Chemistry Study Tips

Chemistry Study Tips You must be willing to accept the academic challenge of learning chemistry. For some people it is fun and for others it is hard work, but no matter it takes time. It requires persistence, concentration, discipline, patience and lots and lots of practice.   Know How Your Chemistry Course is Structured. Your chemistry course may include any of the five traditional branches of chemistry or a combination of 2 or more fields of chemistry:a. inorganic chemistry ­ studies the structure & chemical reactions of substances composed of any of the known elements, except carbon containing substances. b. organic chemistry ­ studies of the compounds of carbon. c. physical chemistry or theoretical chemistry ­ applies the application of theories and mathematical methods to the solution of chemical problems.
d. analytical chemistry ­ deals with two areas: qualitative analysis (qual), "what is there?" and quantitative analysis (quant), "how much is there?" e. biochemistry (or physiological chemistry) ­ studies the chemical structure of living material and the chemical reactions occurring in living cells. For example, general chemistry (Chem 151 & 152) gives you an overview of each of the above five branches of chemistry. Chem 130 and 140 focusses on inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemistry. Know How Your Instructor Structures the Course. Every instructor is different. Find out if he or she uses the text heavily. If not, what does he or she depend on? Library usage? Lecture notes? Additional materials? It is time­saving for you to understand how the instructor is organizing his or her thoughts.   Get a bird's eye view of your entire chemistry course from the very start.Look over: a. topics on the course syllabus b. table of contents in your textbook c. read the preface of your textbook for ideas on how the book is arranged d. Thumb through your book ­ note the learning objectives, tables, graphs, marginal notes, word lists, terminology, summary statements, problems, etc.   Math is essential for chemistry. Study basic math and introductory algebra before and during your chemistry course. Review and practice: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, percent, exponential numbers, simple algebra, and logarithms.   Chemistry progresses from the simple to the complex, building upon existing knowledge at each stage. Be attuned to the cumulative nature of chemistry. Understand the continuity of the subject. New work may be understood only after earlier work has been well understood. Keep up with the work and don't fall behind. Try not to miss important building blocks along the way.   Learn the Basics. Practice and repeat them often so they become second nature to you. A large portion of what you learn early in chemistry is very fundamental and is often used repeatedly during the remainder of the course. Examples of such basics are: simple algebra metric system (length, mass, volume) significant numbers temperature (Fahrenheit, Celsius, Kelvin) exponential numbers factor­label method (or dimensional analysis) chemical symbols and names of about 40 commonly used elements symbols (formulas) and names of commonly used simple & polyatomic ions writing and naming chemical formulas of ionic & molecular substances