Chemistry Prep
The chemistry prep course is designed as an introductory chemistry course. This course is meant to deepen basic science knowledge and skills while introducing students to the units of study found in Regents-level chemistry. These units include the following:
1. Atomic Concepts - subtopics may include: history of atomic models, identifying subatomic particles, ionization, isotopes, bright-line spectra, and electron configurations
2. Matter - subtopics may include: phases of matter, heating curves, and ideal gas laws
3. Periodic Table - subtopics may include ionization energies, electron affinity, electronegativity, atomic radius, metals/nonmetals/gasses, properties of transition metals.
4. Chemical Bonding - subtopics may include ionic bonding, intermolecular forces, covalent bonding, building lewis structures, and VESPR theory.
5. Solutions - subtopics may include separation techniques, concentration, molarity, serial dilutions, and titrations
6. Kinetics and Equilibrium - subtopics may include reaction rates, catalysts/enzymes, effects of concentration, and Le Chatelier's principle.
7. Acids and Bases - subtopics may include acid-base theories (Arrhenius Acids/bases, Bronsted-Lowry Acids/bases), pH scale, acid-based behavior, and neutralization reactions
8. Electrochemistry (REDOX reactions)- subtopics may include writing half-reactions, building a galvanic cell, electrolysis, batteries, and understanding spontaneous reactions
9. Organic Chemistry - subtopics may include identifying and naming aliphatic molecules, naming functional groups, isomers, basic organic reactions (combustion, single and double substitutions)
10. Nuclear Chemistry - subtopics may include radioactivity, nuclear stability, nuclear transmutations, radioactive decay, detection of radioactivity, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion.
While there is no formal lab component to this course, chemistry is often best learned through hands-on manipulation of materials or through computer simulations.