AP Chemistry Unit 1

Big Idea:

Big Idea 1: The chemical elements are fundamental building materials of matter, and all matter can be understood in terms of arrangements of atoms. These atoms retain their identity in chemical reactions.

Big Idea 2: Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and the arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them.

Student Expectations:

Focus Standards

Enduring understanding 1.A: All matter is made of atoms. There are a limited number of types of atoms; these are the elements.

Essential knowledge

• 1.A.1: Molecules are composed of specific combinations of atoms; different molecules are composed of combinations of different elements and of combinations of the same elements in differing amounts and proportions.
• 1.A.2: Chemical analysis provides a method for determining the relative number of atoms in a substance, which can be used to identify the substance or determine its purity.
• 1.A.3: The mole is the fundamental unit for counting numbers of particles on the macroscopic level and allows quantitative connections to be drawn between laboratory experiments, which occur at the macroscopic level, and chemical processes, which occur at the atomic level.

Enduring understanding 2.A: Matter can be described by its physical properties. The physical properties of a substance generally depend on the spacing between the particles (atoms, molecules, ions) that make up the substance and the forces of attraction among them.

Essential knowledge

• 2.A.2: The gaseous state can be effectively modeled with a mathematical equation relating various macroscopic properties. A gas has neither a definite volume nor a definite shape; because the effects of attractive forces are minimal, we usually assume that the particles move independently.

Enduring understanding 2.B: Forces of attraction between particles (including the noble gases and also different parts of some large molecules) are important in determining many macroscopic properties of a substance, including how the observable physical state changes with temperature.

Essential knowledge

• 2.B.2: Dipole forces result from the attraction among the positive ends and negative ends of polar molecules. Hydrogen bonding is a strong type of dipole-dipole force that exists when very electronegative atoms (N, O, and F) are involved.

Enduring understanding 5.A: Two systems with different temperatures that are in thermal contact will exchange energy. The quantity of thermal energy transferred from one system to another is called heat.

Essential knowledge

• 5.A.1: Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of atoms and molecules.

Ongoing Standards

Science Practice 1: The student can use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problem

Science Practice 5: The student can perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.

Science Practice 6: The student can work with scientific explanations and theories.

Science Practice 7: The student is able to connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and representations in and across domains.

Student Learning Targets:

• Connect the number of particles, moles, mass, and the volume of substances to one another, both qualitatively and quantitatively. [LO 1.4, SP 7.1]
• Refine multiple representations of a sample of matter in the gas phase to accurately represent the effect of changes in macroscopic properties on the sample. [LO 2.5, SP 1.3, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
• Apply mathematical relationships or estimation to determine macroscopic variables for ideal gases. [LO 2.6, SP 2.2, SP 2.3 ]
• Refine multiple representations of a sample of matter in the gas phase to accurately represent the effect of changes in macroscopic properties on the sample. [LO 2.5, SP 1.3, SP 6.4, SP 7.2]
• Apply mathematical relationships or estimation to determine macroscopic variables for ideal gases. [LO 2.6, SP 2.2, SP 2.3 ]
• Use KMT and the concepts of intermolecular forces to make predictions about the macroscopic properties of gases, including both ideal and nonideal behaviors. [LO 2.4, SP 1.4, SP 6.4]
• Qualitatively analyze data regarding real gases to identify deviations from ideal behavior and relate these to molecular interactions. [LO 2.12, SP 5.1, SP 6.5, connects to 2.A.2]
• Relate temperature to the motions of particles, either via particulate representations, such as drawings of particles with arrows indicating velocities, and/or via representations of average kinetic energy and distribution of kinetic energies of the particles, such as plots of the MaxwellBoltzmann distribution. [LO 5.2, SP 1.1, SP 1.4, SP 7.1]

Essential Questions:

• We can model the motion of gases as individual particles. When does the model most accurately represent nature?
• When a scuba diver stays underwater for an extended time and then surfaces quickly, he or she may experience the bends. What are the cause and the cure?
• Why do some packaged foods have different cooking instructions for different locations?

Extra Information:

Adopted Textbook:

District Grading Policy

Texas Gateway Online Resource Center