AP Chemistry Topics (2025–2026)

AP Chemistry, offered by the College Board, is designed to be the equivalent of a first-year college chemistry course. Below you will find the full list of AP Chemistry topics for the 2025–2026 exam years, organized according to the official College Board curriculum framework.

Unit 1: Atomic Structure and Properties

• Structure of atoms

• Electron configurations

• Periodic trends (ionization energy, atomic radius, electronegativity)

• Photoelectron spectroscopy (PES)

Unit 2: Molecular and Ionic Compound Structure and Properties

• Chemical bonding: ionic, covalent, metallic

• Lewis structures, resonance, formal charge

• VSEPR theory and molecular geometry

• Intermolecular forces (IMFs)

Unit 3: Intermolecular Forces and Properties

• States of matter: solids, liquids, gases

• Properties of liquids and solids

• Solutions and mixtures

• Chromatography, distillation, filtration

Unit 4: Chemical Reactions

• Types of chemical reactions

• Balancing equations

• Net ionic equations

• Stoichiometry and limiting reactants

Unit 5: Kinetics

• Reaction rates and rate laws

• Determining rate order

• Activation energy and catalysis

• Reaction mechanisms

Unit 6: Thermodynamics

• Energy, work, and heat

• Enthalpy and calorimetry

• Hess’s Law

• Bond enthalpies

Unit 7: Equilibrium

• Dynamic nature of equilibrium

• Equilibrium constant (K)

• Le Châtelier’s Principle

• Calculations involving K and Q

Unit 8: Acids and Bases

• pH, pOH, pKa, pKb

• Strong vs. weak acids and bases

• Buffer solutions

• Titrations and indicators

Unit 9: Applications of Thermodynamics

• Gibbs free energy (ΔG)

• Entropy (ΔS) and spontaneity

• Thermodynamic favorability

• Coupled reactions

Unit 10: Applications of Electrochemistry

• Oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions

• Galvanic and electrolytic cells

• Standard reduction potentials

• Faraday’s laws of electrolysis