Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. The Institute combines the research strengths and resources of the Departments of Chemistry at both campuses. Research facilities are shared and include: a major mass spectrometry centre, X-ray spectrometer, several modern NMR spectrometers, a pico-second laser facility, an ultratrace analysis laboratory, and an electrochemical research centre. In addition, the resources of many federal departments are available to graduate students, including the National Research Council and its library, the National Science Library (CISTI), and departments of Health and Welfare and Agriculture.

The Institute offers the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in all areas of chemistry, including biochemistry, analytical, inorganic, organic, physical and theoretical chemistry. All thesis, seminar and examination requirements may be met in either English or French. Students will be enrolled at the campus where the research supervisor is located. Several graduate students also conduct their research off campus under the supervision of one of the Institute's adjunct professors.

Application forms and further information may be obtained by writing to the director of the Institute.

Ottawa-Carleton Collaborative Program in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology

The Departments of Chemistry and Biology at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa provide a collaborative program in chemical and environmental toxicology at the M.Sc. level. For further details, see the Ottawa-Carleton Collaborative Program in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology's section of this Calendar.

• Howard Alper, Organometallic and organic chemistry
• Louis Barriault, Organic chemistry, synthesis of natural products and methodology
• S. Barry, Inorganic Materials Chemistry
• A.D.O. Bawagan, Chemical physics
• R. Ben, Synthetic organic and bioorganic chemistry, asymmetric synthesis
• D.M. Bishop, Theoretical chemistry
• G.W. Buchanan, Applications of NMR spectroscopy
• P.H. Buist, Bio-organic chemistry
• R.C. Burk, Environmental and analytical chemistry
• A.J. Carty, Organometallic and inorganic chemistry (Adjunct)
• C.L. Chakrabarti, Environmental chemistry, analytical chemistry
• R.J. Crutchley, Physical inorganic chemistry
• M. DeRosa, Inorganic, bioinorganic, nucleic acids chemistry
• Christian Detellier, Supramolecular chemistry
• Tony Durst, Synthetic and medicinal organic and natural products chemistry
• K. Fagnou, Synthetic organic chemistry, transition metal catalysis
• A.G. Fallis, Synthetic, medicinal, functional chemistry
• D.E. Fogg, Organometallic, polymer and materials chemistry
• Sandro Gambarotta, Inorganic and organometallic chemistry
• J. B. Giorgi, Fuel cells, catalysis, surface science
• N. Goto, NMR, protein structure, membrane proteins
• B.R. Hollebone, Chemical spectroscopy and chemical toxicology
• J.L. Holmes, Gas phase reactions and ion chemistry, mass spectroscopy
• A.I. Ianoul, Biophysical chemistry
• K.U. Ingold, Physical organic chemistry, free radicals (Adjunct)
• Harvey Kaplan, Protein chemistry and enzymology
• E.P.C. Lai, Analytical chemistry
• J. Manthorpe, Synthetic organic chemistry
• Paul M. Mayer, Gas phase ion chemistry, analytical mass spectroscopy
• D. Miller, Environmental chemistry
• W. Ogilvie, Synthetic and medicinal organic chemistry, combinatorial chemistry
• Arya Prabhat, Organic and bio-organic chemistry, synthetic and medicinal chemistry (Adjunct)
• D.S. Richeson, Inorganic chemistry
• J.A. Ripmeester, Supramolecular materials, NMR spectroscopy (Adjunct)
• A. Sayari, Inorganic materials, heterogeneous catalysis
• J.C. Scaiano, Physical organic chemistry, photochemistry and photobiology, supramolecular chemistry
• Alain St.-Amant, Theoretical and computational chemistry
• K.B. Storey, Enzyme biochemistry and molecular genetics
• P. (Sundar) Sundararajan, Morphology of polymers and smart materials
• Heshel Teitelbaum, Microscopic reaction kinetics
• Z.Y. Wang, Synthetic polymer chemistry and organic chemistry
• D. Wayner, Surface science, surface patterning, electrochemistry
• William G. Willmore, Biochemistry, biotechnology
• B. Wolkow, Atomic-level chemical physics of surfaces
• J.S. Wright, Theoretical chemistry

Master of Science

Admission Requirements

The requirement for admission to the program is an Honours B.Sc. degree in Chemistry, with a B+ average in the last two years and a B average overall. Applicants who do not meet this requirement, or whose undergraduate degree is in another, closely related field, may be accepted into the program, but may be assigned extra courses.

Program Requirements

1. A research thesis defended at an oral examination (3.0 credits)

2. One credit of graduate courses (made up of any combination of 0.5 credit and 0.25 credit courses)

3. CHEM 5801 (1.0 credit)

 Guidelines for Completion of Master's Degree

Full-time students in the master's program will normally complete the degree requirements in two years. Part-time students will normally complete the degree requirements in four years.

Doctor of Philosophy

Admission Requirements

The normal requirement for admission to the Ph.D. program is a B.Sc. or M.Sc. degree in Chemistry.

Program Requirements (from B.Sc.)

1. A research thesis defended before an examination board which includes an external examiner (11.0 credits)

2. A two-part comprehensive examination in chemistry. The first part consists of a research proposal examination. The proposal topic can be in the same research area as that of the student's thesis supervisor,but should be significantly different from the student's thesis research project and any research being conducted by any faculty member of the Ottawa-Carleton Chemistry Institute. The second part of the examination will consist of either a) a short presentation given by the student to an examining committee on a topic in his/ her research area, or b) a series of five two-hour examinations from a library of examinations. (No credit. Graded Pass or Fail.) Students admitted to the graduate program in Chemistry at Carleton University prior to May 1, 2003 may follow the Comprehensive Examination requirement published in the 2002-2003 Graduate Calendar. Students who fail to complete the comprehensive examination by the end of the third year in the graduate chemistry program will be withdrawn from the program.

3. Two credits of graduate courses (made up of any combination of 0.5 credit and 0.25 credit courses) 4. CHEM 5801 (1.0 credit) and CHEM 5802 (1.0 credit)

Program Requirements (from M.Sc.)

Same as above, except that under exceptional circumstances only one seminar course will be required and credit for up to 1.0 credit of graduate courses may be given to reduce the requirement for graduate course credit from two to one. Students must complete their comprehensive examination within two years or be withdrawn from the program.

Orientation Examinations

Students coming from outside Canada or the United States must write orientation examinations at approximately the third-year university level. Each student will be informed of this requirement upon admission. The examinations will be given in the first week of the term in September and January. Students can choose from any three examination modules in: organic, physical, inorganic/analytical and biochemistry.

In examination areas where the student shows unsatisfactory performance or deficiency, the Graduate Supervisor will assign undergraduate-level remedial courses. To be eligible to continue in the graduate program, the student must achieve a minimum grade of A- in each remedial course.

Qualifying Year

Applicants who do not qualify for direct admission to the Master's program may be admitted to a qualifying-year program (see 2.3 under General Regulations).

5.0 credits must be completed within two consecutive fall and winter terms, including a 1.0 credit Research Project and Seminar course (CHEM 4908), and 4.0 credits in 0.5- and 0.25-credit courses, as assigned by the Graduate Supervisor. An average grade of A- over these five credits, with a minimum grade of B in each course must be presented to be considered for admission to the M.Sc. program.

Residence Requirements

• At least one year of full-time study

For the Ph.D. degree (from B.Sc.)

• At least three years of full-time study

For the Ph.D. degree (from M.Sc.)

• At least two years of full-time study

Thesis Advisory Committee

Within four months of initial registration in the M.Sc. or Ph.D. program, a Thesis Advisory Committee (TAC) will be appointed for each student. Committee membership will be formally approved by the departmental chairs and OCCI directors at Carleton and the University of Ottawa. The committee will consist of a minimum of three members, including the thesis supervisor, and where practicable, at least one member will be from the other campus of OCCI. Committee membership may include adjunct faculty members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) at the University of Ottawa or the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at Carleton.

Once a year, the student will prepare a formal Thesis Progress Report. The report is not to exceed four pages and will outline the problem, methodology used, results achieved, and aims for future research. The TAC will evaluate the report and indicate whether the student has made satisfactory progress. No meeting with the student will be required if progress is deemed by the TAC to be satisfactory. A meeting to discuss the student's progress may be held at any time at the request of either the student or the committee.

Guidelines for Completion of Doctoral Degree

Full-time students in the doctoral program normally will complete the degree requirements in three years. Part-time students will normally complete the degree requirements in six years.

Full-time students who enter the doctoral program directly from the B.Sc. program normally will complete the degree requirements in four and one-half years. Part-time students normally will complete the degree requirements in nine years.

Graduate Courses

University of Ottawa course numbers (in parentheses) follow the Carleton course number and credit information.

The complete list of courses available through the Ottawa-Carleton Chemistry Institute is provided in the Institute’s section of this calendar.  The following courses are offered by the Department of Chemistry.

Not all of the following courses are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings or to determine the term of offering, consult central.carleton.ca . Students may also wish to consult the Institute's Web site at: carleton.ca/occi.

CHEM 5002 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8301)

Multinuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Principles of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). NMR parameters to be studied are: chemical shift, spin-spin coupling, electric quadrupole coupling, spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation rates. NMR and the periodic table. Dynamic NMR. Applications in chemistry and biochemistry. The Fourier Transform technique. Pulse sequences. Basic principles and applications of two-dimensional NMR.

CHEM 5003 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8325)

Solid State NMR Spectroscopy

Brief introduction to solid state NMR spectroscopy. Topics include dipolar coupling interactions, chemical shielding anisotropy, the quadrupolar interaction and averaging techniques such as magic angle spinning.

CHEM 5102 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8346)

Supercritical Fluids

Fundamental and practical aspects of the uses of supercritical fluids in the chemistry laboratory. Thermodynamic treatment of high pressure multicomponent phase equilibria, transport properties, solubilities, supercritical fluid extraction and chromatography for analytical purposes, reactions in supercritical fluids, equipment considerations, new developments.

CHEM 5108 [0.5 credit] (CHM 8302)

Surface Chemistry and Nanostructures

Surface structure, thermodynamics and kinetics, specifically regarding adsorption/desorption and high vacuum models. Nanoscale structures and their formation, reactivity and characterization. Thin films, carbon nanotubes, self-assembled monolayers and supramolecular aggregates.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements, as CHEM 4103, for which additional credit is precluded.

CHEM 5206 [0.5 credit]

Physical Methods of Nanotechnology

An overview of methods used in nanotechnology.  Principles of scanning probe techniques ranging from surface physics to biology.  State of the art methods to create nanostructures for future applications in areas such as nanolithography, nanoelectronics, nano-optics, data storage and bio-analytical nanosystems.

CHEM 5304 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8349)

Free Radicals in Chemistry and Biology

Oxidative stress induced by free radicals plays a significant role in fatal and chronic diseases. The chemistry of bio-radicals will be described and related to pathobiological processes such as lipid peroxidation and atherosclerosis, protein nitration and cross linking, and DNA scission.

CHEM 5305 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8356)

Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry

Characterization of inorganic materials and coordination complexes by electronic absorption and electron paramagnetic spectroscopies, temperature and field dependent magnetic susceptibilities, and crystallography.

CHEM 5309 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8347)

Electron Transfer: Theory and Experiment

The development of classical, semi-classical and quantum mechanical electron transfer models is described. In addition, the course will examine recent experimental results and the application of electron transfer theory to biological systems.

CHEM 5406 [0.5 credit] (CHM 8164)

Organic Polymer Chemistry

Basic principles of industrial and synthetic polymers. Polymerization and polymer characterization. Topics to cover some important polymers with emphasis on synthesis, commodity plastics, engineering thermoplastics and specialty polymers. Also offered at the undergraduate level, as CHEM 4204, for which additional credit is precluded.

Prerequisites: CHEM 3201 and CHEM 3202 and/or CHEM 4203 or the equivalent. Students should have a basic knowledge of organic reaction mechanisms and stereochemistry.

CHEM 5407 [0.5 credit] (CHM 8134)

Spectroscopy for Organic Chemists

Analysis of proton NMR spectra. Fourier transform 13C NMR, strategies for structure elucidation, relaxation times, two-dimensional NMR. Aspects of mass spectrometry. Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements, as CHEM 4202, for which additional credit is precluded.

CHEM 5408 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8350)

Introduction to Polymer Structure and Morphology

Flexible and rigid rod polymers: effect of molecular constitution and conformation; examples of polymer architectures and function; the amorphous state and glass transition; the crystalline state: typical crystal structures of polymers; polymorphism; crystallinity and long spacing. Thermal and solvent-induced crystallization; Lamellar and Spherulitic morphology.

CHEM 5409 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8351)

Morphology of Polymers and Composites

Liquid crystalline state of polymers; morphology of block copolymers and polymer blends; plasticizers and fillers for tailoring properties; depression of glass transition and melting temperature; phase stability of polymer composites; mechanical properties; self assembled systems; polymer nano-composites for electronic devices; common experimental techniques.

CHEM 5500 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8348)

Analytical Instrumentation

Principles of modern electronics, devices and instruments. Measurement of photonic and electrochemical signals. Conditioning of signals for feedback control and microcomputer interfacing. Computational data analysis techniques such as simplex optimization. Applications in chemical analysis include amperometric detector for capillary electrophoresis, and surface plasmon resonance immunosensor.

CHEM 5501 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8352)

Analytical Approach to Chemical Problems

Case study of analytical approach to various chemical problems in agricultural, biochemical, environmental, food processing, industrial, pharmaceutical and material sciences. Analytical methods include capillary electrophoresis, chemiluminescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, biochemical sensors, and fibre optics for remote sensing.

CHEM 5503 [0.5 credit] (CHM 8354)

Chemical Speciation in the Natural Environment

Metal-organic interactions in the aquatic environment. Evaluation of analytical techniques and their capability for quantitative determination of chemical species (as opposed to total element-determination) in the natural environment. Electrochemical techniques for determination of chemical speciation of nutrient and toxicant elements present in the natural environment.

CHEM 5705 [0.5 credit] (CHM 9109)

Ecotoxicology

Concepts of ecotoxicology, emphasizing whole ecosystem response to hazardous contaminants. Impacts of chronic and acute exposure of ecosystems to toxicants, the methods of pesticide, herbicide and pollutant residue analysis and the concept of bound residues. (Also listed as BIOL 6403 [BIO 9104].)
Prerequisite: BIOL 6402 (BIO 9101)/CHEM  5708 (CHM 8156).

CHEM 5708 [0.5 credit] (CHM 8156)

Principles of Toxicology

Basic theorems of toxicology with examples of current research problems. Toxic risk is defined as the product of intensive hazard and research problems. Each factor is assessed in scientific and social contexts and illustrated with many types of experimental material. (Also listed as BIOL  6402 [BIO 9101].)

CHEM 5709 [0.5 credit] (CHM 8157)

Chemical Toxicology

Introduction to modeling chemical hazards and exposures at the cellular level. The properties of toxic substances are compared to the responses of enzymatic systems. These interactions are defined as Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships and used to interpret hazardous materials under regulations such as WHMIS. (Also listed as BIOL 5709 [BIO 8113].)
Prerequisite: BIOL 6402/CHEM 5708 (BIO  9101/CHM 8156).

CHEM 5801 [1.0 credit] (CHM 8256 )

Seminar I

A seminar course in which students are required to present a seminar on a topic not related to their research program. In addition, students are required to attend the seminars of their fellow classmates and actively participate in the discussion following the seminar.

CHEM 5802 [1.0 credit] (CHM 8257S)

Seminar II

A seminar course in which students are required to present a seminar on their Ph.D. research topic in their research program. In addition, students are required to attend the seminars of their fellow classmates and actively participate in the discussion following the seminar.

CHEM 5805 [1.0 credit] (CHM 8167)

Seminar in Toxicology

This course introduces the seminar format and involves student, faculty and invited seminar speakers. The student will present a seminar and submit a report on a current topic in toxicology. (Also listed as BIOL 6405.)

CHEM 5900 [0.5 credit] (CHM 8158)

Directed Special Studies

Under unusual circumstances and with the recommendation of the research supervisor, it is possible to engage in directed study on a topic of particular value to the student. This may also be used for credit if there are insufficient course offerings in a particular field.

CHEM 5901 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8304)

Advanced Topics in Organic Chemistry

Topics of current interest in organic chemistry. The content of this course may vary from year to year.

CHEM 5902 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8302)

Advanced Topics in Inorganic Chemistry

Topics of current interest inorganic chemistry. The content of this course may vary from year to year.

CHEM 5903 [0.25 credit] (CHM 8309)

Advanced Topics in Physical/Theoretical Chemistry

Topics of current interest in physical/theoretical chemistry. The content of this course may vary from year to year.

CHEM 5904 [0.5 credit] (CHM 8104)

Scientific Data Processing and Evaluation

Optimization of scientific measurements, calibration, uni-variate and multi-variate analysis of scientific data, “intelligent” spreadsheets for scientific data processing and presentation, noise reduction using spreadsheets, correction for signal drifts; examples from chemistry, spectroscopy and other scientific disciplines.
Prerequisites: CHEM 4301, or permission from the Department. Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements, as CHEM  4303 for which additional credit is precluded.

CHEM 5905 [0.5 credit] (CHM 5105)

Radiochemistry

A study of nuclear stability and decay; chemical studies of nuclear phenomena. Applications of radioactivity.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements, as CHEM 4502 for which additional credit is precluded.
Prerequisite: permission of the Department.

CHEM 5909 (CHM 7999)

M.Sc. Thesis

CHEM 6909 (CHM 9999)

Ph.D. Thesis