Result- 66 H3. Decent overall. CHEM20018 is a significant step up from first year chemistry subjects. All lectures were great, the main highlight being Professor Spencer Williams walking through advanced carbonyl chemistry & the various reactions (Aldol & Clasien condensation, alpha substitution via LDA & halogenation, keto enol tautomerism, acetoacetate & malonate ester synthesis & Michael addition) & the final three weeks with biological medicinal chemistry (carbohydrates, lipids polyketides & heterocyclic compound synthesis. The final three lectures was probably the most difficult given one had to recognize the construction of a heterocyclic compound product involves multiple precursor reactions previously taught). Professor Paul Donnelly & coordination chemistry was another highlight (macrocyclic templating effects & cisplatin were interesting). Although I found physical & inorganic chemistry not as relevant for my intended major & degree (I am in BBMED, so a little extra pre reading had to be done but can still do okay in this subject particularly the organic & biological medicinal chemistry sections), both Trevor Smith & Brendan Abrahams did a very good job at teaching sections. Brendan, to his credit, clarified some of the harder concepts in inorganic chemistry, given this particular section caused nightmares for students who previously took this subjects ago. Plenty of past examination papers are available. Just a warning that examination solutions do not get released. This is a School of Chemistry policy. Nevertheless, solutions to tutorial problems are provided, so, if you're stuck after attempting something, one can refer to those for a hint. Taking this subject alongside another second year chemistry subject (CHEM20026) & my double credit point subject (BIOM20001) was exhausting. I cannot fib this one. Thankfully I did some preparatory work on the organic & biological medicinal chemistry sections & some physical chemistry prior semester one. Overall, highly recommend if you enjoyed chemistry in first year or seeking to complement a major either in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Immunology, Medicinal Chemistry or Pharmacology

I enjoyed this subject more than I thought I would. It's a major step up from level 1 Chem in terms of content and the delivery. It's divided into 5 main modules with an option at the last one between materials chem or biological chem which I think its great, and really allows you to specialise and learn about what you find more interesting. It's also a big module expanding 3 weeks, so that's a plus. The assessment is very exam heavy, but that doesn't bother me cause it means less assessment to worry about during the sem. While I think the option at the end is great, the remaining 4 modules are quite different from each other and a there's a big bulk of physical chemistry in the middle that at times felt like I was straight up doing more physics than chem. Def would not recommend if you haven't done at least some high school physics and calc. It would be doable, but the lecturers have certain expectations of what the students should know from before. At times it also seemed like there was a lack of flow between the different modules, sort of like they were part of different subjects, not just topics. But this is not a huge issue, more just a comment: don't expect the content to be super tied-together. You will be expected to learn completely different areas of chemistry, taught in different manners, so you will need to reset your brain for each module. It would be extremely hard to learn everything during swot vac.

Pretty standard set up with three blocks each lasting four weeks: organic, inorganic, physical. I found the organic section to be pretty boring and haven't really applied that knowledge since, but some of my peers certainly have. The inorganic and physical sections were quite useful to me in later subjects. Back when I did the subject, we got to choose between two modules at the end of the semester. (P.S. I took this subject in semester 1, 2013, but that doesn't appear in the drop-down menu, so I'll select semester 1, 2017, which is the oldest option available.)

great subject, great content, great delivery. Materials chem was a bit challenging but the lecturer gives a brief on what's most "important" and that pretty much sums it up. The exam is quite literally the exact same over the years, so wouldn't fret on that part.

Material-wise, very interesting and engaging even though there is a lot to understand especially the Organic portion. However, the subject lacks coordination. Tip: if you're good in Biology, take the biochem option in the last three weeks. Materials Chem lecturers had me pulling my hair out. Exams are doable if you practice a lot.

This subject is very fun to learn as it answers most of the questions I had in first year and the lecturers give excellent lecture notes too. It is also possible to get good grades for the final exam with practice and hard work. The only downside to this subject is that it is very content heavy, however, with time, concepts tend to stick and you will start to appreciate what this subject has to offer.

The material is interesting and the lecturers were good for the most part but having 80% of the grade allocated to the exam is ridiculous. There are also very few questions on the tests during the semester so any little mistake can cost you a significant percent of your mark. All in all it seems like the assessment structure was mostly designed so that the lecturers can spend as little time marking as possible. As a non chem major it is frustrating that there is no practical component and I would have to have taken a further two subjects to get access the practicals.

Very interesting subject to broaden your knowledge of chemistry.

The subject suffered a bit as a result of the highly fragmented course content - large volumes of information to commit to memory which lacked an overall theme to help tie it together. Despite this was mostly interesting and enjoyable.

Great subject for those interested in furthering their studies in chemistry, or enjoy problem solving in a chemical context. Following completion you will gain a deeper insight into the chemistry behind major industries.