Program Overview

Course Overview

The Chemistry of Life: Organic, Biomolecular and Medicinal Chemistry course, denoted as CHEM 208, is designed to explore the structure and reactivity of organic and biomolecular compounds pertinent to metabolic processes and medicines. Students will learn about molecular structure, reaction mechanisms, and spectroscopy, and the application of these concepts to the chemistry of alkene, carbonyl, alkyl, and aromatic compounds.

Course Details

• Dates: 23 February 2026 to 21 June 2026
• Starts: Trimester 1
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,460.20 for domestic students
  • NZ$6,744.00 for international students
• Lecture Start Times:
  • Monday 1.10pm
  • Tuesday 1.10pm
  • Wednesday 1.10pm
  • Friday 2.10pm
• Campus: Kelburn
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 200 hours or 11.8 hours per week for 17 weeks
• Points: 20 points

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: CHEM 121 (or 114)
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: Students who have already passed CHEM 201 cannot take this course

Course Structure

The course will be taught in four blocks on topics from organic, biomolecular, and medicinal chemistry, with generally four lectures and one tutorial per week. Recorded lectures and additional teaching materials will be provided online.

Course Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a good understanding of the fundamentals of organic chemistry.
2. Predict and explain how conformation and chirality influence the reactivity of molecules.
3. Determine molecular structures using spectroscopy and spectrometry.
4. Predict and describe reaction mechanisms.
5. Understand the fundamentals of carbonyl chemistry.

How This Course is Taught

This course is designed for in-person study, and students are strongly recommended to attend lectures and tutorials on campus. Some assessment items will require in-person attendance.

Assessment

• Final Exam: In-person attendance required, 45%
• Assignment 1: Individual, 5%
• In-course Test: In-person attendance required, 15%
• Assignment 2: Individual, 25%
• Assignment 3: Individual, 5%
• Assignment 4: Individual, 5%

Mandatory Requirements

To pass this course, students must achieve an overall pass mark of at least 50% and a minimum of 40% average across the in-person test and exam.

Lecture Times and Rooms

Lecture times are from 23 February 2026 to 21 June 2026, with specific times allocated for each day of the week.

What You'll Need to Get

Lecturers provide notes, practice questions, and additional material through the university's online learning environment. It is recommended to bring relevant printed (or electronic) notes and paper to each lecture.

Taught By

The course is taught by the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences — Faculty of Science and Engineering.