General Chemistry 2 - 5 sessions

General Chemistry 2 is the second half of the foundational college chemistry sequence. While the first semester focuses on the "what" and "how much" (atomic structure and stoichiometry), the second semester focuses on the "why" and "how fast"—delving into the forces that drive chemical behavior.

General Chemistry 2 Syllabus

Unit 1: Intermolecular Forces, Liquids, and Solids

• Forces of Attraction: Dipole-dipole, London dispersion, and Hydrogen bonding.

• Phase Changes: Understanding heating curves, vapor pressure, and phase diagrams.

• Solid Structures: Identifying crystalline vs. amorphous solids and unit cells.

Unit 2: Properties of Solutions

• The Solution Process: Energy changes in dissolving (Enthalpy of Solution).

• Solubility: Factors affecting solubility, including Henry’s Law for gases.

• Colligative Properties: Boiling point elevation, freezing point depression, and osmotic pressure calculations.

Unit 3: Chemical Kinetics

• Reaction Rates: Determining how fast a reaction occurs.

• Rate Laws: Using experimental data to find reaction order and the rate constant.

• Mechanisms: Understanding elementary steps, catalysts, and activation energy.

Unit 4: Chemical Equilibrium

• The Equilibrium Constant: Calculating Kc and Kp.

• Le Chatelier’s Principle: Predicting how a system responds to changes in temperature, pressure, or concentration.

• Reaction Quotient (Q): Determining if a reaction is at equilibrium or which direction it will shift.

Unit 5: Acids and Bases (Advanced)

• Definitions: Brønsted-Lowry and Lewis acid-base theories.

• Weak Acids and Bases: Calculating pH using Ka and Kb values.

• Polyprotic Acids: Handling acids with more than one ionizable proton.

Unit 6: Aqueous Equilibria

• Buffers: Understanding how solutions resist pH changes (Henderson-Hasselbalch equation).

• Titrations: Analyzing titration curves for strong/weak acid-base combinations.

• Solubility Product (Ksp): Predicting if a precipitate will form in a solution.

Unit 7: Thermodynamics (Entropy and Free Energy)

• The Second Law: Understanding Entropy and the spontaneity of the universe.

• Gibbs Free Energy: Using Gibbs Free Energy to predict if a reaction will occur.

• Free Energy and Equilibrium: The relationship between Free Energy  and the equilibrium constant.

Unit 8: Electrochemistry

• Galvanic (Voltaic) Cells: Converting chemical energy into electrical energy.

• Cell Potential : Calculating standard reduction potentials.

• The Nernst Equation: Determining cell potential under non-standard conditions.