AP Chemistry Lecture Notes

Flashcards covering key concepts from AP Chemistry related to thermodynamics, calorimetry, reactions, and equilibria.

Thermal energy

The energy that comes from the temperature of matter; the total kinetic energy of all the particles in a substance.

Temperature (t)

A measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample.

Kinetic energy

The energy an object possesses due to its motion, which is related to temperature.

Specific heat capacity (c)

The amount of thermal energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius.

Endothermic process

A reaction or process that absorbs heat from its surroundings.

Exothermic process

A reaction or process that releases heat to its surroundings.

Calorimetry

The measurement of heat transfer in chemical reactions or physical changes.

Enthalpy (H)

A thermodynamic property that represents the total heat content of a system.

Gibbs Free Energy (G)

A thermodynamic potential that measures the usable energy of a system at constant temperature and pressure.

Entropy (S)

A measure of the disorder or randomness in a system.

Molar enthalpy (ΔH)

The heat absorbed or released by one mole of a substance during a change.

Hess's Law

The total enthalpy change for a reaction is the sum of the enthalpy changes for each step of the reaction.

Equilibrium constant (K)

A number that expresses the relationship between the concentrations of products and reactants at equilibrium.

Ionic dissociation

The process in which ionic compounds separate into ions when dissolved in water.

Buffer solution

A solution that resists changes in pH upon the addition of small amounts of acid or base.

Titration

A method used to determine the concentration of an unknown solution by reacting it with a solution of known concentration.