CHEM 2000: General Chemistry II
CHEM 2000 is the second 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.
The topics in CHEM 2000 can be divided into three main groups:
- Bonding theory. Students learn how atoms bond to make molecules. There is a very strong emphasis on molecular orbital theory. This is then expanded to introduce band theory. Valence bond terminology is introduced.
- Thermochemistry and electrochemistry. Students learn how thermodynamics dictates the extend to which reactions are favoured. Key concepts include enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs free energy, cell potentials, reaction quotients and equilibrium constants. Activities are introduced to teach students how to handle reactions that occur under nonstandard conditions, and the relationship between temperature and equilibrium constants is addressed. Applications include fuel cells and batteries.
- Organic chemistry. Students are introduced to functional groups, stereochemistry, nucleophiles/electrophiles, organic reaction mechanisms. Acid-base chemistry is taught in the context of organic chemistry.
The pre-requisite to this course is CHEM 1000. It is important to recognize that CHEM 2000 is more math-intensive than CHEM 1000. As such, students who did not excel at Math 30 are advised to seriously consider taking at least one university-level math course (and/or high school calculus) to improve their comfort level with math before taking CHEM 2000.
At the University of Lethbridge, it is required that students successfully complete the full year of general chemistry before they are allowed to take organic chemistry (CHEM 2500). Almost all of the topics discussed in CHEM 2000 will reappear in the second year organic chemistry courses. Keep this in mind if you plan to take organic chemistry...
Information provided on this website includes:
CHEM 2000 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 2000 Data and Formula Sheet | 61 KB |
| CHEM 2000 Table of Thermodynamic Data | 99 KB |
| CHEM 2000 Table of Standard Reduction Potentials | 72 KB |
01 Reviewing Atomic Orbitals, Electron Configurations and Lewis Diagrams
I am still working on this material. In the meanwhile, see the CHEM 1000 Exercises on these topics:
Electrons, Orbitals and Quantum Numbers
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
05B Valence Bond Theory
06 Entropy and Free Energy
Files you may need to help you answer the Practice Test Questions:
07 Free Energy and Equilibrium
Files you may need to help you answer the Practice Test Questions:
08 Effect of Temperature on Equilibrium
Files you may need to help you answer the Practice Test Questions:
09 Redox Reactions and Electrochemistry
Files you may need to help you answer the Practice Test Questions:
- Formula Sheet
- Table of Thermodynamic Data
- Table of Standard Reduction Potentials (This is a short document. When many of these questions were used as test questions, free energy data was provided rather than potentials. See the Table of Thermodynamic data for standard free energies of formation.)
10 Organic Molecules - Functional Groups and Stereochemistry
11 Organic Reactions
12 Organic Acids and Bases
Files you may need to help you answer the Practice Test Questions:
CHEM 2000 Lecture Notes (Findlay)
These are the most recent versions of my lecture notes for CHEM 2000 (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 2000 Lecture Notes (Hazendonk)
These are Prof. Hazendonk's lecture notes for CHEM 2000 for the Spring 2023 semester. (Old versions are from Fall 2019/Spring 2020.)
CHEM 2000 Practice Tests
The practice tests posted here are old midterms. In some cases, they have been edited due to changes in course content.
CHEM 2000 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 data sheet which includes a periodic table, physical constants, and formulas. It may also include additional useful information such as standard enthalpies of formation, standard entropies and/or standard free energies of formation.
A calculator is always required for the CHEM 2000 final exam.
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 2000 Midterm #1
Midterm #1 usually covers course content from the first lecture to the end of valence bond theory. Your instructor will let you know the exact cut-off used in your semester.
The last page of every test is a data sheet which includes a periodic table. It may also include other relevant data such as physical constants and/or formulas.
Whether or not calculators will be permitted on midterm #1 for CHEM 2000 will be at your instructor's discretion. Typically, they will only be allowed if the instructor is considering including at least one calculation on the test. It is expected that students are able to perform very basic arithmetic (e.g. multiplying by 1, 2 or 10) without the help of a calculator.
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 2000 Midterm #2
Midterm #2 usually covers thermodynamics. Topics typically include entropy, free energy, equilibrium, effect of temperature on equilibrium, phase diagrams, balancing redox equations, electrochemistry, etc. The test for Spring 2018 is expected to cut off at the end of electrochemistry (like the practice test below does).
The last page of every test is a data sheet which includes a periodic table. It may also include other relevant data such as physical constants and/or formulas.
A calculator is always required for midterm #2 for CHEM 2000.
More practice tests can be found on the Past Tests page of Prof Roussel's website. Some of them had earlier cut-offs due to the fact that we used to cover additional topics in CHEM 2000 that have since moved to CHEM 1000 (notably, intermolecular forces).
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 2000 Test Results
These pages contain answer keys for the most recent tests in CHEM 2000 as well as statistics so that students can see how they performed relative to the rest of the class.
CHEM 2000 Midterm #1
Answer keys below are for the Spring 2020 offering of CHEM 2000.
| CHEM 2000 Test 1A (Spring 2020) | 259 KB |
| CHEM 2000 Test 1A (Spring 2020) (Answers) | 581 KB |
CHEM 2000 Midterm #2
Answer keys below are for the Spring 2020 offering of CHEM 2000.
| CHEM 2000 Midterm 2A (Spring 2020) | 399 KB |
| CHEM 2000 Midterm 2A (Spring 2020) (Answers) | 463 KB |