Chemistry tutor near me in Riverside, CA

The tutor and student reviewed principles of electrochemistry, including the function of salt bridges, factors affecting electrode potential, and the Nernst equation. They practiced writing half-cell and overall reactions for electrochemical and fuel cells, and discussed the advantages of methanol fuel cells. The session also covered interpreting electrochemical series data to predict reaction spontaneity.

The Tutor and Student reviewed various addition reactions in organic chemistry, including hydrohalogenation, halogenation, hydration, hydroboration-oxidation, hydrogenation, and dihydroxylation, focusing on regioselectivity and stereochemistry. They also began introducing new functional groups like ethers, epoxides, thiols, and sulfides, discussing their basic structures and properties. The Student will continue to practice these concepts in upcoming sessions.

The student and tutor reviewed fundamental concepts of acids and bases, starting with the Arrhenius and Brønsted-Lowry theories. They discussed conjugate acid-base pairs, dissociation constants (Ka), pH, and pKa, including how to calculate them. The tutor planned to cover buffer systems and the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation in future sessions.

The session reviewed ionic and covalent bonding, resonance structures, formal charge calculations, coordinate covalent bonds, and expanded octets. The Student learned about the Born-Haber cycle and VSEPR theory while working through homework problems involving electronic configurations, Lewis structures, and identifying ionic and covalent compounds. The tutor assigned the student to ask the teacher about specific representation issues and planned to continue with chapter 8 and remaining homework in the next session.

The session focused on organic chemistry, covering topics like hydrocarbon nomenclature, reaction types (addition, neutralization, decomposition, combustion), and isomerism. The student practiced identifying spectator ions, naming organic compounds, and balancing chemical equations, with a plan to further practice balancing equations.

The student and tutor engaged in a detailed problem-solving session focusing on the interpretation of ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic data to determine the structures of several organic compounds. They systematically analyzed chemical shifts, splitting patterns, and degrees of unsaturation for multiple compounds. The tutor provided guidance on correlating spectral data with functional groups and structural features, and they planned to continue practicing intermediate to advanced NMR problems.