Outcome Statements for Chemistry 120:
Chemical Principles I
Last Update: August 17, 2005
In these outcome statements it
is assumed that a student has demonstrated proficiency in strands 1, 2 and 7 of the
Missouri
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education curriculum and so the
following topics are assumed to have been covered in high school and are
not included in the CHEM 120 outcome statements. It is up to each individual
instructor to decide on a proper level of review of these topics and to provide
remediation for students whose skills are lacking.
- •Know the SI units commonly encountered in chemistry
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- •Know the metric prefixes relevant to chemistry
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- •Be able to transform one set of units to another by
factor analysis
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- •Understand the meaning of percent and be able to use
it in calculations
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At the end of CHEM 120 a student will have the following
skills and knowledge (grouped by topic). Note that the number of outcome
statements is not necessarily related to the amount of lecture time spent on a
topic.
Scientific Method, Theories, Laws
- •Understand the general methods of science
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- •Know and appreciate the difference between
quantitative and qualitative arguments
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- •Know and be able to explain the difference between a
theory and a law
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- •Appreciate the nature and scope of chemistry and
understand what distinguishes chemistry from other sciences
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Mathematics
of Chemistry (*indicates topic covered in laboratory)
- *Explain the difference between precision and accuracy,
and understand the relationship between them
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- •Know and consistently apply the rules of significant
figures in calculations
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- *Be able to calculate an average, percent error,
standard deviation and a confidence limit for a data set using Excel, and
relate these to the precision and accuracy of the measurement
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- *Understand that there is a difference between the
uncertainty in a single measurement and the uncertainty in a set of
measurements, the relationship of these to precision
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- *Appreciate the propagation of error, why it is
important and be able to perform a propagation of error calculation given the
appropriate formula
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- *Be able to consistently prepare graphs that clearly
and concisely present experimental results and theoretical fits both by hand
and using Excel
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Atomic Theory and Atomic Properties
- •Classify matter into pure substances (compounds,
elements) and mixtures (homogenous, heterogeneous)
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- •Understand Dalton’s Atomic Theory and its subsequent
modifications to modern atomic theory
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- •State and use the Law of Conservation of Mass
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- •Understand that atoms have structure and know the
names, charges and relative masses of the subatomic particles
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- •Define and distinguish between the following terms:
mass number, atomic number, atomic mass, exact mass, isotopic mass and atomic
weight
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- •Explain what an isotope is; be able to write the
symbol of an isotope, given any combination of the mass number, atomic mass,
and element symbol
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- •Define percent and natural abundance of an isotope and
be able to use these to calculate an atomic weight, or an apparent atomic
weight, for a sample
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- •Understand the terms enriched and depleted and how
enriching/depleting a sample changes its apparent atomic weight
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- •Be aware of mass spectroscopy and the information that
this method gives
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Elements
- •Distinguish between groups and periods on the periodic
table
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- •Know the names of the special groupings of elements
(metals/non-metals/metalloids, halogens etc.) on the periodic table and
examples from each
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- •Know what distinguishes a metal from a non-metal
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- •Define allotrope and cite examples of elements that
form allotropes
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- •Know which elements exist as diatomic molecules, which
are primarily solids, which are liquids and which are gases
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- •Be able to extract the following from the periodic
table: element symbol, element name, atomic weight, and atomic number
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Compounds
- •Know that compounds can be divided into two broad
categories (molecular and ionic) and be able to describe how they are
different using specific examples
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- •Differentiate between molecular formula, structural
formula and formula unit
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- •Explain what a mole is
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- •Understand the meaning of a chemical formula (what
elements are present and the molar ratios)
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- •Recognize that metals lose electrons to form cations
and non-metals gain electrons to form anions
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- •Use the periodic table to determine the charge on a
monatomic ion from a basic knowledge of the octet rule
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- •Be able to give the name, formula and charge of the
common polyatomic ions from knowledge of the rules of nomenclature
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- •Know the rules for naming monatomic anions and metal
cations
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- •Name simple molecular compounds and ionic compounds
given a formula
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- •Be able to write a chemical formula for a compound
given its name
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- •Recognize a compound as an acid or base given its
formula
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- •Know what an oxidation number is, and be able to
calculate the oxidation number of all elements in a compound or ion, given a
chemical formula
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- •Understand and differentiate between a molar mass, a
formula weight and a molecular weight, be able to calculate any of them from
atomic weights
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- •Be able to interchange between grams, moles, molecules
and molar mass of a substance
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- •Express composition in terms of percent composition
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- •Use percent composition to determine an empirical
formula, and if given a molecular weight, determine the molecular formula of a
compound
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Stoichiometry
- •Be able to balance simple chemical reactions
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- •Recognize simple chemical reactions (acid/base,
precipitation, redox, gas-forming)
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- •Calculate mass of reactant or reactants and/or product
or products given mass of other reactants or products using the balanced
chemical equation
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- •Understand the concept of a limiting reagent
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- •Be able to calculate a theoretical yield, and if given
an actual yield, calculate the percent yield
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- •Given a percent yield and a balanced chemical
equation, be able to predict the amounts of reactants needed
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- •Use stoichiometry to determine the empirical formula
of a compound
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- •Be able to explain the concept of concentration and
use the following concentration units: molarity, molality, % by weight, % by
volume, mole fraction, ppm and ppb
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- •Know the definitions of electrolyte (strong and weak)
and non-electrolyte
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- •Understand that in solution strong electrolytes
dissociate completely and that the number of ions present is determined by the
formula unit
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- •Prepare a solution of a given concentration from a
solid, a dilution of an existing solution or by a serial dilution
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- •Use concentration in stoichiometry calculations in
solution
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- •Know the terms titration, titrant, standardization and
be able to calculate the amount of an analyte present in a solution from
titration data
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- •Use the Ideal Gas Law and Dalton’s Law of Partial
Pressure to solve stoichiometry problems involving gases
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- •Understand the conditions (high temperature and low
pressure) where the Ideal Gas Law holds
Equilibrium
- •Understand the nature of chemical equilibrium
(reactions are reversible, equilibria are dynamic, nature of the equilibrium
state is independent of how it was attained)
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- •Write an equilibrium constant expression for any
chemical reaction in terms of pressure or concentration (Kp or Kc)
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- •Appreciate that equilibrium constants written in this
way are approximations of true thermodynamic equilibrium constants written in
terms of fugacities and activities
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- •Understand why solids and solvents do not appear in
equilibrium expressions
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- •Understand why equilibrium constants are unitless
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- •Know how K changes as the chemical reaction is changed
(stoichiometric coefficients change or reaction is reversed)
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- •Know how K for a reaction may be expressed in terms of
K for other reactions
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- •Recognize that the magnitude of K determines extent of
reaction
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- •Apply the reaction quotient, Q, to predict the
direction, if any, in which a chemical reaction will proceed to attain
equilibrium
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- •Calculate K from equilibrium concentrations or
pressures
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- •Calculate concentrations or pressures of all chemical
species from K
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- •Apply Le Chatelier’s Principle
Kinetics
- •Explain the concept of reaction rate
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- •Derive an instantaneous rate from rate data
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- •Use initial rate data to determine a rate law
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- •Understand and explain the meaning of a rate law, a
rate constant and the order of the reaction
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- •Be able to use the integrated rate laws for zero,
first and second order reactions to graphically extract rate constants from
experimental data
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- •Understand and apply the concept of half-life
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- •Explain collision theory of chemical reaction, and use
it to describe the effect of reactant concentration on rate
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- •Explain how orientation of reactants affects rate
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- •Explain the relationship of Ea to the rate
and DH‡ for the reaction
using a reaction profile diagram
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- •Know the difference between homogeneous and
heterogeneous catalysts, explain how a catalyst works
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- •Explain the relationship between the Arrhenius
equation and collision theory, use the Arrhenius equation to determine Ea
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- •Understand the concept of a reaction mechanism
(stoichiometric versus intimate), and the relationship to the stoichiometry of
the balanced chemical equation for the reaction
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- •Describe what elementary steps are and give their
molecularity for a given mechanism
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- •Define the concept of a rate-determining step, and how
that affects the overall rate
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- •Define what an intermediate is, and be able find one
in a given mechanism or on a reaction profile diagram
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- •Explain what a transition state is, and be able to
find one on a reaction profile diagram
Enthalpy
- •Be able to explain and use the First Law of
Thermodynamics
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- •Definition of specific heat (capacity) and heat
capacity and use of specific heat in heating/cooling problems
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- •Know definition of enthalpy, state function,
exothermic, endothermic
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- •Relationship of DH
to q for physical and chemical changes
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- •Explain the key features of a heating/cooling curve,
including the definition (including sign) of DH
for different changes of state
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- •Understand and apply Hess’s Law
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- •Definition of standard molar enthalpy of formation
DHf0
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- •Use DHf0
to predict DH for a
reaction
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- •Be able to predict a change in temperature for a
chemical reaction from DH
for a reaction using the specific heat of the solution
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- •From a temperature change, calculate
DH using the specific heat of
the solution
Entropy and
the Gibbs Energy
- •Give and apply the Second Law of Thermodynamics
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- •Give and apply the Third Law of Thermodynamics
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- •Understand the concept of entropy as a measure of
matter and energy dispersal
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- •Be able to predict the sign of
DS for a chemical or physical
change
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- •Use Third Law entropies to predict
DS for a reaction
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- •Understand the connection between entropy and enthalpy
through the Gibbs free energy (DG
= DH - TDS),
and the meaning of the sign of DG
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- •Calculate DG
from DH and
DS at a given T, or from
DG0
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- •Describe the relationship between
DG and K
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- •Show that a reaction with a positive
DG can be made to occur by
coupling it with a reaction with a negative DG
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- •Understand the difference between the information
provided by kinetics and thermodynamics
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- •Understand the differences between kinetic and
thermodynamic stability
Reactions in Aqueous Solution
- •Know the definitions of electrolyte (strong and weak) and
non-electrolyte, relate these to the equilibria involved
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- •Be able to write net ionic equations
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- •Apply thermodynamics, kinetics and stoichiometry to these systems
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- •Define “insoluble” as very slightly soluble ionic compounds
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- •Know general solubility rules
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- •Explain why metal oxides are basic, non-metal oxides are acidic
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- •Define oxidation, reduction, oxidizing agents and reducing agents
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- •Define and use half-reactions
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- •Balance redox reaction in acidic, basic or neutral media
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- Acid/base reactions
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- •Know and explain different definitions of acids and
bases (Arrhenius, Brønsted-Lowry, Lewis)
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- •Know the definition of Ka and Kb
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- •Explain what strong and weak acids/bases are and the
relationship to the equilibrium constant (Ka or Kb)
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- •Explain the terms amphiprotic and polyprotic
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- •Define Kw and explain where it comes
from, know when Kw must be accounted for in a calculation
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- •Explain what a conjugate acid-base pair is and how
this may be used to qualitatively predict the relative strengths of an acid
and base
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- •Define and explain pH and the pH scale (know what pH
values are acidic and which are basic)
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- •Be able to calculate pH from Ka/Kb
and calculate Ka/Kb from pH
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- •Predict the pH of a solution arising from hydrolysis
of a salt
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- •Perform pH calculation with polyprotic acids or
bases
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- •Describe the reactions of strong acids/bases, strong
acid/base with weak base/acid, weak acids/bases; indicate which will have a
pH of 7.00 at the equivalence point and why
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- •Common ion effect in relationship to weak acid/base
equilibria
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- •Definition of a buffer
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- •Use the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation to predict
the pH of a buffer and to find the concentration of the acid/base needed to
prepare a buffer of a given pH
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- •Derive acid-base titration curves for any
combination of strong and weak acid/base
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- Precipitation Reactions
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- •Define “insoluble” as very slightly soluble ionic
compounds
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- •Know general solubility rules
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- •Explain solubility rules for ionic compounds in
terms of the interactions occurring at the molecular level
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- •Define Ksp
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- •Use a table of Ksp values properly
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- •Define the ion product, Q, and understand the
difference between Q and Ksp
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- •Determine Ksp from experimental
measurements
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- •Estimate salt solubility from Ksp
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- •Understand that solubilities are expressed in mol/L
in Ksp calculations
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- •Appreciate that the proper thermodynamic expression
for Ksp requires activities and that the use of concentration is
an approximation
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- •Understand that relative solubilities of salts can
only be made using Ksp when the number of total ions is the same
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- •Use Ksp to determine precipitation
conditions
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- •Use Ksp to determine the concentration of
ions in solution
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- •Use Ksp to describe precipitation of
insoluble salts
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- •Explain what a common ion is and use the common ion
effect appropriately in any of the calculations described above
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- •Understand when and how to make the approximations
in Ksp calculations that reduce cubic equations to quadratic equations (5%
rule)
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- •Use solubility properties to determine the identity
of an unknown solution (qualitative analysis)
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- •Understand when pH may affect an equilibrium
equation and modify the solubility calculation appropriately
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- •Use Ksp values to selectively precipitate one
species over another
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