Summer Science: Honors/AP Chemistry

NOTE: Students will have option to continue this curriculum with the same teacher during the school year. Starting in September, classes meet every Sunday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

In 1869, a Russian chemist named Dmitri Mendeleev was experimenting with ways to organize 63 elements of what we now know as the periodic table. The elements which were known at the time were not in order, and Mendeleev, like all others before him, struggled with the task of organizing them in a way that made sense. Unlike the others before him, however, Mendeleev opened his eyes to a peculiar pattern, similarities and differences between each element that likened them to cells in a grid. The story goes that after three sleepless days and nights, the framework for the periodic table came to him in a dream.

Whether or not it is true or dipped in a hint of embellishment, the story of Mendeleev illuminates countless others in the field of modern chemistry. Over the past two centuries, chemistry has transformed from a largely baseless, alchemist science to a respected camp that continues to transform our everyday world.

Whether it is at the honors or AP level, this course is an essential for students wishing to enter a healthcare or life sciences field, and it provides an invaluable supplement to the education of any child no matter their career. More importantly, it serves as a fundamental basis for biology and a practical exercise of physics, each to be built off of as the student discovers a passion for real world applications of all three fields.

If you are interested in the course, more information can be found in the curriculum or on CollegeBoard (AP).