General Chemistry 1 - 1 session

General Chemistry 1 Syllabus

Unit 1: Foundations of Chemistry

• Matter and Measurement: Classification of matter, physical vs. chemical properties, and the rules of significant figures.

• Dimensional Analysis: Converting units using the factor-label method and calculating density.

• Atomic Theory: History of the atom, subatomic particles, isotopes, and calculating average atomic mass.

Unit 2: Atoms, Molecules, and Ions

• The Periodic Table: Organization by groups and periods, identifying metals, nonmetals, and metalloids.

• Nomenclature: Rules for naming ionic compounds, covalent molecules, and common acids.

• Chemical Formulas: Understanding the difference between empirical and molecular formulas.

Unit 3: Stoichiometry

• The Mole Concept: Using Avogadro’s number to convert between mass, moles, and number of particles.

• Chemical Equations: Balancing reactions and predicting the amounts of products formed.

• Limiting Reactants: Determining which reactant is used up first and calculating theoretical versus actual percent yield.

Unit 4: Aqueous Reactions

• Molarity: Calculating concentration and performing dilution calculations.

• Precipitation Reactions: Using solubility rules to write complete and net ionic equations.

• Acid-Base and Redox: Understanding neutralization, assigning oxidation numbers, and identifying electron transfer.

Unit 5: Thermochemistry

• Energy and Heat: Distinguishing between endothermic and exothermic processes.

• Enthalpy: Using calorimetry and Hess’s Law to calculate the total heat change of a reaction.

Unit 6: Electronic Structure and Periodic Trends

• Quantum Theory: The nature of light, photons, and the Bohr model of the atom.

• Electron Configurations: Writing configurations and drawing orbital diagrams.

• Periodic Trends: Analyzing patterns in atomic radius, ionization energy, and electronegativity.

Unit 7: Chemical Bonding and Geometry

• Lewis Structures: Drawing molecular diagrams, including resonance structures and formal charge.

• VSEPR Theory: Predicting the 3D shapes of molecules (such as tetrahedral or trigonal planar) and determining polarity.

• Hybridization: Understanding how atomic orbitals mix to form sp, sp2, and sp3 bonds.

Unit 8: Gases

• The Ideal Gas Law: Solving for variables using PV = nRT.

• Gas Mixtures: Applying Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures.

• Kinetic Molecular Theory: Explaining the physical behavior of gas particles based on temperature and speed.