CHEM 1109 General Chemistry I

This course is intended for students whose major interest is science or medicine. It offers a rigorous introduction to the principles of chemistry with special emphasis on quantitative relationships and chemical equilibrium and the structures of atoms, molecules, and crystals. The properties of the more common elements and compounds are considered against a background of these principles and the periodic table.

Course overview

Department
Chemistry
School
MCAS
Credits
3
Level
Undergraduate
Offered
Every Fall

Catalog details

Prerequisites
One year of high school chemistry.
Corequisites
CHEM1111
Satisfies core
Natural Science

Catalog text is imported from the reviewed Boston College course snapshot. Confirm eligibility in EagleApps.

Requirements fulfilled

  • Geological Sciences B.S.: (D) Corequisite: two semesters of Chemistry with labs (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Environmental Geoscience B.S.: (E) Corequisite: two semesters of Physics with labs, or two semesters of Chemistry with labs, or three semesters of Biology (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Biochemistry B.S.: CHEM1109 General Chemistry I and CHEM1111 Laboratory (or CHEM1117 and CHEM1119) (4 credits) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Biology B.A.: Chemistry corequisites (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Biology B.S.: Chemistry corequisites (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Human-Centered Engineering B.S.: Corequisite Courses (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Physics B.S.: Corequisite: Chemistry (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Neuroscience B.S.: Foundation (24 Credits) — General Chemistry I with lab (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Mathematics B.S.: Natural science, computer science, or economics corequisites (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Computer Science B.S.: Required science component (two-semester laboratory sequence) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Psychology B.S. (Class of 2027 and Before): Science Corequisites — four of the following courses (12 or more credits) (Class of 2027 and Before)
  • Psychology B.S.: Science Corequisites — four of the following courses (12 or more credits) (Class of 2028 and After)
  • Chemistry B.S.: Two semesters of general chemistry lecture and laboratory (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)

Requirement eligibility can vary by school, cohort, and section. Confirm the selected section in EagleApps or with an advisor.

Official evaluation summary

3.20 / 5

Based on 2,789 aggregate responses from BC Avalanche/Blue evaluations.

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-08-02. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

  • Clarissa Keen
    Fall 2026, Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023 · Official rating 3.12/5
  • Daniel Fox
    Fall 2026, Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021 · Official rating 3.57/5
  • Nathaniel Hartmann
    Fall 2026, Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Fall 2021 · Official rating 3.68/5
  • Akinwande Akinniyi
    Fall 2025 · Official rating 3.41/5
  • Brooke Elander
    Fall 2022, Fall 2021 · Official rating 4.28/5
  • Esma Ucar
    Fall 2023 · Official rating 2.76/5
  • Gavin Giardino
    Fall 2022, Fall 2021 · Official rating 4.08/5
  • James Wilkes
    Fall 2022 · Official rating 3.68/5
  • Jillian Platt
    Fall 2025 · Official rating 4.31/5
  • Jin Ook Ahn
    Fall 2024 · Official rating 4.25/5
  • Jing Wan
    Fall 2021 · Official rating 3.84/5
  • Joseph Morabito
    Fall 2021 · Official rating 2.12/5
  • Kaitlyn Szalay
    Fall 2024 · Official rating 4.03/5
  • Khalil Mimouni
    Fall 2025 · Official rating 4.04/5
  • Konara Pamunuwa
    Fall 2023 · Official rating 3.94/5
  • Ling Cheng
    Fall 2025 · Official rating 3.19/5
  • Malavika Asokan Nair
    Fall 2024 · Official rating 3.93/5
  • Mariah Tedder
    Fall 2021 · Official rating 4.17/5
  • Michael Goldstein
    Fall 2021 · Official rating 3.39/5
  • Paul Lee
    Fall 2021 · Official rating 4.50/5
  • Richard Michaud
    Fall 2025, Fall 2024 · Official rating 3.70/5
  • Shoma Mukai
    Fall 2025 · Official rating 3.73/5
  • Shoshana Reich
    Fall 2021 · Official rating 3.68/5
  • Yiling Zhu
    Fall 2023 · Official rating 3.24/5

Sections

  • Section 01
    Fall 2026 · Nathaniel Hartmann · Devlin Hall 8 MWF 09:00AM-09:50AM · Offered
  • Section 02
    Fall 2026 · Nathaniel Hartmann · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 M 12:00 Noon-12:50PM · Offered
  • Section 03
    Fall 2026 · Nathaniel Hartmann · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 M 01:00PM-01:50PM · Offered
  • Section 04
    Fall 2026 · Nathaniel Hartmann · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 Tu 03:00PM-03:50PM · Offered
  • Section 05
    Fall 2026 · Nathaniel Hartmann · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 Tu 04:00PM-04:50PM · Offered
  • Section 06
    Fall 2026 · Nathaniel Hartmann · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 W 11:00AM-11:50AM · Offered
  • Section 07
    Fall 2026 · Nathaniel Hartmann · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 W 05:00PM-05:50PM · Offered
  • Section 08
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 127 MWF 12:00 Noon-12:50PM · Offered
  • Section 09
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 M 03:00PM-03:50PM · Offered
  • Section 10
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 W 10:00AM-10:50AM · Offered
  • Section 11
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 W 01:00PM-01:50PM · Offered
  • Section 12
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 Th 03:00PM-03:50PM · Offered
  • Section 13
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 F 11:00AM-11:50AM · Offered
  • Section 14
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 F 02:00PM-02:50PM · Offered
  • Section 15
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 127 MWF 01:00PM-01:50PM · Offered
  • Section 16
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 M 09:00AM-09:50AM · Offered
  • Section 17
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 M 11:00AM-11:50AM · Offered
  • Section 18
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 Tu 05:00PM-05:50PM · Offered
  • Section 19
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 W 02:00PM-02:50PM · Offered
  • Section 20
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 W 03:00PM-03:50PM · Offered
  • Section 21
    Fall 2026 · Daniel Fox · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 F 12:00 Noon-12:50PM · Offered
  • Section 22
    Fall 2026 · Nathaniel Hartmann · Devlin Hall 8 MWF 09:00AM-09:50AM · Offered
  • Section 23
    Fall 2026 · Clarissa Keen · Merkert Chemistry Center 127 TuTh 12:00 Noon-01:15PM · Offered
  • Section 24
    Fall 2026 · Clarissa Keen · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 M 02:00PM-02:50PM · Offered
  • Section 25
    Fall 2026 · Clarissa Keen · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 M 04:00PM-04:50PM · Offered
  • Section 26
    Fall 2026 · Clarissa Keen · Merkert Chemistry Center 130 W 01:00PM-01:50PM · Offered
  • Section 27
    Fall 2026 · Clarissa Keen · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 W 04:00PM-04:50PM · Offered
  • Section 28
    Fall 2026 · Clarissa Keen · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 F 10:00AM-10:50AM · Offered
  • Section 29
    Fall 2026 · Clarissa Keen · Merkert Chemistry Center 129 F 01:00PM-01:50PM · Offered