Advanced
Placement Chemistry:
First of all let me welcome you to this AP level science course.
I also congratulate you for qualifying for and choosing to take AP
Chemistry. We will not only explore
the subject more deeply but we will also test your own intellectual mettle
against some challenging material. Chemistry
is one of the fields and subjects I greatly enjoy and I look forward to sharing
my excitement for this subject with you.
Tools:
You should have already purchased Chemistry by Zumdahl, 5th Ed.
You
should also have read Oliver Sacks’ Uncle Tungsten.
I hope that you can use what you learned from this novel to supplement
your experience with Chemistry. Laboratory
sheets and worksheets will be distributed during the course.
You should bring your calculators to class.
(No Palm, Newton, keyboard types or TI-92 or HP-95 models.)
Finally, you will receive a quadrille-ruled laboratory notebook to use as
your workbook for all lab work.
Helps:
There are a number of resources, which you may use to promote your success in this course. There are several extremely useful web sites, which I will indicate to you throughout this year. One that I have found particularly useful is: http://www.gashalot.com/chem/dbhs.wvusd.k12.ca.us/ChemTeamIndex.html. There is a CD-ROM available for use on the classroom computers called: “Chemistry Tutorials”. Lastly, we will have a student course advisor.
Grades:
Your quarter grades will be calculated by the following approximate
percent distribution: 45% Tests, 35% Labs, 20% Quizzes. Your semester course work grade will be cumulatively
calculated. It will count for 75%
of the overall semester grade with the remaining 25% for the semester exam.
The AP Exam is
an integral part of this course. The
“AP” designation implies a national curriculum culminating in a national exam.
This exam is therefore required for successful completion of this course.
Please place the AP exam date on
your and your family’s calendar now.
AP Chemistry Exam will take place on the morning of Tuesday,
May 10th 2005.
An AP course is different than
other courses mostly because one of the main objectives of the class is to
prepare you for the AP exam. Because
of this the TESTS will be quite
challenging and will mirror the style and design of the AP Exam in order to give
you practice. There will be few
during the year. By the way, these
tests will also be similar to tests you will encounter in college.
LABS are an important part of the AP Chemistry course.
You must be meticulous with the recording of data and the use of your lab
notebook. You should also keep a
ring binder of the lab sheets. It
is said that colleges may request an AP student’s lab notebook in order to
determine the lab experience of the student.
QUIZZES will be brief, about 10-15 minutes, and they will be
frequent, especially on particularly quantitative material.
*** Special Note***
The use of any calculator is significantly limited on the exam.
You can anticipate similar restrictions on tests and quizzes.
The most challenging aspect of
this course is the pace and quantity of material we need to cover.
I know that all of you are highly motivated and capable of hard work.
At times you will surely need to call on your resolve to spend
significant effort on learning this material.
I would like to spend time in class presenting new concepts, practicing
solving problems and discussing the unseen world of Chemistry, which we seek to
come to know better. I am ready to
help you, of course, as a class and individually.
Obviously, careful reading of the
textbook is required. Take careful
notes on the explanations and supplemental information from class time.
Work out assigned problems and do extra problems from old exams and from
the textbook. Try and stump me with
a tough problem!! I love problem
solving, too. Share with other
students or me when you are overwhelmed or frustrated.
Always come to class expecting to learn something.
This will be a great year!!
Mr. Ause
Tel. 661-4804 (x283 –Chemistry prep room.)
e-mail: bob.ause@smes.org
Course Overview for 2004-2005
First Semester:
Unit I: Chapters 1-4, 6 (with emphasis on Chapters 3, 4 & 6): Basic Review
Labs: “Mini-Hindenbergs”
“Mystery Salts”
“Determination of a Chemical Formula,”
“The Blue and the White”
“Redox Titration”
“Rocket Lab”
TEST I: Early October
Unit II: Chapters 7-9: Atomic Structure and Bonding Theories
Labs: “Molecular Model Lab”
“Dot-to-Dot”
“Mendel’s Chemistry”
TEST II: The end of October
Unit III: Chapters 5, 10 and 11: States of Matter and Solutions
Labs: “Determining the Molar Mass of a Gas”
“Investigation of some organic liquids”
“Freezing Point Depression Lab”
TEST III: Before the Christmas Holiday
Second Semester:
Unit IV: Chapters 12 & 13: Kinetics and Equilibrium
Labs: “Peroxide/Iodine Clock Reactions”
“Crystal Violet Decolorization”
“Determination of the Formula of a Complex Ion”
TEST IV: Last Week of February
Unit V: Chapters 14 & 15: Acid – Base Chemistry
Labs: “Mini-Lab: Investigating Strong and Weak Acids”
“Determining the Ka of a Weak Acid Using a pH Meter”
“Titration of Weak Acids”
“Building and Breaking a Buffer”
TEST V: Last week of March
Unit VI: Chapters 16 & 17: Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry
Labs: “Coffee Cup Calorimetry Lab”
“Determination of DHvap of Water,” Exp. 9
“Anion Oxidation Lab”
“Electrolysis of a Nickel”
TEST VI: Last Week of April
AP EXAM DATE: Tuesday, May 10, 2005 in the morning
