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Naming Compounds
Memorizing the Names of Polyatomic Ions
Examples of polyatomic ions Generally, polyatomic ions have suffixes that end in "ite" or "ate" if they contain oxygen atoms. chloridehypochloritechloritechlorateperchlorate Note: Chloride shown above is not a polyatomic ion, it's a monoatomic ion...
Compounds with Polyatomic Ions
What are polyatomic ions? Ions are formed when neutral atoms gain or lose electrons. Similarly, a polyatomic ion is formed when a neutral molecule gains or loses electrons. A polyatomic ion is a charged group of atoms covalently bonded together. Majority of the...
Flow chart for naming compounds
Naming inorganic compounds
AP CHEMISTRY TEACHERS - WE HAVE RESOURCES FOR YOUR ENTIRE CLASS TO USE... Identify if a compound is covalent or ionic You will need to know the periodic table You must be able to identify the non-metals, metals, and transition elements in the periodic table You must...
Learn the rules for ionic compounds
Background: How ionic compounds are formed Ionic compounds are formed from the electrostatic attraction of oppositely charged ions. The ions are arranged in such a way that they form a giant crystal lattice of alternating positive and negative ions. An example of an...
Learn the rules for covalent compounds
Covalent compound A covalent compound involves two non-metals forming a chemical structure together. Rules What are the rules for naming covalent compounds? • Covalent compounds involve multiple non-metals • Covalent compounds use prefixes - to indicate the number of...
Chemical Kinetics
Catalyst and Activation Energy
Catalyst A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction but it does not undergo a chemical reaction itself. The catalyst allows the reaction an alternative pathway to take place. The catalyst does not lower the activation energy of the reaction. Analogy
Reaction Coordinate Diagram
Given the following reaction, sketch a reaction coordinate graph. The reaction involves two steps, step 1 is the slowest step and step 2 is the fastest step. Indicate on the diagram the overall enthalpy change of the reaction, the reaction for the transitions states and intermediate states.
H2(g) + 2ICl(g) –> 2HCl(g) + I2(g)
Integrated Rate Laws
Overview There are two types of rate laws that we need to learn for AP chemistry: Differential rate law Integrated rate law What is the difference between the differential rate law and integrated rate law? The differential rate law is actually a derivative of the...
Differential Rate Laws
Methods for determining order of reaction This section looks at how concentration affects reaction rate. You will learn how to determine the order of a reaction. Reactions are often categorized into first, second, third order, etc. and this information is useful for...
Rate of reaction
Measuring rate This section aims to cover the following topics: Define chemical reaction rate Define rate expression Relative rates of reaction and stoichiometry ratio Change in concentration over time The rate of a chemical reaction can be thought of as the speed at...
Mechanisms and Intermediates
Reaction mechanism Chemical reactions often take place in multiple steps and it's not always obvious from looking at the chemical equation. For example, the decomposition of ozone: From the equation, it appears that O₃ decomposes to O₂ in one step. In reality, it's...
Introduction to Chemical Kinetics
Energy Kinetics involves studying what makes chemical reactions happen. Every reaction that happens involves some energy exchange, whether it's slow reaction such as iron rusting, or a faster reaction, such as when a rocket burns fuel during take off. Size of...
Bond Energy
Bond Energy and Bond Enthalpy
Bond Enthalpy Introduction In order to understand why breaking bonds requires energy (endothermic) and making bonds releases energy (exothermic), one must first understand the nature of a chemical bond and why it occurs in the first place. Remember that bonds are due...
Reaction enthalpies
Enthalpy change For a reaction Bonds Know that Breaking bonds always requires energy (never releases energy) Forming bonds always releases energy (never requires energy) Exothermic and endothermic process Breaking bonds is always an endothermic process (whether...
Thermodynamics
Entropy – Microstate and Macrostate
The term microstate refers to the behavior of atoms and molecules in terms of how energy is redistributed among the particles in a system. A microstate is the arrangement of molecules within a macrostate, that is, within a system with very specific properties. If...
Acids and Bases
AP chemistry pacing guide – how to create one!
The Importance of an effective AP chemistry pacing guide. Recently, I've noticed a shift among AP chemistry teachers – more and more educators are opting to align their course content with the sequence recommended by the College Board for AP Chemistry. For some...
AP chemistry Summer Prep Course
The age-old question for teachers who want to prepare their students for the upcoming school year by providing summer work is: How can I ensure that my students complete this work? The simple answer is – you can’t. However, teachers continue to ask this question...
The Scientific Method
Nature of Science - Part 1 Nature of Science - Part 2 In the realm of education, few subjects hold as much significance as the Scientific Method and Scientific Process. These foundational principles are not just elements of a curriculum; they are the cornerstones of...
Chemistry Resources for New AP Chemistry Teachers
Chemistry Teaching Resources: Empowering AP Chemistry Students and Teachers for Success Empower your students and yourself with Viziscience AP® Chemistry teaching resources! In the dynamic world of chemistry education, AP Chemistry teachers face a complex tapestry of...
What is mol rxn? Units in thermochemistry calculations.
What is the thermochemistry unit “mol-rxn”? The “mol-rxn” unit is especially confusing because in most reactions, the stoichiometry of each reactant and product differs. There is simply no such thing as a reaction mole unless we refer to a mole of reactions, i.e., 6.022E23 reactions occurring in concert, which we are certainly not.
How can you determine the number of neutrons in an atom?
How do we determine the number of neutrons in a given atom? First, let’s define some terms that you’ll need to be familiar with. • The atomic number of an atom is the number of protons in the nucleus of that atom. • The mass number (also called the nucleon number) of...
Burning Money Experiment (Chemistry)
Burning money experiment for chemistry This discrepant event is short but can be made into a lot of fun with a little theater: Find the largest dollar bill amount in the classroom. I like to ask the class who the “big shot” is in the class and then proceed to ask...
Returning to the classroom 20/21
The 2020-2021 school year had its challenges, no doubt. Here are the top three things you should do to ensure a successful year for 2021-2022. Without further ado, let’s jump in! 1) Make your students excited to be back! Yes, this is the absolute best thing you can do...
Catalyst and Activation Energy
Catalyst A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction but it does not undergo a chemical reaction itself. The catalyst allows the reaction an alternative pathway to take place. The catalyst does not lower the activation energy of the reaction. Analogy
Entropy – Microstate and Macrostate
The term microstate refers to the behavior of atoms and molecules in terms of how energy is redistributed among the particles in a system. A microstate is the arrangement of molecules within a macrostate, that is, within a system with very specific properties. If...
Atomic Structure & Properties
How can you determine the number of neutrons in an atom?
How do we determine the number of neutrons in a given atom? First, let’s define some terms that you’ll need to be familiar with. • The atomic number of an atom is the number of protons in the nucleus of that atom. • The mass number (also called the nucleon number) of...
