This course aims to help learners understand the molecular world by covering topics such as atoms, chemical elements, compounds, molecular substances, and binding forces. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify chemical patterns in the periodic table, explain chemistry through electronic structure, recognize different types of chemical bonds, and understand how molecular shape influences reactivity. The teaching method involves a combination of theoretical explanations, visual aids, and summaries for each section. This course is intended for individuals interested in gaining a foundational understanding of chemistry and the molecular composition of matter.
Overview
Syllabus
- Introduction
- Learning outcomes
- 1 Everything that you can see is made of atoms
- 1 Everything that you can see is made of atoms
- 1.1 Introduction
- 1.2 Chemical elements
- 1.2.1 Isotopes
- 1.3 Chemical compounds
- 1.4 Molecular substances
- 1.5 Non-molecular substances
- 1.6 Binding forces in molecular and non-molecular substances - a first look
- 1.7 Summary of Section 1
- 2 Chemical patterns are to be found in the periodic table
- 2 Chemical patterns are to be found in the periodic table
- 2.1 Chemical periodicity
- 2.2 The Group number of the noble gases
- 2.3 Elements on parade: an audiovisual interlude
- 2.4 Summary of Section 2
- 3 Chemistry can often be explained by electronic structure
- 3 Chemistry can often be explained by electronic structure
- 3.1 Introduction
- 3.2 The electronic configurations of atoms
- 3.3 Electronic configurations and the Periodic Table
- 3.3.1 Writing out electronic configurations
- 3.4 Outer electronic configurations and the Periodic Table
- 3.5 Electron states and box diagrams
- 3.6 Summary of Section 3
- 4 Chemical bonds consist of shared pairs of electrons
- 4 Chemical bonds consist of shared pairs of electrons
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 Ionic and covalent bonding
- 4.3 Metallic bonding
- 4.4 A classification of chemical substances
- 4.5 More about covalent bonding
- 4.5.1 Lewis structures
- 4.5.2 Noble gas configurations under stress
- 4.5.3 Dative bonds
- 4.5.4 Resonance structures
- 4.6 Summary of Section 4
- 5 Molecular reactivity
- 5 Molecular reactivity
- 5.1 Molecular reactivity is concentrated at key sites
- 5.2 Summary of Section 5
- 6 Molecular shape affects molecular reactivity
- 6 Molecular shape affects molecular reactivity
- 6.1 Introduction
- 6.2 The shapes of some molecules
- 6.3 Valence-shell electron-pair repulsion theory
- 6.3.1 Refinements and difficulties
- 6.4 Summary of Section 6
- 7 Reactivity needs a favourable rate and equilibrium constant
- 7 Reactivity needs a favourable rate and equilibrium constant
- 7.1 Introduction
- 7.2 Is the equilibrium position unfavourable?
- 7.2.1 The equilibrium constant
- 7.3 Is the rate of reaction very slow?
- 7.4 Equilibrium positions and rates of reaction in this course
- 7.5 Summary of Section 7
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
