Disclaimer: AP Chemistry Logo, CollegeBoard Logo, and course description are only used for educational purposes. If there are any copyright issues regarding the logo and information of the CollegeBoard and AP Chemistry, please email us at microbenotes@gmail.com.
About AP Chemistry
The AP Chemistry course provides students with a college-level foundation to support
future advanced coursework in chemistry. Students cultivate their understanding of
chemistry through inquiry-based investigations, as they explore content such as: atomic
structure, intermolecular forces, bonding, chemical reactions, kinetics, thermodynamics,
and equilibrium.
Units Exam Weighting of AP Chemistry (2024)
| Units | Topics | Exam Weighting |
| Unit 1 | Atomic Structure and Properties | 7–9% |
| Unit 2 | Compound Structure and Properties | 7-9% |
| Unit 3 | Properties of Substances and Mixtures | 18-22% |
| Unit 4 | Chemical Reactions | 7-9% |
| Unit 5 | Kinetics | 7-9% |
| Unit 6 | Thermochemistry | 7-9% |
| Unit 7 | Equilibrium | 7-9% |
| Unit 8 | Acids and Bases | 11-15% |
| Unit 9 | Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry | 7-9% |
Course Contents
Unit 1: Atomic Structure and Properties
1.2 Mass Spectroscopy of Elements
1.3 Elemental Composition of Pure Substances
1.5 Atomic Structure and Electron Configuration
1.6 Photoelectron Spectroscopy
1.7 Periodic Trends
1.8 Valence Electrons and Ionic Compounds
Unit 2: Compound Structure and Properties
2.2 Intramolecular Force and Potential Energy
2.4 Structure of Metals and Alloys
2.5 Lewis Diagrams
2.6 Resonance and Formal Charge
2.7 VSEPR and Hybridization
Unit 3: Properties of Substances and Mixtures
3.1 Intermolecular and Interparticle Forces
3.3 Solids, Liquids, and Gases
3.4 Ideal Gas Law
3.6 Deviation from Ideal Gas Law
3.8 Representations of Solutions
3.9 Separation of Solutions and Mixtures
3.10 Solubility
3.11 Spectroscopy and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
3.12 Properties of Photons
3.13 Beer-Lambert Law
Unit 4: Chemical Reactions
4.1 Introduction for Reactions
4.3 Representations of Reactions
4.4 Physical and Chemical Changes
4.5 Stoichiometry
4.7 Types of Chemical Reactions
4.8 Introduction to Acid-Base Reactions
4.9 Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Reactions
Unit 5: Kinetics
5.1 Reaction Rates
5.3 Concentration Changes Over Time
5.5 Collision Model
5.7 Introduction to Reaction Mechanisms
5.8 Reaction Mechanism and Rate Law
5.9 Pre-Equilibrium Approximation
5.10 Multistep Reaction Energy Profile
5.11 Catalysis
Unit 6: Thermochemistry
6.1 Endothermic and Exothermic Processes
6.2 Energy Diagrams
6.3 Heat Transfer and Thermal Equilibrium
6.4 Heat Capacity and Calorimetry
6.5 Energy of Phase Changes
6.6 Introduction to Enthalpy of Reaction
6.7 Bond Enthalpies
6.8 Enthalpy of Formation
6.9 Hess’s Law
Unit 7: Equilibrium
7.1 Introduction to Equilibrium
7.2 Direction of Reversible Reactions
7.3 Reaction Quotient and Equilibrium Constant
7.4 Calculating the Equilibrium Constant
7.5 Magnitude of the Equilibrium Constant
7.6 Properties of the Equilibrium Constant
7.7 Calculating Equilibrium Concentrations
7.8 Representations of Equilibrium
7.9 Introduction to Le Châtelier’s Principle
7.10 Reaction Quotient and Le Châtelier’s Principle
7.11 Introduction to Solubility Equilibria
7.12 Common-Ion Effect
Unit 8: Acids and Bases
8.1 Introduction to Acids and Bases
8.2 pH and pOH of Strong Acids and Bases
8.3 Weak Acid and Base Equilibria
8.4 Acid-Base Reactions and Buffers
8.6 Molecular Structure of Acids and Bases
8.7 pH and pKa
8.8 Properties of Buffers
8.9 Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation
8.10 Buffer Capacity
8.11 pH and Solubility
Unit 9: Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry
9.2 Absolute Entropy and Entropy Change
9.3 Gibbs Free Energy and Thermodynamic Favorability
9.4 Thermodynamic and Kinetic Control
9.5 Free Energy and Equilibrium
9.6 Free Energy of Dissolution
9.8 Galvanic (Voltaic) and Electrolytic Cells
9.9 Cell Potential and Free Energy
9.10 Cell Potential Under Nonstandard Conditions
9.11 Electrolysis and Faraday’s Law
Exam Overview of AP Chemistry
| Section | Question Type | Number of Questions | Exam Weighting | Timing |
| I | Multiple-choice questions | 60 | 50% | 90 minutes |
| II | Free-response questions | 50% | 105 minutes | |
| Long-answer questions (10 points each) | 3 | |||
| Short-answer questions (4 points each) | 4 |
References and Source of AP Chemistry
AP® Chemistry. Course and Exam Description. Effective Fall 2024. CollegeBoard.
