Science · Level 2

2.1 The Chemical Reaction

All the bits and bolts of chemistry.

What's a Chemical Reaction?

Molecular Choreography

Hiking the Reaction Landscape

Reaction Rates

Forward and Reverse Reactions

The Equilibrium State

Tipping the Scales

Atoms and Charges

Balancing Act

Reactions at Work

Periodic Acids

Predicting Reactions

A Mole Isn't an Animal

Compound Interest

Reaction Roundup


Course description

Chemistry is the science of how matter transforms from starting materials into other substances. Driven by physics and the fundamental properties of the elements, chemistry frees us from depending on the materials we find in nature, and enables us to invent our own. In this course, you'll learn the fundamentals of chemistry from the perspective of reactions. Forgoing the usual approach based on quantum mechanics, you'll work through puzzles and patterns to see how charge, energy, and probability combine to determine the basic behavior of molecules undergoing chemical reaction. By the end, you'll be able to make predictions about simple chemical systems and will be ready to take on the next step, the chemical bond.


Topics covered

  • Acids and pKa
  • Chemical Equilibrium
  • Collision Theory
  • Concentration
  • Ions and Charge
  • LeChatelier’s Principle
  • Moles and Avogadro's Number
  • Periodic Trends
  • Rates and Kinetics
  • Reaction Energetics
  • Stoichiometry

Prerequisites and next steps

For the excited learner who wants to dive into chemistry, this is the course for you.

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Science · Level 2

2.2 Physics of the Everyday

Investigate everyday physics, from household objects to weather patterns.

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