Chemistry 152 at Miramar College - Fall 2010
Important Stuff for Exam 1

This isn't a complete list of things you should know, but it will be a good way to check and see if you're on the right track. The best way to study, as I've mentioned in class, is to go over your notes while you're looking through the textbook; go over the problems that I've assigned or suggested and make sure you can do each one on your own.

Chapter 2

  1. Understand scientific notation and how to use it. Be able to switch in and out of it, while retaining the same number of significant figures.
  2. Be able to count significant figures in a number. Know how many significant figures to use when reporting a measurement. Carry the correct number of significant figures through all calculations that you do.
  3. Be able to solve problems using unit conversions (dimensional analysis) with units canceling.
  4. Know at least one metric-US conversion factor for each type of unit (volume, length, mass).
  5. Understand how to handle square length and regular area units; same for cubic length and regular volume units.
  6. Use density as a conversion factor. Understand what density is.

Chapter 3

  1. Understand the states of matter (solid, liquid, gas) in terms of attractive forces between particles, movement of particles, compressibility, volume (fixed or not), and shape (fixed or not).
  2. Understand distinctions between pure substances and mixtures, elements and compounds, homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures, physical and chemical properties, and physical and chemical changes.
  3. Know what conservation of mass means in terms of a chemical reaction.
  4. Recognize units of energy and be able to convert among them (J, cal, Cal, etc).
  5. Understand the differences between endothermic and exothermic reactions or processes.
  6. Know the difference between temperature and heat. Be able to convert between various temperature units.
  7. Understand specific heat capacity (also known as specific heat or heat capacity).
  8. Be able to use the heat equation to solve for heat, mass, specific heat, or temperature.

Chapter 4

  1. Know the various atomic models that have been developed over time, and the experiments that lead people to imagine each new model. Greeks, Dalton's billiard ball model, Thompson's raisin-pudding model, Rutherford's nuclear model, etc. More models will come later in the semester.
  2. Some observations that led to the various models include the laws of definite proportions, multiple proportions, and conservation of mass; cathode ray tubes, formation of ions, and the gold foil experiment.
  3. Know some of the contributions of alchemists to modern chemistry.
  4. Know about protons, neutrons, and electrons (mass, charge, and location within the atom).
  5. Be able to find the atomic number, symbol, and atomic mass of elements on the periodic table.
  6. Understand isotopes and ions.
  7. Be able to write the isotopic symbol for an atom, given the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in the atom (and vice versa).

Chapter 12

  1. Understand heat of vaporization, heat of fusion, and how they differ from heating and coolling of a single phase (where you'd use the heat equation and the specific heat).
  2. Know the terms for each change of state, e.g., boiling, condensation, freezing, melting, sublimation, and deposition.