AP Chemistry Class
Dr. Steve W. Altstiel
Tentative Class Syllabus AP Chemistry (2015-16)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Students develop the ability to use scientific skills and processes to explain the
composition and interactions of matter. Students use mathematics to predict and
analyze the outcomes of chemical reactions and the interactions of matter and energy.
Science skills and processes learned in this course build on those developed in biology
and prepare students for continued development of scientific inquiry in other science
disciplines. Topics of study include: structure of matter, states of matter, chemical
reactions, and descriptive chemistry. Laboratory work is an integral component of this
course. The completion of General Chemistry and Algebra I are prerequisites.
COURSE OUTLINE
First Semester
Unit
Review of 1st Year Concepts
Electronic Structure of Atoms
Periodic Properties of Elements
Chemistry of Nonmetals
Basic Concepts of Chemical Bonding
Molecular Geometry and Boding Theories
Gases
Liquids and Intermolecular Forces
Solids and Modern Materials
Properties of Solutions
Reactions in Aqueous Solutions
Chemical Kinetics
Thermochemistry
Second Semester
Unit
Chemical Thermodynamics
Chemical Equilibrium
Introduction to Organic Chemistry
Acid-Base Equilibria
Additional Aspects of Aqueous Equilibria
Electrochemistry
Preparation for AP Exam
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS
1. Brown, T. L., LeMay, H. E., Bursten, B. E., Murphy, C. J., & Woodward, P. M. (2012). Chemistry, the
central science (12th ed., AP ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
2. Hill, J. C. (2012). Student guide (12th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
3. Waterman, E. L. (2014). Test prep series for AP chemistry: To accompany chemistry, the central
science (12th ed., AP ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
4. Student supplied materials:
a. Loose leaf paper and notebook
b. Pencils (for math problems/equations) and pens (blue or black only)
c. Graphing calculator (TI-83/84 or TI-83/84 Plus)
CLASSROOM PROCEDURES
1. Homework Policy: Students have up to 3 days grace period to turn in a late
assignment for 75% credit. No homework will be accepted after that date unless
arrangements have been made with the instructor prior to the expiration of the
grace period. Students who turn in their assignment by the due date and earn a C
or less on the assignment are allowed to redo their assignment for a higher score,
but the redo must be turned in before the end of the three day grace period.
Students must show all work for assignments requiring calculations.
2. Examination Policy: Students that earn a C or less on any exam are allowed to take
a “redo” test at home. They are allowed to use any resources to work on the test,
however it must be returned no later than 3pm the following school day. Upon
grading the redo test, the student is eligible to earn back ½ of the points they
missed as long as their score warrants that addition. For example, if a student
scores 75 pts. out of 100 on an exam, they can earn back 12.5 of the 25 points they
missed in order to score an 87.5; however if they only earn an 84 on the makeup
exam, then their final score will be an 84.
3. Makeup Work Policy: Makeup of missed labs will be scheduled to accommodate as
many students as possible at one time. Tests are to be made up as soon as
possible. If a test is not made up within a one week (seven day) grace period, a
“MSG” (missing) will be placed in GradeSpeed, which registers as a zero.
4. Tardiness: Students are required to be in their seats and ready to work before the
tardy bell rings. If a student is not grossly tardy (>5 minutes late), does not
disrupt the class upon entering and immediately starts working upon arrival;
the student will be marked tardy, but I will not deduct points for their
tardiness. However, habitual tardiness (>5 tardies per semester) will result in
point deductions, referrals to and follow-up with parents.
5. Preparation: Students must bring all required materials (text book, calculator,
pen/pencil, homework and paper) to class each class period and be ready to work.
6. Lab Exercises: Safety is supreme. Students will wear an apron and goggles when
directed. Open toed shoes are not allowed on lab days. Ladies and gentlemen with
long hair must pull back and tie their hair.
7. End of class: Class is dismissed by the instructor - NOT by the bell.
8. Help outside class: Help is available after school Sunday through Wednesday if
needed, except for afternoons with faculty meeting commitments.
GRADING CRITERIA
Component
Attendance/Participation
Homework/Classwork**
Percentage
10%
25%
Lab Reports
Exams/Projects
25%
40%
** If a student is absent on the day classwork is collected and graded, the student will
either be exempted from the classwork with no penalty, or required to make up the
work within the three day grace period.
LETTER GRADES
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
100%
96%
92%
89%
86%
82%
79%
Contact at:
C
CD+
D
DF
76%
72%
69%
66%
62%
59%
steve.altstiel@eu.dodea.edu
AP Exam
All students enrolled in this course will take the AP Chemistry
Exam. The AP Chemistry Exam will occur on May 2, 2016 at
8:00 AM.
Lab Report Expectations
Each lab report should be concise (no more than 1-3 pages of text; data, graphs and
calculations may make the entire document longer) and have all of the following
sections:
Abstract
The abstract should be a short summary of the experiment and the conclusions. A good
abstract should have the following information:
1. Description of experimental purpose.
2. Description of the experimental method.
3. Short summary of the results.
Introduction
The introduction is where the theory and the purpose of the experiment are discussed.
1. The theory of the experiment is a discussion of the chemistry behind the
experimental method. For example, if the lab is an acid-base titration, a short
discussion of how titrations work, how the results are generated, what indicators
are used, etc.
2. The purpose section of the report is to tell the reader “what are we trying to learn
by doing this experiment?” For example, in a titration, we may be trying to
determine the concentration of an acid, or the pKa of a substance.
3. The above listed parts should tie together to explain how the chosen method will
answer the questions that we are trying to determine.
Methods and Materials
Details of the experimental procedure and what chemicals and equipment are used in
the experiment.
1. This is not a section for a step-by-step, bulleted procedure. This is a narrative
outlining important steps.
2. You need to use your discretion to decide what is important; for example, do you
need to specifically mention that you washed glassware? Should you mention that
you found that if you stirred consistently for only 3 minutes, the reaction turned
partly cloudy; but if you stirred the reaction for 3 minutes, then chilled the
reaction beaker, the reaction became solid precipitate? Decide what is
important.
Data
As expected, this is the section where the data collected is listed and what calculations
are needed to determine the results. In this section, the following information must be
included:
1. Raw data collected
2. Calculations needed to determine the results
o If there is a single calculation that must be done multiple times, then a
single set of the calculations can be shown in order to illustrate the
appropriate steps.
3. Charts, graphs or images that are generated.
Results/Conclusion
This section should be a summary of the results that were generated, only in summary
form instead of chart-based form.
1. Some explanation of assumptions that were made should be discussed.
2. There should be a short summary of what can be concluded from the experiment.
A. Did you determine what you were expecting?
B. Did something happen to confuse or negate the results?
References
1. If in the introduction a textbook or other reference was needed to explain the
method, those should be listed.
2. Appropriate references should be provided by indicating a reference point in the
text(1) and then a listing in the reference section. Typically, references are meant
to be a short way of providing the source of the information. The goal is to
provide the reader with all of the information necessary for them to find the
reference.
A. For example, if the above reference (1) was from the Journal of Biological
Chemistry from January 2006, written by John Doe on pages 25-28, the
appropriate reference would be cited as follows:
Doe, John. J. Biological Chemistry; (2006); vol 1; Pgs 25-28.
Books and other types of reference materials can be sited in other ways, if you
have materials to be cited please let me know and I will provide you with the
resources to correctly site your materials.
Sample Assignment
Name ____________________________
Period____________________________
Date_____________________________
1. Calculate the equilibrium concentration of the nonionized acid and all ions in a
solution that is 0.134 M in HNO2 and 0.10 M in HBrO.
Ka of HNO2 = 4.50 x 10-4; Ka of HBrO = 2.0 x 10-9
2. One of the important components of proteins is glycine,H3NCH2CO2H+, which we can
abbreviate as H2gly+. Calculate the equilibrium concentration of H3O+, H2gly+, Hgly, and glyin a solution that is 0.090 M in H2gly+.
For glycine, Ka1 = 4.5 x 10-3 and Ka2 = 2.5 x 10-10.
3. Calculate the concentration of each species present in a 0.010 M solution of phthalic
acid, C6H4(CO2H)2.
C6H4(CO2H)2 + H2O
H3O+ + C6H4(CO2H)(CO2)-
Ka = 1.1 x
10-3
C6H4(CO2H)(CO2)- + H2O
H3O+ + C6H4(CO2)22-
Ka = 3.9 x
-6
10
4. Calculate the hydroxide ion concentration in each of the following solutions. Show
that the change in concentration of the base cannot be neglected.
1. 0.050 M CH3NH2
2. 0.00253 M C6H5O5. What is the pH of a 0.083 M solution of CN-?
Kb = 2.5 x 10-5.
(Kb = 4.4 x 10-4)
(Kb = 7.81 x 10-5)