The 'Chemical Product Design' course teaches students quantitative concepts to analyze, select and transform theoretical concepts from chemistry and engineering into valuable real-world products. This course starts with analyzing existing chemical needs and unmet technical challenges. We then develop the skills to critically analyze a specific chemical idea for a product, to rapidly test feasibility or chance for success and to eventually realize its manufacturing. The chemical engineering basics are then used to assess performance of products or devices with non-traditional functions based on dynamic properties (e.g. responsive building materials; personal medical diagnostics on paper strips). The course teaches the interface between laboratory and market with a specific focus on evaluating the chemical value of a given process or compound, and the necessary steps to pursue the resulting project within an entrepreneurial environment. We therefore extend the questions of process design ('how do we make something?') to the question of 'what should we make?

To pass the exam the student should:

- know the main principles of chemical product design

- apply these principles (needs evaluation, selection of ideas using kinetics and thermodynamics and manufacture) to a particular case study

- comment critically results obtained

Part A: The 'Chemical Product Design' course starts with discussing questions along, 'What is a chemical product, and why do people pay for it? How does a given compound in a specific setting provide a service?' We then learn how to translate new, often ill-defined wishes or ideas into quantifiable specifications.

Knowledge of thermodynamics, kinetics and transport phenomena.

Oral examination with the discussion of a report on a particular case study

In this discussion the attention will be focused on the application of chemical product design principles and the critical comment of results obtained.