AP Chemistry Syllabus
AP Program
 Two-period, 90-minute block session, time generally allocated to scientific inquiry based
laboratory work.
 Three standard, 45-minute recitation-oriented class periods.
 One weekend session, 120-minute
 Early-morning,15 minutes sessions each class meeting day
Ten students are enrolled in the 2010-2011 AP Chemistry section, and work in three or four
student groups during classes involving laboratory-based scientific inquiry, or requiring
collaborative learning.
Teaching Strategies
For most students a course in AP Chemistry will provide some of the greatest intellectual
challenges of their high school and early college career.
This course is taught with two goals in mind:

Students will learn more chemistry than they did in their first-year course and build upon
their understanding of chemical concepts.

Students will prepare to take AP Exam in May.
Text
Masterton, William L., and Cecile N. Hurley. Chemistry: Principles and Reactions. Pacific
Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Thomson Learning. Theoretical Chemistry Emphasis The revised
“College Board AP Chemistry Course Description, Effective Fall 2010” states in relevant part:
“The importance of the theoretical aspects of chemistry has brought about an increasing emphasis on
these aspects of content of general chemistry courses. Topics such as the structure of matter, kinetic
theory of gasses, chemical equilibria, chemical kinetics, and the basic concepts of thermodynamics are
now being presented in considerable depth.”
Laboratory
The AP Chemistry Laboratory has been restructured to do 32 experiments, including each and
every one among the 22 experiments recommended by the College Board. The content falls into
categories that reflect the appropriate balance between theoretical chemistry and traditional
general chemistry content:
States of Matter and Molecular Interactions (6 experiments)






Heats of Fusion and Vaporization
Exploring Gas Laws
Determination of Molar Mass by Vapor Density
Determination of the Molar Volume of a Gas
Separation by Chromatography
Molecular Interaction Between Molecules
Quantities and Reactions (11 experiments)











Determination of the Formula of a Compound
Determination of the Percentage of Water in a Hydrate
Determination of Mass and Mole Relationship in a Chemical Reaction
Separation and Qualitative Analysis of Cations and Anions
Synthesis of a Coordination Compound and its Chemical Analysis
Analytical Gravimetric Determination
Determination of Electrochemical Series
Measurements Using Electrochemical Cells and Electroplating
Synthesis, Purification and Analysis of an Organic Compound
Conductometric Titration
The Breathalyzer Test for Alcohol
Solutions (5 experiments)





Determination of Molar Mass by Freezing-Point Depression
Standardization of a Solution using a Primary Standard
Determination of Concentration by Acid Base Titration
Determination of Concentration by Oxidation Reduction Titration
Determination of Appropriate Indicators for Various Acid Base Titration
Chemical Thermodynamics (2 experiments)


Determination of Enthalpy Change Associated with a Reaction
Heats of Fusion and Vaporization
Light and Matter (2 experiments)
 Absorption Spectra
 Colorimetric Analysis
Kinetics and Equilibrium (6 experiments)






Determination of Kas of a Multiprotic Acid
Determining Ka by Half Titration of a Weak Acid
Determination of Solubility Product Constant
Preparation and Properties of Buffer Solutions
Determination of the Rate of a Reaction and its Order
Determination of the Equilibrium Constant for a Chemical Reaction
LABORATORY REPORTS
Passing the AP Chemistry Examination is to many University Chemistry Departments not in
itself sufficient evidence that a student has completed the equivalent of a college general
chemistry course. A robust course must include a strong laboratory science component as
described above, and the student must document the requisite laboratory work in an experiment
portfolio.
In consonance with that need, students purchase a 31 Tab portfolio at the start of the course and
are required to maintain that portfolio by entering both (1) Laboratory Reports and (2) Cogent
material from the Laboratory Notebook.
(1) Laboratory Reports. Formal typed laboratory reports, one-by-one as they are performed,
graded and returned, written in an objective, technical form using the passive past tense. The
report must include:





Title/Source/Partner Name/Date:
Abstract: Write short paragraphs, using simple declarative sentences that briefly
summarize the purpose and procedure of the experiment, including a brief description of
the results. The procedure must note significant departure from what was originally
planned and documented in the lab notebook. What actually happens is sometimes a
departure from the original plan.
Results and Discussion: State the results of the experiment and list any results from
evaluation methods used (i.e. Pasco probe-type instruments and ancillary data studio
application software ). Compare the results with standard values and list the percent error
(when applicable). State whether the results were unexpected and hypothesize sources of
error related to the data you collected that would have caused these experimental results.
Propose what might be changed to avoid these errors.
Answers to Questions: Rewrite the analysis/conclusion questions from the
lab sheet and then answer each question
.
References: Cite reference material, if applicable. If it’s a handout from your
teacher, simply list it as a handout from the instructor.
(2) Laboratory Notebook. Notebook excerpts must include:




Chemical Reaction: List the balanced chemical reactions involved in the
experiment, if applicable.
List of Materials: Include a list of materials needed to complete the
experiment.
Procedure: In your own words, write the directions for the experiment in a
numbered step-by-step list. Write the procedures with enough detail that experiments
could be reproduced from what is written. Do not include the detailed procedures
involved in calibrating and preparing probe-type instruments.
Data Table(s) and Graphs. The required information from the experiment,
including the tables completed while conducting the lab, including units for all
measurements, as well as the printouts of graphs generated by the Data Studio application
software, using information collected via the scientific probes.
LAB MANUAL & RELATED INSTRUMENTATION
PASCO Scientific’s Advanced Chemistry Lab Manual & Probeware In an AP Chemistry
course, classroom time is a precious commodity. For that and other good reasons, including the
importance of making theoretical Chemistry related measurements, the AP Chemistry Lab is
now equipped with Pasco precision drop counters, absolute pressure sensors, temperature and pH
probes, colorimeters, visible, UV and IR light sensors, conductivity probes, and probes to detect
various gasses, such as carbon dioxide, and dissolved oxygen. US Government sponsored studies
show significant improvements in learning when students have access to this class of equipment.
Probe output to automatic digital and analog data processing hardware, allows inputs from up to
5 probes at a time to be processed and output to interactive display software. In addition to time
saving, this automation takes the drudgery out of lab work, allowing students to focus on the
science as opposed to data recording, manipulation, and plotting.
COURSE OUTLINE
UNIT-1 Review of Prerequisite Concepts (2.5 weeks)
Students lack the recommended prerequisite year of high school chemistry and collateral
chemistry lab experience in use of instruments and scientific inquiry.
Assessment of prior knowledge Physical attributes of matter


Chemical attributes of matter
AMUs, Moles & Avogadro’s Number
UNIT-2 Atoms, Molecules & Ions (3 weeks, 5.5 total)





Early Development of the Atomic Theory of the Atom
The Periodic Table of the Elements
Molecules and Ions
Ionic Compounds & Formulas
Naming Conventions
UNIT-3 Stoichiometry ( 2 weeks, 7.5 total)


Mass Relations in Chemical Formulas
Mass Relations in Chemical Reactions
UNIT-4 Reactions in Aqueous Solutions (2 weeks, 9.5 total)




Solute Concentration and Molarity
Precipitation Reactions
Acid-base Reactions
Oxydation-Reduction Reactions
UNIT-5 Gasses (2 weeks, 11.5 total)






Measurements on Gasses
The Ideal Gas Law
Gas Law Calculations
Stoichiometry of Gaseous Reactions
Partial Pressures and Mole Fractions of Gas Mixtures
Real Gasses: Deviation from the Ideal Gas Law
UNIT -6 Electronic Structure and the Periodic Table (2.5 weeks, 14 total)






Light, Photon Energies and the Atomic Structure
The Hydrogen Atom &Mathematical Derivation of the Bohr Model
Quantum Numbers
Atomic Orbitals Shapes & Sizes
Orbital Diagrams of Atoms
Electron Arrangements in Monatomic Ions
UNIT-7 Covalent Bonding (3 weeks, 17 total)




Lewis Structures & The Octet Rule
Molecular Geometry
Polarity of Molecules
Atomic Orbitals: Hybridization
UNIT-8 Thermochemistry (3 weeks, 20 total)









Principles of Heat Flow
Measurement of Heat Flow: Calorimetry
Enthalpy
Thermochemical Equations
Enthalpies of Formation
Bond Enthalpy
The first Law of Thermodynamics
The Second Law of Thermodynamics, Gibbs
Free Energy ‘G’ and Spontaneous Reactions
UNIT-9 Liquids and Solids (1.5 weeks, 21.5 total)





Liquid-Vapor Equilibrium
Phase Diagrams
Intermolecular Forces
Network Covalent, Ionic and Metallic Solids
Crystal Structures
UNIT-10 Solutions (2 weeks, 23.5 total)




Concentration Units
Principles of Solubility
Colligative Properties of Non-electrolytes
Colligative Properties of Electrolytes
UNIT-11 Rate of Reaction (2.5 weeks. 26 total)





Reactant Rate and Concentration
Concentration and Time
Reaction Rate Models
Reaction Rate and Temperature Catalysts
Reaction Mechanisms
UNIT-12 Gaseous Chemical Equilibrium (2 weeks, 28 total)





The N2O4-NO2 Equilibrium System
The Equilibrium Constant Expression
Determination of K
Application of the Equilibrium Constant
Effect of Changes in Conditions on an Equilibrium System
UNIT-13 Acids and Bases (2.5 weeks, 30.5 weeks = 1 May 2011)






Bronsted-Lowry Acid-Base Model
The Ion Product of Water
pH and pOH
Weak Acids and their Equilibrium Constants
Weak Bases and their Equilibrium Constants
Acid-Base Properties of Salt Solution