CH 155 Chemistry Essentials

This course introduces the core concepts, language, and quantitative skills needed for success in General Chemistry. Students develop foundational understanding of matter, energy, atomic and molecular structure, measurement, and chemical counting, along with the representational skills used throughout an Atoms-First curriculum. For students needing additional preparation before the General Chemistry sequence.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

Placement in MTH 095 or higher (may be taken concurrently)

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1.Use appropriate chemical units, measurement tools, and dimensional-analysis techniques to quantitatively describe matter and energy in order to solve basic chemical problems

2. Explain the structure of atoms and simple molecules using models that connect subatomic particles, periodic trends, and chemical formulas

3. Predict how and why particles interact, relate qualitative descriptions of bonding types and intermolecular forces to observable properties of matter

4. Apply chemical counting approaches—such as the mole, balanced equations, and solution composition—to solve introductory stoichiometric problems

5. Use basic particulate-level, symbolic, and macroscopic representations of chemical systems to explain chemical phenomena

6. Describe the role of energy in physical and chemical processes, including how energy changes influence phase behavior, stability, and particle interactions