Game Day Tomorrow!!

Tomorrow is the first lab of the year. If you will allow me to make an analogy, laboratory day to a chemistry student is like game day to an athlete. Just like the game is the reason for all of the practice that an athlete endures, laboratory work is the reason for learning all of the theory during lecture. You are going to "hopefully" prove all of the theory correct.

Your homework for this evening was to finish the pre-lab question pertaining to the second lab scenario given. Does the the empirical formula of the copper and iodine compound change if the atmospheric pressure changes? We will go over the solution at the beginning of class tomorrow. Remember, keep working on the Chapter 3 WebAssignment.

Beginning of Chapter 3

It is suggested that you read the first five sections of Chapter 3. Today, we covered reactions (writing and balancing), molar (atomic) mass determination of compounds, and simple mole conversions. You should be able to complete through #5 on the WebAssign assignment for Chapter 3. I have set the due date to Monday, September 13th. We will finish Chapter 3 well before that date, so the due date will change to one day after the Chapter 3 test. Also, we will be incorporating old AP Chemistry test written problems into Chapter 3. I will be creating another assignment for the answers to those problems.

Tomorrow, you will be taking the 20 question (true / false) safety quiz. This needs to be completed prior to doing the first lab of the year. We will be doing a pre-lab activity tomorrow over how to determine an empirical formula. On Wednesday, 8/25/2010, we will be performing our first lab of the semester. I will also be going over lab reports tomorrow. PDF files of the lab and the lab report format can be found on the AP Chemistry calendar under the date of 8/24/2010.

Please keep your questions coming via email so I can make of plan of what questions need to be addressed prior to class starting.

Nuclear Reactions (Transmutations)

The last two problems in the Chapter 2 assignment has to do with material presented in Chapter 21 of the book. The questions cover sections 21.1 through 21.3, which deals with radioactive decay of isotopes. It would be a good idea to read over those three sections. Also, if you go to the AP Chemistry calendar, there is a link on August 20th for a Power Point that covers the material covered in the three sections of Chapter 21.

I have also supplied a link for a short movie (9 minutes) on YouTube that covers the basics of nuclear decays / reactions. It is old, but does cover all of the basic points of nuclear transmutation / decay very well. Keep the questions coming via email if any of the questions from WebAssign give you problems.

HOLD THE PHONES!! STOP THE PRESSES!! I HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW TO MAKE A QUESTION THAT STUDENTS CAN ANSWER ON WEBASSIGN!! O.k., it is not that big of a deal, but I did figure out how to make an answer block for questions #16 and #17 on the Chapter 2 WebAssign homework. Cross your fingers and hope that it works.

Mass Spectrometer and Associated Material

Click on the link for the virtual mass spectrometer demonstration if you would like to see how a "mass spec" operates.

A link to the Average Atomic Mass / Percent Abundance worksheet is on the AP Chemistry calendar for August 19th if you need another copy. We will finish the percent abundance practice problem first thing in class tomorrow. I will be requiring that you put your answers to questions #16 and #17 on the WebAssign chapter 2 assignment. Please wait to do so until I have configured the site to take the answers and grade them. Also, because I have added more problems to the chapter 2 assignment, I have extended the due date to Tuesday, August 24rth, 2010.

Chapter 2 Power Point Available

If you would like to download a Power Point file for chapter 2 in the book, one is available.

• go to my teacher page on the HHS site (Brueckner, Corey)
• go into the AP Chemistry page
• click on AP Chemistry calendars
• on Tuesday, August 17th is the link to the file

The first 30 or so slides deal with material covered in the first year course about the evolution of the atomic model. This material will not be covered. The last half of the presentation deals with the material from chapter 2 that is covered in the WebAssign homework. It does a very good job of covering types of compounds, naming of compounds, and writing compound formulas. It is suggested that you work on problems 1 through 9 in WebAssign. We will finish going over examples for the homework assignment tomorrow. Please email me with specific questions on problems or see me personally. If there is enough interest in a particular type of problem, I can make a podcast covering the material and go over it in class.

First Day of Class

Welcome to Mr. Brueckner's AP Chemistry class. I hope that we have a really good year together. You need to complete the following by Friday, August 20th, 2010.

1. Print a copy of the Classroom Policies and Procedures found on Mr. Brueckner's Chemistry page. The copy needs to be signed acknowledging that you and your parent(s) / guardian(s) are aware of class expectations and grading policies.
2. Print a copy of the Lab Safety Agreement, which can be found on Mr. Brueckner's homepage. The agreement must signed by you and your parents. Read over the safety contract and be prepared for a 20 question lab safety quiz on Friday, August 20th, 2010.

You also have a deadline for the first WebAssign assignment. Chapter 2 needs to be completed by Monday, August 23rd, 2010.

First Week, What to Expect

Your first assignment on WebAssign has been posted. You need to complete it by Monday, August 23rd, 2010. There will be no unit test over Chapter 2 in the book. You only need to complete the homework assignment for Chapter 2. There will be a quiz related to material in Chapter 2 that is not covered by the homework on WebAssign.