Chemistry

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Welcome

Listed below are our essential standards, which also provide a good general idea of the course sequence. The syllabus and other main documents are attached. You'll also find links to the unit pages, where you can download handouts, lab write-up templates, powerpoints, and other media used in class.

Course Description

Prerequisite: Conceptual Physics, Algebra I
Co-requisite: Algebra II

Chemistry is the second high school laboratory science course, and is required of all students for graduation. It is a required prerequisite for AP Biology. Exponential and logarithmic functions will be used and taught as needed. It will include a substantial hands-on laboratory component where critical thinking and problems solving skills will be at the forefront of successful lab completion.

The course will move at a fast pace in order to cover a large breadth of topics.

Essential Standards

Investigation and Experimentation Unit 1	Students demonstrate safety procedures and equipment use. They plan experiments by controlling variables, and have multiple quantitative means of gathering and analyzing data. They can use dimensional analysis to setup and solve problems.
Atomic Theory Unit 2	Students can describe how key experiments advanced the Atomic Model. They understand the difference between physical, chemical and nuclear changes, know the meaning of atomic number, atomic mass, quarks, and isotope, and can describe what occurs during alpha, beta, and gamma decay. They can solve radioactive decay problems involving half-life, and know that some elements only exist in laboratory settings. Students know Avagadro’s number and can use it with molar mass to convert between mols and kilograms.
Electron Orbits Unit 2	Students can synthesize information including orbital types, Pauli’s exclusion principle, quantum electron states, and hybridization to describe and diagram the general characteristics of an element’s electron cloud. Students understand that electron orbits quantized, and that falling electrons emit unique light spectra. Students can determine the ionized charge of an element on the basis of full, empty, hybrid, or half full orbitals. Students can label the regions, groups, and periods of the periodic table and can describe element’s properties in these categories.
Electronegativity, Bonds, Inorganic Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry Unit 3	Students understand how the electronegativity scale can be used to determine the type of bond formed between two elements, and can correctly notate and interpret bond types using stick diagrams, Lewis dot diagrams, and VSEPR theory. Students can describe how elements can be used to form an electrochemical potential (battery). Students can balance and solve chemical equations. Students can identify and label the reaction type (redox, neutralization, single sub, double sub, synthesis, decomposition). Students can calculate percent yield using molar masses of products and reactants. Students predict how hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces might affect properties such as surface tension. Students can 1) name 2) sketch 3) write formulas for hydrocarbons (up through 10) with single, double, or triple bonds which may contain a benzene ring. alcohols, ketones, ethers, amines, esters, aldehydes, or organic acids. Students can describe carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and amino acids and can diagram and how amino acids polymerize.
Solutions Unit 4	Students can use or gather data on solubility, and understand the concepts solute, solvent, solubility, and how solubility is affected by polarity, competing solutes, and temperature. Students know methods for separating out solutions including chromatography, fractional distillation, and precipitation. Students can calculate and mix solutions with specific molarities.
Kinematic Theory of Matter Unit 4	Students have synthesized the Kinematic Theory of Matter including heat, specific heat, thermal energy, temperature, states of matter, phase change, latent heat, rate of diffusion, and boiling and melting point depression. Students can convert between temperature scales, and can calculate the relationship between thermal energy, heat flow, specific heat, and temperature, and can use a calorimeter. Students know how to use gas laws to calculate pressure, partial pressure, volume, temperature, and mols of gases.
Acids and Bases Unit 5	Students can calculate a solution’s pH from H+ and OH- concentrations, can define acids and bases according to the Arrhenius, Bronsted-Lowry, and Lewis acid-base definitions, and can identify a written neutralization reaction. Students understand weak versus strong acids and bases and buffer solutions, and can perform and analyze titrations.
Reaction Rates and Equilibrium Unit 5	Students label reactions as endothermic, exothermic, or spontaneous using Gibbs free energy, and can describe enthalpy changes. Students understand and can calculate initial reaction rates based on concentration, pressure, and temperature using LeChatelier’s Principle. Students know the meaning of equilibrium and can calculate equilibrium constants. Students understand the effects of catalysts, enzymes, and inhibitors.