Supplemental General Chem Resources

[deleted1006124]

I am struggling in my Chem class.

I use Kahn Academy which helps.

Someone in another thread suggested Davis Klein's General Chemistry and Chad's Chemistry.

Any other suggestions?

If you know of any q banks or practice problem resources (other than my textbook), that would be really helpful too.

Any other tips for tackling Gen Chem?

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[82Scout]

I am going to go out on a whim here. I struggled in gen chem for a while in the beginning and the way I improved was by vigorously studying the periodic table. In a sense I went back to the basics... Sometimes when we are in a learning environment it is easy to get distracted by new material and forget our foundations.

What I mean by that is understanding group characteristics > understanding period characteristics > understanding periodic trends because of these characteristics. Being able to explain why these characteristics affect how elements and molecules behave. I found that with these basic understandings 95% of gen chem could be understood. The other 5% was practicing thermodynamics equations. If money isn't an issue I would recommend the Princeton Review MCAT gen chem book for further material and practice.

 

[deleted1006124]

I am going to go out on a whim here. I struggled in gen chem for a while in the beginning and the way I improved was by vigorously studying the periodic table. In a sense I went back to the basics... Sometimes when we are in a learning environment it is easy to get distracted by new material and forget our foundations.

What I mean by that is understanding group characteristics > understanding period characteristics > understanding periodic trends because of these characteristics. Being able to explain why these characteristics affect how elements and molecules behave. I found that with these basic understandings 95% of gen chem could be understood. The other 5% was practicing thermodynamics equations. If money isn't an issue I would recommend the Princeton Review MCAT gen chem book for further material and practice.

Thanks!

 

[deleted1006124]

I did well in Gen Chem I. I am now struggling with Gen Chem II.

Do ya'll know if there is a Gen Chem II version of David Klein? Seems weird that there is a Gen Chem I version but no Gen Chem II.

I can't find it on Amazon.

 

[Shunsui]

Organic chemistry tutor on YouTube. Don’t know if he has Chem 2 material but for organic and physics he’s been a lifesaver

 

[DarkKnight835]

I'm actually a Gen Chem tutor at my university for 2.5 years now (SI Leader). Could you tell me what part about gen chem 2 that is troubling to you?

 

[deleted1006124]

I'm actually a Gen Chem tutor at my university for 2.5 years now (SI Leader). Could you tell me what part about gen chem 2 that is troubling to you?

Thank you for your reply.

I am struggling with Thermochemistry. I know myself to also really struggle with Electrochem from my experience in high school Honors Chem. Electrochem is coming later in the semester.

SI is another good idea I hadn't thought of. I know we have that at my school. I'll look into whether or not it's available for my specific course.

 

[DarkKnight835]

Thank you for your reply.

I am struggling with Thermochemistry. I know myself to also really struggle with Electrochem from my experience in high school Honors Chem. Electrochem is coming later in the semester.

SI is another good idea I hadn't thought of. I know we have that at my school. I'll look into whether or not it's available for my specific course.

Ahh I see. Electrochemistry is later on in the semester and it's more concept-oriented, whereas thermochemistry is more math-heavy. What I would suggest you do is to do as many practice problems (end-of-chapter problems, SI worksheets, etc) as you can to get used to the type of questions being asked. The reason is that thermochemistry's math is not necessarily difficult, but there are so many formulas relating to that concept that students often using the wrong formula for the problem.
Another note: newer students, especially pre-health majors, don't like going to tutoring because they think they're smart enough to study on their own. However, the majority of my students are above-average students who consistently do well on exams. Yes, you go to tutoring to get help learning concepts, but you can also go to tutoring to reinforce your understanding of content materials.
If you need more specific help, let me know!

 

[CaptainPoopyPants]

OP, send me a message if you don't mind, preferably with a picture of sample questions from your current curriculum. TY.