Honors Chemistry

Winthrop H.S.

DETAILED SYLLABUS FOR
C.P. CHEMISTRY
(SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
• Eli C. Minkoff, Ph.D. •
Revised August 26, 2010

A comprehensive first-year chemistry course for all students interested in any science.
Chemistry is fundamental to the understanding of all other sciences, and the intellectual and practical
skills learned in this course are transferable to all other science fields and many nonsciences.
Please note that this syllabus remains subject to change, especially as regards the laboratories.
_________________________

EXPECTATIONS:

Quizzes will usually be given each week, also longer tests at least once per marking period.
Reading assignments will be given in the text.
Homework problems will also be assigned. Penalty points will be assessed for late work, unless excused.
A biweekly schedule will be posted online and will include all tests, quizzes, and homework assignments.
Students are expected to consult all online postings, ESPECIALLY if absent.
Students absent more than two days should contact the instructor.
Laboratory work is an important part of this course.
Additional information is posted online at Http://abacus.bates.edu/acad/depts/biobook/win.htm

TEXT: Davis, Metcalfe, Williams, and Castka MODERN CHEMISTRY (2002 copyright or 2005 printing) (Holt Rinehart Winston).

1. INTRODUCTION TO CHEMISTRY (Chapters 1-2)

Overview of course; course procedures
LAB safety contracts 1a
SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF MATTER AND ITS CHANGES:
What is chemistry? What is matter?
Scientific method
Matter; states of matter
Elements, compounds, mixtures
Chemical & physical properties
Chemical & physical changes
Separating mixtures
MEASUREMENTS AND CALCULATIONS:
Scientific notation
SI measurements
Accuracy; uncertainty and precision
Significant figures
Dimensional analysis; unit conversions
Temperature
Density
LAB 1b: SI measurements
LAB 1c: Density of solids and liquids
REVIEW

2. THE ATOM AND ATOMIC STRUCTURE (Chapters 3-4)

Elements
Dalton's atomic theory
LAB 2a: selected elements, compounds, & reactions
Atomic structure; Rutherford's gold foil experiment
Protons, neutrons, electrons
Atomic numbers, masses, isotopes
Rutherford's atom (planetary model)
Octet rule and ion formation
Introducing the Periodic Table.
(SIMPLE IONIC COMPOUNDS will be introduced here, from ch. 7)
Atomic spectra; quantum levels
Wave mechanics and electron orbitals
Bohr's quantum model of the atom
Electron orbitals and their shapes
Aufbau principle, orbitals, and the periodic table
Lab 2b: separating and purifying
Lab 2d: distillation
Lab 2e: conservation of matter
REVIEW

Target date: Bohr model by end of September

3. CHEMICAL FORMULAS AND COMPOUNDS (Chapter 7)

Ions; ionic bonds
Ionic compounds and their formulas
Naming ionic compounds
Covalent bonding
Covalent compounds and their names
Compounds containing polyatomic ions
Special naming rules for acids
Writing formulas from names
Molecular weights
The mole; Avogadro's hypothesis or law
Molarity
Percentage composition problems
Determining formulas from percent composition
Lab 3a: width of a molecule
Lab 3b: mass & mole ratios
Lab 3c: precipitation reactions
Lab 5b: carbon dioxide demo
REVIEW
EXAM COVERING UNITS 1-3

Target: End of 1st marking period

4. PERIODICITY, AND THE PERIODIC TABLE (Chapter 5)

DESCRIPTIVE CHEMISTRY of some elements (see the "Elements Handbook"
in the back of the text.)
Periodic relations; Mendeleev
Atomic properties and periodic trends
REVIEW

5. CHEMICAL REACTIONS AND QUANTITIES (Chapters 8-9)

Chemical reactions; evidence of a reaction
Writing and balancing chemical equations
Types of reactions: synthesis; decomposition; single replacement; double replacement
Predicting various reactions: precipitations, acid/base reactions, oxidation/reduction reactions, etc.
Molecular weights
Moles and Avogadro's law
Stoichiometry
Limiting reactants
Percentage yield
LAB 4b: Stoichiometry of a chlorate
LAB 4e: Predicting some reactions
LAB 4h: Aluminum as copper robber
REVIEW

Target date: early December

6. MOLECULAR STRUCTURE AND BONDING (Chapter 6 )

Types of bonds; molecular compounds
Electronegativity
Bond polarity; dipoles
Ions and ionic bonds
Valence electrons and Lewis structures
VSEPR theory and molecular geometry
Lab 5c: molecular geometry and VSEPR models
REVIEW
MIDYEAR EXAM COVERING UNITS 4-6 + review

Target: End of 2nd marking period

IMPORTANT: Everything beyond here is uncertain. An updated schedule will be issued later.

7. STATES OF MATTER: SOLIDS, LIQUIDS, GASES (Chapters 10-12)

Importance of gases in chemistry; Lavoisier
Pressure and Torricelli
Gas laws: Boyle's, Charles's, combined; absolute temperatures
DESCRIPTIVE CHEMISTRY of some gases (see the "Elements Handbook"
in the back of the text)
Lab demo 7a: testing hydrogen and some other gases
Combining volumes
Gram-Molecular Volume; Avogadro revisited
Ideal gas law: PV=nRT
Dalton's law of partial pressures
Kinetic molecular theory
What balancing really means
Gas stoichiometry
Water and its phase changes
Phase changes in general
Lab 6a: heat of fusion of ice
LAB 7a: Hydrogen and other gases
LAB 7c: Molar volume of a gas
Intermolecular forces, especially in liquids
Evaporation and vapor pressure
Metallic and nonmetallic solids
Bonding in solids
DESCRIPTIVE CHEMISTRY: Solid and liquid elements

8. SOLUTIONS (Chapters 13-14)

Solutions and solubility
Concentration; dilutions
Stoichiometry with solutions
Colligative properties
LAB 8a: Alum and water of hydration
REVIEW

Target: February break

9. THERMOCHEMISTRY (Chapter 17)

Energy; heat and temperature
Thermodynamics; heat exchange and calorimetry
Enthalpy of a reaction
Exothermic and endothermic processes
Thermochemistry; Hess's law
Entropy and randomness
Free energy, spontaneity, and the "driving force" in chemical reactions
The Gibbs equation
Relation of spontaneity to equilibrium
Practical considerations; energy sources
REVIEW
CUMULATIVE EXAM THROUGH UNIT 9

Target date: End of 3rd marking period

10. KINETICS AND EQUILIBRIUM (Chapter 18)

Kinetics; reaction rates
Collision theory
Activation energy and catalysts
Finding rate laws
Equilibrium chemistry
Heterogeneous equilibria
LeChâtelier's principle
Applications
Lab 9b: finding an equilibrium constant (K_sp)
REVIEW

Target date: mid-March

11. ACIDS AND BASES (Chapters 15-16)

Acids and bases: Arrhenius; Brønsted/Lowry
Neutralization; titration; normality
Strong and weak acids and bases
Water as an acid and a base
pH scale
Buffers; acid-base equilibria
LAB 10a: titration of a standard
LAB 10b: titration of solid acids
LAB 10c: titration of vinegar
LAB 10d: acids, bases, and pH indicators
LAB 10e: buffers
REVIEW

Target date: mid-April

12. OXIDATION, REDUCTION, AND ELECTROCHEMISTRY (Chapter 19)

Oxidation and reduction
Oxidation states
Oxidation and reduction reactions
Balancing redox reactions (half-reaction method)
Electrochemistry: Galvanic cells, batteries, etc.
Electrolysis
LAB 11a: Oxidation-reduction titration
REVIEW
CUMULATIVE EXAM THROUGH UNIT 12

Target: End of April

13. NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY (Chapter 22)

Radioactivity
Transformations
Decay, half-life, dating; reaction series
Medical and other applications
Nuclear energy
Effects of radiation
REVIEW

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14. INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC CHEMISTRY (Chapters 20-21)

Importance of carbon
Hydrocarbons: alkanes
Isomers
IUPAC names
Petroleum chemistry
Alkenes, alkynes
Aromatic hydrocarbons
Functional groups
Alcohols, etc.
Other functional groups
Organic acids & esters; amines
LAB 13a: making esters
LAB 13b: making soap
LAB 13d: proteins
Polymers
Biological chemistry
REVIEW
FINAL EXAM

Target: End of year

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