CHM 113 · Section 85230
Everything you need to pass General Chemistry I
12 units built from OpenStax Chemistry: Atoms First 2e and mapped to the ASU Online — Fall 2026, Session A syllabus — plus a day-by-day study plan, eight labs, and every reference table you're allowed to bring.
12
Units
177
Quiz questions
61
Worked examples
45
Planned study days
Lab progress
Lab completion this term
0 / 176 steps · 0%0 / 8
Labs finished
0 / 24
Phases finished
0 / 200
Points on track
Bars per lab: pre-lab · investigation · post-lab
Next hard deadlines
DUE 11:59 PM — Lecture Quizzes #1, #2, #3
Submit as PDF via Canvas. Late submissions are not accepted.
DUE 11:59 PM — Mastering Units 1, 2, 3
Three 10-point assignments, 20 questions each.
DUE 11:59 PM — submit Practice Exam 1 on Canvas
7 extra credit points.
EXAM 1 window opens 12:01 AM (Units 1–3)
75 minutes inside the ~48-hour window. Print the periodic table and equation sheet first.
EXAM 1 closes 11:59 PM — last safe start 10:44 PM
Do not leave it to the last hour.
DUE 11:59 PM — Lecture Quizzes #4, #5, #6
Units
Unit 1 · Exam 1
Matter, Measurement & Problem Solving
The foundation of chemistry: what matter is, how we classify it, how it changes, and how we measure and quantify it with confidence.
Unit 2 · Exam 1
Atoms, Elements, Molecules & Compounds
How atomic theory developed, what atoms are made of, how the periodic table organizes elements, and how atoms combine into ionic and covalent compounds.
Unit 3 · Exam 1
Chemical Quantities & Introduction to Equilibrium
Balancing equations, the mole concept, stoichiometry, limiting reactants and yield, and a conceptual first look at chemical equilibrium.
Unit 4 · Exam 2
Solutions, Concentration & Acid–Base Basics
Quantitative treatment of aqueous solutions — molarity, dilution, solution stoichiometry, electrolytes and solubility — leading into Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, the pH scale, and titration.
Unit 5 · Exam 2
Light, Quantum Theory & the Nuclear Atom
The wave and particle nature of light, the Bohr model, the development of quantum mechanics, quantum numbers and orbitals, and a historical look at nuclear structure and radioactive decay.
Unit 6 · Exam 2
Electron Configurations & Periodic Properties
Building electron configurations using the Aufbau principle, Hund's rule, and the Pauli exclusion principle, then using the periodic table to explain and predict trends in atomic size, ionization energy, electron affinity, and metallic character.
Unit 7 · Exam 3
Chemical Bonding I: Lewis Structures & Molecular Geometry
Build Lewis structures systematically, use formal charge to pick the best resonance form, and predict 3-D molecular shapes and polarity with VSEPR theory.
Unit 8 · Exam 3
Chemical Bonding II: Valence Bond & Molecular Orbital Theory
Go beyond Lewis structures: use valence bond theory and orbital hybridization to explain sigma/pi bonding, then use molecular orbital theory to predict bond order, magnetism, and stability.
Unit 9 · Exam 3
Reactions in Aqueous Solution & Redox
Classify and predict aqueous reactions — precipitation, acid–base, gas-evolution, and redox — by mastering solubility rules, ionic equations, oxidation numbers, and half-reaction balancing.
Unit 10 · Exam 4
Intermolecular Forces, Liquids & Solids
Why matter condenses into liquids and solids: intermolecular forces, vapor pressure, phase diagrams, solid-state structure, and solutions.
Unit 11 · Exam 4
Gases
Gas laws, the ideal gas law, gas mixtures and stoichiometry, kinetic-molecular theory, and real-gas behavior.
Unit 12 · Exam 4
Thermochemistry
Energy bookkeeping for chemical change: heat, work, calorimetry, enthalpy, Hess's law, and standard enthalpies of formation.
Grade breakdown (1000 points)
Midterm Exams (4)
400 pts
4 × 100 pts. 25 multiple-choice questions worth 4 pts each, 75 minutes.
Final Exam
200 pts
50 multiple-choice questions worth 4 pts each, 120 minutes, cumulative over Exams 1–4.
Laboratory Work
200 pts
At-home investigations, pre-lab quizzes and post-lab reports (Science Interactive kit).
Online Homework (best 10 of 12)
100 pts
MasteringChemistry, 12 unit assignments × 10 pts, two lowest dropped.
Lecture Quizzes (best 10 of 12)
100 pts
12 handwritten quizzes × 10 pts submitted as PDF to Canvas, two lowest dropped.
Policies that decide your grade
Resurrection Final Rule
If you take all four midterms and the final, and your final exam percentage beats one of your midterms, that lower midterm score is replaced by the final percentage. A missed exam scores zero — and that zero is the score that gets replaced. This can only rescue you once.
Three missed Post-Labs = automatic E
Scoring 0% on (or not submitting) three or more Post-Lab reports results in an automatic failing grade for the entire course regardless of your point total. Treat every post-lab as non-negotiable.
Two lowest HW and LQ scores dropped
Your two lowest lecture quiz scores and two lowest MasteringChemistry homework scores are dropped automatically. No documentation needed — and no extensions are granted, ever.
No late exams, no make-ups
Exams open in ~48-hour windows. Late exams are not possible; an exam taken outside the window without prior approval takes an automatic 20-point penalty. Early exams need approval at least 5 days ahead with documentation.
Honorlock proctoring
Chrome + Honorlock extension required. Photo ID, room scan, no second monitor, no phone in the room, no smartwatch or headphones. Calculator for basic functions only.
Extra credit worth up to 80 points
Awarded for attending/viewing weekly Discussion Sessions, submitting Practice Exam 1 on Canvas (7 pts, due Fri 8/28), and completing the Lab 7 and Lab 8 notebooks.
Allowed on every exam
The provided periodic table and equation sheet (print them — Honorlock will not let you open files), one 8.5×11 sheet of handwritten notes front and back, blank scratch paper, and a scientific calculator.
Plan for ~25 hours per week
Dr. Briggs recommends at least 25 hours of study outside of class per week for this 7.5-week accelerated session, and most of those hours should be spent working problems, not re-reading.