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Study Guides for Every AP Chemistry Unit

Study Guides for Every AP Chemistry Unit

Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated June 2026
Verified for the 2027 exam
Verified for the 2027 examWritten by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated June 2026

The AP Chemistry exam covers a ton of content. When I say a ton, I mean a TON. The course covers everything from quantum mechanics and atomic structure to properties of states of matter to acid-base titrations. By the time you've learned all of this, it's more than likely that your brain is filled with a chemistry-soup, with terms like "equilibrium", "orbital", and "redox reaction" floating around in an unorganized fashion. To help you organize information, we've put together this list of study guides for every AP Chemistry unit!


⚛️ Unit 1: Atomic Structure and Properties

Unit 1 is your first taste to chemistry and jumps right in with the foundation of every chemical reaction, molecule, and process: the atom. Atoms make up every single bit of matter in the universe and understanding their structure and properties will help you uncover how it all works. From orbitals to electrons, you'll learn the ins and outs to the quantum world and have a better understanding of why atoms do what they do!

1.1 Moles and Molar Mass 

1.2 Mass Spectra of Elements 

1.3 Elemental Composition of Pure Substances 

1.4 Composition of Mixtures 

1.5 Atomic Structure and Electron Configuration 

1.6 Photoelectron Spectroscopy 

1.7 Periodic Trends 

1.8 Valence Electrons and Ionic Compounds


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🧪 Unit 2: Compound Structure and Properties

Unit 2 takes you from learning about atoms into how molecules and compounds are structured. You'll learn about why chemical bonds occur, both energetically and through electromagnetic force in ionic compounds. Along with this, by the end of this unit, you'll be able to draw molecular structures and predict molecular geometries. This unit is typically one of the more fun and interesting ones, so enjoy it!

2.1 Types of Chemical Bonds 

2.2 Intramolecular Force and Potential Energy 

2.3 Structure of Ionic Solids 

2.4 Structure of Metals and Alloys 

2.5 Lewis Diagrams 

2.6 Resonance and Formal Charge 

2.7 VSEPR and Hybridization


⚗️ Unit 3: Properties of Substances and Mixtures

In Unit 3, the focus is on the properties of substances and mixtures. You’ll study intermolecular and interparticle forces, solids, liquids, gases, solutions, solubility, separation methods, and introductory spectroscopy topics such as the electromagnetic spectrum, photons, and Beer-Lambert law.

3.1 Intermolecular and Interparticle Forces 

3.2 Properties of Solids 

3.3 Solids, Liquids, and Gases 

3.4 Ideal Gas Law 

3.5 Kinetic Molecular Theory 

3.6 Deviation from Ideal Gas Law 

3.7 Solutions and Mixtures 

3.8 Representations of Solutions 

3.9 Separation of Solutions and Mixtures 

3.10 Solubility 

3.11 Spectroscopy and the Electromagnetic Spectrum 

3.12 Properties of Photons

3.13 Beer-Lambert Law


💥 Unit 4: Chemical Reactions

Chemical reactions are what chemistry is all about. Now that you've learned about how substances work. you can start to uncover how they interact with each other. In AP Chemistry, students analyze several common reaction categories and representations, including precipitation, acid-base, and redox reactions, along with stoichiometry, net ionic equations, titrations, and patterns used to classify reactions. These three types of reactions along with other details of how reactions work and proceed will help you understand what happens when two chemicals mix.

4.1 Introduction for Reactions 

4.2 Net Ionic Equations 

4.3 Representations of Reactions 

4.4 Physical and Chemical Changes 

4.5 Stoichiometry 

4.6 Introduction to Titration 

4.7 Types of Chemical Reactions

4.8 Introduction to Acid-Base Reactions 

4.9 Oxidation-Reduction (Redox) Reactions


📈 Unit 5: Kinetics

Kinetics is a field of chemistry all about the rate of a reaction. How quickly does a reaction proceed? How can we speed it up? Slow it down? Can we calculate how long a reaction will take? These questions are all questions that can be answered using kinetics, which focuses on how fast reactions occur and what factors affect their rates and mechanisms.

5.1 Reaction Rates 

5.2 Introduction to Rate Law 

5.3 Concentration Changes Over Time

5.4 Elementary Reactions

5.5 Collision Model 

5.6 Reaction Energy Profile 

5.7 Introduction to Reaction Mechanisms 

5.8 Reaction Mechanism and Rate Law 

5.9 Pre-Equilibrium Approximation

5.10 Multistep Reaction Energy Profile 

5.11 Catalysis


🔥 Unit 6: Thermochemistry

Energy plays a huge role in AP Chemistry and in chemistry as a whole. In this unit, you’ll focus on thermochemistry: how energy is transferred during physical and chemical processes, especially as heat. You’ll learn about endothermic and exothermic processes, calorimetry, enthalpy, bond enthalpy, enthalpy of formation, and Hess’s law.

6.1 Endothermic and Exothermic Processes 

6.2 Energy Diagrams 

6.3 Heat Transfer and Thermal Equilibrium 

6.4 Heat Capacity and Calorimetry 

6.5 Energy of Phase Changes 

6.6 Introduction to Enthalpy of Reaction 

6.7 Bond Enthalpies 

6.8 Enthalpy of Formation 

6.9 Hess’s Law


⚖️ Unit 7: Equilibrium

How far does a reaction go forward? In chemistry some (in fact most) reactions are reversible, that is to say, the reaction happens, but then the opposite also occurs. When the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are equivalent, the reaction is said to be at equilibrium. In Unit 7, you'll explore reversible reactions and calculate concentrations at equilibrium.

7.1 Introduction to Equilibrium 

7.2 Direction of Reversible Reactions 

7.3 Reaction Quotient and Equilibrium Constant 

7.4 Calculating the Equilibrium Constant 

7.5 Magnitude of the Equilibrium Constant 

7.6 Properties of the Equilibrium Constant 

7.7 Calculating Equilibrium Concentrations 

7.8 Representations of Equilibrium 

7.9 Introduction to Le Châtelier’s Principle 

7.10 Reaction Quotient and Le Châtelier’s Principle 

7.11 Introduction to Solubility Equilibria 

7.12 Common-Ion Effect 


🍊 Unit 8: Acids and Bases

In unit 8, you'll be delving deep into the world of acid-base reactions. From the zest of citrus frutis to the relief of antacids, these reactions involve proton exchange between acidic and basic substances. You'll be learning all about these reaction mechanisms and how to apply your knowledge in the laboratory.

8.1 Introduction to Acids and Bases 

8.2 pH and pOH of Strong Acids and Bases 

8.3 Weak Acid and Base Equilibria 

8.4 Acid-Base Reactions and Buffers 

8.5 Acid-Base Titrations 

8.6 Molecular Structure of Acids and Bases 

8.7 pH and pKa 

8.8 Properties of Buffers 

8.9 Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation 

8.10 Buffer Capacity

8.11 pH and Solubility


🔋 Unit 9: Thermodynamics and Electrochemistry

Welcome to the final unit of AP Chemistry! Over the last eight units, you battled stoichiometry, chemical reactions, quantum mechanics, intermolecular forces, acids and bases, kinetics, equilibrium, and so much more. There’s just one last beast waiting for you to conquer: thermodynamics and electrochemistry.

9.1 Introduction to Entropy 

9.2 Absolute Entropy and Entropy Change 

9.3 Gibbs Free Energy and Thermodynamic Favorability 

9.4 Thermodynamic and Kinetic Control 

9.5 Free Energy and Equilibrium 

9.6 Free Energy of Dissolution

9.7 Coupled Reactions 

9.8 Galvanic (Voltaic) and Electrolytic Cells 

9.9 Cell Potential and Free Energy 

9.10 Cell Potential Under Nonstandard Conditions 

9.11 Electrolysis and Faraday's Law