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CHEM 254Introductory Chemical Thermodynamics

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.

An introduction to the first, second, and third laws of thermodynamics and the application of these laws to ideal systems, mixtures, and chemical reactions. Thermodynamic principles are used to study changes in state, including phase changes, and to establish the link between the equilibrium constant and the properties of the substances involved in a chemical reaction.

Prerequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
      • CHEM123 - General Chemistry 2 (0.50)
      • CHEM125 - Chemical Reactions, Equilibria and Kinetics (0.50)
    • Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
      • MATH128 - Calculus 2 for the Sciences (0.50)
      • MATH138 - Calculus 2 for Honours Mathematics (0.50)
      • MATH148 - Calculus 2 (Advanced Level) (0.50)
    • Enrolled in an Honours program

Antirequisites

  • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:

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 001727355 / 60Online or by arrangement

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 00166580 / 50MWF 11:30–12:20
LEC 701250521 / 9999Online or by arrangement
TUT 10177330 / 50Th 13:30–14:20

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Reviewed on UW Flow

59% liked it56% easy76% useful

From 54 ratings and 15 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • could be better. Everything past 2nd law is useless for midterms and final exam (except for true or false). Lectures and notes are useless dont go

    Aug 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Dr. Leung is really nice and approachable. Though his notes were hard to understand and mostly just included derivatives (which you are not even tested on - he just wants you to know the fundamentals). Just practice - if you do well on the homework questions you'll be good to go as the tests and final were way easier than them.

    Aug 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Picked this course to fulfill chem minor requirements as a chem major to honours sci dropout (wish I picked anything else lol). Difficult, but not impossible, mostly struggled with the fact that I found it very boring. You need a decent foundation in math and to do a lot of practice q's to do well on the test and final. Other components were very fair, such as individual and group assignments and mobius assignments. Recommend taking it with Prof. Power

    Apr 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • I took this course as a bird course, but with Tsen is not even a dinosaur course, but much bigger... the course materials was supposed to be interesting and engaging and it actually is but he killed it all with his dry teaching and heavy derivation and wasting the whole lecture on deriving heavy math out of heavy chem and making you losing track during classes and losing track of the beauty of the materials. when he excessively derive equations and make it look complex you lose the idea of the actual chemical application and thus lose track of the course itself.
    TAKE IT WITH OTHER PROF, I HEARD IT IS EASIER, MUCH EASIER
    He make the midterm really difficult and lengthy to the point where…

    Apr 2023 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Worst class I have ever taken at UW. I've heard this isn't actually that bad, but Tsen is terrible. Dry material, difficult to pay attention, and also very difficult content past the first half of the term. Ridiculous expectations from Tsen, please avoid at all costs.

    Apr 2023 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

53 posts and comments in 43 threads mention CHEM 254, February 2013 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.

Winter 2023

CHEM 254 midterm 3 points, 1 comment

u/Dauwdon1: “I can't be the only one who struggled with the midterm, I literally did all the textbook questions, previous midterms, and problem sets again and still was lost for the exam. Funny part is I was actually heading into the exam thinking I was gonna ace it”

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Fall 2022

Chem 254 Reflection 6 points, 4 comments

u/Ehsan2023: “Hey Guys, Im planning to take chem 254 next term and I read there is a lot of math component. Im interested to know what math level they expecting students to know? Is it calculus? if so what kind of derivatives? Partial? Impartial? one variable? or multiple variables? …”

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Winter 2022

Spring 2021

Chem 209 0 points, 3 comments

“Thoughts on Chem 209? I’m completing a minor in chem and not sure if I should add this in. I took chem 220, 221, taking chem 223 and 404. Any other chemistry course suggestions??? …”

u/hannajarvinen: “I enjoyed Chem 209! Not too heavy of a course and a fun intro to spectroscopy that doesn't go too deep into quantum mechanics :) it's not a bird course or anything but I would recommend it! …”

u/sarahlovesparis: “Great I’ll stick with chem 209 cuz I definitely am not a fan of orgo. Do you recommend any other chem course? I took chem 254 which was fun.”

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Winter 2021

Easiest Chem course? 6 points, 10 comments

“Aside from Chem120 Want to hear about chem lecture classes, not the lab components”

u/3point14luong: “… CHEM 254: This is the intro thermodynamics course. A bit more math intensive than 209, but still fairly plug and chug. You'll be dealing with ideal gas law, entropy, enthalpy, etc. …”

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Fall 2020

What CHEM courses do you recommend? 2 points, 9 comments

u/Rondowida9: “… 356 Jonathan Baugh CHEM 240 Adam Wei Tsen CHEM 370 Mario Gauthier CHEM 350 German sciani CHEM 254 Marcel Nooijen Which class+prof did you have? Was it easy or nah? …”

u/homosexual_abit: “Chem 254 will power easy 90 Chem 333 easy 80 Chem 221 prof v easy 90”

u/3point14luong: “… CHEM 254 with Tong Leung: A math focused physical chemistry course. Unlike 240, the math is a lot simpler and much more plug and chug. There were assignments, a midterm, and a final. Depending on the prof teaching, the course might be easier or harder than other years. …”

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CHEM 220 Questions? 5 points, 15 comments

“Hi, is this an easy course online, I am a 1A CS student looking to take the course online 1B to fulfill my depth requirements (I have CHEM 120 and CHEM 123 from AP Chem)? …”

u/_Saraha_: “Not easy. For someone who did AP chem I might recommend Chem 212, or chem 125. And Mikkelsen is easily the worst science prof on the face of the earth.”

u/EvolveThruEvil: “Unfortunately, CHEM 212 or 125 doesn't create a prereq chain of 3, my options are CHEM 220, CHEM 254, CHEM 264, or CHEM 357. I am a mostly maths kinda guy, and hate memorization, so that might rule out organic and biochem, would you say CHEM 254 is easier? …”

u/EvolveThruEvil: “Sounds bad, especially because I have no real interest in chemistry. Have you heard better things about CHEM 254?”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

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