Explore study opportunities from STEM Faculty.
This laboratory school will enable you to get some hands-on experience in the Open University teaching laboratories at Walton Hall. The laboratory work will enable you to develop your practical skills through experiments involving inorganic, organic, analytical and physical chemistry.
Suitability
This laboratory school is suitable for students who are studying or have successfully completed S218 or the predecesor module S215.
This laboratory school is compulsory for R59, W90 and S34 students. It is optional for students on all other qualifications.
If you have any additional requirements (eg accessibility or dietary requirements), please can you highlight these at an early stage so that we can discuss the reasonable adjustments that may need to be made. These include but are not limited to; reserved parking, stools in the labs, height-adjustable benches, materials sent in advance, a virtual lab tour. The teaching labs are all on a single floor with no steps. Personal assistants can be accommodated but will impact on the capacity of the lab school. Lab coats and all other PPE will be provided.
Venue: The Open University Campus, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
Duration: 2.5 days (Monday lunchtime to Wednesday late afternoon)
Tuition Fee: No fee for R59, W90, S34 students. £330 for students on all other qualifications
Laboratory school dates:
Monday 15 – Wednesday 17 March 2027
Monday 22 – Wednesday 24 March 2027
Registration: Is not yet open; but for S(X)S021 registration can only be completed by telephone. Call +44 (0) 300 303 5303. Lines are open between 8am and 5:30pm Monday to Friday.
Travel and accommodation:
You will need to book and pay for your own accommodation, travel and food associated with the lab-school. The tuition fee for the course and these additional costs cannot be covered with a part time tuition fee loan. When booking accommodation please be aware of transportation requirements as the campus is several miles from the centre of Milton Keynes.
Experiments and techniques covered in the practical sessions
Acid-base titration
Techniques – weighing, pipetting, titration, measuring pH
Chemistry of halogens
Techniques – reflux, crystallisation, filtration, melting point determination, qualitative analysis
Extraction and identification of photosynthetic pigments
Techniques – solvent extraction, TLC analysis, UV-VIS analysis
Inorganic synthesis: copper glycinate complexes
Techniques – synthesis, IR spectroscopy, UV-VIS analysis
Amide synthesis and characterisation
Techniques - filtration, recrystallization, melting point determination, TLC analysis, IR spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy
There are no assignments for this practical school. However, in order to pass and for your attendance to be included in your academic transcript on StudentHome, you will need to meet the participation requirement of attending more than 80% of the school. Whilst at the school you will record data, analysis and interpretations in your lab manual and discuss/present your data/findings, and this will be reviewed and signed off by one of the tutors. You may then include this as evidence within your portfolio for employability purposes.
Venue: The Open University Campus, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA
Duration: 2.5 days
Tuition Fee: No fee for R59, W90, S34 students. £330 for students on all other qualifications
Laboratory school dates:
Monday 15 – Wednesday 17 March 2027
Monday 22 – Wednesday 24 March 2027
