Your AP Chemistry Resource Center
Overview of AP Chemistry
AP Chemistry is a college-level course offered by the College Board to high school students who are interested in studying chemistry at an advanced level. It was opted by 141,000 students in 2023 as it is one of the preferred AP courses. According to the class alumnae survey, it has a difficulty rating of 7.3 out of 10. The pass rate of the 2023 AP Chemistry Exam was 75% and 15% of students scored a 5. AP Chemistry is known for its challenging curriculum and rigorous exams. It deals with topics such as stoichiometry, chemical equilibrium, and thermodynamics.
Course content
Unit 2: Molecular and Ionic Compound Structure and Properties
You’ll discover the range of chemical bonds and how their structure can affect the properties of the molecules created.
- Types of chemical bonds
- Intramolecular force and potential energy
- Structure of ionic solids
- Structure of metals and alloys
- Lewis diagrams
- Resonance and formal charge
- VSEPR and bond hybridization
Unit 3: Intermolecular Forces and Properties
You’ll explore how atoms come together to create solids, liquids, and gases, and how subatomic forces govern the properties of everything around you.
- Intermolecular forces
- Solids, liquids, and gases
- Kinetic molecular theory
- Solutions and mixtures
- Photoelectric effect
Unit 4: Chemical Reactions
You’ll learn how to differentiate physical and chemical processes, and how to measure and express chemical reactions via chemical equations.
- Introduction for reactions
- Net ionic equations
- Representations of reactions
- Physical and chemical changes
- Stoichiometry
- Types of chemical reactions
Unit 5: Kinetics
You’ll explore various methods to observe the changes that occur during a chemical reaction and the effects of a series of reactions.
- Reaction rate
- Introduction to rate law
- Elementary reactions
- Collision model
- Introduction to reaction mechanisms
- Multistep reaction energy profile
- Catalysis
Unit 6: Thermodynamics
You’ll learn about energy changes in chemical reactions and how a transfer of energy can change a substance’s physical qualities.
- Endothermic and exothermic processes
- Heat transfer and thermal equilibrium
- Heat capacity and calorimetry
- Energy of phase changes
- Introduction to enthalpy of reaction
- Enthalpy of formation
- Hess’s law
Unit 7: Equilibrium
You’ll chart how chemical reactions change over time, what causes substances to reach equilibrium, and how systems react when that equilibrium is disturbed.
- Introduction to equilibrium
- Calculating the equilibrium constant
- Calculating equilibrium concentrations
- Introduction to Le Châtelier’s principle
- Introduction to solubility equilibria
- pH and solubility
- Free energy of dissolution
Unit 8: Acids and Bases
You’ll learn more about pH, the qualities and properties of acids and bases, and how they interact in chemical reactions.
- Introduction to acids and bases
- pH and pOH of strong acids and bases
- Acid-base reactions and buffers
- Molecular structure of acids and bases
- pH and pKa
- Properties of buffers
Unit 9: Applications of Thermodynamics
You’ll be introduced to the concept of “thermodynamic favorability” for reactions, meaning how likely they are to occur given energy changes and environmental factors.
- Introduction to entropy
- Gibbs free energy and thermodynamic favorability
- Thermodynamic and kinetic control
- Free energy and equilibrium
- Galvanic (voltaic) and electrolyte cells
- Electrolysis and Faraday’s law
Exam Date
AP Chemistry Exam
Will be conducted on
Mon, May 6, 2024 | 12 PM Local
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AP Chemistry Course Resources
AP Chemistry Course
The College Board website offers a variety of extra resources to help AP Chemistry students succeed on the exam. These resources include the AP Chemistry Course at a Glance, the AP Chemistry Course and Exam Description, and more. To help students prepare for the AP Chemistry exam, we have provided links to these extra resources below.
Download
AP Chemistry Course and Exam Description
This is the core document for this course. Unit guides clearly lay out the course content and skills and recommend sequencing and pacing for them throughout the year. The CED was updated in the summer of 2022 to reflect a change in the calculator policy.
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