PROD235-26S1 (C) Semester One 2026

Formulation Chemistry

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 16 February 2026
End Date: Sunday, 21 June 2026
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 1 March 2026
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 10 May 2026

Description

Chemistry related to product formulation, including common organic chemical structures and reactivity; separation, purification and characterisation of chemical compounds; the function and structure of surfactants and micelles; the chemical basis of dyes, colourants and fragrances; and an introduction to intellectual property considerations for new chemical compounds and formulations.

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of the course you will be able to:

  • Have a working understanding of the fundamental organic chemistry including the three-dimensional structure of molecules and general reactions of various functional groups.
  • Develop understanding of the theory and basic application aspects of a variety of characterisation methods (chromatography, mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance and other selected spectroscopic techniques).

  • Understand how chemical compounds can be separated and purified through common methods such as extraction, distillation, crystallisation, etc.

  • Understand material balances relevant to reaction chemistry and formulation. Be able to calculate missing masses and concentrations when producing batches, adding actives, or diluting stock solutions.

  • Be able to calculate amounts and concentrations of reagents needed when adjusting pH of weak acids.

  • Understand the concepts of energy balances in formulation, including being able to calculate energies needed/released during mixing, chemical reactions, dissolution of chemicals, and cooling/heating. Understand basic cooling fundamentals.

  • Be able to describe the origin of colour in molecules, how products are colourised and how colours are made fast.

  • Understand the physiological basis of smell, the chemical basis of odour and how chemical compounds can be blended to create fragrances.

Prerequisites

Recommended Preparation

Timetable 2026

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 09:00 - 10:00 Psychology - Sociology 210
16 Feb - 29 Mar
20 Apr - 31 May
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 10:00 - 11:00 Psychology - Sociology 210
16 Feb - 29 Mar
20 Apr - 31 May
Lecture C
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 12:00 - 13:00 Psychology - Sociology 210
16 Feb - 29 Mar
20 Apr - 31 May
Lecture D
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 16:00 - 17:00 Psychology - Sociology 210
16 Feb - 29 Mar
20 Apr - 31 May
Lab A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Thursday 09:00 - 12:00 West 230 Formulation Lab
11 May - 24 May

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Anastassiya Lazareva

Lecturers

Preeti Kundu and Conan Fee

Assessment

Test 1: 25%; covers Block 1 of the course.
Test 2: 20%; covers Block 2 of the course.
Assignment 1: 10%; covers material on Block 3 (Weeks 7-8) of the course.
Tutorials and Quizzes: 5%; on material from Block 3 and Block 4 (Weeks 7-11) of the course.
Final exam: 40%; covers Block 3 and Block 4 of the course.

Notes

This course is restricted against CHEM242/BCHM206

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,099.00

International fee $5,388.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Product Design on the departments and faculties page .

All PROD235 Occurrences

  • PROD235-26S1 (C) Semester One 2026