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Unit Synopsis
In this unit, you will learn practical chemistry applications including sample acquisition, chain-of-custody, storage, analysis and reporting. You will become familiar with laboratory compliance procedures, identify risks and appropriate risk-minimisation approaches. The theoretical concepts will include naming of compounds, electrochemistry and its applications, pH, acidity and buffering capacity of solutions, reaction rates and kinetics, organic reaction mechanisms, and basic atomic and molecular spectroscopy. This unit will set a strong foundation for studies in analytical and materials sciences, physical and interface chemistry. You will also be able to examine the energies associated with electrochemical reactions that underpin important processes such as electricity generation, renewable energies, corrosion and electroplating. Accompanying the theory, you will enhance your practical skills by learning the operation and maintenance of common instrumentation in the laboratory, and perform advanced titrations, measure soil acidity, and synthesise, and determine yield and purity of, organic products. On-campus students will attend regular laboratory sessions and there is a compulsory residential school for distance students.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 1 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Prerequisite: CHEM11043 Atoms, Molecules and Matter Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School |
Compulsory Residential School View Unit Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2019
Term 2 - 2019 Profile
Term 2 - 2020 Profile
Term 2 - 2021 Profile
Term 2 - 2022 Profile
Term 2 - 2023 Profile
Term 2 - 2024 Profile
Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Term 2 - 2026 Profile
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Written Assessment | 20% |
| 2. Practical Assessment | 30% |
| 3. Examination | 50% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
No previous feedback available
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: SUTE
Students suggested that more staff be available during the residential school to effectively address their specific questions, given the limited time available.
It is recommended that the Unit Coordinator discuss the students' suggestions with the Head of Course to seek further clarification and advice regarding the required number of students per teaching staff during the residential school, to ensure we provide sufficient support to students.
The Unit Coordinator received support from the Head of Course, and adequate staff, including a laboratory demonstrator and assistant, were provided this term (Term 2, 2025) at the residential school to support student needs.
Source: SUTE
Students suggested that the recorded lectures need to be refreshed and updated.
It is suggested that the Unit Coordinator discuss students' suggestions with the Head of Course to seek further advice and assistance in organising a suitable time or schedule to refresh the recorded lectures and to address the rearrangement of teaching content over the 12 weeks.
The Unit Coordinator, supported by the Head of Course, was advised to update lecture content and re-record lectures where possible for Term 2, 2026.
Source: SUTE
Students noted that some lectures were outdated, and the pre-recorded videos had poor sound and occasional glitches, making the content hard to follow.
To enhance learning, the Unit Coordinator should update lecture content to reflect current knowledge and, where possible, re-record or edit videos to improve comprehension and engagement.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Students praised the residential school for helping them apply their knowledge practically and supporting their personal growth.
Positive student feedback highlights the value of hands-on activities in the laboratory manual, which the Unit Coordinator and team should continue to use and update where possible to enhance engagement and practical application of theoretical knowledge.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Apply concepts of chemical bonding and reaction energies to chemical synthesis and processes
- Use critical reasoning to apply chemical theories to reactions
- Demonstrate an understanding of buffer chemistry with regard to preparation, buffer capacity and pH
- Synthesise organic compounds and examine these for purity
- Interpret a range of spectra, including infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectroscopy, to identify compounds
- Demonstrate competency in laboratory compliance procedures, experimental techniques, data generation, analysis and report writing.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | |||
| 2 - Practical Assessment | • | • | • | |||
| 3 - Examination | • | • | • | • | ||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | • | ||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | |||
| 5 - Team Work | • | • | • | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | |||||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | ||||||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment | • | • | • | • | |||||||
| 3 - Examination | • | • | • | ||||||||