Chemistry

By the end of this course, you will be able to do the following:  

• Describe the nature of the physical sciences.

• Explain ways in which scientists collect and share information.

• Distinguish between different forms of matter, and describe their physical and chemical properties.

• Compare atoms, and describe the structure of an atom of a given element.

• Compare the properties of the elements based on their electron structures and their relative positions in the periodic table.

• Predict the structures of ionic, covalent, polyatomic, and organic compounds, and describe their typical properties.

• Predict the outcome of simple chemical reactions based on the structures and properties of the reactants.

• Describe chemical reactions in terms of precipitation, oxidation, and reduction.

• Perform scientific calculations using dimensional analysis, and communicate answers to the correct number of significant figures.

• Calculate the theoretical quantity of product made by a reaction or of reactant required for a reaction.

• Analyze substances and determine their composition based on empirical data.

• Describe how gases respond to changes in pressure, volume, temperature, and quantity, and relate these factors for any sample of a gas.

• Apply the ideal gas law.

• Describe aqueous solutions (those with water) both qualitatively and quantitatively.

• Identify acids and bases in aqueous solutions.

• Relate the theoretical and actual quantities of reactant and product in a chemical reaction that involves gases or solutions.

• Calculate changes in temperature caused by physical and chemical processes.

• Analyze endothermic and exothermic reactions in terms of the bond energies of the reactants and the products.

• Explain how atoms are changed by the processes of radioactive decay, nuclear fission, and nuclear fusion.