Midterm Exam 1

  • Due No Due Date
  • Points 150

See below for a comprehensive summary of the topics included on the exam. While the end of chapter problems in the textbook are always a great place to start, the REVIEW MATERIALS page has many additional practice problems and their answer keys. Remember, the annotated lecture slides are also posted to the course schedule. Use the iClicker Questions to review common misconceptions & typical mistakes. If you need additional review, you can always consult the video tutorials and animations posted for each lecture (also found on the course schedule).

 

MIDTERM EXAM 1:

  • NUMBERS IN CHEMISTRY:
    • Scientific Notation:
      • Know how to convert from proper scientific notation to standard notation and vice versa
      • Understand the difference between negative and positive exponents
    • Significant Figures:
      • Be able to identify the total number of significant figures in a number
        • Understand the difference between:
          • Leading Zeros: 0.0001 g
          • Ending Zeros: 1.000 g
          • Zeros in the middle of a number: 14.035 g
      • Report the correct number of significant figures in a calculation based on the different rules for:
        • Multiplication and Division
        • Addition and Subtraction
  • UNIT CONVERSIONS & DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS:
    • Be able to work with the prefixes (kilo-, centi-, milli-, micro-, nano-, etc.) for modifying the base units
    • Set up unit conversions so the units cancel properly
      • Take care NOT TO MAKE THESE TYPES OF MISTAKES:
        • 1 m = 10-2 cm
        • 1 dm3 = 10 cm3
    • Use Density as a conversion factor for relating volume to mass or for relating mass to volume
    • Moles & Avogadro's Number:
      • Use the average atomic masses to calculate the molar mass for a given compound
        • Use molar mass (expressed in g/mol) to convert:
          • grams to moles
          • moles to grams
        • Use Avogadro's # (6.022x1023 particles = 1 mole) to convert:
          • moles to particles
          • particles to moles
        • Use the conversion factors above in concert with density to convert:
          • volume to particles
          • particles to volume
  • COMPOSITION OF MATTER AT THE PARTICULATE LEVEL:
    • Composition:
      • Understand the differences between:
        • A Pure Substance:
          • Element: Atomic vs. Molecular
          • Compounds:
            • Ionic vs. Covalent
    • Atomic Theory:
      • Composition of an Atom:
        • Understand the similarities & differences in size, mass, & charge between the proton, neutron & electron
        • What makes each element unique?
          • # of protons = Atomic Number (Z)
        • What determines the charge on an element? When is an atom negatively charged? When is an atom positively charged?
        • What makes one isotope different from another?
          • Mass Number (A)
      • Average Atomic Mass:
        • Understand how the mass and abundance of naturally occurring isotopes influence the average atomic mass
    • Nomenclature:
      • Naming Ionic Compounds & writing their formulas:
        • Predict the charge of a monoatomic ion based on its position in the periodic table
        • Use Roman Numerals to specify charge of transition metals & other metals with VARIABLE charges:
          • To avoid redundancy, charge should not be specified for metals in columns 1A, 2A or aluminum
        • Be sure formula is written so that the cations balance with the anions to generate a neutral compound (charge = 0)
        • Download Commit the polyatomic ions to memory
      • Naming Molecular, Covalent Compounds and writing their formulas:
        • Know rules for naming with the prefixes (mono-, di-, tri, tetra-, etc.) to specify the number of each element
        • Commit to memory the prefixes specifying 1-10:
          • mono-
          • di-
          • tri-
          • tetra-
          • penta-
          • hexa-
          • hepta-
          • octa-
          • nona-
          • deca-
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