general chemistry

tudents often ask which DAT study materials are actually used in real courses. The DAT Destroyer and Math Destroyer are the core books used in Dr. Jim Romano’s DAT preparation classes. DAT Destroyer: DAT Destroyer 2026 — Complete DAT Science Prep System | Dr. Jim Romano Math Destroyer: 2026...

Most DAT students get this wrong — and it costs easy points on test day. Gas laws are often memorized instead of understood, which leads to mistakes when the questions become slightly more complex. This quick breakdown shows a simple way to approach these problems so you actually understand...

Dr. Jim Romano discusses key General Chemistry applications that frequently appear on the DAT. Understanding how core principles translate into real exam questions is essential for strong performance in the General Chemistry section. Watch the video here: If you’re preparing for the DAT or...

How would you calculate Kb for the formate ion, given that the Ka for formic acid is 1.8 × 10⁻⁴ ? a. Kb = Ka × Kw b. Kb = Kw + Ka c. Kb = Kw / Ka d. Kb = Kw − Ka e. Kb = Ka / Kw Pause before scrolling if you want to simulate test conditions. Answer: C KaKb = Kw For a conjugate acid–base...

Omar Daraghmeh has several bottles of liquids. Which pair is MOST likely to behave as an IDEAL solution (Raoult’s Law)? Correct Answer: C) Hexane + Heptane

Which atom has the smallest first ionization energy? (A) Mg (B) Al (C) Si (D) P (E) He Answer: B — Aluminum This is a classic DAT conceptual exception. Although first ionization energy generally increases from left to right across a period, there is a well-known anomaly between Group 2...

DAT questions often test application, not memorization. Today’s General Chemistry Question of the Day focuses on a molecular geometry application involving a coordination compound. Rather than asking for definitions, this question requires reasoning by analogy to determine how molecular...

Sharing a short General Chemistry video for DAT and OAT students. In this lesson, Dr. Jim Romano explains how density problems are tested on the DAT and walks through the setup step by step. These questions are very common, especially for students early in their preparation, and mistakes...

Answer is C Quick DAT Question of the Day (General Chemistry): Root mean square speed is given by: vrms=3RTMv_{rms} = \sqrt{\frac{3RT}{M}}vrms=M3RT Consider nitrogen and hydrogen at 35°C. At what temperature would they display equal RMS speed? (See the slides below for the full setup...

Thank you to the students who have trusted DAT Destroyer over the years. We will continue posting FREE high-yield DAT Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry videos to help students prepare the right way. Official Channel: DAT Destroyer by Dr. Jim Romano For free daily help, join...

Dr. Romano Question of the Day (General Chemistry): Omar Daraghmeh has an unknown compound that contains C, H and O. If the combustion of 0.255 grams of a sample produces 0.561 grams of CO2 and 0.306 grams of H2O, what is the percent of carbon? Answer and Dr. Romano’s handwritten solution...

High-yield DAT General Chemistry concept. Antimony (Sb) has its outermost electrons in the 5p sublevel. For a p orbital, the azimuthal quantum number is: l = 1 Correct answer: B These quantum number questions are classic DAT test-day traps, and the fastest way to handle them is to...

High yield DAT General Chemistry practice question. Dr. Jim Romano walks through a classic thermochemistry specific heat setup using: ΔH = m c ΔT This is exactly the type of calculation students must be comfortable with on test day. Study smart, understand the formula, and do not...

Hess’s Law and thermochemistry are high-yield topics on the DAT General Chemistry section and come up frequently on the exam. In this short video, Dr. Jim Romano walks through Hess’s Law step by step and shows how to handle enthalpy changes without getting tripped up by common test-day...

General chemistry pH calculations are a high-yield topic on the DAT and OAT, and many students lose points by overthinking the setup. In this short video, Dr. Jim Romano walks through a clear, exam-focused approach to pH calculations so you can recognize the correct method quickly and avoid...

A lot of students reach out after taking the DAT once or twice and still feeling stuck, especially in general chemistry and organic chemistry. If that’s you, you’re not alone. Most of the time it isn’t about working harder, it’s about reinforcing the foundations the right way. Every time Dr...

Dr. Romano goes over the rules for naming compounds, an essential General Chemistry topic on the DAT. This video is a great refresher if you want to strengthen your fundamentals before exam day. Watch here: If you have questions after watching, feel free to post them here — happy to help...

Here's another DAT Question of the Day straight from Dr. Romano! Test yourself and then check the solution on slide two. 💥 Slide 1: Problem Slide 2: Solution

📘 DAT Daily Practice — pH Question Here's a great no-calculator-style problem students should be ready for: A) 7.0 × 10⁻⁵ M B) 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ M ✅ C) 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M D) 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ M E) 3.0 × 10⁻⁵ M Correct answer: B Don’t forget on the real DAT, these no-calculator mental math questions come fast...

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"Venous blood pH is approximately 7.2. Given that pka1 for H2CO3 is 6.4 and pka2 for H3PO4 is 7.1...which of the following relationships is not true about the concentrations of various species in venous blood?" The answer is that H2PO4-is not in greater concentration than HPO42- in venous...

Hi everyone. So at my University, before you can take General Chemistry I and II, you are required to take the prerequisite General Chemistry Prep course which is worth 5 credits and has an accompanying lab. I’ve noticed most medical schools are pretty vague in that they don’t state the...

I recently got unused old EK 1001 books (between 2010 and 2012 I think) for MCAT Gen Chem and Biology. I won't be taking the MCAT for another year, but I finished gen chem and gen bio sequences, and want to keep the content sharp before I start actual MCAT prep, which is after I take all my...

Hi guys! I am currently a freshman on the pre-med track. I took general bio 1 and general chem 1 spring semester. I took the "pass" option instead of keeping my original grade of "C's". I am currently retaking general chemistry 1 again but I am not doing the best. I am considering withdrawing...

I'm about to sign up for gen chem 2 for life scientists for Winter 2020, and I'm stuck between 2 choices. There's 2 sections, and one of the professors (Prof A) is the one I have Gen Chem I with currently. His exams are easy and straightforward, but he seems to skip over some things that other...

We have space left in Dr. Romano's Summer DAT Intensive. If interested email me for more details. We also offer private tutoring for the DAT, OAT, Orgo, General Chemistry, Biochemistry, Math and more. Our instruction for private tutoring is offered in class or online. Nancy...

Hello, This is my first post so please bear with me. I received a psychology degree from a state school and graduated with a 3.9 GPA. The last year of college I decided that I wanted to enter healthcare, specifically a doctor. I had toyed with the idea before but I think I was too emotionally...

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So I just took my DAT a few days ago and wanted to post something because when I was studying I didn't see many posts that struggled with the things I did (aka QR, Gen. Chem, and RC mostly) so I thought this might help those who feel less confident about the DAT leading up to it. So for study...

Question: In a sealed 1L container, 1 mole of nitrogen gas reacts with 3 moles of hydrogen gas to form 0.05 moles of NH3 at equilibrium. What is the Kc of the reaction? The balanced equation is N2 + 3H2 -> 2NH3 The solution says that we would have (1-x)M of N2 and (3-x)M of H2, to get the 0.05M...

Should I take General Chemistry II over the summer? I’m at a community college and plan on taking it here during the summer which is 1 month and 7 days long. Or should I take it for an entire semester instead so it won’t be too fast-paced?

My book (Kaplan MCAT Gen Chem pg 27) says that for the sulfur atom in the sulfate ion, sulfur's 3s and 3p subshells can only contain 8 of these 12 electrons; the other 4 electrons have entered the sulfur atom's 3d subshell, which in elemental sulfur is empty. Why did "the other 4 electrons"...

My book (Kaplan MCAT Gen Chem pg 27) says that for the sulfur atom in the sulfate ion, sulfur's 3s and 3p subshells can only contain 8 of these 12 electrons; the other 4 electrons have entered the sulfur atom's 3d subshell, which in elemental sulfur is empty. Why did "the other 4 electrons"...

Hi, so I know that in orgo world ethers are nonpolar solvents and in an extraction the ether is the organic layer and polar water is the aqueous bottom layer (therefore water and ether don't mix). So I always assumed that ethers are insoluble in water. In the general chemistry section of the...

I was particularly confused with this question due to the fact that the answer I got when solving the problem was not one of the available choices. Why, after finding that the number of total Al2O3 atoms is ~6.02*10^21, do we multiply that number by 3 to get the number of O atoms in the...

On the 2017 OAT topics list, I don't see magnetism under Physics. Is it safe to say that I won't be seeing this topic on the test?

While I was studying for the General Chemistry section of the DAT, I encountered a question that requires the knowledge of elements' physical states at a certain temperature: Q: Consider the physical states of Cl2, K, W, Pb, Hg, Br2, and Sb. Which will be liquids at 25 degrees Celsius? Do I...

Hello SDN this is my very first post. I couldn't find an answer anywhere on on the site, but I remember looking up pre-reqs for for medical schools on the school websites and reading that one school did have an exception of some sort for this. I'm currently taking Gen Chem 2 and it includes...

Hey all, Quick question regarding the effective nuclear charge. Can't the equation for its calculation be simplified as "the number of valence electrons"? it seems that in all the examples I've seen, the effective nuclear charge is the same as the number of valence electrons. Am I just jumping...

Hey! I was wondering if someone could explain to me why we can assume Al (s) is more susceptible to oxidation compared to Zn (s). Thanks!