Skip to main content
Unit of study_

CHEM1111: Chemistry 1A

2025 unit information

Chemistry describes how and why things happen from a molecular perspective. Chemistry underpins all aspects of the natural and physical world, and provides the basis for new technologies and advances in the life, medical and physical sciences, engineering, and industrial processes. This unit of study will further develop your knowledge and skills in chemistry for application to life and medical sciences, engineering, and further study in chemistry. You will learn about nuclear and radiation chemistry, wave theory, atomic orbitals, spectroscopy, bonding, enthalpy and entropy, equilibrium, processes occurring in solutions, and the functional groups in carbon chemistry. You will develop experimental design, conduct and analysis skills in chemistry through experiments that ask and answer questions like how do dyes work, how do we desalinate water, how do we measure the acid content in foods, how do we get the blue in a blueprint, and how do we extract natural products from plants? Through inquiry, observation and measurement, you will understand the 'why' and the 'how' of the natural and physical world and will be able to apply this understanding to real-world problems and solutions. This unit of study is directed toward students with a satisfactory prior knowledge of the HSC chemistry course.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Science

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit Chemistry Academic Operations
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
None
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
CHEM1001 or CHEM1101 or CHEM1901 or CHEM1903 or CHEM1109 or CHEM1011 or CHEM1911 or CHEM1991
Assumed knowledge:
? 
Students who have not completed HSC Chemistry (or equivalent) and HSC Mathematics (or equivalent) are strongly advised to take the Chemistry and Mathematics Bridging Courses (offered in February)

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. understand of the concepts and language of general and physical chemistry
  • LO2. understand atomic theory, structure and bonding, energetics, equilibrium and the processes occurring in solution
  • LO3. perform safe laboratory manipulations and to handle glassware
  • LO4. find and analyse information and judge its reliability and significance
  • LO5. communicate scientific information appropriately both orally and through written work
  • LO6. engage in team and group work for scientific investigations and for the process of learning
  • LO7. demonstrate a sense of responsibility and independence as a learner and as a scientist
  • LO8. demonstrate basic skills in computing, numeracy and data handling.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Intensive January 2024
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Intensive January 2025
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Semester 2 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Intensive January 2020
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Remote
Intensive February 2021
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2021
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Remote
Intensive January 2022
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2022
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Remote
Intensive January 2023
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 2 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Find your current year census dates

Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.

Important enrolment information

Additional advice

Students who have not completed secondary school chemistry are strongly advised to instead complete Fundamentals of Chemistry 1A. You should also take the Chemistry Bridging Course in advance (offered in February, and online year-round https://sydney.edu.au/students/bridging-courses.html).