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On 5 September 1951 the head of Applied Chemistry, Professor Alexander, presented a report to the Personnel Committee of the Professorial Board, in which he outlined a proposed arrangement of his school into five departments - including the Department of Inorganic and General Chemistry. Although this was not formally approved by the Professorial Board, this arrangement seems to have been adopted by the school shortly afterwards, with the first head of department being Dr R. S. Nyholm (CN968/8, OH3). Sometime in late 1957, the School of Applied Chemistry had its name changed to the School of Chemistry. At the 7 July 1971 meeting of the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Committee the department was re-named the Department of Inorganic Chemistry. On 9 March 1983 the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Committee approved the renaming of the department as the Department of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry. On 14 April 1998 it was noted at the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Science & Technology that the Dean had indicated to the Vice-Chancellor that the School of Chemistry intended to disestablish its departments. This appears to have occurred shortly afterwards and thus the department ceased to exist. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - c. 05/09/1951-c. 14/04/1998

The Department of Applied Chemistry dates back to the formation of the university itself on 1 July 1949, as it was one of the departments that had much of its origins in the Sydney Technical College. On 10 November, 1949 Professor A. E. Alexander took up the position of the first head of department. When the first three university faculties were established by Council on 8 May 1950 (resolution 54), Applied Chemistry became one of the inaugural departments within the Faculty of Science. On 10 September 1951 Council changed the designation of all departments to schools and so the School of Applied Chemistry came into existence (resolution 153). The School of Applied Chemistry appears to have had its name changed to the School of Chemistry sometime in late 1957. Although the school had sometimes been referred to as the School of Chemistry before this date, on 11 November 1957 Council authorised a split of the Applied Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Advisory Panel, with the new panels becoming the Chemistry Advisory Panel and the Chemical Engineering & Food Technology Advisory Panel (resolution 57/163a). This split seems to have coincided with the final definitive change to the school's name. At the 2 December, 1996 meeting of Council the Faculty of Science was disestablished effective 1 July, 1997 (resolution CL96/88/4). As a result, from this date the School of Chemistry was transferred to the newly created Faculty of Science & Technology. On 18 June, 2001 Council resolved to disestablish the Faculty of Science & Technology and create a new single model Faculty of Science effective from 1 July, 2001 - including the School of Chemistry (resolution CL001/49). At its meeting on 8 October 2001 Council approved the disestablishment of the School of Chemistry. Together with the Department of Food Science & Technology, the school's staff were moved to the newly formed School of Chemical Sciences effective from 1 January 2002 (resolution CL001/84). Subordinate agency: Radiochemical Laboratory (1957) / Department of Radiochemistry (1957 - c. 1959) / Department of Nuclear and Radiation Chemistry (c. 1959 - 1983) - 01/04/1957 - 09/03/1983 Subordinate agency: Department of Analytical Chemistry - 05/09/1951 - 14/04/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Inorganic and General Chemistry (c. 1951 - 1971) / Inorganic Chemistry (1971 - 1983) / Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry (1983 - 1998) - 05/09/1951 - 14/04/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Organic Chemistry - 05/09/1951 - 14/04/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Physical Chemistry - 05/09/1951 - 14/04/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Applied Organic Chemistry - 04/05/1960 - 30/11/1980 Subordinate agency: Department of Biological Sciences - 01/09/1950 - 12/11/1956 Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 01/07/1949-31/12/2001

The Radiochemical Laboratory, headed by Dr J. H. Green, commenced its operations in the Main Building within the School of Chemistry from April 1957 (V398, Radiochemical Laboratory report in CN431 Institute of Nuclear Engineering papers). By December 1957 the laboratory had evolved into the newly titled Department of Radiochemistry that was to be responsible for the provision of research and teaching in radiochemistry (Department of Radiochemistry report No. 2 in CN431 Institute of Nuclear Engineering papers). By 9 April 1959 the department had been re-named the Department of Nuclear and Radiation Chemistry, following the introduction that same year of a new course bearing this name (Head of School of Chemistry's report to Chemistry Advisory Panel, CN913). On 9 March 1983 the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Committee approved the dissolution of the department, with members of staff being relocated to the newly redesignated Department of Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - c. 01/04/1957-09/03/1983