CHEM 1000: General Chemistry I
CHEM 1000 is the first half of a full year course in general chemistry taught at the University of Lethbridge. The second half of the course, CHEM 2000, should ideally be taken within one year of completing CHEM 1000. The goals of these courses are to introduce you to university-level chemistry and to give you an appreciation for the diversity of the field.
Learning chemistry is a building process and, in CHEM 1000, we will begin by studying the structure and properties of atoms, the building blocks of matter. We will then study the properties of the different elements – how they are obtained and how they interact. In doing so, we will also learn about nuclear chemistry, first order kinetics, molecular structure and geometry, intermolecular forces, kinetic-moleular theory and gases, acid-base chemistry, and applications such as spectroscopy.
The pre-requisites to this course are Chemistry 30 (grade 12 chemistry) and Math 30-1 (grade 12 math that includes pre-calculus; formerly called Pure Math 30). It is also recommended that students have taken Physics 30 as there is a lot of physics in the first few weeks of CHEM 1000.
Information provided on this website includes:
CHEM 1000 Exercises and Practice Test Questions
Exercises are short focused sets of practice questions that can be printed and used as worksheets. Each Exercise focuses on a single concept or skill. You should complete Exercises immediately after the concept or skill is discussed in class to ensure that you fully understand it so that you do not fall behind. It is intended that a single exercise should take no more than fifteen minutes to complete by a student who understands the material (and some can be done in significantly less time than that). As such, they can be done in breaks between classes or similar short breaks in your day.
Because many textbooks do not devote much space to Molecular Orbital Theory, each of the Exercises on that topic begins with a supplementary explanation. I have not yet had time to write similar explanations for the other topics.
Practice Test Questions are longer sets of practice questions, the majority of which have been taken from tests given at the University of Lethbridge in the last twelve years. The questions within a set of Practice Test Questions are in no particular order, just as questions on an actual test would be in no particular order.
Unless your instructor says otherwise, all material on all Exercises and Practice Test Question sets is testable. Be aware that reading the answer key to any Exercise or Practice Test Question before completing it is counterproductive and robs you of a learning opportunity. If you get stuck, ask your instructor or another student for help. Your brain does not make the same connections when you read an answer as it does when you figure it out yourself.
01 Reviewing Atomic Orbitals, Electron Configurations and Lewis Diagrams
02 Molecular Orbitals of Homonuclear Diatomics
03 Molecular Orbitals of Heteronuclear Diatomics
04 Molecular Orbitals of Polyatomic Molecules
05A Band Theory and Bonding in Metals
07 Free Energy and Equilibrium
08 Effect of Temperature on Equilibrium
09 Redox Reactions and Electrochemistry
10 Organic Molecules - Functional Groups and Stereochemistry
I have also posted a sample Formula Sheet and a Table of Thermodynamic Data at the end of the list of files below. You will need these for the Practice Test Questions for Topics 6 to 9 and 12!
 | CHEM 4000 Course Outline (Spring 2022) | 212 KB |
| CHEM 4000 Reading Guide (Spring 2022) | 113 KB |
01 Math and Stoichiometry Review
02 Atoms, Isotopes and Nuclear Chemistry
03 Light and the Atom
04 Electrons, Orbitals and Quantum Numbers
05 Electron Configurations and Periodic Trends
06 Metals of Groups 1 and 2
07 More Metals and Ionic Solids
08 Lewis Diagrams and VSEPR Geometries
09 Polarity, Intermolecular Forces, Kinetic Molecular Theory and Gases
10 Nonmetals Part 1 (Hydrogen and Acids)
11 Nonmetals Part 2 (Groups 14-17 and Boron)
12 Co-ordination Chemistry and Colour
CHEM 1000 Lecture Notes (Findlay)
These are the most recent versions of my lecture notes for CHEM 1000 (from Fall 2020).
These are skeleton notes; it is intended that you complete them when you attend class (or watch the videos in online offerings).
The numbering system used is based on three 50 minute lectures per week. For a 2x75 minute class, treat each class as one-and-a-half lectures long.
CHEM 1000 Practice Tests
The practice tests posted here are old midterms. In some cases, they have been edited due to changes in course content.
CHEM 1000 Final Exam
Final exams in CHEM 2000 are always cumulative, covering all concepts taught throughout the course.
The last page of every test is a double-sided data sheet which contains formulas, values for physical constants, a periodic table and the band of stability graph. It may also contain additional data such as exact masses of isotopes. We recommend printing the data sheet from one of the practice tests so that you use it when solving practice questions to get used to the layout.
The practice tests should be used to self-test. Just reading them (or, worse yet, just reading the answer keys) is a waste of your time and denies you the learning opportunities available when they are used properly. Do a practice test with your books closed and time yourself. Only allow yourself the tools you would have on a real test (calculator and data sheet).
CHEM 1000 Midterm #1
Midterm #1 usually covers course content from the first lecture to the end of electron configurations. Your instructor will let you know the exact cut-off used in your semester.
The last page of every test is a double-sided data sheet which contains formulas, values for physical constants, a periodic table and the band of stability graph. It may also contain additional data such as exact masses of isotopes. A sample data sheet has been posted below. We recommend that you use it when solving practice questions to get used to the layout.
The practice tests should be used to self-test. Just reading them (or, worse yet, just reading the answer keys) is a waste of your time and denies you the learning opportunities available when they are used properly. Do a practice test with your books closed and time yourself. Only allow yourself the tools you would have on a real test (calculator and data sheet).
CHEM 1000 Midterm #2
Midterm #2 usually covers course content from periodic trends to Lewis diagrams and VSEPR. Your instructor will let you know the exact cut-off used in your semester.
The last page of every test is a double-sided data sheet which contains formulas, values for physical constants, a periodic table and the band of stability graph. It may also contain additional data such as exact masses of isotopes. We recommend printing the data sheet from one of the practice tests so that you use it when solving practice questions to get used to the layout.
The practice tests should be used to self-test. Just reading them (or, worse yet, just reading the answer keys) is a waste of your time and denies you the learning opportunities available when they are used properly. Do a practice test with your books closed and time yourself. Only allow yourself the tools you would have on a real test (calculator and data sheet).
CHEM 1000 Test Results
These pages contain answer keys for the most recent tests in CHEM 1000 as well as statistics so that students can see how they performed relative to the rest of the class.
CHEM 1000 Midterm #1
Answer keys below are for the Spring 2020 offering of CHEM 1000.
| CHEM 1000 Test 1A (Spring 2020) | 553 KB |
| CHEM 1000 Test 1A (Spring 2020) (Answers) | 1.1 MB |
CHEM 1000 Midterm #2
Answer keys below are for the Spring 2020 offering of CHEM 1000.
| CHEM 1000 Midterm 2A (Spring 2020) | 610 KB |
| CHEM 1000 Midterm 2A (Spring 2020) (Answers) | 1.15 MB |