AP Chemistry 
Course Outline
Descriptive Chemistry
Knowledge of specific facts of chemistry is essential for an understanding of principles and concepts. These descriptive facts, including the chemistry involved in environmental and societal issues, should not be isolated from the principles being studied but should be taught throughout the course to illustrate and illuminate the principles. The following areas should be covered:
- Chemical reactivity and products of chemical reactions
- Relationships in the periodic table: horizontal, vertical, and diagonal with examples from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, halogens, and the first series of transition elements
- Introduction to organic chemistry: hydrocarbons and functional
groups (structure, nomenclature, chemical properties). Physical
and chemical properties of simple organic compounds should also
be included as exemplary material for the study of other areas
such as bonding, equilibria involving weak acids, kinetics, colligative
properties, and stoichiometric determinations of empirical and
molecular formulas.
See the following topic area outlines:
