Possible to self teach myself IB Chem HL?

[macbakeib88]

Hi, 

 

i was wondering whether it would be possible to self teach myself topic 9 and topic 10 for chemistry HL over summer, so I have a good understanding of it when I return (i struggle a lot in chemistry so always need a lot of advance preparation) 

 

Any tips on doing so? 

Thanks! 

[kw0573]

I consider redox and organic the two hardest topics in IB Chemistry. I am not sure if by "struggling a lot" in chemistry means you are not yet comfortable with some of the questions or content covered on tests so far. If so, I think it's best to review tricky parts before attempting new content. This is especially true to Topics 9 and 10, because they require proficiency in many previous topics.

Before learning redox, you should be proficient in drawing Lewis structures (including polyatomic ions,  HCN, NO2, NO3, SO2, SO3, etc). Proficiency meaning taking less than 30 s to draw a structure. Learning redox may also be enhanced by first briefly reviewing Topics 1, 4, and 5. Similarly, organic (for HL) needs a solid understanding of Lewis structures, equilibrium, kinetics, bonding, and redox. 

I suggest that you become fully comfortable with year 1 materials before approaching year 2. Otherwise it will be very hard to catch up if the fundamentals are incomplete. With that said, redox feels more like you learn by doing problems and less conceptual, like energetics/thermo, while organic is a combination of concepts and problem-solving. Generally if you have the textbook for next year you can read ahead

[macbakeib88]

6 hours ago, kw0573 said:

I consider redox and organic the two hardest topics in IB Chemistry. I am not sure if by "struggling a lot" in chemistry means you are not yet comfortable with some of the questions or content covered on tests so far. If so, I think it's best to review tricky parts before attempting new content. This is especially true to Topics 9 and 10, because they require proficiency in many previous topics.

Before learning redox, you should be proficient in drawing Lewis structures (including polyatomic ions,  HCN, NO2, NO3, SO2, SO3, etc). Proficiency meaning taking less than 30 s to draw a structure. Learning redox may also be enhanced by first briefly reviewing Topics 1, 4, and 5. Similarly, organic (for HL) needs a solid understanding of Lewis structures, equilibrium, kinetics, bonding, and redox. 

I suggest that you become fully comfortable with year 1 materials before approaching year 2. Otherwise it will be very hard to catch up if the fundamentals are incomplete. With that said, redox feels more like you learn by doing problems and less conceptual, like energetics/thermo, while organic is a combination of concepts and problem-solving. Generally if you have the textbook for next year you can read ahead

thank you! by struggling I mean that at first I find it quite difficult to understand the concepts, however revising and reading over them several times I tend to understand it (I tend to forget things learnt from previous topics so I'm planning to review all 8 topics first before trying to teach myself these two topics)