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CHEM12079 - Structure and Reactivity: Physical and Inorganic Chemistry

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit integrates key concepts from physical and inorganic chemistry to build your understanding of structure, bonding and reactivity in chemical systems. You will study the foundations of thermodynamics, kinetics and electrochemistry, and apply these principles to systems ranging from simple molecules to complex mixtures and materials. Topics include atomic structure and periodicity, bonding theories, molecular shape, solid-state structures, coordination chemistry, and the chemistry of transition metals. You will also examine state functions, enthalpy, phase behaviour, solutions, and interfacial processes that drive solute transport and reaction mechanisms. Electrochemical processes, from fuel cells to batteries, are explored alongside the roles of metal complexes in catalysis and other applications. Laboratory investigations support your theoretical learning and develop your ability to analyse, interpret and report experimental data. By linking physical and inorganic perspectives, this unit prepares you to evaluate chemical problems in environmental, industrial and biological contexts. It provides the foundation for advanced topics such as spectroscopy, nanotechnology and materials development.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisites:
CHEM11043 Atoms, Molecules and Matter
and
CHEM11044 Chemical Reactions

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).

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Residential School Compulsory Residential School
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Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026

Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Mixed Mode

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).

Assessment Overview

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 30%
2. Practical Assessment 40%
3. Take Home Exam 30%

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%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 42.86% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 58.33% response rate.

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: Head of Course reflections.
Feedback
The content and assessment in this unit requires a refresh.
Recommendation
Content and assessment review and refresh should begin in the next offering.
Action Taken
Due to time constraints a full refresh of the unit content was unable to be conducted and is continuing. The weekly Moodle content was reviewed and updated where applicable.
Source: Unit feedback
Feedback
Students recommended improving the video resources for the unit.
Recommendation
Content and assessment review and refresh should continue in the next offering.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Unit feedback
Feedback
Some students noted difficulty connecting the unit content to their course of study and found the assessment questions ambiguous.
Recommendation
Content and assessment review and refresh should begin in the next offering.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Staff reflection
Feedback
The high proportion of high grades in this unit suggest that assessment and assessment rubrics should be reviewed.
Recommendation
Review and update as required assessment and assessment rubrics.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Apply thermodynamics, kinetics, and electrochemistry to chemical systems
  2. Analyse phase behaviour, bonding, and solutions using state functions and enthalpy
  3. Evaluate inorganic and coordination chemistry concepts for real-world applications
  4. Integrate theory with practice through laboratory investigations and reporting.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Written Assessment • • •
2 - Practical Assessment • • •
3 - Take Home Exam • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • •
5 - Team Work • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • • •
8 - Ethical practice • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10