General preparation tip: These concepts may seem difficult to understand at first, but doing practice problems, checking them, and then reviewing these notes can greatly help your understanding.
General Test-Taking Tips
- Check the given units and the requested units.
- Distinguish between physical (e.g. evaporation) and chemical (rxn) processes/equations.
- MC: check for similar answers and sig figs
- FRQ: RSQ! Read thoroughly.
- What is the question asking for? What do you need to know? What is given? Always check units, balance, and phases.
- “justify”: math alone sufficient
- “explain”: physical reasons needed
- Reasonability: Use known laws to check if your answer is reasonable
- e.g. if gas pressure increases, gas temperature should increase (PV=nRT)
- Memorize: (Quizlet Folder)
- Given formulas (AP; aka stuff you don’t have to memorize but should know how to use)
- green-highlighted formulas below this point are NOT on the formula sheet
Miscellaneous
- Diatomic elements mnemonic: Have No Fear Of Ice (Cl)old (Br)eer (nonpolar, since identical atoms)
- 3 Key Experiments
- solutions are homogeneous mixtures: solvent dissolves solute (we usually use water as solvent)
- aqueous solution = solution of substance(s) dissolved in water
- dissolved substances are denoted in chemical equations with phase (aq)
- Distillation: use different boiling points to separate miscible liquids in a solution
- Impurities can mess up experimental melting point (too low or broad range)
- rxn work-up: isolation/purification ― pull out the extract, discard the wash
- immiscible organic solvent and aqueous solution
- use differing solubilities: neutral organic substances prefer organic solvent, charged/inorganic prefer aqueous solution
- layers form based on density differences
- Gravimetry Overview
- mix solutions → dry precipitate (binary compound) → use molar mass + knowledge of one of the elements in the compound to guess identity of unknown other element
- Lab tools
Unit 1: Stoichiometry and Redox Rxns
- Prefixes: mega (6), kilo, deci (-1), centi, milli, micro (-6), nano (-9)