Advanced Placement Chemistry Course Description
The following list of topics for an AP course is intended to be a guide to the level and breadth of treatment expected rather than to be a syllabus. The percentage after each major topic indicates the approximate proportion of multiple-choice questions on the exam that pertain to the topic.
I. Structure of Matter (20%)
A. Atomic theory and atomic structure
1.Evidence for the atomic theory
2.Atomic masses; determination by chemical and physical means
3.Atomic number and mass number; isotopes
4.Electron energy levels: atomic spectra, quantum numbers,
atomic orbitals
5.Periodic relationships including, for example, atomic radii, ioniza
tion energies, electron affinities,
oxidation states
B. Chemical bonding
1.Binding forces
a.
Types: ionic, covalent, metallic, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals
(including London dispersion forces)
b. Relationships to states, structure, and properties of matter c. Polarity of bonds, electronegativities
2.Molecular models
a. Lewis structures
b.
Valence bond: hybridization of orbitals, resonance, sigma and
pi bonds
c. VSEPR
3.Geometry of molecules and ions, structural isomerism of simple
organic molecules and coordination
complexes; dipole moments of
molecules; relation of
properties to structure
C. Nuclear chemistry: nuclear equations, half-lives, and radioactivity;
chemical applications
II. States of Matter (20%)
A. Gases
1.Laws of ideal gases
a. Equation of state for an ideal gas b. Partial pressures
2.Kinetic molecular theory
a.
Interpretation of ideal gas laws on the basis of this theory b. Avogadro’s
hypothesis and the mole concept
c. Dependence of kinetic energy of molecules on temperature d. Deviations
from ideal gas laws
B. Liquids and solids
1.Liquids and solids from the kinetic-molecular viewpoint
2.Phase diagrams of one-component systems
3.Changes of state, including critical points and triple points
4.Structure of solids; lattice energies
C. Solutions
1.Types of solutions and factors affecting solubility
2.Methods of expressing concentration (use of normalities is
not tested)
3.Raoult’s law and colligative properties (nonvolatile solutes);
osmosis
4.Nonideal behavior (qualitative aspects)
III. Reactions (35 - 40%)
A. Reaction types
1.Acid-base reactions; concepts of Arrhenius, Brønsted-Lowry, and
Lewis; coordination complexes;
amphoterism
2.Precipitation reactions
3.Oxidation-reduction reactions
a. Oxidation number
b. The role of the electron in oxidation-reduction
c.
Electrochemistry: electrolytic and galvanic cells; Faraday’s laws;
standard half-cell potentials;
Nernst equation; prediction of the
direction of redox reactions
B. Stoichiometry
1.Ionic
and molecular species present in chemical systems: net
ionic equations
2.Balancing of equations including those for redox reactions
3.Mass
and volume relations with emphasis on the mole concept,
including empirical formulas and
limiting reactants
C. Equilibrium
1.Concept of dynamic equilibrium, physical and chemical;
Le Chatelier’s principle;
equilibrium constants
2.Quantitative treatment
a. Equilibrium constants for gaseous reactions: K p, Kc b. Equilibrium constants for reactions in solution
(1)Constants for acids and bases; pK; pH
(2)Solubility product constants and their application to precipi
tation and the dissolution of
slightly soluble compounds
(3)Common ion effect; buffers; hydrolysis
D. Kinetics
1.Concept of rate of reaction
2.Use of
experimental data and graphical analysis to determine
reactant order, rate constants, and
reaction rate laws
3.Effect of temperature change on rates
4.Energy of activation; the role of catalysts
5.The
relationship between the rate-determining step and
a mechanism
E. Thermodynamics
1.State functions
2.First law:
change in enthalpy; heat of formation; heat of reaction;
Hess’s law; heats of vaporization and
fusion; calorimetry
3.Second
law: entropy; free energy of formation; free energy of
reaction; dependence of change in free
energy on enthalpy
and entropy changes
4.Relationship of change in free energy to equilibrium constants and
electrode potentials
IV. Descriptive Chemistry (10 -15%)
Knowledge of specific facts of chemistry is essential for an understanding of
principles and concepts. These descriptive facts, including the chemistry
involved in environmental and societal issues, should not be isolated from the
principles being studied but should be taught throughout the course to
illustrate and illuminate the principles. The following areas
should be covered:
1.Chemical reactivity and products of chemical reactions
2.Relationships in the periodic table: horizontal, vertical, and diagonal
with examples from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, halogens, and
the first series of transition elements
3.Introduction to organic chemistry: hydrocarbons and functional
groups (structure, nomenclature,
chemical properties)
V. Laboratory (5 -10%)
The differences between college chemistry and the usual secondary school chemistry course are especially evident in the laboratory work. The AP Chemistry Exam includes some questions based on experiences and skills students acquire in the laboratory:
• making observations of chemical reactions and substances • recording data
• calculating and
interpreting results based on the quantitative
data obtained
• communicating effectively the results of experimental work