AP Chemistry
Period 5Instructor: Dr. Brian Campbell
Room 10Website: lechemistry.wordpress.com
E-mail:
Textbook
Zumdahl, Steven S. and Zumdahl, Susan A., Chemistry. Eighth Edition. 2010. Houghton-Mifflin.
Lab Manuals
Wentworth, R.A.D. Experiments in General Chemistry. Sixth Edition. 2000. Houghton-Mifflin.
Randall, J., et.al. Advanced Chemistry with Vernier.Second Edition. 2007. Vernier Software and Technology
Volz, D.L. and Smola, R. Investigating Chemistry Through Inquiry. 2012. Vernier Software and Technology.
Class Goals
The student who takes AP Chemistry will be exposed to the advanced study of chemistry as it pertains to the following areas:
-Structure of Matter
-Properties of Matter
-Chemical Reactions
-Rates of Chemical Reactions
-Thermodynamics
-Equilibrium
This course will emphasize scientific problem solving, chemical calculations, and mathematical formulation of chemical principles. The laboratories are like those conducted in a freshman level collegiate class. Students will physically manipulate equipment and materials, collect data and use it to form conclusions and verify hypotheses. Students will be required to keep a bound laboratory notebook and submit written reports of all their labs.
Students are required to take the AP Chemistry Examination in May. Individual students may obtain college credit if they score well enough on this exam. However, many students have found the experience of taking this course to be quite valuable in preparing them for college chemistry even if they did not pass the AP Chemistry Exam. In our current configuration we are not able to provide the amount of class that would be available in the equivalent college course. Therefore, you should not view the results of the AP exam as an indicator of future success in college chemistry.
The class will meet for 43 minutes every day, five days per week. Students should expect to devote2 to 3 periods per unit to laboratory exercises. (Some labs will require more than two periods and others less.)
Grading
Grades will be determined on the following items.
Homework – 5 to 20 points each
Labs – 50 points each
Unit Tests – 100 points each
Homework: At the end of lecture there will be problems assigned from the textbook, which will be due the following day. At the end of a unit there will be a homework assignment with multiple choice and free response questions as well.
Labs: Lab reports will be due two days following the conclusion of a lab. Late lab reports will only be accepted with a substantial penalty. Each report will be written in ink (no pencil!) in a bound lab book. All lab exercises will be conducted in groups of 2 or 3 students. Each report will have the following items.
-Title of the lab
-Objectives of the lab
-A hypothesis
-Pre-lab questions
-Procedure (inquiry labs only)
-Any relevant data
-Any required calculations and post-lab questions
-A statement of errors
-A final statement of conclusions
The College Board requires at least six labs follow a guided inquiry format, similar to what was introduced in Chemistry I.
Unit Tests: There will be a test worth 100 points at the end of each unit. The tests will follow the style of what you will see on the AP Exam in May, and follow their guidelines. There will be a multiple choice section in which calculators will not be allowed, followed by a free response section where calculators can be used. There will be required corrections following each test in which you can earn back up to half the points that you missed.
Quarter Grades are assigned as follows: (Revised in 2013 – 2014)
A100% - 85%
B84% - 70%
C69% - 55%
D54% - 40%
F39% - 0%
Course Outline(Subject to change)
-Unit 1: Chemical Combination, Nomenclature, and Stoichiometry (Chapters 2 and 3)
-Unit 2: Reactions in Solution (Chapter 4)
-Unit 3: Gases (Chapter 5)
-Unit 4: Thermochemistry (Chapter 6)
-Unit 5: Atomic Structure and Periodicity (Chapter 7)
-Unit 6: Chemical Bonding (Chapters 8 and 9)
-Unit 7: Phases and Matter and Solutions (Chapters 10 and 11)
-Unit 8: Kinetics (Chapter 12)
-Unit 9: Cheimcal Equilibrium (Chapter 13)
-Unit 10: Acids and Bases (Chapter 14)
-Unit 11: Applications of Equilibrium (Chapters 15 and 16)
-Unit 12: Spontaneity (Chapter 17)
-Unit 13: Electrochemistry (Chapter 18)
AP Exam – May 5, 2014
Extra Help
I will be available for extra help at the following times:
-7:20 – 8:00 AM every day
-2:45 – 3:30 PM Tuesdays and Thursdays
-4th period by appointment only (I have lunch duty for the first 10 minutes during first semester.)
I reserve the right to cancel individual session times on an as needed basis.