1. Purchase your own copy of 5 Steps to a 5 on the AP: Chemistry, John T Moore, McGraw Hill, 2003.

2. Buy a few color highlighters.

3. Read and study Chapter 1 and 2.  Highlight material that applies to you.

4. Take the diagnostic test on Page 23.  (Go ahead and write in the book, I will make an additional copy of this test for you to take before the AP Exam.)

5. Take a look at the AP and other websites.  List the three most useful in the front cover of your book

6. Read and study (highlight, take notes in the margin, etc) and do all the review questions at the end of the chapter for Chapter 3 (Basics) and Chapter 5 (Stoichiometry)

7. Bring your highlighted book, notes and diagnostic test to school the first day of class in August. Points will be assigned to you and then the book will be returned to you for your further enjoyment.

1. Balance Charges (charges should equal zero)
2. Cation is always written first (in name and in formula)
3. Change the ending of the anion to -ide

1. All compounds containing alkali metal cations and the ammonium ion are soluble.
2. All compounds containing NO3-, ClO4-, ClO3-, and C2H3O2- anions are soluble.
3. All chlorides, bromides, and iodides are soluble except those containing Ag+, Pb2+, or Hg2+.
4. All sulfates are soluble except those containing Hg2+, Pb2+, Sr2+, Ca2+, or Ba2+.
5. All hydroxides are insoluble except compounds of the alkali metals, Ca2+,  Sr2+,and Ba2+.
6. All compounds containing PO43-, S2-, CO32-, and SO32- ions are insoluble except those that also contain alkali metals or NH4+.

1. The oxidation number of any uncombined element is O.
2. The oxidation number of a monatomic ion equal the charge on the ion.   
3. The more electronegative element in a binary compound is assigned the number equal to the charge it would have if it were an ion.
4. The oxidation number of fluorine in a compound is always –1
5. Oxygen has an oxidation number of –2 unless it is combined with F, when it is +2, or it is in a peroxide, when it is –1.
6. The oxidation state of hydrogen in most of its compounds is+1 unless it combined with a metal, in which case it is –1.
7. In compounds, the elements of groups 1 and 2 as well as aluminum have oxidation number of +1, +2, and +3, respectively
8. The sum of the oxidation numbers of all atoms in a neutral compound is O.
9. The sum of the oxidation number of all atoms in a polyatomic ion equals the charge of the ion.

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AP Chemistry Course Outline

• Textbook  Steven S. Zumdahl and Susan A. Zumdahl, Chemistry, Fifth Ed., Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 2000.
• Supplementary Text: John T Moore, 5 Steps to a 5 on the AP: Chemistry, McGraw Hill, 2003.

ABOUT THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM

Advanced Placement courses provide a means of providing college level classes to talented high school students. Advanced Placement is a nation-wide program that has been in existence for over 30 years. One of the major functions of an Advanced Placement course is to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Exam, which is given in May each year in various subject areas. Although the course of study is well-described, the exam itself is prepared by the Educational Testing Service in New Jersey and is kept secret from students and teachers until it is actually given. Exams are graded outside the school on a scale of 1 to 5: 5 is the highest, and 1 is the lowest. Those students who score 3 or above are considered to have "passed" the exam, and will receive credit from most colleges in the United States. Also, in most cases, those students who "pass" will be exempt from college freshman-level coursework in that exam’s subject area. 

ABOUT THE AP CHEMISTRY COURSE

Since this is a college level course taught in high school, it is very demanding, both in time and effort required. Much of the work involves solving math-type word problems. It is highly recommended that AP Chemistry students be concurrently enrolled in one of the highest-level mathematics courses available. With the exception of laboratory experiment days, homework is assigned each day until the final review for the AP Chemistry Exam. The amount of work outside of class depends upon the student and his/her background; however, students should be prepared to spend anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour each night after school on just their AP Chemistry homework. Because class time is limited, students will be given opportunities to work on bonus units over vacation breaks. Those students who are heavily involved in after school activities and/or jobs will have to learn to budget their time very carefully.  

WHY TAKE AP CHEMISTRY?

There are several reasons why a student might want to take AP Chemistry, including (but not limited to!) the following:

1. AP Chemistry will challenge you to the limits of your academic ability. In the past you may have found classes "too easy", and therefore not stimulating you to do your very best. This will not be the case in AP Chemistry.
   
   
2. AP Chemistry will teach you to think at higher levels. Learning will rarely be of the "parrot-back" variety (i.e. where the teacher gives a lecture, and the student is expected to give back the same information on a test---similar to a parrot!) In AP Chemistry, you will be forced to think and apply concepts to new situations, and even derive your own theories from application. This is excellent preparation for the higher levels of thinking required in college.
   
   
3. Of course, one of the most obvious benefits to this course is that when you take and pass the national AP Chemistry Exam given in May, you will receive college credit for the course when you enroll at most colleges and universities in the United States. This will save you both time and money.
   
   [Some students who have passed the AP Exam elect to take first year college chemistry anyway, where they find the material an easy review, and achieve top grades while others around them are frustrated and struggling in a class which is too large and/or the instructor is unavailable for help! I especially recommend this approach for students considering majoring in chemistry or biochemistry.]
   
   
4. AP Chemistry looks great on your transcript or on a letter of recommendation. More and more of the best colleges and universities are looking for ways that students have distinguished themselves in high school. Being a "straight A" student no longer carries the weight it once did, and many 4.0 grade average students are finding themselves denied entry at the college of their choice. One of the first things admissions officers ask counselors about a potential candidate for their university is ‘did this student take the most challenging courses available?’ Taking AP Chemistry is a way of distinguishing yourself in high school.
   
   
5. AP Chemistry is an intense course of study where students and the teacher REALLY get to know each other. It is to the student’s advantage for the teacher to know them well when they need a letter of recommendation.
   
   
6. As difficult as AP Chemistry is, you will find that it will never be as easy to learn Freshman Chemistry as it is now! There are several reasons for this:
   
   
1. High school classes are generally much smaller than college classes. 
   
   
2. Most college professors don't regard teaching Freshman Chemistry as a priority; many concentrate on their research, and consider teaching to be an interruption and distraction to that end.
   
   
3. At times Freshman Chemistry is used to "weed out" students. Most colleges prefer not to have large class sizes in their upper division courses. Therefore the grades and difficulty level of the freshman courses are adjusted so that only small numbers of very outstanding students will be able to move on. This can result in a large portion of students in freshman chemistry flunking the course!