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CHEM 120General Chemistry 1

Units
0.50
Faculty
Science
Subject
Chemistry

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

The stoichiometry of compounds and chemical reactions. Properties of gases. Periodicity and chemical bonding. Energy changes in chemical systems. Electronic structure of atoms and molecules; correlation with the chemical reactivity of common elements, inorganic and organic compounds.

Prerequisites

None listed.

Antirequisites

  • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
    • CHEM121 - Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter (0.50)

Leads to

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 0016961428 / 446MWF 08:30–09:20
LEC 0027327336 / 446MWF 09:30–10:20
LEC 0037328439 / 446MWF 11:30–12:20
LEC 0047329443 / 446MWF 12:30–13:20
WSP 1017330417 / 446Sep 15 17:30–18:50
Sep 29 17:30–18:50
Oct 20 17:30–18:50
Nov 3 17:30–18:50
Nov 17 17:30–18:50
Dec 1 17:30–18:50
WSP 1027331417 / 446Sep 22 17:30–18:50
Oct 6 17:30–18:50
Oct 27 17:30–18:50
Nov 10 17:30–18:50
Nov 24 17:30–18:50
Dec 8 17:30–18:50
WSP 1037332418 / 446Sep 10 17:30–18:50
Sep 24 17:30–18:50
Oct 8 17:30–18:50
Oct 29 17:30–18:50
Nov 12 17:30–18:50
Nov 26 17:30–18:50
WSP 1047333394 / 446Sep 17 17:30–18:50
Oct 1 17:30–18:50
Oct 22 17:30–18:50
Nov 5 17:30–18:50
Nov 19 17:30–18:50
Dec 3 17:30–18:50

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00167490 / 250MWF 11:30–12:20
LEC 701248546 / 9999Online or by arrangement
TUT 10177260 / 250F 08:30–09:20

Resources

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Reviewed on UW Flow

71% liked it67% easy80% useful

From 910 ratings and 192 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • CHEM 120 was an extension of grade 12 chemistry and delves a little deeper into thermochemistry, gases, and also theory behind bonding. The course consisted of a couple of assignments and participation quizzes and two midterms and an exam. There were four attempts at each assignment, and a score of 80 or above would be counted as 100, so it was easy to get 100 on all the assignments. The midterms were very straightforward as they outline the material that they will be testing you on. If you do the practice problems assigned, you will likely do very well on the midterms. The exam is mostly on the latter half of the course and not too difficult, but it is important to be able to do problems…

    Jan 2016 · liked it · 4 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Rick Marta.

    Apr 2017 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • this course was a joke. no need to go to class. just watch marta's videos because he designs everything in the course. a lot of pages in the course notes are not found on the midterm or exam and points it out. i mean the amount of memorization isn't even that bad. the final had bonus questions, so you should be good. if you're half decent at chem pulling a 90 isn't too hard.

    Feb 2016 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Boring review of high school chemistry with one or two new chapters. Two midterms, each marked out of twelve, so if you miss one question it's worth a lot. However, our prof gave us very clear indications of the questions that would be on the tests so nothing was a surprise, and it was fairly easy.

    Dec 2014 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Course was a repeat of high school chemistry. The only thing difficult about the course is that the two midterms and exam are multiple choice. In the multiple options there are answers for if you stop to early in a question or you forget to convert to the right units. I got an answer for every question on all the exams, but some of them were the trick ones! Be careful! There's a crunch for time with the exams as well, but if you do have time make sure to double check what the question was originally asking you for!

    Dec 2013 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

854 posts and comments in 571 threads mention CHEM 120, September 2011 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

Failed chem course 3 points, 3 comments

u/Commercial-Fall-9358: “Failed chem 120 in my 1A term and it dropped my science gpa to a 58. There are 3 gpas I need to meet and I met 2/3 of them. Would I be able to retake chem in the winter term and improve my gpa or will I have to withdraw?”

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Failed Chem 102 6 points, 6 comments

“Bro I actually failed that exam. I needed a 42 to pass. So far I know I got 37/100 with no part marks. My question is if I'm at a 48-49 do they round up? …”

u/JustRunAndHyde: “A lot of profs are willing to help you pass. If you go talk to the teacher, they might be able to regrade some questions for part marks and such.”

u/voxaun: “i don't think this is applicable for chem 102/chem 120, it's just online quizzes & MC assessments”

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transferring from laurier cs to waterloo any degree with a mid gpa 4 points, 12 comments

“has anyone ever or know anyone who transferred to waterloo from laurier without super high marks? what programs did you apply and get into? what program were you originally in at laurier? …”

u/VP007clips: “Depends on the science honestly. Most sciences would probably be willing to at least discuss directly entering if you had good marks. …”

u/priceypapaya: “ya i took BIOL 130 and CHEM 120 at UW to see if i could do well and im glad to say i finished with low 90s. so my hope is, even though they are first year courses, they would consider that i can indeed be successful in it”

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Chem120 Midterm 1 point, 7 comments

u/That-Bookkeeper8419: “So i failed both of the midterms which were weighted 20% each. Do you know any one that happens to be an upper year who failed 2 midterms but miraculously passed the course? Help a student out please 🙏🏼”

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Any current CS upper years who took CS115? 3 points, 6 comments

“Currently in CS135 with minimal prior programming experience. Been doing well in assignments (90s) but they take me way too long and I get way too much help from office hours, which fulfills one of …”

u/lolmastr13: “This is probably a question for your academic advisor. How many other courses are you taking and how well are you doing in them? And what’s your expectations in those courses? …”

u/jxded14: “Math 135, Math 137, Chem 120, Phys 111. Expecting an 85+ for both maths, and 90+ for both sciences. I’m in coop and don’t necessarily care what job I get, maybe a test dev”

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CHEM 120 1 point, 3 comments

u/sirenashi: “hi has anyone wrote the CHEM 120 first midterm in recent years? If so, how was it and what should I focus on when Im studying? I have the first test in a few daysss.”

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Is it possible to have chemistry for electives 2 points, 2 comments

“when I didn't take chemistry in high school at all. I didn't have time to study chemistry in ontario hs. …”

u/vimeomaster54: “No prerequisites for CHEM 120, which is your general chem course here. Course is very well-designed and Laura Ingram is a great prof if her section has space. I'd say it might a little bit more difficult/heavy for you if you have no background whatsoever? …”

u/Tea_and_cookiess: “I want to echo how good a course CHEM 120 is. It’s a large course so no one will notice if you need help but if you ask for help, they will move mountains to help you. The associated lab is also amazing. …”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

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