General Chemistry I
Undergraduate · Chemistry
Syllabus focus
Standard syllabus · STEM / applied
Pricing calculator
Choose materials, tutoring, or both — or book a single session as needed. Customize your plan on the subscribe page.
Billed in 15-minute increments (15-minute minimum, up to 4 hours). No subscription required.
$60.00 · 60 min · Undergraduate · Online ($60/hr)
Book through intake or schedule a session.
Topics typically covered
Standard syllabus
Atomic structure and periodic trends
- Atomic structure: protons, neutrons, electrons, and isotopes
- Quantum numbers and electron configurations
- Periodic table organization and group/family properties
- Effective nuclear charge and atomic radius trends
- Ionization energy, electron affinity, and electronegativity
- Periodic trends in metallic and nonmetallic character
- Historical development of atomic models (Bohr, quantum mechanical)
- Photoelectric effect and line spectra (introduction)
- Mole concept and Avogadro's number
- Atomic mass, isotopic abundance, and average atomic mass
Chemical bonding and molecular structure
- Ionic bonding: lattice energy and Born-Haber cycle (overview)
- Covalent bonding and Lewis structures
- Resonance structures and formal charge
- VSEPR theory and molecular geometry
- Polarity, dipole moments, and intermolecular forces
- Valence bond theory and hybridization (sp, sp², sp³)
- Sigma and pi bonds; bond order and bond length
- Metallic bonding and band theory (introduction)
- Intramolecular vs intermolecular interactions
- Drawing and interpreting 3D molecular structures
Stoichiometry and reactions
- Balancing chemical equations
- Mole-to-mole and mass-to-mass stoichiometry
- Limiting reactants and percent yield
- Solution stoichiometry and molarity calculations
- Types of chemical reactions: synthesis, decomposition, single/double replacement
- Combustion reactions and empirical/molecular formulas
- Precipitation reactions and solubility rules
- Acid-base neutralization stoichiometry
- Oxidation-reduction reactions and oxidation numbers
- Net ionic equations and spectator ions
Gases, liquids, and solutions
- Kinetic molecular theory of gases
- Pressure, volume, temperature, and amount relationships
- Boyle's, Charles's, and Avogadro's laws
- Ideal gas law and gas density calculations
- Dalton's law of partial pressures
- Graham's law of effusion (where covered)
- Real gases and van der Waals equation (introduction)
- Vapor pressure and phase diagrams (overview)
- Concentration units: molarity, molality, mass percent, ppm
- Colligative properties preview: boiling point elevation
Thermochemistry
- Energy, work, and heat in chemical systems
- Enthalpy and Hess's law
- Standard enthalpies of formation
- Calorimetry: coffee-cup and bomb calorimeter
- Specific heat capacity and heat capacity calculations
- Phase change energetics and heating curves
- Bond enthalpies and reaction enthalpy estimates
- Endothermic vs exothermic processes
- State functions vs path functions (introduction)
- Spontaneity preview: entropy and Gibbs free energy (intro)
STEM / applied
Laboratory and quantitative skills
- Significant figures and measurement uncertainty
- Laboratory notebook documentation and safety protocols
- Glassware calibration and volumetric technique
- Gravimetric analysis techniques (introduction)
- Titration setup and endpoint detection
- Spectrophotometry basics and Beer–Lambert law preview
- Data tables, graphs, and linear regression
- Error propagation in calculated quantities
- Pre-lab and post-lab report writing
- Chemical waste disposal and green lab practices
Applied problem-solving
- Dimensional analysis in complex stoichiometry problems
- Engineering applications of gas laws
- Environmental chemistry connections (air pollution, CO₂)
- Biochemistry preview: water as a solvent and biological buffers
- Materials science connections: crystal structures (intro)
- Pharmaceutical stoichiometry: dosage calculations
- Industrial chemistry: Haber process and ammonia synthesis
- Fuel combustion analysis and energy efficiency
- Water treatment chemistry: hardness and chlorination
- Case studies linking lecture topics to real-world systems
Notes
Typical companion to a lab course. Topics reflect common General Chemistry I syllabi at US colleges and universities (OpenStax, Brown, Tro, and similar sequences). Exact order, depth, and applied emphasis vary by institution and instructor.