2011-2012 AP CHEMISTRY SYLLABUS
Teacher: Anne Regan
E-mail: aregan@mercyhs.com
Wiki: http://annereganwiki.wikispaces.com/
School Phone: 585-288-7120 ext. 327
Course Description & Objectives
Weekly Review Sessions
AP Chemistry is an intense course of study intended to prepare students
for the Advanced Placement Exam, which will be given on May 7th, 2012.
Since this is a college level course taught in high school, it is very demanding,
both in time and effort required. Students should be prepared to spend at least
one hour each night after school on their AP Chemistry homework, readings,
and/or lab reports. Those students who are heavily involved in after school
activities and/or jobs will have to learn to budget their time very carefully.
Time:
Location:
Time:
Location:
Upon completion of this course, students are expected to have developed the following:

A deep understanding of fundamental concepts in chemistry

Proficiency in chemistry laboratory procedures

Mastery in solving math-based chemistry problems

The ability to express ideas, both orally and in writing, with clarity and logic
The AP Chemistry Exam
Exams are independently graded using the scale below.
5 = extremely well qualified (A)
4 = well qualified (A-, B, B+)
3 = qualified (B-, C, C+)
2 = possibly qualified
1 = no recommendation
Students who score 3 or above are considered to have passed the exam, and will receive credit from most colleges
in the United States. Also, in most cases, students who pass will be exempt from college freshman-level
coursework in that exam’s subject area. Exam scores are sent out in July.
The AP Chemistry Exam is formatted as follows:
Section I – 50% of your score - 90 minutes – 75 multiple choice questions, NO calculator
Section II – 50% of your score
Part A – with calculator – 55 minutes
three problems total: one chemical equilibrium problem
two other problems, one of the two may be quantitative analysis of lab data
Part B – NO calculator – 40 minutes
three problems total: one is writing three balanced chemical equations from reactants
two essay questions
Texts
Textbook used for homework assignments and reading passages
Brown, LeMay, et al. Chemistry: The Central Science 9th ed., New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003.
Textbook used in the classroom
Zumdahl, Steven. Chemistry, 4th ed. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1997.
Supplemental Materials
It is strongly recommended that students purchase a supplementary review book for this course and use it independently
and/or with a study partner throughout the year (not the week before the exam). Some suggestions are Kaplan AP
Chemistry 2012 and 5 Steps to a 5: AP Chemistry 2011-2012.
Expectations of Students
Students are expected to come to class fully prepared and on time, which includes bringing a graphing calculator,
class binder with notes and reference tables, loose leaf paper, and pens/pencils every day. On days during which
lab activities will be carried out, students are expected to bring their Lab Binders as well. Assignments must be
the student’s own work and submitted on or before the due date. Actively participating in class and asking
questions will help students be successful in this course.
Absences
If a student is absent from class, she is responsible for making up the material that was covered in class.
can be done by contacting a classmate or by seeing me outside of regular class time.
This
Grading Policy
Each quarterly grade will be weighted as follows:
50%
Tests
25%
Lab Reports*
15%
10%
Quizzes
Homework*
Tests will be administered after every unit of study. Tests will consist of former
AP Exam questions and be administered to simulate the time constraints of the
AP Exam. If a student misses a test, she must arrange to make it up before or
after school within 3 days of returning to school.
Lab activities will be conducted every week. Reports must be written for all the
lab activities performed by the student. If a student is absent on the day of a lab,
she must arrange with me to make up the lab within one week of returning to school.
Quizzes will be given weekly.
Homework will be assigned daily. Students are expected to do all of the readings
and homework assignments.
*Late work will not be accepted.
Test Corrections
If a student fails a test, she is expected to attend an after school session to review the test.
Lab Binder
Because colleges may request to see evidence of student participation in laboratory activities, each student is
required to keep a lab binder as documentation of laboratory experiences. Students will hand in individual lab
reports, get them back, and then update their Lab Binders accordingly. These will be checked periodically to
make sure that students are maintaining their Lab Binders. The Lab Binder should be compiled as
follows:
1. Table of Contents
2. Laboratory Safety Guidelines
3. Lab Handouts & Formal Lab Reports (see Lab Binder handouts for format)
Name: _________________________________
AP Chemistry 2010-2011
Lab Binder
.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pages
I. Common Laboratory Equipment
1-2
II. Laboratory Safety
3-4
III. Lab Report Format
5
IV. Lab Reports
Date
Title of Lab
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Common Laboratory Equipment
Common Laboratory Equipment
Laboratory Safety Rules
Before you enter the lab:
1. Wear appropriate clothing. No shorts, open-toed shoes, loose clothing. Clothing can get damaged
or stained.
2. Do not wear contact lenses. Chemicals can get trapped between the contact and the eye.
3. Tie back long hair because it is a fire hazard.
4. Do not wear valuable jewelry. It can corrode and chemicals can get trapped between jewelry and
skin.
5. Be familiar with lab safety equipment and procedures for that day’s experiment.
6. Leave all food and drink outside of the lab room, including gum.
Once you enter the lab:
1. Put on safety glasses and lab apron.
2. Keep a neat work area. Keep books and calculators out of the way.
3. Horseplay will not be tolerated. You will be excused from the laboratory and will receive a grade of
zero for the experiment.
4. Be aware. Look for lab techniques that are unsafe and let fellow students know. If it looks like
something is going to fall or catch fire, try to prevent it. Most accidents can be avoided.
5. Wash hands after handling chemicals.
6. Work in the hood when using chemicals with strong odors or strongly fuming materials. NEVER
inhale odors. If you are instructed to smell, use the wafting method.
7. Use a low speaking voice. Do not make loud, distracting noises.
8. When you assemble an experimental set-up, make sure it is secure.
9. All chemicals should be clearly labeled. If you store a chemical in a container, make sure it
contains:
a. Name of individual who made the solution.
b. Date it was made.
c. What it is and the concentration (molarity)
* If there is no label, do not use it and report this to the instructor.
10. Disposal of chemicals:
Follow instructions for disposal of chemicals. If instructed to dispose of chemicals in the sink, make
sure there is nothing clogging the sink.
Before you leave the lab:
1. Clean your work area. You should always clean the table with a wet paper towel.
2. Wash your hands with soap and water.
Laboratory Safety Rules
NEVER
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Put any glassware in your mouth.
Insert glass tubing into anything without hand protection and lubrication.
Heat glassware without instruction to do so.
Put hot glassware on your work bench without a ceramic block.
Touch equipment if you have not been instructed to do so.
Heat anything in a closed container.
Use chipped or cracked glassware. If heated, it can burst.
When there are accidents:
1. Report fires, accidents, or injuries to the instructor immediately.
2. Clean up mess at once.
- You can clean up your spills.
- Instructor will clean up broken glass.
- Fill out broken glass form.
3. The best treatment for burns or chemical spillage is to immediately flush area with cool water.
4. If you get something in your eyes, use the eye wash station. If someone else in the lab is blinded,
guide them to the eye wash station and help them flush out their eyes.
5. If there is extensive chemical spillage on skin or clothing, use the safety shower.
6. If you develop any symptoms, report them to the instructor. If you have asthma or any allergies that
may be troublesome, let your instructor know.
7. FIRES:
- Know where extinguishers are and how to use them
- If extensive, leave the area.
- If clothing catches on fire, do any of the following:
1. Get under safety shower
2. Wrap victim in fire blanket
3. Roll on floor to extinguish fire
Be Careful with:
1. Acetone, ether, iso-octane, benzene, or any alcohol around open flames. (Why? These are volatile
organic compounds which can easily catch fire.)
2. Heating per–, –ic, and –ate salts.
3. Diluting acids (AAAW!) – Always Add Acid to Water while stirring. (The dissociation of strong
acids is an exothermic process, so a lot of heat can be released when concentrated acids are diluted.
If you add water to acid, you form an extremely concentrated solution of acid initially. So much
heat is released that the solution may boil very violently, splashing concentrated acid out of the
container! If you add acid to water, the solution that forms is very dilute and the small amount of
heat released is not enough to vaporize and spatter it.)
4. Spills with KOH or NaOH – clean up immediately and do not get on skin. (Bases can cause
chemical burns on skin.)
5. Chlorine, fluorine, bromine, nitric oxide, and hydrogen sulfide gases – use a hood. (Toxic gases)
6. C-N linkages (cyanides, cyanates, nitrites, cyano-) – use a hood.
Lab Report Format
Lab Reports are to be typed and printed out for inclusion in the Lab Binder. These may be double-sided
to save paper. Use the following format:
Title (centered)
Date (centered)
Name (centered)
I. Objective(s): What is the purpose of the lab? Use complete sentences.
II. Concept(s):
What concept (theory, law, etc.) is being illustrated in the lab? Use complete sentences.
III. Procedure:
This should be a short summary of the procedure provided in the lab handout – it should
not be in complete sentences. Number the steps.
IV. Data:
This section may include data that is qualitative (observations) and/or quantitative
(measurements). Measurements must include proper units and significant figures.
Graphs and data tables may either be hand-written or computer-generated.
V. Analysis:
Analysis questions will be included in each lab. These must be numbered and answered
in complete sentences. Any calculations MUST be shown. Calculations should be handwritten.
VI. Discussion
&
Conclusion
This section should include an explanation of your results and include sources of error –
what went wrong and WHY? What did you learn from this lab activity? Use complete
sentences.
All pages in the lab report should be numbered. Place the page number at the center and bottom of the page and
circle it. The first page of the very first lab report should be numbered as page 6. All subsequent pages are to
be one higher than the previous page.
Include any lab handouts with the appropriate lab and number the pages as described above.