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Granted I took AP Chem 20 years ago, but I don't remember those names (sigma and pi bonds) being covered at all. (I got a 5 on the test, for what it's worth.)

by loeg 3mo ago

timcobb 3mo ago
They are not covered in AP chemistry this is just your typical "when I studied differential geometry in high school" HN comment
- nosrep 3mo ago
  they are featured in collegeboard's course and exam description: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-chemistry-course-and-exam-description.pdf https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-chemistry-co...
  - timcobb 3mo ago
    It says, in the document: > Exclusion Statement: Molecular orbital theory is recommended as a way to provide deeper insight into bonding. However, the AP Exam will neither explicitly assess molecular orbital diagrams, filling of molecular orbitals, nor the distinction between bonding, nonbonding, and antibonding orbitals. Orbital theory is usually taught in organic chemistry and then inorganic for those who take that in college. AP chem targets "gen chem" which does not, as the above statement says, does not get into orbitals on that level at all. I'm familiar with gen chem as taught at least in 3 universities, none touched molecular orbitals. If someone were to teach orbital theory in general chemistry, it would be a lot of hand waving and not much actual mathematics which was the point of the original comment. To cover molecular orbital theory is satisfactorily. You need to know quite a bit of the mathematics behind differential equations and statistical mechanics etc. AP chem isn't going to cover this. But maybe your 9th grade differential geometry class covered all this ;))
compass_copium 3mo ago
I also took it 20 years ago but I feel like they were (of course I also did undergrad chem 16 years ago so I may be conflating things). It's difficult to explain isomers without explaining why multiple bonds don't rotate.

Granted I took AP Chem 20 years ago, but I don't remember those names (sigma and pi bonds) being covered at all. (I got a 5 on the test, for what it's worth.)

by loeg 3mo ago

Granted I took AP Chem 20 years ago, but I don't remember those names (sigma and pi bonds) being covered at all. (I got a 5 on the test, for what it's worth.)

timcobb 3mo ago

They are not covered in AP chemistry this is just your typical "when I studied differential geometry in high school" HN comment

nosrep 3mo ago
they are featured in collegeboard's course and exam description: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-chemistry-course-and-exam-description.pdf https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-chemistry-co...
- timcobb 3mo ago
  It says, in the document: > Exclusion Statement: Molecular orbital theory is recommended as a way to provide deeper insight into bonding. However, the AP Exam will neither explicitly assess molecular orbital diagrams, filling of molecular orbitals, nor the distinction between bonding, nonbonding, and antibonding orbitals. Orbital theory is usually taught in organic chemistry and then inorganic for those who take that in college. AP chem targets "gen chem" which does not, as the above statement says, does not get into orbitals on that level at all. I'm familiar with gen chem as taught at least in 3 universities, none touched molecular orbitals. If someone were to teach orbital theory in general chemistry, it would be a lot of hand waving and not much actual mathematics which was the point of the original comment. To cover molecular orbital theory is satisfactorily. You need to know quite a bit of the mathematics behind differential equations and statistical mechanics etc. AP chem isn't going to cover this. But maybe your 9th grade differential geometry class covered all this ;))

compass_copium 3mo ago

I also took it 20 years ago but I feel like they were (of course I also did undergrad chem 16 years ago so I may be conflating things). It's difficult to explain isomers without explaining why multiple bonds don't rotate.