Curricular Requirements

CR1
Students and teachers use a recently published (within the last 10 years) college-level chemistry
textbook. Page: 1
CR2
The course is structured around the enduring understandings within the big ideas as described
in the AP Chemistry Curriculum Framework. Page: 1
CR3a The course provides students with opportunities outside the laboratory environment to meet
the learning objectives within Big Idea 1: Structure of matter. Page: 9
CR3b The course provides students with opportunities outside the laboratory environment to meet
the learning objectives within Big Idea 2: Properties of matter-characteristics, states and forces of
attraction. Page: 9
CR3c The course provides students with opportunities outside the laboratory environment to meet
the learning objectives within Big Idea 3: Chemical Reactions. Page: 9
CR3d The course provides students with opportunities outside the laboratory environment to meet
the learning objectives within Big Idea 4: Rates of Chemical Reactions. Page: 9
CR3e The course provides students with opportunities outside the laboratory environment to meet
the learning objectives within Big Idea 5: Thermodynamics. Page: 9
CR3f The course provides students with opportunities outside the laboratory environment to meet
the learning objectives within Big Idea 6: Equilibrium. Page: 9
CR4
The course provides students with the opportunity to connect their knowledge of chemistry and
science to major societal or technological components (e.g., concerns, technological advances,
innovations) to help them become scientifically literate citizens. Page: 2
CR5a Students are provided the opportunity to engage in investigative laboratory work integrated
throughout the course for a minimum of 25 percent of instructional time. Page: 7
CR5b Students are provided the opportunity to engage in a minimum of 16 hands-on laboratory
experiments integrated throughout the course while using basic laboratory equipment to support the
learning objectives listed within the AP Chemistry Curriculum Framework. Page: 8
CR6
The laboratory investigations used throughout the course allow students to apply the seven
science practices defined in the AP Chemistry Curriculum Framework. At minimum, six of the required
16 labs are conducted in a guided-inquiry format. Page: 8
CR7
The course provides opportunities for students to develop, record and maintain evidence of
their verbal, written, and graphic communication skills through laboratory reports, summaries of
literature or scientific investigations, and oral written and graphic presentations. Pages: 2 and 7

AP Chemistry 2016-2017 Syllabus

Course Description
This AP Chemistry Course is designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course
usually taken during the first year of college. For most students, the course enables them to undertake,
as a freshman, second year work in the chemistry sequence at their institution or to register in courses
in other fields where general chemistry is a prerequisite. This course is structured around the six Big
Ideas articulated in the AP Chemistry curriculum framework provided by the College Board. [CR2] A
special emphasis will be placed ok the seven science practices, which capture important aspects of the
work that scientists engage in, with learning objectives that combine content with inquiry and reasoning
skills. AP Chemistry is open to all students that have completed a year of chemistry who wish to take
part in a rigorous and academically challenging course.
Big Idea 1: Atomic Structure
Big Idea 2: Structure Property Relations
Big Idea 3: Chemical reactions (transformations)
Big Idea 4: Kinetics
Big Idea 5: Thermodynamics
Big Idea 6: Equilibrium
Science Practices (SPs) are an assortment of laboratory and critical thinking skills used when
conducting inquiry and guided inquiry laboratories:
1. Use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific
problems.
2. Use mathematics appropriately.
3. Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or guide investigations within the
context of the AP Course.
4. Plan and implement data-collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question.
5. Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
6. Work with scientific explanations and theories to explain what you observe in the
laboratory.
7. Connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and representations.

Textbooks and Lab Books [CR1]

A copy of this specific edition should be bought by each student.
Silberberg, Martin. Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change. Sixth Edition.
McGraw Hill, 2012.
Copies of the following will be provided by the teacher - not bought by the students.
The College Board. AP Chemistry Guided-Inquiry Experiments: Applying the Science Practices.
2013.
Slowinski, Emil. Chemical Principles in the Laboratory. 2012.

AP Chemistry 2016-2017 Syllabus

Required Materials
Each student will need: a scientific or graphing calculator, an additional notebook for the
laboratory (not the type with the carbon copies), and a 1 binder.

Portfolio
Students will organize their classwork and other assignments in a portfolio/binder. To develop
communication skills [CR7], every three weeks the students will hand in an essay (analysis, summary and
opinion) of a scientific article that has to do with any environmental, technological or societal
applications of chemistry [CR4]. These short essays will be kept in the portfolio along with other
documents that the teacher will inform during the school year.

AP Chemistry Unit Overview

Note: The order of the subjects, units or chapters, as well as the number of periods spent on each
one, as presented below, may change during the school year depending on the needs of the group
or any other unexpected situation that may arise.

Unit 1: Chemistry Fundamentals (Ch. 1-3)

Class Periods: 14
Topics Covered
1. Scientific Method
2. Classification of Matter
a. Substance vs Mixture
b. Law of definite proportions
c. Law of multiple proportions
d. Chemical and physical change
3. Nomenclature and formula of binary compounds
4. Polyatomic ions and other compounds
5. Determination of atomic masses
6. Mole Concept
7. Percent composition
8. Empirical and molecular formula
9. Writing chemical equations and drawn representations
10. Balancing chemical equations
11. Applying mole concept to chemical equations (Stoichiometry)
12. Determine limiting reagent, theoretical and % yield

AP Chemistry 2016-2017 Syllabus

Unit 2: Types of Chemical Reactions (Ch. 4.1-4.5)
Class Periods: 10
Topics Covered
1. Electrolytes and properties of water
2. Molarity and preparation of solutions
3. Precipitation reactions and solubility rules
4. Acid Base reactions and formations of a salt by titration
5. Balancing redox
6. Simple redox titrations
7. Gravimetric calculations

Unit 3: Net Ionic Equations (Ch. 4.6-4.7)

Class Periods: 6
Topics Covered
1. Redox and single replacement reactions
2. Double replacement reactions
3. Combustion reactions
4. Addition reactions
5. Decomposition reactions

Unit 4: Gas Laws (Ch. 5)

Class Periods: 10
Topics Covered
1. Measurement of gases
2. General gas Laws Boyle, Charles, Combined and Ideal
3. Daltons Law of partial pressure
4. Molar volume of gases and Stoichiometry
5. Grahams Law
6. Kinetic Molecular Theory
7. Real Gases and deviation from ideal gas law
8. Grahams Law demonstration

Unit 5: Thermochemistry (Ch. 6)

Class Periods: 10
Topics Covered
1. Law of conservation or energy, work and internal energy
2. Endothermic and exothermic reactions
3. Potential energy diagrams
4. Calorimetry, heat capacity, and specific heat
5. Hess law
6. Heat of formation/combustion
7. Bond energies

AP Chemistry 2016-2017 Syllabus

Unit 6: Atomic Structure and Periodicity (Ch. 7-8)
Class Periods: 12
Topics Covered
1. Electron configuration and the Aufbau principle
2. Valence electrons and Lewis dot structures
3. Periodic trends
4. Table arrangement based on electronic properties
5. Properties of light and study of waves
6. Atomic spectra of hydrogen and energy levels
7. Quantum theory and electron orbitals
8. Orbital shape and energies
9. Spectroscopy

Unit 7: Chemical Bonding (Ch. 9-11)

Class Periods: 10
Topics Covered
1. Lewis Dot Structures
2. Resonance structures and formal charge
3. Bond polarity and dipole moments
4. VSEPR models and molecular shape
5. Polarity of molecules
6. Lattice energies
7. Hybridization
8. Molecular orbitals and diagrams

Unit 8: Liquids, Solids and Solutions (Ch. 12-13)

Class Periods: 6
Topics Covered
1. Structure and bonding
a. Metals, network and molecular
b. Ionic, hydrogen, London, van der Waals
2. Vapor pressure and changes in state
3. Heating and cooling curves
4. Composition of solutions
5. Colloids and suspensions
6. Separation Techniques
7. Effect on biological systems

Unit 9: Kinetics (Ch. 16)

Class Periods: 10
Topics Covered
1. Rates of reactions
2. Factors that affect rates of reactions/collision theory
3. Reaction pathways
4. Rate equation determination
4

AP Chemistry 2016-2017 Syllabus

a. Rate constants
b. Mechanism
c. Method of initial rates
d. Integrated rate laws
5. Activation energy and Boltzmann distribution

Unit 10: General Equilibrium (Ch. 17)

Class Periods: 6
Topics Covered
1. Characteristics and conditions of chemical equilibrium
2. Equilibrium expression derived from rates
3. Factors that affect equilibrium
4. Le Chateliers principle.
5. The equilibrium constant
6. Solving equilibrium problems

Unit 11: Acids and Bases (Ch. 18)

Class Periods: 10
Topics Covered
1. Definition and nature of acids and bases
2. Kw and the pH scale
3. pH of strong and weak acids and bases
4. Polyprotic acids
5. pH of salts
6. Structure of Acids and Bases

Unit 12: Buffers, Ksp, and Titrations (Ch. 19)

Class Periods: 12
Topics Covered
1. Characteristics and capacity of buffers
2. Titrations and pH curves
3. Choosing Acid Base Indicators
4. pH and solubility
5. Ksp Calculations and Solubility Product

Unit 13: Thermodynamics (Ch. 20)

Class Periods: 12
Topics Covered
1. Laws of thermodynamics
2. Spontaneous process and entropy
3. Spontaneity, enthalpy, and free energy
4. Free Energy
5. Free Energy and Equilibrium
6. Rate and Spontaneity
5

AP Chemistry 2016-2017 Syllabus

Unit 14: Electrochemistry (Ch. 21)
Class Periods: 10
Topics Covered
1. Balancing redox equations
2. Electrochemical cells and voltage
3. The Nernst equation
4. Spontaneous and non-spontaneous equations
5. Chemical Applications

Laboratories
The labs completed require following or developing processes and procedures, taking
observations, and data manipulation. See lab list provided for lab details. Students communicate and
collaborate in lab groups; however, each student writes a laboratory report in a lab notebook for every
lab they perform. A minimum of 25% of student contact time will be spent doing hands-on laboratory
activities. [CR5a]

The parts of a Laboratory Report [CR7]

A specific format will be given to the student for each lab. Students must follow that format and
label all sections very clearly. AP Chemistry lab reports are much longer and more in depth than the
ones completed in the first year chemistry course. Therefore, it is important that students dont
procrastinate when doing pre-lab and post-lab work. Late labs will not be accepted. Labs not
completed in class must be done at lunch or before/after school by appointment.
Pre-lab work
Pre-lab work is to be completed and turned in on the day the lab is performed.
1. Tittle
The tittle should be descriptive. For example, pH Titration Lab is a descriptive tittle and
Experiment 5 is not a descriptive tittle.
2. Date
This is the date the student performed the experiment. If the experiment is performed in
different dates, all should be marked correspondingly.
3. Purpose
A purpose is a statement summarizing the point of the lab.
4. Procedure Outline
Students need to write an outline of the procedure. They should use bulleted statements or
outline format to make it easy to read. If a student is doing a guided inquiry lab, they may be
required to write a full procedure that they develop.
6

AP Chemistry 2016-2017 Syllabus

During the Lab
5. Data
Students need to record all their data directly in their lab notebook. They are NOT to be
recording data on their separate lab sheet. They need to label all data clearly and always
include proper units of measurement. Students should underline, use capital letters, or use any
device they choose to organize this section well. They should space things out neatly and
clearly.
Post-Lab Work
6. Calculations and Graphs
Students should show how calculations are carried out. Graphs need to be titled, axes need to
be labeled, and units need to be shown on the axis. To receive credit for any graphs, they must
be at least page in size.
7. Conclusions
This will vary from lab to lab. Students will usually be given directions as to what to write, but it
is expected that all conclusions will be well thought out and well written.
8. Post Lab Error Analysis Questions
Students will be given some questions to answer after the lab is done. They will need to either
rewrite the question or incorporate the question in the answer. The idea here is that when
someone (like a college professor) looks at a students lab notebook, they should be able to tell
what the question was by merely looking at their lab report.
Advanced Placement Chemistry The Laboratory Notebook
A record of lab work is an important document, which will show the quality of the lab work that
students have performed. Your teacher asks that you use only black or blue ink pens, and that you write
on the right side pages only. Each right side page should be appropriately numbered on your entire
notebook.

Laboratories List
The following labs [CR5b] will be completed during the school year. Guided Inquiry Labs are indicated
with an asterisk (*). [CR6]
1. Lab: Observations of Physical Properties [SP: 1, 4, 6]
2. Lab: Properties of Hydrates [SP: 1, 4, 5, 6]
3. Lab: Spot test for Common Anions. [SP: 1, 4, 5, 6]
4. Lab: How Can You Determine the Percentage of Sugar in Soft Drinks? [SP: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
5. Lab [*]: Using the Principle That Each Substance Has Unique Properties to Purify a Mixture: An
Experiment Applying Green Chemistry to Purification. [SP: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
6. Lab [*]: Sticky Question: How Do You Separate Molecules That Are Attracted to One Another?
[SP: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

AP Chemistry 2016-2017 Syllabus

7. Lab [*]: What is the Relationship Between the Concentration of a Solution and the Amount of
Transmitted Light Through the Solution? [SP: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6]
8. Lab [*]: How Can Color Be Used to Determine the Mass Percent of Copper in Brass? [SP: 1, 2, 4,
5, 6, 7]
9. Lab [*]: How Can We Determine the Actual Percentage of H2O2 in a Drugstore Bottle of
Hydrogen Peroxide? [SP: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
10. Lab [*]: What is the Rate Law of the Fading of Crystal Violet Using Beers Law? [SP: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6,
7]
11. Lab: Heat Effects and Calorimetry. [SP: 1, 2, 4, 6, 5]
12. Lab [*]: The Hand Warmer Design Challenge: Where Does the Heat Come From? [SP: 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6]
13. Lab [*]: How Much Acid is in Fruit Juice and Soft Drinks? [SP: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
14. Lab: Determination of the Molar Mass of an Acid. [SP: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6]
15. Lab [*]: How do The Structure and the Initial Concentration of an Acid and a Base Influence the
pH of the Resultant Solution During a Titration? [SP: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7]
16. Lab: Buffers and Their Properties. [SP: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6]
17. Lab: Determination of the Equilibrium Constant for a Chemical Reaction. [SP: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6]
18. Lab: The Ten Test Tubes Mystery. [SP: 1, 4, 5, 6]

6 examples for activities outside the lab to meet the learning objectives [CR3 a to f]
Big Idea #1, Learning Objective 1.4:
Students are given a problem set and asked to determine the limiting reagents for a chemical
reaction (e.g., interconverts particles, moles, mass, and volume of given substances.
Big Idea #2, Learning Objective 2.17:
Given combinations of atoms, students use the periodic table to predict the type of bonding
present (i.e., ionic, covalent, metallic).
Big Idea #3, Learning Objective 3.2:
Students observe a demonstration of a series of chemical reactions and then write
appropriately balanced chemical equations.
Big Idea #4, Learning Objective 4.5:
Students view a computer animation and provide explanations for effective and ineffective
collisions that lead to chemical reactions.
Big Idea #5, Learning Objective 5.14:
Students solve problems in which they qualitatively and quantitatively predict the signs and
magnitude of H, S, and G from a set of thermochemical data.
Big Idea #6, Learning Objective 6.8:
Students predict the direction of the shift resulting
from various possible stresses on different
8
examples of systems in equilibrium.