3 credits
Fall 2025 Distance Learning Lecture Upper Division
This course presents information on the chemical and physical structure and basic material properties of organic materials, including synthetic plastics and specialty polymers and surfactants as well as select natural materials (e.g., proteins, carbohydrates, lipids). Fundamental concepts from organic chemistry will be presented along with descriptions of how the chemical and physical structures of organic molecules directly impact the properties of bulk materials over multiple length scales, from the molecular-level to the macroscale. This course will prepare students to be successful in higher-level polymer and soft material elective courses in materials engineering.
Learning Outcomes1Describe atomic-scale bonding and identify common hydrocarbon units in organic molecules and describe common organic reactions involving those units.
2Select the appropriate characterization techniques for chemical structures, physical structures, and bulk material properties and interpret basic data from selected techniques.
3Explain how macromolecules are synthesized and outline the most common synthesis reactions.
4Distinguish between chemical and physical structures or organic materials and classify different structures into appropriate material length scales.
5Explain important structure-property relationships over multiple length scales.
made by Purdue students.