AP NOTES 6 UNITS
Each of UNITS 1-6 listed below has a title, defined by me, that is designed to encapsulate the content of each of the six Big Ideas as defined by the College Board in their 2014 Course and Exam Description for AP Chemistry. That CED, and hence these notes, have now been superseded by the 2019 CED and the notes above, However, since the difference between the 2014 and 2019 is extremely small in terms of the chemistry content, they remain potentially useful, so they stay available for now.
In addition to UNITS 1-6, in UNIT 0 I have included topic areas that I feel are necessary for the foundation of an AP Chemistry course, but that are not formally included in the Big Ideas. These are some of the ideas that would normally be addressed in a traditional, first year chemistry course.
Each topic within each unit has a title (shown in green below) that is my interpretation of each of the Enduring Understandings and Essential Knowledge statements defined by the College Board.
Within each topic there are references to each one of the 117 Learning Objectives, also defined by the College Board in the 2014 CED.
NOTE: The notes below will no longer undergo any updates, the last time they were edited is shown on the date and timestamps in red.
UNIT 0: AP CHEMISTRY PREAMBLE (07/31/2016 5:03 PM)
TOPIC 0A: Chemistry, Scientific Method and Chemical & Physical Change
TOPIC 0B: Measurement
TOPIC 0C: Atomic Theory
TOPIC 0D: Nomenclature
UNIT 1: ATOMS, ELEMENTS AND PERIODICITY (08/31/2016 4:57 PM)
The chemical elements are fundamental building materials of matter, and all matter can be understood in terms of arrangements of atoms. These atoms retain their identity in chemical reactions.
TOPIC 1A: Atoms and The Elements
TOPIC 1B: Electrons
TOPIC 1C: The Periodic Table & Periodicity
TOPIC 1D: Mass Spectrometry and Spectroscopy
TOPIC 1E: Conservation of Atoms
UNIT 2: GASES & CHEMICAL BONDING (09/27/2018 3:20 PM)
Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them.
TOPIC 2A: States of Matter and Solutions
TOPIC 2B: Intermolecular Forces
TOPIC 2C: Intra Bonding
TOPIC 2D: Bonding and Properties of Solids
UNIT 3: CHEMICAL REACTIONS AND ENERGY CHANGES (08/09/2017 5:35 PM)
Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms and/or the transfer of electrons.
TOPIC 3A: Chemical Reactions
TOPIC 3B: Types of Chemical Reaction
TOPIC 3C: Energy Changes & Electrochemistry
UNIT 4: CHEMICAL KINETICS (08/02/2016 5:45 PM)
Rates of chemical reactions are determined by details of the molecular collisions.
TOPIC 4A: Factors Affecting Rates
TOPIC 4B: Collision Theory
TOPIC 4C: Reaction Mechanisms
TOPIC 4D: Catalysts
UNIT 5: CHEMICAL THERMODYNAMICS (01/04/2017 7:33 AM)
The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role of energy and explain and predict the direction of changes in matter.
TOPIC 5A: Heat, Temperature and Kinetic Energy
TOPIC 5B: Work, Calorimetry and Conservation of Energy
TOPIC 5C: Breaking and Making Chemical Bonds
TOPIC 5D: Physical and Chemical Changes and Bonding
TOPIC 5E: Enthalpy, Entropy and Free Energy
UNIT 6: CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIUM (02/23/2017 4:48 PM)
Any bond or intermolecular attraction that can be formed can be broken. These two processes are in a dynamic competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external perturbations.
TOPIC 6A: Equilibrium
TOPIC 6B: Le Châtelier’s Principle
TOPIC 6C: Acid-Base Equilibria
TOPIC 6D: Free Energy and Equilibrium