College Chemistry Tutoring

General Chemistry Tutoring

Common Topics in General Chemistry:

Matter, energy, measurement, atoms and molecules, chemical reactions and stoichiometry, aqueous reactions, thermochemistry, electronic structure, periodic properties, chemical bonding, molecular geometry, gases, liquids, solids, kinetics, chemical equilibrium, acid-base reactions, thermodynamics, nuclear chemistry, coordination chemistry, and many more.

General chemistry is a broad discipline that introduces you to the basics of chemistry, from reaction stoichiometry and the gas laws to thermodynamics and kinetics. As such, many students struggle with not just the amount of material to learn, but also how much the discipline jumps around. It seems like one minute you’re memorizing the common acids/bases and the next you’re expected to understand the Nernst equation and how it relates to Gibbs free energy. It can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

Here are some tips from some of our expert chemistry tutors: 

Calorimetry: Start by defining the system (typically the chemical reaction) and the surroundings. Decide the sign of heat and work from the point of view of the system. Use the equations given in class to solve for the unknown.

Molecular Geometry: Start by drawing the Lewis structure. Count the number of electronic domains, breaking down the domains into bonding and non-bonding. Molecular geometries are defined by the number of bonding domains.

Organic Chemistry Tutoring

Common topics in organic chemistry:

Hydrocarbons, chemical bonds, functional groups, organic reactions: acids and bases, alkanes, nomenclature, Fischer projections, stereochemistry and chirality, alkenes, alkynes, substitution and elimination reactions, total synthesis, NMR spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, aromatic compounds, radical reactions, alcohols and ethers, carbonyl compounds: aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, and many more.

This is one of the courses students dread the most in college, and because many different fields require it, it’s often a bottleneck to later success. Commonly considered a “weed out” course, learning organic chemistry is often compared to learning a new language. Although there’s no substitute for putting in the time and being disciplined (the more practice the better), it helps to also have a conversation partner to speed up and simplify the process. Whether this means learning to recognize splitting patterns in 1H-NMR, designing multi step, complex total syntheses, or deciding between SN1 or E1 based on reaction conditions, we’re happy to help you navigate this complex topic.

Here are some tips from our expert chemistry tutors:

Arrow pushing mechanisms: Chemistry is all about the movement of electrons, so start by drawing arrows from areas of high electron density to low. Make sure to always follow the octet rule throughout your mechanism!

Deciding substitution/elimination: Determine if the substrate is methyl, primary, secondary, or tertiary. Next, check if the nucleophile/base is strong or weak. Now look at the leaving group and decide if it’s a good leaving group or a bad leaving group. Finally, check the solvent. Is the solvent polar protic or polar aprotic? Bonus, if there’s heat, that will usually favor an elimination pathway. 

Inorganic Chemistry Tutoring

Common topics in inorganic chemistry:

Atomic structure, valence bond theory, symmetry and group theory, molecular orbitals, molecular orbital theory, acid-bases and donor-acceptors, solid state and crystalline material, main group elements chemistry, coordination chemistry, structures and isomers, bonding, electronic spectra, reactions and mechanisms, catalysis, and more.

If you’re taking this course, you’re a chemistry major. What makes inorganic chemistry difficult is how the course relentlessly builds on the basics from the beginning of the semester. Once you fall behind, you stay behind. And unlike with general chemistry or organic chemistry, there are far fewer resources available to you online. We can help you master the basics of molecular orbital theory and how to apply it to predicting the outcome of varied chemical reactions. Soon, you’ll be using group theory to draw molecular orbital diagrams and predicting their corresponding electronic spectra.

Here are tips from some of our expert chemistry tutors:

 Molecular orbital theory: Group theory provides us a much simpler way to look at building molecules compared to solving Schrodinger’s equation. Start by identifying the point group of the molecule in question (make sure you understand all about symmetry!). When constructing a molecule, make sure to always consider the following: spatial overlap, energetically favorable, symmetry allowed.

Electronic Spectra: Don’t forget, the color of a molecule is complementary to the lambda max of absorbance.

Analytical Chemistry Tutoring

Common topics in analytical chemistry:

Error analysis, statistical data treatment, standardization and calibration, aqueous solutions and equilibria, equilibrium of complex systems, gravimetric analysis, titrations, electrochemical methods, cyclic voltammetry, electrolysis, spectrochemical methods, atomic spectroscopy, high performance liquid chromatography, kinetics, analytical separations, and many more.

Analytical chemistry is the branch of chemistry that focuses on the identification and quantification of chemical substances. Typically taken in the final year, it involves the study of techniques and methods used to analyze and characterize matter, providing valuable information about a material’s composition and properties. The sheer number of analytical techniques out there, in conjunction with the statistical analysis required to interpret/understand the data, can be overwhelming to many students. Let us help you decipher “duck” diagrams in cyclic voltammetry, learn to recognize the difference between noise and statistically significant data, as well as learn how to set up a rigorous, peer-reviewed experiment.

Here are some tips from our expert chemistry tutors:

Q-tests: While Q tests provide an excellent way to remove outliers in a data set, Q tests should never be used more than once in a given data set. Whether or not you remove a data point will depend on the confidence level selected.  

Cyclic voltammetry: Start at one point on the graph and trace in a clockwise direction around the plot. Usually the peak in the + y direction will be oxidation, but be careful! Some conventions make reduction the + y direction. Make sure you double check which is which.

Physical Chemistry Tutoring

Common topics in physical chemistry:

Properties of gasses, the laws of thermodynamics, simple mixtures, phase diagrams, statistical thermodynamics, kinetics and complex reactions, chemical equilibria, molecular reaction dynamics, quantum theory, particle in a box, the hydrogen atom, molecular orbital theory, group theory, rotational and vibrational spectroscopy, polyatomic systems, magnetic resonance, and many more.

 Taking this course means you’ve almost graduated with a degree in one of the most difficult subjects offered in college. But there’s a reason they sell “Honk if you passed P Chem” bumper stickers. Physical chemistry is the study of both microscopic and macroscopic phenomena in chemistry, you’re viewing chemistry through a physics lens. Typically broken into two parts, quantum and thermodynamics, students struggle not just with the abstract chemistry topics but also with the complex mathematics underpinning these topics. Allow us to help you learn the particle-in-a-box model and how to solve Schrodinger’s equation for the hydrogen atom, tackle complex kinetic analyses involving steady state assumption, and develop an intuitive picture of how statistics can take us from the microscopic to the macroscopic.

Here are some tips from our expert chemistry tutors:

Thermodynamics: Thermodynamics is all about the study of energy. Specifically, we care about the flow of energy from one system to another. Go back to the basics you learned in general chemistry and start by defining the system and the surroundings. 9 times out of 10 this is a great starting point.

Schrodinger’s equation: Due to the number of variables and the sheer length of the equations, solutions to Schrodinger’s equation can be overwhelming. Instead, start with particle-in-a-box models to get a more intuitive understanding of what these solutions are telling us. Use separation of variables to make 2D and 3D solutions more manageable.    

Biochemistry Tutoring

Common topics in biochemistry:

Molecular makeup of cells, thermodynamics and biological systems, proteins, protein structures, lipids, membranes and membrane transport, nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, transcription and translation, enzymes, enzyme kinetics, metabolism, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, electron transport chain, fatty acid catabolism, and many more.

Biochemistry is the branch of chemistry that studies the chemical processes that occur within living organisms. Not only do you have to be an expert in chemistry (see organic chemistry), but to succeed in this class you also have to become well-versed in biology. The sheer breadth of the material as well as its cross-disciplinary nature makes biochemistry a difficult subject for many. Work with us as we walk you through Michaelis Menten enzyme kinetics, provide a comprehensive overview of the Krebs cycle, and discuss tips and strategies to figuring out complex biochemical reaction mechanisms (you can’t just memorize these!).

Here are some tips from our expert chemistry tutors:

 Osmotic pressure: Materials typically flow from areas of high concentration to low, but when separated by a cell membrane, often only water can cross the cell membrane. Water then flows from areas of low concentration to high concentration. Osmotic pressure is the pressure required to prevent this flow of water.

Enzyme folding: Enzymes fold according to the environment in which they are found. An enzyme exposed to a polar environment will fold differently than an enzyme exposed to a nonpolar environment. To understand why, look at the intermolecular forces present between the enzyme and the surrounding environment.