GCH5110 Designing safer chemicals
Faculty of Science
GCH5110 Designing safer chemicals is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Science, offered in 2026 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 2 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before GCH5110
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After GCH5110
No unit lists GCH5110 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
PREREQUISITE: 24 credit points from Part B of the Master of Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technologies or the Graduate Certificate of Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technologies, or permission of the unit coordinator.
COREQUISITE: Enrolment in the Master of Green and Sustainable Technologies or Graduate Certificate of Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technologies.
Overview
This unit will provide you with an understanding of important concepts related to the design of safer chemicals and chemical formulations. The content will cover principles of occupational and environmental toxicology, including uptake, distribution, metabolic conversion, and elimination of toxic agents. In addition to toxicological properties, other physicochemical properties related to safety in the applications of chemical classes will be evaluated. Consideration of specific features of chemical compounds and chemical classes that relate to their metabolic and environmental toxicity (water, soil and air) and safety will be discussed, enabling understanding of design features that will generate inherently safer green chemicals. This unit will also introduce Life cycle analysis principles with respect to the origins and fate of chemicals, including applications in formulations. Case studies with examples will be introduced, that consider parameters that can be used to evaluate the safety of chemicals, international regulatory requirements and how to access and evaluate information on the safety of chemicals and chemical formulations.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Continuous assessment by workshop activities, oral presentations, quizzes and assignmentsQuiz / Test70%
- Summative assessment (group project on an industry case study)Project30%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Explain principles of metabolic and environmental toxicology and their association with the structure and reactivity of chemical compounds and chemical formulations;
- 2
Predict toxic responses of representatives from major classes of chemicals with respect to target organs and physiological processes in humans and mammals;
- 3
Use technical and analytical skills to quantify the level and effects of xenobiotics in the environment (air, water, soil, biota);
- 4
Apply basic Life Cycle Analysis principles to explain the origin and fate of chemicals entering the environment, including formulated products.
- 5
Design safer chemicals by applying functional understanding of toxicological and green chemistry principles.
- 6
Evaluate resources and communicate scientific information on the safety of chemicals from peer-reviewed sources to different audiences and be aware of international regulatory requirements for chemical safety.
Workload and teaching
- Assessments4 hours
- Workshops36 hours
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
- Teaching approachPeer assisted learning
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
- Teaching approachOnline learning
- Teaching approachResearch activities
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit will have a minimum of 3 hours of scheduled activities per week, including a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
You will be set tasks where you will need to find, evaluate, synthesize and present information,
Case studies from industry and workplaces will be introduced and evaluated.
A group summative assessment task – focused on an industry case study.
Educational content, exercises and interactive lessons will be provided in the online-learning environment. These will include quizzes, videos, lectures, Case studies to evaluate.
You will be set tasks where you will interrogate databases to source and evaluate information about chemical safety, supply chain and Life Cycle considerations, and communicate findings.
During workshops you will be presented with active learning activities. Unit content knowledge will be applied to scenarios.
Learning resources
Required resources
References to relevant materials in the scientific literature, videos and Moodle lessons to introduce concepts and develop skills.
Technology resources
Chemwatch database and other databases providing chemical information
Communication software
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Associate Professor Toby Bell
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Khay Fong
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for GCH5110?
GCH5110 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is GCH5110 offered?
In 2026, GCH5110 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.
How much work is GCH5110?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does GCH5110 have an exam?
No. GCH5110 has 2 assessment tasks and no exam.