Abstract:

The essential guidelines for a postgraduate course on electrochemistry corresponding to master studies in the University of Valencia (Spain) to be imparted to students with minimal knowledge of this matter are presented. The course is based on laboratory experiments that, starting from an initial experimental core, promotes the in-laboratory discussion of concepts, operations, functional relations, etc. The course, although focused on voltammetric techniques, covers the main conceptual and operational aspects of electrochemistry and particular attention is paid to misconceptions and metaconceptions around this discipline.

In both Physics and chemistry sciences, electrochemistry has played a capital role in the development of its main theories. And currently, electrochemistry is directly involved in important application fields, namely, electroanalysis, electrosynthesis, corrosion studies, energy generation and storage, but also in the growth of new multidisciplinary research areas such as metal nanoparticles and quantum dots (Chen et al. 1998). Although this importance, electrochemistry is not presented, in general, as an individual matter in the curriculum of chemitry studies but in analytical programs.

In the context of the new Bologna's re-organization of university studies in Europe, the University of Valencia developed since 2010 a ‘master on instrumental techniques’, ascribed to the departments of analytical chemistry and inorganic chemistry, to be imparted to graduates in physics, chemistry, biology, chemical engineering, and environmental sciences, where there was a monographic course on ‘electrochemical techniques’ with a scheduled time equivalent to 24 hours with mixed theoretical-experimental nature.

The ‘open’ nature of this master implies that a part of the assistants have received a naïve formation in electrochemistry so there is the dire need to schedule an electrochemistry course for ‘non-electrochemists’.

The current report describes the aims, structure and epistemological and educational basis of a formative project devoted to impart an electrochemistry course in the frame of the aforementioned master.

Keywords:

Electrochemistry, chemistry, postgraduate.