Chemistry
Thermochemistry, organic, aqueous equilibria, redox & spectroscopy: the priority build.
Achievement standards
Reference sheet Print flashcardsExternal · 15 credits
AS 91390 Thermochemical principles Enthalpy, entropy & Gibbs free energy; Hess’s law; bond enthalpies; spontaneity. External 5 credits AS 91391 Organic compounds priority Functional groups, IUPAC naming, reaction pathways, isomerism & mechanisms. External 5 credits AS 91392 Equilibrium principles in aqueous systems Ka/Kb, pH, buffers, solubility (Ks) and titration curves. External 5 creditsInternal · 10 credits
AS 91388 Spectroscopic data priority Mass spec, IR and ¹³C NMR, deducing structures from combined data. Internal 3 credits AS 91387 Investigation involving quantitative analysis Titrations, gravimetric & colorimetric analysis; uncertainty & method. Internal 4 credits AS 91393 Oxidation-reduction processes Half-equations, E° cells, electrolysis and redox titrations. Internal 3 creditsWhere this leads in business & finance
Chemistry is the backbone of some of the largest industries on the planet, pharmaceuticals, energy, materials, agritech, and the people who understand the science and can read a balance sheet are the ones running them. Equity analysts covering biotech or mining need to judge whether a compound or a process actually works before valuing the company. Fonterra, Zespri and the whole NZ primary-export sector are chemistry businesses. A chemistry background plus commercial skill is a genuinely rare combination: it's the profile of technical consultants, patent attorneys, R&D managers and venture investors in deep tech.
Watch: Chemistry in the real world Opens a YouTube search: a good one to watch when motivation dips