Embedded Files
What should students know when entering college?
What should students know when entering college?
If you could ask a college professor about what would be helpful to learn in highschool so you could be more successful in college chemistry, what would they say? Let me tell you!
Here is what I would focus on in High School...in this order:
All numbers have significant digits and units…always.
Sig digs start in the lab and help keep track of precision in numbers. Learning how to read graduated equipment is good here.
Here is a decent YouTube video on all of this (11 min long): Reading Graduated Cylinders
Know units and unit conversions. Lots of practice here…correct practice
learn some common metric prefixes: tera, giga, mega, kilo, centi, milli, micro, and nano
learn how to use them...properly
Work with density as an expression of conversion units. Connect density as a fundamental property of materials.
(we don’t spend time on chemical versus physical properties…let’s learn some chemistry first. Cover it later if you think valuable. No one in the chemical industry worries about being able to tell the difference.)
Work with the different temperature scales, noting that Kelvin is the primary and preferred scale in science.
It would help to memorize the first 36 elements: name & symbol
Structure of the atom, especially electrons, and how that connects to size, ionization energy, charges, and reactivity.
Note, frequently and repeatedly,
Nonmetals gain electrons and become anions.
Metals give electrons and become cations. One of the most useful differences to chemistry students.
Nonmetals...are tricky. Try to leave these alone or minimal info to start with.
Anions and cations are oppositely charged and attract!
Note: This is the only time opposites attract should be used as a guideline…never for dating!)
Anions can be complicated, especially the polyatomic ones, but they are important on Earth!
Know a good list of polyatomic anions: names, structures, charges.
Know how to make an ionic compound from the charges of anions and cations…including polyatomic ones.
Know how to name all of these types.
Know how to draw Lewis Structures from a process (we have a great one!)
My YouTube videos...actual lecture in my Chem131 college class. Kind of long.
Moles & Molar Mass = What is it? Why is it used?
Compared to how we use the term "dozen"
Moles and molar mass connect our tools (balances) to how chemistry works (reactions and solutions)
More unit analysis here!
Chemical Reactions (balancing & stoichiometry)
Solutions (making and calculating concentration in molarity and percentage)
Thermodynamics (calorimetry and enthalpy)
Properties of solids, liquids, and gases.
Gas laws need Kelvin to work!
Acid-base chemistry with pH calculations and introduction to buffers.
Whatever there is time for after that…organic chemistry, titrations/buffers, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, equilibria, etc.
Page updated
Report abuse