Overview

Introduce students to: Important areas of chemistry which have significant, current industrial and environmental application; Developing areas in chemistry with substantial, new research and development (value-adding) potential.

Requisites

Prerequisites
CHE30009 Surface and Colloid Chemistry

Rules
Any two of the following:

CHE20006 Analytical and Forensic Chemistry
OR
CHE20008 Investigative Organic Chemistry
OR
CHE20009 Spectroscopy and Instrumentation
OR
CHE30010 Inorganic Chemistry

Teaching Periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
26-February-2024
26-May-2024
Last self-enrolment date
10-March-2024
Census date
31-March-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
12-April-2024
Results released date
02-July-2024

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Describe the fundamental aspects of colloid and surface chemistry
  • Demonstrate how colloid and surface chemistry is applied in industry and the environment
  • Describe the origin of intermolecular and surface forces
  • Describe the properties of multi-phase systems
  • Describe the concept of interfacial energy
  • Describe surfactant structure and aggregation
  • Use relevant lab based techniques for characterisation of colloids and surface phenomena

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Class
2.00 12 weeks 24
On-campus
Lab
4.00 6 weeks 24
Online
Learning activities
3.00 12 weeks 36
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning
5.50 12 weeks 66
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
ExaminationIndividual 25 - 35% 1,2,3,6 
Mid-Semester TestIndividual 25 - 35% 1,2,4,5 
Practical ExaminationIndividual/Group 20 - 40% 

Hurdle

As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, an undergraduate student must have achieved:

(i) an aggregate mark of 50% or more, and(ii) at least 40% in the final exam, and(iii) completion of a specific fraction of non-reportable laboratory work based on the criteria for successful completion as explained in the lab handout(s).Students who do not successfully achieve hurdle requirements (ii) and (iii) will receive a maximum of 45% as the total mark for the unit.

Content

Colloid Chemistry:

  • Introduction to colloid science
  • Colloidal stability and DLVO theory
  • Self-assembly, surfactants and lipids
  • Emulsions and microemulsions

 

Surface Chemistry:

  • Basic principles of surface chemistry
  • Surface tension, Young's equation and wettability
  • Liquid surfaces, capillarity and vapour pressure of drops and bubbles
  • Adsorption at interfaces and contact angle measurement

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.