General Chemistry 2
Affectionately known as “Gen Chem,” first-year General Chemistry is for undergraduates who are just beginning their college-level studies in chemistry. This page is for the second semester in the sequence.
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Course Topics
The topics listed below frequently appear in a second-semester undergraduate General Chemistry course (commonly referred to as Gen Chem). These pages are built on the principle that mastery of Gen Chem comes from active problem-solving rather than passive reading. Instead of dense text, these pages focus on building intuition for chemical principles by guiding you through the standard problem types you'll face. It builds on prior chemistry fundamentals while introducing more rigorous problem-solving skills, deeper conceptual understanding, and a greater emphasis on scientific reasoning.
Solutions
Molarity & Molality
Mole fraction
Dilutions
Solution mixing & Ion concentration
Solubility curve interpretation
Henry’s Law
Colligative Properties
Vapor pressure
Raoult’s-law
Boiling point elevation & Freezing-point depression
Osmotic pressure
Molar mass determination
van ’t Hoff-factor determination
Ideal-solution comparisons
Chemical Kinetics
Average Rate & Instantaneous Rate
Rate Law
Reaction Order determination
Rate constant units
Integrated Rate Law
Half Life
Kinetic-plot interpretation
Mechanisms and Catalysis
Elementary step, Molecularity, Intermediate & Catalyst identification
Rate-determining-step identification
Mechanism validation
Rate-law derivation
Reaction coordinate diagrams
Activation energy
Arrhenius equation
Chemical Equilibrium
Equilibrium Expression
Equilibrium Constant
Kc-to-Kp conversions
K vs Q (Reaction Quotient)
ICE table calculations
Le Châtelier predictions
Acid–Base Theory
Acid-base classification
Conjugate-pair identification
Lewis acid-base
Strong acid & base pH calculations
pH-pOH conversions
Kw calculations
Strong-acid–base mixing / Neutralization
Weak-Acid and Weak-Base Equilibria
Weak-acid pH calculations
Weak-base pH calculations
Ka determination
Kb determination
Percent ionization
Polyprotic acids
Salt hydrolysis
Buffers and Titrations
Henderson–Hasselbalch calculations
Buffer component determination
Buffer preparation
Added-acid & base buffer calculations
Buffer-capacity comparisons
Titration-curve calculations
Equivalence-point pH
Indicator selection
Solubility Equilibria
Ksp
Molar solubility
Common-ion solubility
Precipitation prediction
Selective-precipitation calculations
pH-dependent solubility
Complex-ion equilibrium
Qualitative-ion separation
Entropy and Spontaneity
Entropy
Phase-transition entropy
Microstate comparisons
Spontaneity determination
Reversible-process comparisons
Entropy-versus-temperature analysis
Gibbs Free Energy
Free energy calculations
Temperature-threshold calculations
Nonstandard Free energy
ΔG to K conversions
Coupled-reaction calculations
Thermodynamic-versus-kinetic control
Electrochemistry
Redox equation balancing
Anode-cathode identification
Cell-notation writing
Standard-cell-potential
Spontaneous-cell prediction
Nernst-equation
Electrolysis calculations
Nuclear Chemistry
Nuclear equation balancing
Decay-mode identification
Daughter-nuclide prediction
Half-life
Binding energy
Fission energy
Coordination Chemistry
Complex ion naming & formula writing
Coordination-number determination
Ligand identification
d-electron counting
Geometric isomers
Optical isomers
Crystal field splitting diagrams
Magnetic properties
Organic Chemistry
Hydrocarbon naming
Structural formula drawing
Functional groups
Constitutional isomer drawing
Geometric-isomer identification
Organic-reaction prediction
Biomolecule classification
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