OAT (Optometry Admission Test) General Chemistry Syllabus

General Chemistry syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for General Chemistry in OAT (Optometry Admission Test), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Atomic and Molecular Structure

   3 topics

   • Atomic Theory and Structure
     • Subatomic particles and isotopes
     • Electron configuration and orbitals
     • Quantum numbers
   • Periodic Table and Periodic Trends
     • Atomic and ionic radius
     • Ionization energy and electronegativity
     • Electron affinity
   • Chemical Bonding
     • Ionic and covalent bonding
     • Lewis structures and formal charge
     • VSEPR theory and molecular geometry
     • Polarity and intermolecular forces
2. 2

   Stoichiometry and Reactions

   4 topics

   • Chemical Formulas and the Mole
     • Molar mass and Avogadro's number
     • Empirical and molecular formulas
     • Percent composition
   • Balancing and Reaction Types
     • Synthesis, decomposition, and combustion
     • Single and double displacement
   • Stoichiometric Calculations
     • Limiting reagents
     • Theoretical and percent yield
   • Oxidation-Reduction Reactions
     • Oxidation states
     • Balancing redox equations
3. 3

   States of Matter and Solutions

   4 topics

   • Gases
     • Ideal gas law
     • Combined and partial pressure laws
     • Kinetic molecular theory
   • Liquids and Solids
     • Phase changes and phase diagrams
     • Vapor pressure
   • Solutions and Concentration
     • Molarity, molality, and mole fraction
     • Solubility and dilution
   • Colligative Properties
     • Boiling point elevation and freezing point depression
     • Osmotic pressure
4. 4

   Thermodynamics and Kinetics

   3 topics

   • Thermochemistry
     • Enthalpy and Hess's law
     • Calorimetry
   • Thermodynamic Laws
     • Entropy and Gibbs free energy
     • Spontaneity
   • Chemical Kinetics
     • Rate laws and reaction order
     • Activation energy and catalysts
5. 5

   Equilibrium and Acid-Base Chemistry

   4 topics

   • Chemical Equilibrium
     • Equilibrium constant expressions
     • Le Chatelier's principle
   • Acids and Bases
     • Arrhenius, Bronsted-Lowry, and Lewis definitions
     • pH, pOH, and Ka/Kb
   • Buffers and Titrations
     • Henderson-Hasselbalch equation
     • Titration curves and indicators
   • Solubility Equilibria
     • Ksp and the common ion effect
6. 6

   Electrochemistry and Nuclear Chemistry

   3 topics

   • Electrochemical Cells
     • Galvanic and electrolytic cells
     • Standard reduction potentials and the Nernst equation
   • Nuclear Chemistry
     • Radioactive decay and half-life
     • Nuclear reactions
   • Laboratory and Analytical Methods
     • Spectrophotometry and Beer's law
     • Common laboratory techniques and safety

General Chemistry flashcards for OAT (Optometry Admission Test)

18 of 65 cards from the General Chemistry deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the three subatomic particles, and what are their relative charges and locations in the atom?

   Protons (+1, in nucleus), neutrons (0, in nucleus), and electrons (-1, in orbitals/electron cloud surrounding the nucleus).

2. How do you determine the number of neutrons in an atom from its mass number (A) and atomic number (Z)?

   Neutrons = A - Z (mass number minus number of protons).

3. What is an isotope?

   Atoms of the same element (same number of protons) that have different numbers of neutrons, and thus different mass numbers.

4. State the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.

   It is impossible to simultaneously know with perfect precision both the exact position and the exact momentum of an electron.

5. What are the four quantum numbers and what does each describe?

   n (principal: energy level/size), l (azimuthal: subshell shape s/p/d/f), m_l (magnetic: orbital orientation), and m_s (spin: +1/2 or -1/2).

6. State the Aufbau principle, Hund's rule, and the Pauli exclusion principle.

   Aufbau: electrons fill lowest-energy orbitals first. Hund's: orbitals of equal energy each get one electron (parallel spins) before pairing. Pauli: no two electrons can have the same four quantum numbers (max 2 per orbital, opposite spins).

7. How does atomic radius trend across a period and down a group?

   Atomic radius decreases left to right across a period (increasing effective nuclear charge) and increases down a group (more electron shells).

8. How does ionization energy trend across a period and down a group?

   Ionization energy increases left to right across a period and decreases down a group.

9. How does electronegativity trend on the periodic table, and which element is most electronegative?

   Electronegativity increases up a group and across a period to the right; fluorine is the most electronegative element.

10. Name the periodic table groups: 1, 2, 17, and 18.

    Group 1 = alkali metals, Group 2 = alkaline earth metals, Group 17 = halogens, Group 18 = noble gases.

11. What is the difference between an ionic bond and a covalent bond?

    An ionic bond forms by transfer of electrons between a metal and nonmetal (electrostatic attraction of ions); a covalent bond forms by sharing of electrons between nonmetals.

12. In VSEPR theory, what molecular geometry and bond angle correspond to 4 electron domains with no lone pairs?

    Tetrahedral geometry with bond angles of approximately 109.5 degrees.

13. What is the difference between a sigma (σ) and a pi (π) bond?

    A sigma bond forms by head-on (end-to-end) orbital overlap along the internuclear axis; a pi bond forms by side-to-side overlap of p orbitals above and below the axis. A single bond is 1 σ; a double bond is 1 σ + 1 π; a triple bond is 1 σ + 2 π.

14. What hybridization corresponds to linear, trigonal planar, and tetrahedral geometries?

    sp = linear (180°), sp² = trigonal planar (120°), sp³ = tetrahedral (109.5°).

15. How do you determine whether a molecule is polar?

    A molecule is polar if it has polar bonds whose dipole moments do not cancel due to asymmetric geometry/lone pairs; symmetric molecules with identical surrounding atoms are nonpolar.

16. What is Avogadro's number and what does it represent?

    6.022 × 10²³; the number of particles (atoms, molecules, ions) in one mole of a substance.

17. How do you calculate the number of moles from mass and molar mass?

    Moles = mass (g) / molar mass (g/mol).

18. What is the difference between empirical and molecular formula?

    The empirical formula is the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms; the molecular formula gives the actual number of each atom and is a whole-number multiple of the empirical formula.

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