Structures + Properties
30-40%of exam
Chemical Reactions
36-46%of exam
Energy + Waves
15-21%of exam
Heat + CalorimetryPhase ChangeSpectraWavelengthConservation
Organic + Applied
7-16%of exam
Organic ChemistryNuclearLab DataReference TablesDesign
Quick Facts
- Exam
- Physical Science: Chemistry
- Code
- NYSP12SLS
- Time
- 3 hours
- Pass
- Scale score 65
- Questions
- 45-55 items
- Format
- ~60% MC, ~40% CR
- Clusters
- 9-11 clusters
- First exam
- June 2026
- Tables
- 2025 Edition
Periodic Trends
Radius down-left, EN up-right
Radius: bigger down/leftIonization: bigger up/rightEN: bigger up/rightF is most electronegative
Ionic vs Covalent
Ionic
- Metal + nonmetal
- Transfers electrons
- High melting point
Covalent
- Two nonmetals
- Shares electrons
- Low melting point
Transfer vs share
Bond Type Picker
- Metal + nonmetal→Ionic bond(Transfer electrons)
- Two nonmetals→Covalent bond(Share electrons)
- Metal + metal→Metallic bond(Electron sea)
- Big EN difference→Polar covalent(Unequal share)
- Same atoms bond→Nonpolar covalent(Equal share)
- H near N/O/F→Hydrogen bond(Strong attraction)
Atomic Structure
- Proton
- +1 charge, nucleusp+
- Neutron
- No charge, nucleus
- Electron
- -1 charge, orbital
- Atomic number
- Proton count
- Mass number
- Protons + neutrons
- Isotope
- Same Z, different N
- Valence
- Outer shell electrons
- Ground state
- Lowest energy config
- Excited state
- Electron jumped up
Periodic Trends
- Period
- Row, left to right
- Group
- Column, same valence
- Metals
- Lose electrons, left
- Nonmetals
- Gain electrons, right
- Metalloids
- Staircase border
- Atomic radius
- Down up, left up
- Ionization energy
- Up right increases
- Electronegativity
- Up right increases
Chemical Bonding
- Ionic
- Metal + nonmetal
- Covalent
- Shared nonmetal pairs
- Metallic
- Mobile electron sea
- Polar covalent
- Unequal sharing
- Nonpolar covalent
- Equal sharing
- Hydrogen bond
- H to N/O/F
- Dipole
- Weak molecular attraction
- Network solid
- Diamond, hardest
Matter + Gases
- STP
- 273 K, 101.3 kPaTable A
- Combined gas law
- P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2
- Boyle
- P up, V down
- Charles
- T up, V up
- Ideal gas
- Low P, high T
- Real gas
- H2 and He closest
- Kelvin
- K = C + 273
- Molar volume
- 22.4 L at STP
pH Scale
Low pH acid, high pH base
pH 0-6: acidicpH 7: neutralpH 8-14: basicEach unit: 10x H+
Acid vs Base
Acid
- Yields H+
- pH below 7
- Reacts with metals
Base
- Yields OH-
- pH above 7
- Feels slippery
H+ vs OH-
Reaction Type Picker
- Two make one→Synthesis
- One breaks apart→Decomposition
- Element swaps in→Single replacement
- Ions trade partners→Double replacement
- Yields water + salt→Neutralization
- Burns with oxygen→Combustion
The Mole + Quantities
- Mole
- 6.02 x 10^23 particlesNA
- Gram-formula mass
- Sum atomic masses
- moles = mass/GFM
- Table T formula
- Percent composition
- Part over whole
- Empirical formula
- Simplest whole ratio
- Molecular formula
- Actual atom count
- Molarity
- moles / liter
- Percent error
- Measured minus accepted
Empirical vs Molecular
Empirical
- Simplest ratio
- CH2O
- Lowest whole
Molecular
- Actual count
- C6H12O6
- Multiple of empirical
Ratio vs actual
Stoichiometry
- Coefficient
- Mole ratio number
- Balanced equation
- Atoms conserved
- Conservation of mass
- Mass unchanged
- Synthesis
- A + B to AB
- Decomposition
- AB to A + B
- Single replacement
- One element swaps
- Double replacement
- Ions trade partners
- Mole ratio
- From coefficients
Kinetics + Equilibrium
- Reaction rate
- Speed of change
- Activation energy
- Barrier to react
- Catalyst
- Lowers activation energy
- Collision theory
- Effective collisions react
- Equilibrium
- Forward = reverse rate
- Le Chatelier
- Stress shifts system
- Add reactant
- Shifts toward products
- Increase pressure
- Shifts to fewer moles
Acids, Bases, Salts
- Arrhenius acid
- Yields H+ ions
- Arrhenius base
- Yields OH- ions
- pH below 7
- Acidic solution
- pH above 7
- Basic solution
- pH change of 1
- 10x H+ ions
- Neutralization
- Acid + base salt
- Titration
- MaVa = MbVb
- Indicator
- Table M colors
Phase Changes
Melt, vaporize absorb heat
Melting: solid to liquidVaporizing: liquid to gasFreezing releases heatPlateau = phase change
Endothermic vs Exothermic
Endothermic
- Absorbs heat
- + delta H
- Products higher
Exothermic
- Releases heat
- - delta H
- Products lower
Absorbs vs releases
Solutions + Heat
- Solubility
- Use Table G curve
- Saturated
- On the line
- Supersaturated
- Above the line
- Endothermic
- Absorbs heat, +H
- Exothermic
- Releases heat, -H
- q = mC delta T
- Heat formula
- Heat of fusion
- Solid to liquid
- Heat of vaporization
- Liquid to gas
- Specific heat water
- 4.18 J/g.K
Redox Direction
LEO the lion says GER
LEO: Lose Electrons OxidationGER: Gain Electrons ReductionOIL RIG works too
Oxidation vs Reduction
Oxidation
- Loses electrons
- Number increases
- LEO
Reduction
- Gains electrons
- Number decreases
- GER
Loses vs gains
Reference Table Picker
- Need STP values→Table A
- Solubility curve→Table G
- Heat constants→Table B
- Polyatomic ions→Table E
- Indicator colors→Table M
- Radioactive half-life→Table N
- Formulas + symbols→Table T
Redox, Organic, Nuclear
- Oxidation
- Loses electrons (LEO)
- Reduction
- Gains electrons (GER)
- Half-reaction
- Electrons balance
- Voltaic cell
- Spontaneous, makes current
- Electrolytic cell
- Needs power source
- Hydrocarbon
- Carbon + hydrogen only
- Alkane
- Single bonds, CnH2n+2
- Isomer
- Same formula, structure differs
- Half-life
- Half decays, Table N
Voltaic vs Electrolytic
Voltaic
- Spontaneous
- Makes current
- Battery
Electrolytic
- Nonspontaneous
- Needs power
- Plating
Makes vs uses power
Common Traps
Atomic vs mass number
Atomic = protons ≠ Mass = protons + neutrons
Group vs period
Group shares valence ≠ Period shares shells
Endothermic vs exothermic
Endo absorbs heat ≠ Exo releases heat
Oxidation vs reduction
Oxidation loses electrons ≠ Reduction gains electrons
Empirical vs molecular
Empirical is simplest ≠ Molecular is actual
Saturated vs supersaturated
Saturated on curve ≠ Supersaturated above curve
Last Minute
- 1.Weights: 30-40 / 36-46 / rest
- 2.Atomic number = proton count
- 3.K = degrees C + 273
- 4.STP = 273 K, 101.3 kPa
- 5.moles = mass / gram-formula mass
- 6.Ionic = metal + nonmetal
- 7.LEO says GER for redox
- 8.pH below 7 = acidic
- 9.Each pH unit = 10x H+
- 10.Le Chatelier: stress shifts equilibrium
- 11.Use the 2025 reference tables fast
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