UIUC CHEM 104: General Chemistry II
CHEM 104 is the second semester of UIUC's general chemistry sequence, covering kinetics, equilibrium, acids and bases, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry, taken with the CHEM 105 lab. It's a core requirement for pre-health and many science majors, and the direct gateway to organic chemistry.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
It's harder than CHEM 102 by consensus: nearly every unit is quantitative multi-step problem solving, and the acid-base and buffer material is the classic grade-decider. The curved timed exams reward execution speed, and the co-running lab competes for the same study hours at the worst times.
What you'll cover
- • Chemical kinetics
- • Equilibrium
- • Acids, bases, and buffers
- • Thermodynamics: entropy and free energy
- • Electrochemistry
- • Nuclear chemistry basics
The CHEM 104 study guide
How to study for UIUC CHEM 104, step by step.
- 1
Carry equilibrium in from CHEM 102, sharpened
CHEM 104 opens by assuming 102's equilibrium foundations and immediately builds acid-base chemistry on them. Reviewing ICE tables and K expressions before the semester is the cheapest grade insurance available.
- 2
Give acid-base and buffers double the practice
The buffer and titration material is the course's consistent grade-decider, with multi-step problems that punish improvisation. Standardize your setup routine and work these units in volume.
- 3
Track the sign conventions ruthlessly
Thermodynamics and electrochemistry leak points through sign errors more than concept gaps. Keep a one-page convention summary per unit and check signs as a separate final step on every problem.
- 4
Plan lecture and lab as one workload
CHEM 105 reports landing in exam weeks is the classic collision. Map both schedules in week one and pre-write what you can before the busy weeks arrive.
Today
Today's CHEM 104 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for CHEM 104. 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 104 harder than CHEM 102?
Most students say yes. Nearly every unit is quantitative multi-step problem solving, and the acid-base material demands more setup judgment than anything in 102. The same strategy scales up: problem volume under time, with equilibrium foundations kept sharp.
How do I study for CHEM 104 exams?
Work problems in volume under time limits, with double weight on buffers and titrations, the consistent grade-deciders. Check sign conventions as a separate step in thermodynamics and electrochemistry, where most careless points leak.
Do I need CHEM 104 before organic chemistry?
Yes. CHEM 104 (with the 105 lab) is the standard prerequisite for UIUC's organic sequence. The equilibrium and acid-base reasoning it builds is exactly what organic chemistry's mechanisms assume, so learning it deeply pays forward.