Intro to Chemistry Course

Lesson 1 • Density and Basic Laboratory Skills

Applies measurement concepts to density calculations and introduces safe lab practices. Students gain hands-on confidence with common instruments and data recording.

Lesson 2 • SI Units and Metric Conversions

Introduces the International System of Units and dimensional analysis. Students convert between units accurately, a skill required for all quantitative problem-solving ahead.

Lesson 3 • Significant Figures and Measurement Uncertainty

Covers precision, accuracy, and rules for reporting measured values. Correct significant figure usage is enforced in all calculations throughout the course.

Lesson 4 • Classifying and Describing Matter

Distinguishes pure substances from mixtures and physical from chemical properties. Provides the classification framework used in every subsequent chapter.

Lesson 1 • Periodic Trends

Quantifies how atomic radius, ionization energy, and electronegativity vary across the table. These trends underpin bonding and reactivity concepts in the next chapter.

Lesson 2 • Electron Configuration and Orbital Theory

Explains energy levels, subshells, and orbital shapes using quantum numbers. Electron configuration directly predicts chemical behavior covered in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • Organization of the Periodic Table

Explains how elements are arranged by atomic number and grouped by properties. Students navigate periods, groups, and blocks to predict element behavior.

Lesson 4 • Historical Development of Atomic Theory

Traces atomic models from Dalton through Bohr to the quantum model. Understanding this progression clarifies why the modern model is structured as it is.

Lesson 1 • Metallic Bonding and Network Solids

Explains the electron-sea model for metals and covalent network structures. Students compare conductivity, hardness, and melting points across bonding types.

Lesson 2 • Covalent Bonding and Lewis Structures

Covers electron sharing, bond order, and the octet rule for drawing Lewis structures. Accurate Lewis structures are prerequisite for geometry and polarity topics below.

Lesson 3 • Molecular Geometry Using VSEPR

Applies VSEPR theory to predict three-dimensional shapes from electron pair repulsion. Geometry determines polarity and intermolecular forces discussed in later chapters.

Lesson 4 • Ionic Bonding and Ionic Compounds

Describes electron transfer between metals and nonmetals and the resulting lattice structures. Students name and write formulas for ionic compounds using charge balance.

Lesson 1 • The Mole Concept and Avogadro's Number

Defines the mole as a counting unit and links it to molar mass and Avogadro's number. Mole calculations are the quantitative backbone of all stoichiometry work.

Lesson 2 • Chemical Formulas and Composition

Distinguishes empirical from molecular formulas and calculates percent composition. These skills connect formula writing to experimental data analysis.

Lesson 3 • Molar Volume and Formula Mass

Extends mole concepts to gases at standard conditions and to formula mass calculations. Students solve multi-step conversion problems involving all three mole relationships.

Lesson 1 • Writing and Balancing Chemical Equations

Applies conservation of mass to balance equations by inspection and algebraic methods. Balanced equations are the starting point for every stoichiometry calculation.

Lesson 2 • Limiting Reagents and Percent Yield

Identifies the limiting reagent and calculates theoretical and percent yield. Students evaluate reaction efficiency, a critical skill in laboratory and industrial contexts.

Lesson 3 • Mole Ratios and Stoichiometric Calculations

Uses balanced equation coefficients as mole ratios to convert between reactants and products. This core skill is applied in every quantitative chemistry context going forward.

Lesson 4 • Solution Stoichiometry and Molarity

Defines molarity and applies it to stoichiometry problems involving dissolved reactants. Prepares students for titration and aqueous reaction calculations in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Hess's Law and Standard Enthalpies

Uses Hess's law and standard enthalpies of formation to calculate reaction enthalpy. Students combine thermochemical equations to find ΔH for reactions not measured directly.

Lesson 2 • Thermochemistry and Enthalpy

Defines heat, enthalpy, and exothermic vs. endothermic processes with sign conventions. Students calculate heat transfer using specific heat capacity and calorimetry data.

Lesson 3 • Kinetic Molecular Theory and Gas Behavior

Explains gas pressure, temperature, and volume using particle motion models. KMT provides the conceptual basis for all gas law relationships in this chapter.

Lesson 4 • The Gas Laws

Applies Boyle's, Charles's, Gay-Lussac's, and combined gas laws to solve pressure-volume-temperature problems. Students also use the ideal gas law and Dalton's law.

Lesson 1 • Acid-Base Theories and Properties

Compares Arrhenius, Brønsted-Lowry, and Lewis definitions of acids and bases. Students identify conjugate pairs and predict proton transfer direction in reactions.

Lesson 2 • Le Chatelier's Principle and Buffer Systems

Predicts equilibrium shifts from changes in concentration, pressure, and temperature. Buffer calculations show how weak acid-base pairs resist pH change.

Lesson 3 • pH, pOH, and Neutralization

Calculates pH and pOH from ion concentrations and applies them to neutralization reactions. Students perform titration calculations and interpret titration curves.

Lesson 4 • Solution Properties and Colligative Effects

Explains solubility, concentration units, and colligative properties such as boiling point elevation. Students calculate molality and predict property changes from solute addition.

Lesson 1 • Electrochemical Cells and Cell Potential

Distinguishes galvanic from electrolytic cells and calculates standard cell potential. Students apply the Nernst equation to non-standard conditions and relate ΔG to cell potential.

Lesson 2 • Reaction Rates and Rate Laws

Defines reaction rate and derives rate laws from experimental concentration-time data. Students determine reaction order and rate constants from initial rate experiments.

Lesson 3 • Oxidation-Reduction Reactions

Assigns oxidation states and balances redox equations using the half-reaction method. Redox concepts underpin electrochemical cell calculations in the next section.

Lesson 4 • Activation Energy and Catalysis

Explains the energy barrier for reactions using the Arrhenius equation and energy diagrams. Catalysts lower activation energy without being consumed, increasing reaction rate.