OCG - Chemistry 1

South Carolina Standards:  (List the standards students are expected to master in this course)

• C.1: The student will use the science and engineering practices, including the processes and skills of scientific inquiry, to develop understandings of science content.

1. The practices of science and engineering support the development of science concepts, develop the habits of mind that are necessary for scientific thinking, and allow students to engage in science in ways that are similar to those used by scientists and engineers.
2. Technology is any modification to the natural world created to fulfill the wants and needs of humans. The engineering design process involves a series of iterative steps used to solve a problem and often leads to the development of a new or improved technology.

• C.2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of atomic structure and nuclear processes.

1. The existence of atoms can be used to explain the structure and behavior of matter. Each atom consists of a charged nucleus, consisting of protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons.  The interactions of these electrons between and within atoms are the primary factors that determing the chemical properties of matter.  In a neutral atom the number of protons is the same as the number of electrons.
2. In nuclear fusion, lighter nuclei combine to form more stable heavier nuclei and in nuclear fission heavier nuclei are split to form lighter nuclei. The energies in fission and fusion reactions exceed the energies in usual chemical reactions.

• C.3: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the structures and classification of chemical compounds.

1. Elements are made up of only one kind of atom. With increasing atomic number, a predictable pattern for addition of electrons exists.  This pattern is the basis for the arrangement of elements in the periodic table.  The chemical properties of an elements are determined by an element’s electron configuration.  Elements can react to form chemical compounds/molecules that have unique properties determined by the kinds of atoms combined to make up the compound/molecule.  Essentially, the ways in which electrons are involved in bonds determines whether ionic or covalent bonds are formed.  Compounds have characteristic shapes that are determined by the type and number of bonds formed.

• C.4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the structure and behavior of the different states of matter.

1. Matter can exist as a solid, liquid or gas, and in very high energy states, as plasma. In general terms, for a given chemical, the particles making up the solid are at a lower energy state than the liquid phase, which is at a lower energy state than the gaseous phase.  The changes from one state of matter into another are energy dependent.  The behaviors of gases are dependent on the factors of pressure, volume, and temperature. 

• C.5: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the nature and properties of various types of chemical solutions.

1. Solutions can exist in any of three physical states: gas, liquid, or solid.  Solution concentrations can be expressed by specifying the relative amounts of solute and solvent.  The nature of the solute, the solvent, the temperature, and the pressure can affect solubility.  Solutes can affect such solvent properties as freezing point, boiling point, and vapor pressure.  Acids, bases, and salts have characteristic properties.  Several definitions of acids and bases are used in chemistry.

• C.6: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the types, the causes, and the effects of chemical reactions.

1. A chemical reaction occurs when elements and/or compounds interact, resulting in a rearrangement of the atoms of these elements and/or compounds to produce substances with unique properties. Mass is conserved in chemical reactions.  Reactions tend to proceed in a direction that favors lower energies.  Chemical reactions can be categoriezed using knowledge about the reactants to predict products.  Chemical reactions are quantifiable.  When stress is applied to a chemical system that is in equilibrium, the system will shift in a direction that reduces that stress.

• C.7: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the conservation of energy and energy transfer.

1. The first law of thermodynamics states that the amount of energy in the universe is constant. An energy diagram is used to represent changes in the energy of the reactants and products in a chemical reaction.  Enthalpy refers to the heat content that is present in an atom, ion, or compound.  While some chemical reactions occur spontaneously, other reactions may require that activation energy be lowered in order for the reaction to occur.