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AP® Chemistry Physical Lab

AP® Chemistry Physical Lab

This Advanced Placement Chemistry course is equivalent to a one semester, college level, chemistry course. The rigor of this course is consistent with colleges and universities and will prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam in May. Upon successful completion of the exam, students may receive college credit and will be well-prepared for advanced chemistry coursework. Additional details on this course from College Board can be found here: AP Chemistry.

In this course, students will explore four big ideas:

(1) Scale, Proportion, and Quantity: Quantities in chemistry are expressed at both the macroscopic and atomic scale. Explanations, predictions, and other forms of argumentation in chemistry require understanding the meaning of these quantities, and the relationship between quantities at the same scale and across scales.

(2) Structure and Properties: Properties of substances observable at the macroscopic scale emerge from the structures of atoms and molecules and the interactions between them.

(3) Transformations: At its heart, chemistry is about the rearrangement of matter. Understanding the details of these transformations requires reasoning at many levels as one must quantify what is occurring both macroscopically and at the atomic level during the process.

(4) Energy: Energy has two important roles in characterizing and controlling systems, the first being accounting for distribution and redistribution of energy in a system and the second being the enthalpic and entropic driving forces for a chemical process.

Students will build on prior knowledge of chemistry and will investigate topics such as chemical reactions, stoichiometry, atomic theory, periodicity, bonding, states of matter, thermodynamics, kinetics, and equilibrium.

This course incorporates a variety of textbook and multimedia resources and has a comprehensive lab program that meets College Board requirements. Students will perform hands-on lab work using materials from their lab kit, conduct virtual experiments, share experimental data to analyze larger data sets and participate in lab-based discussions with their peers. Students will also engage in collaborative activities, including discussions, that develop scientific literacy and connect chemical principles to real-world applications and current events, in order to develop a deeper understanding of chemistry.

Students will be expected to enroll in My AP Classroom through their VHS Learning AP course and will be guided to complete review work in My AP Classroom throughout the year. My AP Classroom resources include AP Daily Videos and unit-based Personal Progress Checks, which include AP-style multiple choice and free response questions.

Students enrolled in VHS Learning Advanced Placement courses with a passing grade are expected to take the AP Exam. Students register for AP exams through their local school or testing site as “Exam Only” students. AP exam scores will be reported to VHS Learning through My AP Classroom; exam results will not affect the student's VHS Learning grade or future enrollment in VHS Learning courses.

This AP course has a required summer assignment. The summer assignment is a review of prerequisite content and critical concepts students must be comfortable with before beginning the course. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1 will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3.

This course requires purchasing a physical lab kit.

Acknowledgements

  • One full academic year of honors-level, high school-level chemistry which included a comprehensive, hands-on, laboratory program. Students must have mastered basic chemistry laboratory techniques, including quantitative liquid measurement and transfer, safe liquid heating, and familiarity with common chemistry glassware.
  • In addition to the enrollment fee, this course has an Additional Course Fee of $80 and a required lab kit fee of $297. Lab kits shipped internationally may incur additional fees. International schools must have the ability to receive lab materials through customs.
  • The required summer assignment for AP Chemistry can be found in our AP Summer Work Directory.

Course Objectives

Course Essential Questions:

  • How do the common units we use to measure the macroscopic world around us compare to the units we use to measure atoms and molecules?
  • How does the atomic and molecular structure of different types of substances impact their physical and chemical properties?
  • What is meant by transformation of matter, and what impacts how these transformations occur?
  • How can energy be transferred during a physical or chemical change, and how does it drive or prevent the change from occurring?

Course Objectives:

  • Use representations and models to communicate phenomena and solve problems.
  • Use mathematics appropriately to calculate unknown values and support principles.
  • Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the context of the AP Chemistry curriculum.
  • Plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question.
  • Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
  • Articulate scientific principles, laws or concepts and justify claims with evidence.
  • Connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and representations in and across domains of chemistry.

Additional Requirements

  • Students will need access to select YouTube videos throughout the course.
  • Accessibility Note: Although every effort has been made to make this course accessible to all students, some resources or activities in this course, such as audio files, images of visual art pieces, or hands-on activities, may present accessibility challenges.
  • Students will need to document lab work by taking digital images of their lab setup and experiments in progress.
  • The following additional materials are required:
  • “Standard” (#1) metal paperclip (check the box to make sure it is standard)
  • Metric ruler (cm)
  • Various kitchen supplies. Students design a lab to test a cooking/baking recipe.
  • Solvents of your choice such as vegetable oil, mineral oil, etc.
  • Small pan or bowl of ice water
  • 1 empty 12 oz. aluminum soda can
  • Stove top or hot plate and microwave
  • Ice
  • Smartphone/device with camera loaded with either “Color Assist lite” free app (for iPhone) or “What RGB?” free app (for Android)
  • Various acidic solutions found in the home