Radnor High School
Course Syllabus
Honors Chemistry
330
I. Course Description
Honors Chemistry 330
1.0 Credit; Weighted
Length: Year; Format: Meets Daily
Prerequisite: Honors Biology or Advanced Biology
Co-requisites: Advanced Algebra 2
Honors Chemistry provides students with a rigorous study of fundamental
chemical concepts including: the scientific method, handling of laboratory
data, atomic structure, states of matter, chemical reactions, thermochemistry,
light and electrons, periodicity, equilibrium, reaction rates, acids and bases,
and oxidation-reduction reactions. The course is lab based and moves at a
rapid pace. Students need to be highly motivated in science and math. The
course stresses the development of problem solving and thinking skills that are
used in Honors Physics and second year courses.
II. Materials & Equipment

Textbook: Wilbraham, Staley, Matta, and Waterman. “Chemistry.”
Addison-Wesley: 2002.

Scientific calculator

Laboratory notebook
III. Course Goals & Objectives
The student will be able to:
1. Explain that matter is made of particles called atoms and that atoms
are composed of even smaller particles.
2. Explain the relationship between the physical properties of a substance
and its molecular or atomic structure.
3. Explain the formation of compounds and their resulting properties
using bonding theories.
4. Explain how the relationships of chemical properties are represented in
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the repeating pattern of the periodic table of elements.
5. Predict the behavior of gases through the application of laws.
6. Describe the factors that influence the rates of chemical reactions.
7. Describe energy changes in chemical reactions.
8. Explain the role of equilibria in chemical reactions.
9. Explain acid-base behavior.
10. Explain electron transfer in oxidation-reduction reactions.
IV. Course Topics (Summary Outline)
1. Introduction to Chemistry
a. What is chemistry?
b. “People Who Took Chemistry”
c. Areas of chemistry
d. Uses / fields of chemistry
e. Laws vs. theories
f. Using your textbook*
2. Matter and change
a. Properties of matter
b. States of matter
c. Physical vs. chemical changes
d. Mixtures: homogeneous vs. heterogeneous
e. Pure substances: elements vs. compounds
f. Physical separation of mixtures
g. Chemical separation of compounds
h. Symbols and formulas
i. Changing reactants into products
j. Conservation of matter
3. Scientific measurement
a. Qualitative vs. quantitative measurement
b. Scientific measurement
c. Accuracy vs. precision
d. Error calculation
e. Significant figures / uncertainty in measurement
f. Significant figures and uncertainty in calculations
g. International units of measurement
h. Density vs. specific gravity
i. Temperature: Celsius vs. Kelvin scales / conversions
4. Problem solving in chemistry
a. Conversion factors
b. Unit dimensional analysis
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5. Atomic structure and the periodic table
a. Law of Definite Proportions
b. Law of Multiple Proportions
c. Dalton’s theory
d. J.J. Thomson model and the electron
e. Millikan’s oil drop experiment
f. Rutherford’s nuclear atomic model
g. Atomic number, mass number, isotopes
h. Average atomic mass in amu
i. Mendeleev’s periodic table
j. The modern periodic table
k. Metals vs. nonmetals vs. metalloids
l. Representative vs. transition elements
m. Representative element families
6. Nuclear chemistry
a. Radioactivity
b. Types of radiation
c. Nuclear stability and decay
d. Half-life
e. Transmutation reactions
f. Nuclear fission
g. Fission power plants
h. Nuclear waste
i. Nuclear fusion
7. Electrons in atoms
a. Niels Bohr atomic model
b. Quantum Mechanical model
c. Atomic orbitals
d. Aufbau Principle
e. Pauli exclusion principle
f. Hund’s Rule
g. Electron configurations
h. 3-dimensional orbital diagrams
i. Energy level (Aufbau) diagrams
j. Exceptional electron configurations
k. Light and atomic emission spectra
l. Wave equation (frequency vs. wavelength)
m. Planck equation (energy vs. frequency)
n. Explanation of atomic spectra
o. Photoelectric effect
p. De Broglie equation
q. Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
8. Chemical Periodicity
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a. Using the periodic table to write electron configurations
b. Rationale for periodic trends (n-level vs. proton/electron ratio,
shielding effect)
c. Atomic size trends
d. Ionic size trends
e. Ionization energy trends
f. First vs. second vs. third …ionization energies
g. Electronegativity trends
9. Chemical names and formulas
a. Molecules and molecular compounds
b. Ions and ionic compounds
c. Chemical formulas
d. Molecular formulas
e. Formula units
f. Monatomic vs. polyatomic ions
g. Writing formulas for binary ionic compounds
h. Writing formulas for ternary ionic compounds
i. Naming binary ionic compounds
j. Naming ternary ionic compounds
k. Naming binary molecular compounds
l. Naming acids
10. Ionic bonding and ionic compounds
a. Valence electrons
b. Electron (Lewis) dot structures
c. Structural formulas
d. Electron configurations for ions
e. Formation of ionic compounds
f. Properties of ionic compounds
g. Ionic crystal structures
h. Melting of ionic crystals
i. Metallic bonds and ionic properties
j. Crystalline structure of metals
k. Alloys of metals
11. Covalent bonding
a. Single covalent bonds
b. Double and triple covalent bonds
c. Coordinate covalent bonds
d. Resonance Structures
e. VSEPR Theory
e. Bond type vs. electronegativity differences
f. Bond dipoles
g. Molecular dipoles
h. Molecular polarity
i. Polarity and intermolecular forces (IMA’s)
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12. Chemical quantities
a. Representative particles
b. Representative particles in a mole
c. Molar mass
d. Molar volume
e. Using dimensional analysis to solve mole conversion problems
f. Calculating percent composition of a compound
g. Empirical vs. molecular formulas
13. Solutions
a. Solution formation
b. Solubility
c. Factors affecting solubility
d. Henry’s Law
e. Molarity calculations
14. Chemical Reactions
a. Word equations
b. Chemical equations
c. Balancing chemical equations
d. Types of chemical reactions
i. Combination
ii. Decomposition
iii. Single-replacement
iv. Double-replacement
v. Combustion
e. Predicting reaction products
f. Reactions in aqueous solutions
g. Net ionic equations
15. Stoichiometry
a. Interpreting chemical equations (moles, particles, volumes)
b. Mole – mole calculations
c. Mass – mole calculations
d. Other stoichiometric calculations
e. Limiting reagents vs. reagents in excess
f. Limiting reagent calculations
g. Percent yield calculations
16. States of Matter
a. Kinetic Theory
b. Kinetic energy and Kelvin temperature
c. Gas pressure
d. Kinetic energy distribution curves
e. Liquids
f. Evaporation and vapor pressure
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g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
17 .
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
Boiling point vs. vapor pressure
Solids
Crystal structure and unit cells
Phase diagrams
Sublimation
Thermochemistry
Energy transformations
Exothermic vs. endothermic processes
Heat capacity and specific heat
Calorimeters and calorimetry calculations
Thermochemical equations
Using dimensional analysis to solve thermochemical equation
calculations.
Enthalpy vs. change in enthalpy
Heats of fusion and solidification
Heats of vaporization and condensation
Heat of solution
Standard heats of formation calculations
Hess’s Law
18.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
Gas Behavior
Gas variables and standard units of measurement
Boyle’s Law
Charles’ Law
Gay-Lussac’s Law
Combined gas laws
Ideal Gas Law
Avogadro’s Hypothesis
Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures
Graham’s Law of Effusion
Nonideal gas behavior
19.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Water and aqueous systems
Water’s polarity and hydrogen bonding
Surface tension in water
Specific heat capacity of water
Solutes, solvents and solutions in water
20.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Acids and Bases
describing acids and bases
Hydrogen ions and acidity
Acid-Base Theories
Acid-Base Strength
Neutralization reactions
21. Reaction Rates and Equilibrium
a. Rates of reactions
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b. Reversible reactions and equilibrium
c. Le Chatelier’s Principle
d. Entropy and Free Energy
22. Redox Reactions
a. The meaning of oxidation and reduction
b. Oxidation numbers
c. Balancing redox equations
V. Assignments & Grading

Homework Assignments for every chapter (approximately 45 minutes per
night)

Formal and informal lab reports for each lab completed

Chapter Tests

Common Midterm Exam

Common Final Exam
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