Curriculum Map

AP Chemistry

College-level chemistry covering atomic structure, bonding, reactions, kinetics, thermodynamics, equilibrium, and electrochemistry. Aligned to the College Board AP Chemistry Course and Exam Description.

14 Units

Early Units (Foundation)

Building Skills

Advanced Concepts

Capstone/Synthesis

Atomic Structure and Electron Configuration

Explore the quantum mechanical model of the atom, electron configurations, and the periodic trends that emerge from atomic structure.

3-4 days

Compound Structure and Bonding

Investigate ionic, covalent, and metallic bonding, Lewis structures, VSEPR theory, and how molecular geometry determines molecular properties.

3-4 days

Intermolecular Forces and States of Matter

Examine how intermolecular forces govern the properties of solids, liquids, and gases, and how phase diagrams encode the behavior of substances across temperature and pressure.

3-4 days

Chemical Reactions and Net Ionic Equations

Classify and predict chemical reactions, write net ionic equations, and analyze oxidation-reduction reactions through half-reaction methods.

3-4 days

Stoichiometry and the Mole Concept

Master the mole as chemistry's central counting unit, and apply stoichiometric reasoning to calculate masses, volumes, yields, and compositions of chemical reactions.

3-4 days

Gases and the Ideal Gas Law

Develop a quantitative model of gas behavior through the ideal gas law and kinetic molecular theory, and explore where real gases deviate from ideal predictions.

3-4 days

Solutions and Colligative Properties

Explore how solutions form, how concentration is measured and manipulated, and how dissolved solutes alter the physical properties of solvents through colligative effects.

3-4 days

Thermochemistry: Energy in Chemical Reactions

Quantify the energy changes in chemical reactions through calorimetry, Hess's Law, standard enthalpies, and bond energy calculations.

3-4 days

Thermodynamics: Entropy, Free Energy, and Spontaneity

Investigate why reactions proceed spontaneously by analyzing entropy changes, Gibbs free energy, and the fundamental connection between thermodynamics and equilibrium.

3-4 days

Reaction Kinetics: Rates and Mechanisms

Investigate how fast chemical reactions occur and why, through rate laws, reaction mechanisms, collision theory, the Arrhenius equation, and the role of catalysis.

4-5 days

Chemical Equilibrium

Develop a rigorous understanding of dynamic chemical equilibrium, equilibrium constants, the reaction quotient, ICE table calculations, and Le Chatelier's principle.

4-5 days

Acids, Bases, and Buffers

Master acid-base theory from Brønsted-Lowry definitions through pH calculations, buffer design, and titration curves — the chemistry that underlies biology, industry, and environmental science.

4-5 days

Electrochemistry: Galvanic Cells and Electrolysis

Explore how spontaneous redox reactions generate electrical energy in galvanic cells and how electrical energy drives non-spontaneous reactions in electrolytic cells, with quantitative analysis through the Nernst equation.

3-4 days

Chemistry in Context: Spectroscopy, Chromatography, and Green Chemistry

Connect chemistry concepts to real-world analytical techniques and sustainable practices — spectroscopy, chromatography, and green chemistry principles that define modern scientific and industrial chemistry.

3-4 days

Learning Progression

This course is designed to be taken sequentially. Earlier units establish foundational concepts that later units build upon. While you can explore units in any order, following the numbered sequence provides the most coherent learning experience.