[NUS Module Review] CM1111: Inorganic Chemistry

CM1111: Inorganic Chemistry

(INTRODUCTION)

Well if you're here, it should be pretty clear that you should have a basic understanding of what inorganic chemistry is all about. Inorganic chemistry focuses more on the atoms, nature of electrons, bondings, compound's physical and chemical properties etc. More memory than understanding needed but inorganic has always been a huge interest of mine so understanding it seems easier to me.

(MY EXPECTATIONS)

Okay, let's be honest here. I was totally caught off-guard with the first topic; which is about energy and quantum physics... I mean I was really wondering why am I learning physics in an inorganic chemistry module. Quantum physics didn't really come to my mind whenever I thought of inorganic chemistry. It took me many lessons to finally grasp the fundamentals of this topic and everything else became easier after that. The topics included:

• Atomic Structure (Pauli's Rules, Quantum Physics and Energy, Orbitals)
• Bonding (Lewis Structures, VSEPR, Resonance Effects, Hybridisation, Molecular Orbital Theory)
• Acids and Bases
• Redox
• Group 1, 2, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

If you did take chemistry seriously in your poly, JC, or even secondary school, these topics should be no stranger to you. So I actually felt confident studying for this and safe to say, one of my easiest modules for the semester.

(SCHEDULE)

Lectures are conducted twice within a week, 2 hours each. Since it was conducted at 8am during my semester, many chose to watch the web lecture instead of coming to lectures. Again, I do not recommend that. Tutorials are conducted once a week for only 1 hour. Tutorial attendance isn't compulsory, many do not attend it. I felt that tutorials were helpful, especially since I was taught by Mr Foo Maw Lin. He's very detailed in his explanations so if you have him as your tutor for tutorials, I highly recommend that you attend.

 (PASSING THE ASSESSMENT)

Assessment percentages are pretty straightforward; 40% mid-terms and 60% finals. Yes, that's it. There are MCQs and open-ended questions but I do find that the open-ended questions are much easier to score. MCQ questions carry a huge chunk of marks per questions (Eg. 3 marks per question). Be very careful because you do not want to lose unnecessary marks. Very few application questions and answers are very VERY straightforward. So if you're reading this, this module should be in the bag for you. 

(EXPERIENCE AND FINAL GRADING)

Overall, I feel that the module is easy to study for. Other than the quantum physics portion which many people who have a poor physics background, like me, will struggle, the rest of the topics should be a breeze or good-to-know knowledge for you. It took me over a month to fully understand quantum physics (and even then I still don't)...

Mid-terms was relatively easy. I got a 24/30... I think. And the 75th percentile was around 23-24, the median was around 20 and highest was 29. So from this, I bet you can tell how easy this module is. And the marks I lost in this paper were...*drumroll*...due to quantum physics. Yep... 

Finals were easy as well. Again, very straightforward and many left the hall early. One guy even walked out of the hall smirking with his chest out... Questions were more towards redox and acids/bases. Very doable but certain parts of the paper were tricky so beware. 

Got an A in the end. But the bell curve was probably so high that even a minor slip-up would have cost me my marks. 

(CONCLUSION AND TIPS)

I guess for this module, reading the notes is truly key. They didn't test much stuff outside the box so there's less to worry about. Do your tutorials and everything will be a breeze. *Hint Hint*. 

Stay calm and always remember:

"Anyone who says that they understand quantum mechanics does not understand quantum mechanics" ~ Richard Feynman

Ratings out of 5⭐:

• Rigor - ⭐⭐
• Degree of doability - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Bell Curve (to favour you) - ⭐⭐