AP Chemistry (REA) - The Best Test Prep for

EXCELLING ON THE AP CHEMISTRY EXAM ABOUT THIS BOOK This book provides a thorough review for the Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry Examination written in a way that high school students will readily grasp and appreciate. REA's mission is to translate chemistry into terms the student can understand and benefit from. Six full-length practice exams are included to get you ready for the actual exam. Use them, along with the detailed explanations of answers, to help determine your strengths and weaknesses, and to prepare you to score well on exam day. ABOUT THE EXAMINATION The Advanced Placement Chemistry Examination is offered each May at participating schools and testing centers throughout the world. The Advanced Placement Program is designed to allow high school students to pursue college-level studies while attending high school. Participating colleges, in turn, grant credit and/or advanced placement to students who do well on the examinations. The Advanced Placement Chemistry course is designed to be the equivalent of a college introductory chemistry course, often taken by chemistry majors in their first year of college. Since the test covers a broad range of topics, no student is expected to answer all of the questions correctly. (Consequently, it is important for students to not feel defeated when confronting a question that appears unanswerable.) The AP Chemistry exam is divided into two sections. The first section is composed of 75 multiple-choice questions designed to test recall of a broad range of concepts and calculations. The score students earn on the multiple-choice test composes 50% of the total score. Calculators are not permitted on the multiple-choice portion of the exam, although simple arithmetic may be needed to answer some questions. The second section is a free-response exam and constitutes the other 50% of the final grade. Calculators are allowed on Part A, during which the student has 55 minutes to complete three problems. Calculators are not allowed on Part B, during which students have 40 minutes to complete chemical reaction questions and two essay questions. Most hand-held calculators are allowed in the examination. However, calculators with typewriter-style (QWERTY) keypads are not allowed. If you are unsure if your calculator is permitted, check with your teachers or Educational Testing Service. A detailed outline of the topics on the examination and specific strategies for both portions of the Advanced Placement Chemistry examination follows. DETAILED OUTLINE OF THE EXAMINATION The following is an outline of the general breadth of topics that the College Board identifies as being on the AP Chemistry Examination. I. Structure of Matter (20% of the AP test) A. Atomic theory and structure 1. Evidence for atomic theory 2. Atomic mass 3. Atomic number, mass number, isotopes 4. Electron energy levels, quantum numbers, atomic orbitals 5. Periodic relationships: atomic radii, ionization energy, electron affinity, oxidation states. B. Chemical Bonding 1. Binding forces a. Types of forces: ionic, covalent, network covalent, metallic, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals. b. Relationships to states, structure, and properties of matter. c. Polarity of bonds, electronegativities. 2. Molecular Models a. Lewis structures b. Hybridization of orbitals, resonance, sigma and pi bonds. c. VSEPR (valence shell electron pair repulsion) 3. Geometry of molecules and ions, structural isomerism of simple organic molecules and coordination compounds; dipole moments of molecules, relation of properties to structure. C. Nuclear chemistry: nuclear equations, half-Dumas, Philip E is the author of 'AP Chemistry (REA) - The Best Test Prep for', published 2008 under ISBN 9780738604275 and ISBN 0738604275.