General Courses

Did you know that organic chemicals make up all the life forms we know of? Organic chemistry, defined by the carbon-hydrogen bond, is at the foundation of life. Becuase of the unique properties of the carbon atom, it can bond with other atoms in many different ways, resulting in millions of different organic molecules.

Did you know that when methane and oxygen are combined, they produce carbon dioxide and water vapor? This is because the chemical bonds that hold molecules together are broken during chemical reactions, and when molecules re-from they can produce very different substances.

Did you know that chemical reactions happen all around us, such as when you light a match, start a car, or even take in a breath of air? To accomplish stability among atoms, sometimes electrons are taken from or shared with another atom. This needs to balance electrons with protons causes chemical reactions and can create compounds.

The universe is a vast soup of interacting particles and energy. The ways in which those interactions take place, as well as the structure and composition of matter, is the main focus of the field of chemistry. Our chemistry learning modules introduces you to the world of chemistry, exploring current research and scientific findings on concepts like the structure and function of atoms, forms of energy and its transfer, chemical bonding and reactions, and more.

Did you know that solids, liquids, and gases are not the only states of matter? Among others are plasma's, which have such high energy that molecules are ripped apart.

This module introduces the mole, a unit of measurement for quantifying atoms and molecules. The module describes 19th century developments that led to the concept of the mole, also known as Avogardo's number, or 6.02 x 10^23. Molar mass is explained, and examples of mole/weight relationships are presented. In addition, the module shows how to calculate molecular weight.