I. Introduction

University chemistry is the broader study of matter and change, built on a more quantitative foundation than high school. It starts with general chemistry then branches into specialized areas like organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, and inorganic chemistry.

II. Outline

  1. General Chemistry I — Structure, Bonding, and Quantities
    • Foundations
      • significant figures, uncertainty, dimensional analysis
      • lab safety, glassware, basic data/graphs
    • Atomic structure
      • isotopes, atomic spectra, electron configuration
    • Periodic table & periodic trends
      • effective nuclear charge, shielding, key trends
    • Bonding & Molecular Structure
      • Lewis structures, resonance, formal charge
      • VSEPR geometry, polarity
    • Intermolecular Forces & Phases
      • IMFs, phase changes/diagrams, properties of solids/liquids/gases
    • Stoichiometry & Reactions
      • balancing, limiting reactant, percent yield
      • solving stoichiometry
  2. General Chemistry II — Equilibrium, Thermodynamics, and Electrochemistry
    • Thermochemistry & energy
      • calorimetry, Hess’s law, enthalpy
    • Chemical thermodynamics
      • entropy, Gibbs free energy, spontaneity
    • Kinetics
      • rate laws, common integrated rate laws
      • Arrhenius equation, mechanisms
    • Chemical equilibrium
      • K, Q, ICE tables, Le Châtelier’s principle
    • Acid–base & aqueous equilibria
      • pH, Ka/Kb, buffers, titrations
      • Ksp, solubility, common-ion effect
    • Electrochemistry
      • redox balancing, galvanic cells, Nernst
      • electrolysis, Faraday’s law
  3. Organic Chemistry I — Structure, Mechanism, and Core Reactions
    • Bonding & Structure
      • hybridization, resonance, conformations
    • Stereochemistry (chirality, R/S, E/Z)
    • Acids/Bases (organic context), nucleophiles/electrophiles
    • Reaction Mechanisms (arrow pushing) and energy diagrams
    • Substitution and Elimination
    • Additions to alkenes/alkynes
    • Spectroscopy basics (IR, NMR, MS)
  4. Organic Chemistry II — Synthesis and Functional Groups
    • Carbonyl Chemistry
      • aldehydes/ketones, carboxylic acids and derivatives
    • Aromatic Chemistry
    • -enols/enolates, -aldol
    • Multi-step Synthesis Strategy and Retrosynthesis
  5. Other Types of Chemistry
    • Analytical
      • Measuring what’s in a sample and how much of what is there. It focuses on reliable methods, instrumentation, and data quality to identify and quantify substances.
    • Physical
      • Explains why chemical behavior happens using physics and math. It connects energy, equilibrium, rates, and molecular structure to measurable properties.
    • Inorganic
      • The chemistry of elements and compounds not centered on carbon (especially metals, salts, and minerals). It emphasizes bonding models, structures, and the patterns of reactivity across the periodic table.
    • More include Biochemistry, Electrochemistry, Materials Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Nuclear Chemistry, Photochemistry, and much more.

III. Free Resources

IV. Video Series

V. See Also

Analytical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry