INCLUDES Course framework Instructional section Sample exam questions AP Chemistry ® COURSE AND EXAM DESCRIPTION Effective Fall 2022 AP Chemistry ® COURSE AND EXAM DESCRIPTION Effective Fall 2022 AP COURSE AND EXAM DESCRIPTIONS ARE UPDATED PERIODICALLY Please visit AP Central (apcentral.org) to determine whether a more recent course and exam description is available. About College Board College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of more than 6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education.
Each year, College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success— including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement® Program. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, and schools. For further information, visit collegeboard. AP Equity and Access Policy College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP.
We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented. Schools should make every effort to ensure their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population. College Board also believes that all students should have access to academically challenging course work before they enroll in AP classes, which can prepare them for AP success. It is only through a commitment to equitable preparation and access that true equity and excellence can be achieved.
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Contents v Acknowledgments 1 About AP 4 AP Resources and Supports 6 Instructional Model 7 About the AP Chemistry Course 7 College Course Equivalent 7 Prerequisites 7 Lab Requirement COURSE FRAMEWORK 11 Introduction 12 Course Framework Components 13 Science Practices 17 Course Content 22 Course at a Glance 27 Unit Guides 28 Using the Unit Guides 31 UNIT 1: Atomic Structure and Properties 45 UNIT 2: Molecular and Ionic Compound Structure and Properties 59 UNIT 3: Intermolecular Forces and Properties 81 UNIT 4: Chemical Reactions 97 UNIT 5: Kinetics 115 UNIT 6: Thermodynamics 131 UNIT 7: Equilibrium 153 UNIT 8: Acids and Bases 171 UNIT 9: Applications of Thermodynamics LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS 191 Lab Experiments 194 How to Set Up a Lab Program INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES 199 Selecting and Using Course Materials 200 Guided Inquiry in AP Chemistry 201 Instructional Strategies 204 Developing the Science Practices EXAM INFORMATION 215 Exam Overview 219 Sample Exam Questions SCORING GUIDELINES 227 Question 1: Short-Answer 229 Question 2: Long-Answer APPENDIXES 235 Periodic Table of the Elements 237 Equations and Constants Acknowledgments College Board would like to acknowledge the following committee members, consultants, and reviewers for their assistance with and commitment to the development of this course. All individuals and their affiliations were current at the time of contribution. Paul Bonvallet, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH Brenda Brockland, Prairie Ridge High School, Crystal Lake, IL Kristen Cacciatore, East Boston High School, Boston, MA Renee Cole, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA Kevin Hendren, New Trier High School, Winnetka, IL Roger Kugel, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH Paul Price, Trinity Valley High School, Fort Worth, TX Alice Putti, Jenison High School, Jenison, MI Dave Yaron, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA College Board Staff Jamie Benigna, Director, AP Chemistry Claire Lorenz, Senior Director, AP Instructional Design and PD Resource Development Serena Magrogan, Senior Director, AP Instructional Design and PD Resource Development SPECIAL THANKS John R. Williamson AP Chemistry Course and Exam Description V.1 | v Return to Table of Contents © 2022 College Board THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.
About AP College Board’s Advanced Placement® Program (AP®) assessments—Personal Progress Checks—that enables willing and academically prepared students teachers can assign throughout the year to measure to pursue college-level studies—with the opportunity student progress as they acquire content knowledge to earn college credit, advanced placement, or and develop skills. both—while still in high school. Through AP courses in 38 subjects, each culminating in a challenging exam, students learn to think critically, construct solid Enrolling Students: arguments, and see many sides of an issue—skills Equity and Access that prepare them for college and beyond. Taking AP College Board strongly encourages educators to courses demonstrates to college admission officers make equitable access a guiding principle for their that students have sought the most challenging AP programs by giving all willing and academically curriculum available to them, and research indicates prepared students the opportunity to participate that students who score a 3 or higher on an AP Exam in AP.
We encourage the elimination of barriers typically experience greater academic success in that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, college and are more likely to earn a college degree racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been than non-AP students. Each AP teacher’s syllabus traditionally underserved. College Board also is evaluated and approved by faculty from some of believes that all students should have access to the nation’s leading colleges and universities, and AP academically challenging coursework before they Exams are developed and scored by college faculty and enroll in AP classes, which can prepare them for AP experienced AP teachers. Most four-year colleges and success.
It is only through a commitment to equitable universities in the United States grant credit, advanced preparation and access that true equity and excellence placement, or both on the basis of successful AP can be achieved. Exam scores—more than 3,300 institutions worldwide annually receive AP scores. Offering AP Courses: AP Course Development The AP Course Audit The AP Program unequivocally supports the principle In an ongoing effort to maintain alignment with best that each school implements its own curriculum that will practices in college-level learning, AP courses and enable students to develop the content understandings exams emphasize challenging, research-based and skills described in the course framework. curricula aligned with higher education expectations.
While the unit sequence represented in this publication Individual teachers are responsible for designing their is optional, the AP Program does have a short list of own curriculum for AP courses, selecting appropriate curricular and resource requirements that must be college-level readings, assignments, and resources. fulfilled before a school can label a course “Advanced This course and exam description presents the content Placement” or “AP.” Schools wishing to offer AP and skills that are the focus of the corresponding courses must participate in the AP Course Audit, a college course and that appear on the AP Exam. It also process through which AP teachers’ course materials organizes the content and skills into a series of units are reviewed by college faculty. The AP Course Audit that represent a sequence found in widely adopted was created to provide teachers and administrators college textbooks and that many AP teachers have with clear guidelines on curricular and resource told us they follow in order to focus their instruction.
requirements for AP courses and to help colleges and The intention of this publication is to respect teachers’ universities validate courses marked “AP” on students’ time and expertise by providing a roadmap that they transcripts. This process ensures that AP teachers’ can modify and adapt to their local priorities and courses meet or exceed the curricular and resource preferences. Moreover, by organizing the AP course expectations that college and secondary school faculty content and skills into units, the AP Program is able have established for college-level courses. to provide teachers and students with free formative AP Chemistry Course and Exam Description V.1 | 1 Return to Table of Contents © 2022 College Board The AP Course Audit form is submitted by the AP teacher performance assessments, as applicable, are scored by and the school principal (or designated administrator) to thousands of college faculty and expert AP teachers.
confirm awareness and understanding of the curricular Most are scored at the annual AP Reading, while a small and resource requirements. A syllabus or course outline, portion is scored online. All AP Readers are thoroughly detailing how course requirements are met, is submitted trained, and their work is monitored throughout the by the AP teacher for review by college faculty. Reading for fairness and consistency.
In each subject, a highly respected college faculty member serves Please visit collegeboard.org/apcourseaudit for more as Chief Faculty Consultant and, with the help of AP information to support the preparation and submission Readers in leadership positions, maintains the accuracy of materials for the AP Course Audit. of the scoring standards. Scores on the free-response questions and performance assessments are weighted How the AP Program and combined with the results of the computer-scored Is Developed multiple-choice questions, and this raw score is converted into a composite AP score on a 1–5 scale. The scope of content for an AP course and exam is derived from an analysis of hundreds of syllabi and AP Exams are not norm-referenced or graded on a course offerings of colleges and universities.
Instead, they are criterion-referenced, which this research and data, a committee of college faculty means that every student who meets the criteria for an and expert AP teachers work within the scope of AP score of 2, 3, 4, or 5 will receive that score, no matter the corresponding college course to articulate what how many students that is. The criteria for the number students should know and be able to do upon the of points a student must earn on the AP Exam to receive completion of the AP course. The resulting course scores of 3, 4, or 5—the scores research consistently framework is the heart of this course and exam validates for credit and placement purposes—include: description and serves as a blueprint of the content and § The number of points successful college students skills that can appear on an AP Exam. earn when their professors administer AP Exam The AP Test Development Committees are responsible questions to them.
for developing each AP Exam, ensuring the exam § The number of points researchers have found to questions are aligned to the course framework. The AP be predictive that an AP student will succeed when Exam development process is a multiyear endeavor; all placed into a subsequent, higher-level college AP Exams undergo extensive review, revision, piloting, course. and analysis to ensure that questions are accurate, fair, § Achievement-level descriptions formulated by and valid, and that there is an appropriate spread of college faculty who review each AP Exam question. difficulty across the questions.
Committee members are selected to represent a variety Using and Interpreting AP Scores of perspectives and institutions (public and private, The extensive work done by college faculty and small and large schools and colleges) and a range of AP teachers in the development of the course and gender, racial/ethnic, and regional groups. A list of each exam and throughout the scoring process ensures subject’s current AP Test Development Committee that AP Exam scores accurately represent students’ members is available on apcentral. achievement in the equivalent college course. Frequent Throughout AP course and exam development, College and regular research studies establish the validity of AP Board gathers feedback from various stakeholders scores as follows: in both secondary schools and higher education institutions.
This feedback is carefully considered to Credit College Grade ensure that AP courses and exams are able to provide AP Score Recommendation Equivalent students with a college-level learning experience and 5 Extremely well qualified A the opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications for advanced placement or college credit.