Chemistry Placement Exam
List of Topics
Measurement
Know metric system prefixes
Understand the difference between accuracy and precision
Understand the concept of uncertainty
Ability to read glassware, thermometer, etc to the correct number of significant figures
Ability to determine the correct number of significant figures in a measurement and complete calculations to the correct number of significant figures
Ability to use significant figures to communicate precision and accuracy
Ability to convert between metric system prefixes
Ability to convert between metric and English system (given conversion factors)
Understand the concept of density
Ability to complete calculations involving density
Matter
Ability to identify the building blocks of matter and know the difference between the terms used to describe matter(i.e. the difference between atom and element)
Knowledge of the basic organization of the periodic table including the names and location of groups, families, etc…)
Ability to draw and explain the structure of the an atom including number and location of the subatomic particles
Ability to distinguish between atomic number, mass number and atomic mass
Understand the difference between a chemical and physical property
Ability to predict how atoms will ionize based on their position in the periodic table
Ability to distinguish between ionic and molecular compounds
Ability to predict ionic compound formulas from individual ions
Ability to name basic molecular and ionic compounds
Quantifying chemical reactions
Understand the Mole concept (including Avogadro’s Number)
Understand and be able to calculate Molar mass for atoms and molecules
Ability to perform the following conversions:
- Gram to moles, moles to grams, moles to molecules, molecules to moles, grams to molecules, molecules to grams
Understand the difference between empirical formula and molecular formula
Ability to calculate % composition
Ability to represent chemical reactions with a chemical equation
Ability to balance a chemical equation and understand that this allows us to represent an understanding of the Law of Conservation of Mass
Ability to determine mol ratios from chemical equations
Ability to perform Stoichiometric Calculations (Given the quantity in grams of one substance in a reaction, be able to calculate the quantity of another substance in the reaction)
Understand the concept of a limiting reactant and ability to determine which reactant in a chemical reaction will determine how much product could be produced
Ability to calculate a % yield
Concentrations of Reactants in Solution
Understand the concept and definition of Molarity
Understand how molarity is used as a conversion factor
Ability to perform calculations involving Molarity
- mols to Liters, Liters to mols, grams to Molarity, etc.
Ability to describe how to prepare a solution from a solid
Ability to describe and calculate how to prepare a solution from another solution (dilution)
- M1V1 = M2V2
Ability to solve solution stoichiometry problems including limiting reactant and determining amounts of reactants left over
Understand how a titration works, what’s going on in solution during a titration, and the concept of the “end-point”
Perform calculations regarding Titrations
Aqueous Reactions and Metathesis
Understand electrolytes vs. non-electrolytes
Understand weak vs. strong electrolyte
Understand the concept of dissociation
Ability to write the molecular, complete ionic and net ionic equations for both precipitation and neutralization reactions
Ability to determine spectator ions
Ability to predict the products of a metathesis reaction
Acids, Bases and Neutralization Reactions
Understand and know the definition of an acid and a base
Understand and know the difference between weak and strong acids and bases
Predict the products of a reaction between an acid and a base
Ability to write the molecular, complete ionized and net ionic equation for neutralization reactions