Outcome Statements for Chemistry 129: Basic Principles of Chemistry
Last Update: May 18, 2010
At the end of CHEM 129 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
- •Know and appreciate the difference between quantitative and qualitative arguments
- •Know and be able to explain the difference between a theory and a law
- •Appreciate the nature and scope of chemistry and understand what distinguishes chemistry from other sciences
Mathematics of Chemistry
- •Know the SI units commonly encountered in chemistry•Know the metric prefixes relevant to chemistry•Be able to transform one set of units to another by factor analysis•Understand the meaning of percent and be able to use it in calculations
•Explain the difference between precision and accuracy, and understand the relationship between them
- •Know and consistently apply the rules of significant figures in calculations
- •Be able to calculate an average, percent error, and standard deviation
- •Be able to consistently prepare graphs that clearly and concisely present experimental results using Excel
Atomic Theory and Atomic Properties
- •Classify matter into pure substances (compounds, elements) and mixtures (homogenous, heterogeneous)
- •Understand Dalton’s Atomic Theory and its subsequent modifications to modern atomic theory
- •State and use the Law of Conservation of Mass
- •Understand that atoms have structure and know the names, charges and relative masses of the subatomic particles
- •Define and distinguish between the following terms: mass number, atomic number, atomic mass, isotopic mass and atomic weight
- •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
- •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
- •Be aware of mass spectroscopy and the information that this method gives
Elements
- •Distinguish between groups and periods on the periodic table
- •Know the names of the special groupings of elements (metals/non-metals/metalloids, halogens etc.) on the periodic table and examples from each
- •Know what distinguishes a metal from a non-metal
- •Define allotrope and cite examples of elements that form allotropes
- •Know which elements exist as diatomic molecules, which are primarily solids, which are liquids and which are gases
- •Be able to extract the following from the periodic table: element symbol, element name, atomic weight, and atomic number
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
- •Differentiate between molecular formula, structural formula and formula unit
- •Explain what a mole is
- •Understand the meaning of a chemical formula (what elements are present and the molar ratios)
- •Recognize that metals lose electrons to form cations and non-metals gain electrons to form anions
- •Determine the charge on a monatomic ion from a basic knowledge of the periodic table
- •Be able to give the name, formula and charge of the common polyatomic ions from knowledge of the rules of nomenclature
- •Know the rules for naming monatomic anions and metal cations
- •Name simple molecular compounds and ionic compounds given a formula
- •Be able to write a chemical formula for a compound given its name
- •Recognize a compound as an acid or base given its formula
- •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
- •Understand and differentiate between a molar mass, a formula weight and a molecular weight, be able to calculate any of them from atomic weights
- •Be able to interchange between grams, moles, molecules and molar mass of a substance
- •Express composition in terms of percent composition
- •Use percent composition to determine an empirical formula, and if given a molecular weight, determine the molecular formula of a compound
Stoichiometry
- •Be able to balance simple chemical reactions
- •Recognize simple chemical reactions (acid/base, precipitation, redox, gas-forming)
- •Calculate mass of reactant or reactants and/or product or products given mass of other reactants or products using the balanced chemical equation
- •Understand the concept of a limiting reagent
- •Be able to calculate a theoretical yield, and if given an actual yield, calculate the percent yield
- •Given a percent yield and a balanced chemical equation, be able to predict the amounts of reactants needed
- •Use stoichiometry to determine the empirical formula of a compound
- •Be able to explain the concept of concentration
- •Be able to use the following concentration units: molarity, molality, % by weight, % by volume, mole fraction, ppm and ppb
- •Know the definitions of electrolyte (strong and weak) and non-electrolyte; relate these to the equilibria involved
- •Understand that in solution strong electrolytes dissociate completely and that the number of ions present is determined by the formula unit
- •Be able to write net ionic equations
- •Be able to perform the necessary calculations needed when one prepares a solution of a given concentration from a solid, a dilution of an existing solution or by a serial dilution
- •Use concentration in stoichiometry calculations in solution
- •Define oxidation, reduction, oxidizing agents and reducing agents
- •Define and use half-reactions
- •Balance redox reaction in acidic, basic or neutral media
- •Know and explain the Arrhenius and Brønsted-Lowry acid/base definitions
- •Explain that metal oxides are basic, non-metal oxides are acidic
- •Explain the terms amphiprotic and polyprotic
- •Define “insoluble salts” as very slightly soluble ionic compounds
- •Know general solubility rules for ionic compounds
- •Know the terms titration, titrant, standardization
- •Be able to calculate the amount of an analyte present in a solution from titration data
- •Use the Ideal Gas Law and Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressure to solve stoichiometry problems involving gases
- •Understand the conditions (high temperature and low pressure) where the Ideal Gas Law holds
Enthalpy
- •Be able to explain and use the First Law of Thermodynamics
- •Definition of specific heat (capacity) and heat capacity and use of specific heat in heating/cooling problems
- •Know definition of enthalpy, state function, exothermic, endothermic
- •Relationship of ΔH to q for physical and chemical changes
- •Explain the key features of a heating/cooling curve, including the definition (including sign) of ΔH for different changes of state
- •Understand and apply Hess’s Law
- •Definition of standard molar enthalpy of formation ΔHf0
- •Use ΔHf0 to predict ΔH for a reaction
- •Be able to predict a change in temperature for a chemical reaction from ΔH for a reaction using the specific heat of the solution
- •From a temperature change, calculate ΔH using the specific heat of the solution
Lewis Dot Structures
- •Understand that only some electrons (valence electrons) participate in bonding while others (core electrons) do not
- •Determine the number of valence electrons for a main group element from its position in the periodic table
- •State the octet rule and explain why some elements are allowed to have an expanded octet
- •Draw Lewis dot structures for any compound or polyatomic ion (normal or expanded octets) given its molecular formula or simple structural formula
- •Define formal charge, and be able to calculate it from a Lewis dot structure
- •Explain the difference between a formal charge and an oxidation number; be able to determine an oxidation number from a Lewis dot structure
- •Explain the term resonance and why it must be invoked in Lewis dot structures; be able to draw resonance structures and resonance hybrids
- •Define bond order and bond character
- •Understand the basic aspects of the Pauling electronegativity