Course Description
This course shows the importance of science and challenges students to apply their studies in previous sciences to new theories, models, and problems. The course begins with a discussion of the history and importance of chemical principles; moves through the various models of the atom and chemical reactions; explores relationships among liquids, gases, and solids; and investigates the role of energy in these relationships. The course ends with a unit on organic chemistry, a branch of science that focuses on the molecules that are important to living things. Lab activities throughout the course reinforce the material and provide an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge through hands-on experiments and activities.

Course Breakdown

Chemistry
History of chemistry
States of matter
Types of solids
Types of mixtures
Density and buoyancy
Physical and chemical changes
The periodic table
Understanding elements
Atoms and ions
Bohr’s model of the atom
Rutherford’s model of the atom
Dalton’s model of the atom Electron configuration
Types of chemical bonds
Types of compounds
Chemical nomenclature
Empirical and molecular formula determination
Percent mass calculations
Law of conservation of mass
Five types of chemical reactions
Predicting products of reactions
Stoichiometry problems

Course Goals
Develop proper scientific methodology techniques and apply them in scientific investigations.
Explain the connections between matter and energy.
Describe the basic structure and properties of matter.
Describe the structure of matter down to the atomic level.
Relate the atomic structure of an element to its properties. Apply the principles of quantum mechanics to the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus of the atom.
Explain how atoms interact and combine to form compounds.
Apply the rules for naming compounds and write the formulas for those compounds.
Apply the law of conservation of mass in chemical reactions and in the analysis of the quantities involved in these reactions.