Penn State CHEM 112: Chemical Principles II
CHEM 112 continues from CHEM 110 with kinetics, chemical equilibrium, acid-base chemistry, solubility, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry, the second required general chemistry course for science, engineering, and pre-health tracks, keeping the evening-exam, curved-grading format.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with Penn State University. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
Equilibrium is the spine of the course and the wall: ICE tables, acid-base systems, and buffers chain multi-step reasoning where one early error cascades, and exam questions combine equilibrium with thermodynamics or electrochemistry in single problems. Students who survived CHEM 110 on partial understanding find 112 collects the debt.
What you'll cover
- • Chemical kinetics and rate laws
- • Chemical equilibrium and ICE tables
- • Acid-base chemistry and buffers
- • Solubility equilibria
- • Thermodynamics: entropy and free energy
- • Electrochemistry
The CHEM 112 study guide
How to study for Penn State CHEM 112, step by step.
- 1
Settle any CHEM 110 debts immediately
CHEM 112 assumes stoichiometry and gas-law fluency from day one and builds equilibrium on top. If 110 was shaky, spend the first week rehabbing. The course collects on partial understanding fast.
- 2
Make ICE tables second nature
Equilibrium is the spine of CHEM 112, and the ICE-table workflow appears in acids, bases, buffers, and solubility alike. Daily reps until the setup is automatic frees your exam attention for the chemistry.
- 3
Master the acid-base unit as a system
Strong versus weak, conjugates, pH chains, and buffers interlock, and the buffer problems are the famous exam discriminator. Practice full multi-step problems, not isolated pH calculations.
- 4
Connect thermodynamics to equilibrium explicitly
Free energy and K are the same story told twice, and exams love questions linking them. Be able to move between ΔG, K, and reaction direction without consulting a chart.
- 5
Run past evening exams under time pressure
The multi-step problems punish slow setup, and the curve grades you against rooms of pre-meds and engineers. Old exam questions, timed and closed-book, in the week before each test.
Today
Today's CHEM 112 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for CHEM 112. Yours is built from your own syllabus and adapts every day to your deadlines and progress.
First plan free, no card required. Fennie is independent and unaffiliated with your school.
FAQ
Is CHEM 112 harder than CHEM 110?
Most students find it harder: equilibrium reasoning chains more steps than 110's stoichiometry, and exams combine units in single problems. Strong 110 fundamentals make it manageable; gaps from 110 get exposed quickly.
How do I pass CHEM 112?
Make ICE tables automatic, practice the acid-base unit as full multi-step problems, and run old exam questions timed. The buffer and combined equilibrium-thermodynamics questions decide the curve. Practice those specifically.
Do I need CHEM 110 before CHEM 112?
Yes. 112 assumes 110's stoichiometry, gases, and thermochemistry fluently and builds directly on them. If your 110 foundation is shaky, rehab it in week one rather than hoping the course re-teaches it.