Study Guides

General resources for students

General Chemistry Online! - an interactive guide and Web resource for students and teachers of introductory college chemistry, maintained by Fred Senese of Frostberg State University (MD). A well-organized wealth of material, including collections of notes and guides for introductory General Chemistry, skills checklists and online self-grading examinations, and a Q&A column. An Introduction to Chemistry - an online version of a text by Mark Bishop of Monterey Peninsula College (CA). It is intended primarily for students in beginning chemistry courses. ($20 "donate-ware", and well worth it!) Virtual Chembook - this nicely-done site by Charles Ophardt of Elmhurst College covers a wide swath of general, organic, and environmental chemistry. The text material is interesting and well written without attempting to be encyclopedic. General Chemistry Virtual Textbook - a collection of comprehensive, in-depth treatments of various topics, intended to supplement or replace conventional textbook treatments. It is aimed mainly at the first-year college level, but advanced high school students will find much of it useful. (Steve Lower, Simon Fraser University) The Chemogenesis Webbook - this extensive, excellent and comprehensive site by Mark Leach tells how chemistry emerges from the Periodic Table and bifurcates into the rich and extraordinary science that we know and experience. Tanner's General Chemistry - a large collection of pages on matter (including quantum theory), physical chmistry, electrochemistry, and aqueous solutions. Chemistry Web Resources - this site maintained by Ron Rinehart of Monterey Peninsula College contains a wealth of material oriented toward chemical education, all well organized in a visually-attractive way. MIT Open CourseWare Chemistry site contains lecture notes and in some cases video lectures for a large number of undergraduate and graduate courses. {Introductory University chemistry} - these are the excellent sets of notes for now-retired Prof. Jim Plambeck's two-semester course at the University of Alberta. Chemistry Screencasts is a collection of mini-lectures on various chemistry topics with pictures and sound by Mark Ott of Jackson (MI) Community College. They can be downloaded to your hard drive and played in iTunes, or seen/heard directly online. You have a choice of first-semester and second-semester topics. CHEMystery: an interactive guide to chemistry. A collection of topics related to high school chemistry. This site was developed by a group of students for a 1997 event and is probably not being maintained. The ChemCollective student page has links to practice problems and tutorials on various topics. College physics for students of biology and chemistry - This hypertextbook by Ken Koehler is nicely organized and is the ideal place to go when your Chemistry textbook lets you down. How to pass chemistry - sound advice that is widely ignored. {High School Resources on the Web} - this extensive collection of links at Bob Jacob's Wilton HS site apparently disappeared in early 2008, but this link to a 2007 archived version should still be useful for both high school and college-level General Chemistry. This week in the history of Chemistry gives you a quick view of where it all came from. {Discovery and naming of the chemical elements} - this site by David Trapp organizes the elements according to whether their names are derived from celestial objects, places, minerals, etc. Discovery of the elements - {Elementistory} provides very brief summaries; the Los Alamos periodic table offers more comprehensive information. "Story Problems" - some practical advice for those addicted to "plug-and-chug". Chemistry Problems - worked examples - This About.com site has a fair selection. Chemistry Packets by veteran teacher Mark Rosengarten. A collection of notes and worksheets in pdf format in two 13-unit sets, one for honors, and the other for Regents Chemistry. Each unit begins with a nicely-organized set of definitions and notes, and contines with worksheets that can serve as student homework. Although directed at the high school, these materials can serve as a good review for college chemistry students.

Tutorial-oriented sites

Doc Brown's Chemistry Clinic- general review/revision site for UK GCSE, AS and A2 chemistry and USA/Canada grades 9-12. Revision notes, multiple choice tests, structured questions, graphics and extensive links to useful and interesting CHEMISTRY sites. One site speciallity is the structure and naming of organic compounds. ChemistryCoach is a high school course support page of enclyclopedic proportions. Authored by Bob Jacobs of Wilton High School, this well-organized site contains hundreds of links that will be of interest to students at both the high school and first-year college levels. ChemThink - This new site consists of a series of interactive quiz-based tutorials. There are also some laboratory simulatons. Registration is required, but is free. ChemTutor covers a variety of topics - aimed mainly at HS and AP Chemistry. The Chem Team - Tutorials for High School Chemistry in all standard topics for students in high school and Advanced Placement chemistry. General Chemistry I, General Chemistry II - "A Virtual Textbook" and a reliable set of lecture notes covering a complete college-level course by Michael Blaber of Florida State U. Look in the left-hand frame to see what topics are available. Merlin's Principles of Alchemy is a chemistry hypertextbook in the form of a large set of HTML files that users download and then view with their Web browsers off-line. It is organized in an interesting way, and is intended to support users having a wide range of backgrounds and capabilities, including home-schoolers and adult learners. There is a nominal charge for downloading the material. {Science Help Online Chemistry Lessons} - a nice set of lessons and reference materials by Greg Curran of Fordham Preparatory School. Quantum theory and the atom - a well-organized and understandable set of Web pages covering quantum mechanics and its applications, including such practical ones as cat scans and microwave ovens. Well worth a look! Virginia Tech's HyperMedia site has some nice General Chemistry tutorial pages. Virtual Chemistry Experiments - a collection of interative web-based chemistry tutorials. The tutorials employ Physlets and Chemistry Applets to simulate experiments or depict molecular and atomic structure. Topics include equilibria, kinetics, coordination chemistry, and crystal structure. (David Blauch, Davidson College)

Tutorials by topic

The basics

What is Chemistry all about? An introduction to chemical science. This tutorial attempts to present the major concepts that define modern chemistry, without, of course, getting into the gory details! The unit concludes with an illustrated summary of the main currents of modern chemistry. (S. Lower, Simon Fraser U.) Preliminaries: stuff you should know before delving too far into Chemistry - tutorials covering the following topics: classification and properties of matter, density and buoyancy, energy, heat and temperature, units and dimensions, measurement error, significant figures and rounding off (these last three topics are identical with the first three in the lesson described immediately below.) (S. Lower, Simon Fraser U.) Matter and measure: all about units, uncertainty, significant figures,and how to deal with experimental error. Thorough coverage of the basic ideas relating to units and dimensions, the SI system, accuracy, precision, and uncertainty in measurements, significant figures and rounding off, treatment of random and systematic error, standard deviation. (S. Lower, Simon Fraser U.) Units and conversion factors - see below LeChatelier's Principle interactive quiz by Gary Bertrand ChemBalancer and Element Quiz - four games you can play online. Balancing Chemical Equations - 1270 reactions, organized into easy, intermediate, and "challenging". Introduction to basic atomics, mole concept, calculations based on formulas and equations, and nomenclature - (S.K. Lower, SFU) these five lessons offer in-depth treatment of these topics at an introductory level. Avogadro's Number - a Socratic dialog between a student and a professor (Brent Caldwell, Texas Tech U.)

Acids and bases

All about acids and bases - this set of seven lessons covers everything you need to know about the fundamental concepts (Arrhenius, Brønsted-Lowry, and Lewis) of acids and bases. Other lessons cover an elementary treatment of pH and titration, how to recognize acidic and basic substances from their structures, and a gallery of commonly-encountered acids and bases. Aside from the material on pH, there is no math in this lesson set; acid-base equilibrium calculations are not covered here. Acid-base without algebra A simple graphical method of solving pH problems that gives as good answers as algebraic solutions and provides a global view of what species are significant at any pH. Especially useful for polyprotic systems which would otherwise require solution of many simultaneous equations. ChemBuddy pH Calculation tutorials - an extensive set of online tutorials covering most aspects of acid-base calculations. The fall of the proton: Will this acid react with that base? How to understand acid-base reactions (This simple view of modern acid-base theory dates from 1954, but still hasn't made it into the standard textbooks. Acid-base review (UNC-Chapel Hill) offers a compact treatment of the fundamentals of acid-base calculations. Acid-base titration simulator - this easy-to-use page allows you to explore a large variety of acid-base systems, including polyprotic ones. There is also the choice of using "first-year" or mass-charge balance methods.

Atomic theory

Atoms and the periodic table - a six-chapter first-year level treatment of basic quantum theory, atomic spectra, electron configurations, chemical periodicity and the organization of the periodic table. Part of S.K. Lower's General Chemistry Virtual Textbook. Basic atomics: atoms, elements, and isotopes - an introductory treatment for beginning students, suitable for the very early part of a general chemistry course. (SK Lower, Simon Fraser University) Introduction to the electronic structure of atoms and molecules - a well-organized series of pages which extend into chemical bonding. (Alfred Bader, McMaster U) Primer on Quantum Theory of the Atom - A set of in-frequently asked questions in the form of a quantum catechism. Atomic orbital visualization - see the The Orbitron: a gallery of orbitals -- and also the references on our visualization page. What is a wave function? What is an orbital? An Introduction to Quantum Mechanics - a set of 16 modules with text, diagrams, and [optional] spoken descriptions from Ohio State University.

Chemical Bonding

Models of chemical bonding - Do chemical bonds really exist? Nobody has ever "seen" one, so the best we can do is construct models. Here is a brief summary of those you should know about. Covalent, ionic, or what? Coming to terms with covalent, ionic, and metallic bonding, and with mixtures thereof. Guaranteed to give you more insight to this than your textbook does! The electron-tunneling model of chemical bonding How can those electron-dot diagrams showing shared electrons happily sitting between the nuclei be consistent with the principle that opposite charges attract? The model described here is the simplest one that really explains bonding, but you are unlikely to find it in any textbook!

Electrochemistry

All about Electrochemistry - An in-depth, comprehensive treatment (Steve Lower) Electrochemistry: Voltaic & Electrolytic Cells (Ralph Logan) {Electrochemistry class notes} (1997-2004) by J. Baird of Brown Univ.

Gases

Properties of gases: matter at its simplest - a six-part "virtual textbook" treatment of the gaseous state of matter by Steve Lower. Includes numerous examples of application of kinetic molecular theory and a section on real gases. (Part of the Chem1 Virtual Textbook)

Intermolecular forces

Interactions between molecular units - this tutorial for first-year students looks at ionic-, van der Waals attractions, and the universal repulsive force, and how these lead to potential energy curves. (Part of the Chem1 Virtual Textbook)

Kinetics

Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics - An introduction to rates of reaction, rate laws, half-life, activation energy, the Arrhenius equation, and reaction mechanisms. (Chem1 Virtual Textbook) Chung Chieh's Chemical Kinetics tutorial at U of Waterloo (Canada) includes test questions with answers. Kinetics Explorer - an introduction to the study of chemical kinetics based on the exploration of dynamic phenomena. Includes some good simulations. (St. Olaf College) Chemical kinetics simulation page from {UC-Irvine} ; another online kinetics simulator from Gary Bertrand. > Principles of Chemical Dynamics tutorial (WPI) is college-level with problem examples

Oxidation-Reduction

The fall of the electron. How to predict the direction of oxidation-reduction reactions. Discussion of the activity series of the elements and of oxidation-reduction in metabolism. (S.K. Lower, SFU) Redox reactions (UNC-Chapel Hill) Good summary of how to balance redox reactions; also covers cell potentials and Faraday's laws. ChemTeam lessons on oxidation-reduction Play the Chirality Game - a nice introduction to mirror-image chemistry by the Nobel Institute.

Nuclear Chemistry

{Nuclear chemistry tutorial} by Steve Marsden The Particle Adventure: the fundamentals of matter and force. This Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory site allows you to explore the world of fundamental particles and forces and then to investigate the experimental evidence and techniques.

Periodic Tables

For periodic table T-shirts, neckties, etc., see here {ChemistryCoach's Periodic Table links} - a huge but well-organized list of every possible kind of periodic table you can think of, as well as games, software, etc. (≤ 10/2006) ChemiCool Periodic Table (MIT) The Periodic Table of Videos - click on an element, and watch a two-minute video from U. of Nottingham that describes the element and its uses. Chinese periodic tables - Yes, there are such things! {Here's an impressive one}, and see this Wikipedia article which has some examples. Comic book periodic table - if both comics and chemistry are important in your life, you'll love this! The Photographic Periodic Table of the Elements - the home page features photographs of (or related to) the elements, but it includes "many thousands of pages of text, stories, pictures, and data" by Theodore Gray. It's Elemental - this is not so much a periodic table as a series of links to excellent and interesting articles focussing on the history and uses of each element, written by authors having special expertise or interest in the element. Written in a style more journalistic than scientific, this set of articles appeared in a special 80^th anniversary edition of Chemical & Engineering News. iPod periodic table - well, it's not really the whole table, but just a handy element database to store along with your music. Periodic Table of Poetry "Chemistry and poetry together as never before." Periodic Table of Haiku - for those who find elements lyrical. > WebElements (Sheffield, UK) The elements in this online periodic table are linked to an extensive variety of chemical and physical data as well as background, crystallographic, nuclear, electronic, biological and geological information. You can ever hear how the Brits prounounce the name of the element!

Significant figures

Significant figures and rounding off: How to avoid telling lies with numbers. Provides an understandable, in-depth explanation with many examples. Provides an understandable, in-depth explanation with many examples. (S.K. Lower, Chem1 Virtual Textbook) See also Brad Thompson's "{Good enough for Chemistry}: a tragedy in three scenes".

Solids and materials

Exploring the Nanoworld - This wonderful site is maintained by the NSF-financed Interdisciplinary Education Group at U Wisc-Madison. It uses examples of nanotechnology and advanced materials to explore science and engineering concepts mainly at the college level, but there are also sections for K-12. There are links to movies, lab experiments, kits (including Lego nanobricks) and instructional materials. Ionic and ion-derived solids - a detailed look at alkali halide energetics and structures, and extended structures. (Part of the Chem1 Virtual Textbook) Introduction to crystals - how the external forms of crystals relate to their internal structures. Cover the empirical laws of crystals, lattices and unit cells, Miller indices, and factors affecting growth habits. (Part of the Chem1 Virtual Textbook) Cubic crystal lattices and close packing - the origins of long-range order in solids. Face-centered and body-centered structures. (Part of the Chem1 Virtual Textbook) Exploring Materials Engineering - links to a variety of sites relating to materials and polymer science. BuckyBalls (Buckminsterfullerenes, those soccer-ball-like carbon structures)

• The {Fullerene Science Module} (Bleeke and Frey, Washington U) provides a nice introduction;
• The Stoneybrook Buckyball server has an extensive directory of links to other fullerene sites.

Polymers. The outstanding site > Macrogalleria covers the structures and properties of polymers in an uncommonly engaging way. Highly recommended.

Thermodynamics

Chemical Energetics: all about enthalpy, thermochemistry and the First Law of thermodynamics - An extensive, in-depth but largely non-mathematical substitute for the usual (and rather thin) textbook treatment. S.K. Lower, Simon Fraser University Thermodynamics of equilibrium: all about entropy, free energy, the Second Law of thermodynamics, and why reactions take place— sometimes. S.K. Lower, Simon Fraser University. {The Page of EntRopY} - a very understandable exposition of this difficult topic by Dave Slaven of Saginaw Valley State U. The Second Law: The biggest, most powerful, most general idea in all of science. A lively, non-mathematical exposition of the way that entropy and activation energy battle it out in the world as we know it. By Frank Lambert of Occidental College. An alternative version, directed to non-science students and adults, is also available. See also Lambert's non-technical description of how activation energies modify the application of the Second Law. See also Shakespeare and Thermodynamics: Dam the Second Law, and this "What is entropy?" conversation. The Second Law of Thermodynamics, Evolution, and Probability. Explains how the development and evolution of life is consistent with the principle that the entropy of the world never decreases. Kelvin is Lord!! All praise Lord Kelvin! A spoof cult site for the thermodynamically inclined.

Units and conversion factors

Units and dimensions for chemistry - includes charts showing the ranges of the scales such as length, mass, temperature, etc. that are important in chemistry. Online unit conversions - Here are several useful ones: OnlineConversion.com - "digital dutch" Unit Converter - convert-me.com - EasyUnitConverter - Units, measures and conversions information can be found at a number of sources:

• Wikipedia's Table of Conversion Factors
• The NIST Guide to the SI is good for those mired in the swamp of U.S. non-SI units
• Canceling Units - a nice tutorial on how to do the math of unit conversions
• This Numericana page has an eclectic collection of units, including some rather uncommon ones.
• For those interested in the arcane: Obsolete and ancient measurement units