This two-semester lab course complements any chemistry textbook. Students are welcome to join at any time.
Prerequisites & Expectations
This course is designed to be challenging but manageable for students who are working at grade level, can work fairly independently, and have an understanding of basic algebra and graphing concepts. Students who require significant accommodations, modified pacing, or extensive one-on-one support may find the pace and structure are not the best fit for their learning needs.
Each lab session begins with a brief lecture to provide the background knowledge needed to perform the lab with understanding. Occasionally, students will be assigned preparatory work to complete at home to prepare for upcoming labs.
Students are expected to actively participate in the labs and will receive grades based on their work and engagement.
Please note that this course fulfills only the lab component of a chemistry curriculum. Students should supplement this course with their own chemistry studies at home, using any chemistry textbook. We provide correlation charts aligning our labs with many common chemistry textbooks.
Prerequisites: Completion of Algebra 1 is required, as students will perform algebraic equations and graphing.
Students should verify with their school to ensure this lab course meets a-g requirements. The class uses a customized version of the QSL Chemistry Lab Manual, with many labs revised and rewritten. Students receive worksheets derived from these adapted materials instead of the manual itself.
Fall Semester:
Lab Equipment and Safety
CER Introduction
Collecting Data
Paper Chromatography
Density of Pennies
Build an Atom
Ionic vs. Covalent Bonds
Electrical Conductivity/Redox
Decomposition Reactions
Single Replacement Reaction
Double Replacement Reaction
Ideal Gas Laws
Spring Semester:
Boyle’s Law
Charles’s Law
Mole Ratios
Melting Points
Freezing Point Depression
Le Chatelier’s Principle
Reaction Rates: Concentration
Reaction Rates: Temperature and Surface Area
Solubility Product Constant
pH and pH Indicators
Buffers
Organic Chemistry, Part 1
Organic Chemistry, Part 2
Cross-linking of a Polymer