Advanced Placement Chemistry
Course Goals:
This course is designed to provide students with a first-year college chemistry experience. Students will gain the understanding of concepts and
content, the study skills, lab skills expected of a first-year college chemistry student.
Textbook and Laboratory Resources
Textbook: Chemistry, 11th Edition, Raymond Chang and Kenneth A. Goldsby, McGraw-Hill 2013
Laboratory investigations are taken from the following sources:
- Laboratory Manual for Principles of General Chemistry, Fifth Edition, J.A. Beran, Wiley, 1994
- General Chemistry Laboratory Manual, 2nd Edition, Perta A.M. van Koppen, McGraw-Hill 2007 (van Koppen)
- Vernier Advanced Chemistry (Vernier)
- Laboratory Experiments for Advanced Placement Chemistry, Sally Ann Vonderbrink, Flinn Scientific, 1995 (Vonderbrink)
Overview and Structure of Course
Classes meet every other day for 83 minutes on an A-B block schedule. Our schedule provides for 33 weeks before the test, with the last 2
weeks used as make-up, review, and enrichment in the form of collaborative problem-solving and peer-reviewed writing. We offer two sections
of Advanced Placement Chemistry, scheduled during first period (A days) and second period (B days). Students are expected to preview
material prior to class by reading and using other resources provided. Class time is then used for lecture/explanation, to discuss questions and
clear up confusion, work through application problems, and a general introduction to lab. To extend learning time for students, we make use of
zero hour time, advisory time, lunch, and after school time for discussion, collaborative work on problem-solving, lab prep, and data analysis.
The lab is always open under supervision for at least an hour both before and after school and at lunch. Students meet in groups outside of
class time, under instructor supervision in the lab classroom, for approximately 30-60 minutes for each of the 22 labs. Students use this
collaborative out-of-class group time before lab day to plan their lab, as additional tome to carry out their lab work, and meet again after lab to
analyze their lab work together. On lab days, students arrange to use these additional blocks of time for actual lab work as needed. Both
sections are scheduled adjacent to either zero-hour and advisory, or advisory and lunch. Collaborative study groups are a carryover from firstyear chemistry. This allows class time on lab days to used exclusively for bench work and data collection. This practice models the
collaborative study groups students often form in college.
Some students have completed the following labs during first year chemistry: Water of Hydration, Determination of the Molar Mass of Gas, in
addition to basic first-year labs in separating matter, reactions and types, molecular model-building, stoichiometric analysis, and gas laws.
These labs remain, at present, part of the AP Chem course so that all students will have the opportunity to perform them. Students are required
to maintain a laboratory notebook with a write-up for each lab. Lab write-ups includes a purpose with hypothesis if appropriate, introduction,
safety, chemical data taken from MSDS, materials list, procedure, and data tables formatted before lab, and an analysis including appropriate
calculations, graphs, calculation tables, discussion, error analysis, and conclusion. The Beer’s Law Lab (17) is included in the Determination of
an Equilibrium Constant Lab. Determination of Indicators Lab (11) is included in the Standardization of a Primary Solution Lab.
Units 1 - 9, and 12 (see below) are largely review of topics from first year chemistry. The fundamental concepts are the focus of a summer
review assignment. A 30-minute test over this review material is given on Day 3 of class. Topics marked as Review are assigned as reading for
class preparation and used as background in class. Additional work is done in out-of-class study sessions as needed.
Grades are based on 6 exams, quizzes, homework quizzes, and lab write-ups.
Weeks
1
2
2.5
Unit
Topic
Unit 1: Matter, Measurement, Review (3)
Review from Year 1: as summer assignment. Brief in-class review as
preparation for lab.
 Lab safety and technique
 Physical and chemical properties
 Physical and chemical changes
 Evidence for atomic theory
 Determination of atomic masses by chemical and physical means;
isotopes
 Nomenclature, including polyatomic ions
 Writing and balancing chemical equations
 Five types of reactions; prediction of products
 Composition stoichiometry: percent composition, empirical
formulas
 Mass/mole relationships in chemical reactions, limiting reactants
 Basis for the arrangement of the periodic table
 Test over summer review topics on Day 3. (30 min)
Unit 2: Solutions, Reactions, Stoichiometry (4)
Review from Year 1: summer assignment. Brief in-class review as
preparation for lab.
 Types of reactions taking place in aqueous solutions
Topics (new)
 Properties of aqueous solutions; conductivity
 Reactions: precipitation, acid-base, oxidation-reduction
 Writing ionic and net ionic equations
 Balancing equations for redox reactions
Unit 3: Gas Laws (5)
Review from Year 1:
 Kinetic Theory and interpretation of ideal gas laws (introduction)
 Properties of gases
 Laws: conceptual and quantitative problem solving
Topics
 Properties of gases
 Relationships among properties of gases: temperature, pressure,
volume, amount
Chapters
Labs
Ch 1-3
1. Determination of a Chemical Formula
(Vernier #2)
2. Water of Hydration (Vernier #2)
Ch 4
14.Separation and qualitative analysis of
cation and anions
(Carolina Biological kit)
Ch. 5
3. Determination of Molar Mass by Vapor
Density (Vonderbrink #7)
5. Determination of the Molar Volume of
a Gas (van Koppen #5)

2.5
1
Laws, conceptual and calculated relationships, application of
equations: Boyle, Charles, Gay-Lussac, Dalton’s Law of Partial
Pressure; combined gas law, ideal gas law.
 Gas density calculations; molar mass, molar volume
 Stoichiometry of gases in chemical reactions; mass, mole, volume
relationships in chemical reactions
 Kinetic molecular theory as a basis for interpretation of ideal gas
laws
 Diffusion, effusion; Graham’s Law,
 Deviation of gases from ideal behavior
Unit 4: Thermochemistry
Review from Year 1:
 Specific heat of a metal
 Types, interconversions, transfer of energy
 Energy changes in Chemical Reactions – endothermic, exothermic
Topics
 State functions
 Basic laws of work and thermodynamics
 First law: enthalpy of chemical reactions
 Standard enthalpy of formation and reaction
 Calorimetry
 Hess’s law
 Heat of solution
Unit 5: Atomic Structure, Part 2: Electrons
Review from Year 1:
 Evidence for atomic theory
 Isotopes
 Electron configuration – energy levels, sublevels, orbitals
Topics
 Emission spectra
 Planck’s quantum theory
 Photoelectric effect
 Development of the Bohr model
 Dual nature of electrons
 Quantum mechanics, quantum numbers, orbitals
 Electron configurations
Ch. 6
13. Determining the enthalpy change of
a chemical reaction (Vonderbrink #6)
Ch. 7
Spectroscopy (dry lab; in cooperation
with local university) (Beran #11)
2
0.5
1.5
1
Unit 6: Periodic Table and Periodic Properties of Elements Descriptive Chemistry
Review from Year 1:
 Periodic law
 Electron configurations predicted from periodic table
 Trends in atomic and ionic radii, electronegativities, ionization
energies
Topics:
 Review of the development of Mendeleev’s periodic table
 Periodic relationships: atomic radii, ionization energies,
 Relationships among elements on the periodic table: horizontal,
vertical, diagonal; examples from alkali metals, alkaline earth
metals, halogens, and the first series of transition elements.
 Chemical reactivity
 Trends in physical properties ex. Density
 Trends in chemical properties
Unit 7: Nuclear Chemistry
Review from Year 1:
 Atomic number, mass number, atomic structure
 Isotopes
Topics:
 Nuclear equations, half-lives, radioactivity
 Applications in chemistry
Unit 8: Chemical Bonding
Review from Year 1:
 Lewis dot symbols
 Ionic and covalent bonds; electronegativity; properties
 Polarity of bonds
Topics:
 Relationship of bond type to states, structure, and properties of
matter
 Lattice energy determination
Unit 9: Molecular Geometry and Bonding Theories
Review from Year 1:
 Writing Lewis dot structures
 Basic molecular geometry
Topics
 Molecular geometry from electron dot structures
Ch. 8
8. Analysis of Bleach (Vonderbrink #10)
Ch. 19
Ch. 9
18. Chromatography (Beran #4)
Ch. 10
Model building; modeling the application
of VSEPR (dry lab)
1
1
2.5
 VSEPR model and application
 Dipoles
 Valence bond theory
 Hybridization of atomic orbitals
 Resonance
 Sigma and pi bonds
 Molecular orbitals
Unit 10: Intermolecular Forces
Review from Year 1:
 Polarity of water; hydrogen bonding in water
Topics:
 Van der Waals forces; London dispersion forces
 Structure of solids
 Liquids and solids as explained by the kinetic-molecular theory
 Types of crystals; metallic bonds
 Relationship of bond type to states, structure, and properties of
matter
 Phase changes (changes of state), phase diagrams for 1component systems; critical point and triple point
Unit 11: Coordination Chemistry: Winter Break Bonus
Topics
 Properties of transition metals
 Coordination compounds; oxidation numbers, nomenclature
 Structure of coordination compounds
 Structural isomerism of coordination complexes
 Reactions and applications
Unit 12: Properties of Solutions
Review from Year 1:
 Formation of a solution, factors affecting solubility (introduction)
molarity
Topics (Review from Year 1):
 Types of solutions
 Factors affecting solubility
 Concentration (molarity, molality)
 Volume/mole relationships in chemical reactions,
 Raoult’s Law; nonideal solutions
 Colligative Properties
Ch. 11
Ch. 23
15. Synthesis and Analysis of Alum
(Vernier #15)
16. Conductimetric Titration and
Gravimetric Determination of a
Precipitate (Vernier #16)
Ch 12
4. Freezing Point Depression
(Vonderbrink #8)
2.5
2.5
2.5
Unit 13: Chemical Kinetics
Topics
 Concept of rate of reaction
 Use of experimental data and graphical analysis to determine
reactant order, rate constants, and reaction rate laws
 Effect of temperature change on rates
 Energy of activation and the role of catalysts
 Relationship between the rate-determining step and a mechanism
Unit 14: Chemical Equilibrium
Topics
 Dynamic equilibrium as a concept, physical and chemical
 Concept of LeChatelier’s principle
 Concept of equilibrium constants
 Equilibrium constants for gaseous reactions, Kp, Kc.
 Equilibrium constants for reactions in solutions.
 Constants for acids and bases; pK, pH
 Solubility product constants and their application to precipitation
and the dissolution of slightly soluble compounds
Unit 15: Acid-Base Equilibrium; Buffers
 Dissociation of water; equation
Topics
 Review of acid-base reactions
 Arrhenius, Brønsted-Lowry, Lewis acids.bases
 Amphoterism
 pH as a measure of acidity
 Calculating pH from molarity
 Strong and weak acids and bases (Acid and conjugate bases)
 Interpreting and using ionization constants
 Common ion effect
 Buffer solutions; preparation
 Acid-base titrations
 Indicators
 Solubility product constants and their application to precipitation
and the dissolution of slightly soluble compounds
 Common ion effect; buffers, hydrolysis
Ch. 13
12. Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide
(Vernier #12)
Ch. 14
10. Determination of an Equilibruim
Constant (FeSCN2+) Using a
Spectrophotometer (van Koppen #14
adapted for Vernier Spectroviz)
17. Beers Law (Vernier #17)
Ch. 4-7
Ch. 15
Ch. 16
11. Investigating Indicators (Vernier)
6, 7. Antacid Analysis and the
Determination of the Percent Acetic Acid
in Vinegar includes standardization of a
primary NaOH solution (van Knoppen
#15)
19. Acid-Base Equilibria: Determination
of Acid Ionization Constants (van
Knoppen #16)
2
1
2
2
Unit 16: Chemical Thermodynamics
Topics
 Three laws of thermodynamics
 Spontaneous reactions and entropy
 Second law of thermodynamics; changes in entropy
 Gibbs free energy (free energy of reaction)
 Dependence of change in free energy on enthalpy and entropy
changes
 Relationship of change in free energy to equilibrium constants
Unit 17: Organic and Biochemistry
 Structure, nomenclature, and chemical properties of hydrocarbons
and their functional groups
 Structural isomerism of simple organic molecules
Unit 18 Electrochemistry
Topics
 Electrolytic and galvanic cells
 Faraday’s laws
 Standard half-cell potentials
 Nernst equation
 Predicting direction of redox reactions
 Relationship of change in free energy to electrode potentials
Test Review
Ch. 17
9 Determining Mole Ratios in a Chemical
Reaction (Vernier #9)
Ch. 24
22. Synthesis of Aspirin/Wintergreen
(van Knoppen #22)
Ch. 18
20. Determination of Electrochemical
Series (Vernier #20)
21. Measurements using electrochemical
cells (Vernier #21)