Shawn’s Tutoring Services
Find the course that matches your syllabus, then grab a slot on my calendar. I work one-on-one or in a small online group (max 4), and I’m available 8 AM – 10 PM ET, seven days a week.
High-School Chemistry
Key topics we’ll cover:
Atomic Structure: Exploring atoms, protons, neutrons, electrons, atomic number, mass number, and isotopes.
Periodic Table: Understanding element organization, groups, periods, and trends like atomic radius and electronegativity.
Chemical Bonding: Learning about ionic and covalent bonds, Lewis dot structures, and molecular shapes.
Chemical Reactions: Identifying reaction types (synthesis, decomposition, single/double replacement, combustion) and balancing equations.
Stoichiometry: Performing calculations with moles, mass, and volume using balanced equations and molar ratios.
States of Matter: Studying solids, liquids, gases, phase changes, and properties like density and viscosity.
Gas Laws: Applying Boyle’s, Charles’s, and the ideal gas law to describe gas behavior under varying conditions.
Solutions: Understanding concentration (molarity), solubility, and factors affecting how substances dissolve.
Acids and Bases: Exploring pH, properties of acids and bases, and simple acid-base reactions.
Thermochemistry: Investigating energy changes in reactions, including exothermic/endothermic processes and specific heat.
AP Chemistry
Key topics we’ll cover:
Atomic Structure and Properties: Exploring subatomic particles, electron configurations, quantum numbers, and periodic trends (ionization energy, electronegativity).
Molecular and Ionic Bonding: Understanding covalent, ionic, and metallic bonding, Lewis structures, VSEPR theory, and molecular polarity.
Intermolecular Forces and Properties: Studying London dispersion, dipole-dipole, hydrogen bonding, and their effects on boiling points, solubility, and phase changes.
Chemical Reactions: Identifying reaction types (redox, acid-base, precipitation), balancing equations, and predicting products.
Stoichiometry: Performing calculations with moles, limiting reactants, percent yield, and empirical/molecular formulas.
Thermodynamics: Analyzing enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs free energy, and calorimetric measurements for reaction spontaneity.
Kinetics: Investigating reaction rates, rate laws, activation energy, and catalysts through experimental data and mechanisms.
Equilibrium: Applying Le Chatelier’s principle, equilibrium constants (K), and calculations for gas, solution, and acid-base equilibria.
Acids and Bases: Understanding pH, pKa, buffers, titrations, and conjugate acid-base pairs.
Electrochemistry: Examining galvanic and electrolytic cells, standard reduction potentials, and Faraday’s laws.
Electrochemistry: Examining galvanic and electrolytic cells, standard reduction potentials, and Faraday’s laws.
College Chem 101
Key topics we’ll cover:
Atomic Structure: Understanding atoms, subatomic particles (protons, neutrons, electrons), atomic number, mass number, and isotopes.
Periodic Table: Exploring element organization, periodic trends (electronegativity, atomic radius), and properties of groups and periods.
Chemical Bonding: Learning ionic, covalent, and metallic bonds, Lewis structures, and molecular geometry (VSEPR theory).
Stoichiometry: Mastering mole calculations, balancing chemical equations, and determining limiting reactants and yields.
States of Matter: Examining solids, liquids, gases, intermolecular forces, and phase changes.
Thermochemistry: Studying energy changes, enthalpy, calorimetry, and Hess’s Law in chemical reactions.
Acids and Bases: Understanding pH, acid-base theories (Arrhenius, Brønsted-Lowry), and titration.
Chemical Reactions: Identifying reaction types (synthesis, decomposition, redox) and predicting products.
Gas Laws: Applying Boyle’s, Charles’s, and ideal gas laws to describe gas behavior.
Solutions and Concentrations: Exploring solubility, molarity, molality, and colligative properties.
College Chem 102
Key topics we’ll cover:
Chemical Equilibrium: Understanding dynamic equilibrium, equilibrium constants (K), Le Chatelier’s principle, and calculations for equilibrium concentrations.
Kinetics: Studying reaction rates, rate laws, activation energy, and factors affecting reaction speed (temperature, catalysts).
Thermodynamics: Exploring free energy (Gibbs), entropy, enthalpy, and predicting reaction spontaneity.
Acids and Bases (Advanced): Diving deeper into pH calculations, buffer systems, weak acid/base equilibria, and acid-base titrations.
Electrochemistry: Learning about redox reactions, electrochemical cells, standard reduction potentials, and the Nernst equation.
Nuclear Chemistry: Examining radioactivity, nuclear decay (alpha, beta, gamma), half-life, and nuclear reactions.
Coordination Chemistry: Understanding complex ions, ligands, coordination numbers, and isomerism in transition metal complexes.
Organic Chemistry Introduction: Introducing hydrocarbons, functional groups, nomenclature, and basic organic reactions.
Solution Chemistry: Analyzing colligative properties (boiling/freezing point changes), solubility equilibria, and precipitation reactions.
Electrochemistry: Examining galvanic and electrolytic cells, standard reduction potentials, and Faraday’s laws.
Chemical Applications: Exploring real-world applications like environmental chemistry, biochemistry basics, or industrial processes.
Organic Chemistry I
Key topics we’ll cover:
Molecular Structure and Bonding: Understanding covalent bonds, Lewis structures, resonance, hybridization, and molecular orbital theory.
Nomenclature: Learning systematic naming of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, and functional groups per IUPAC rules.
Stereochemistry: Exploring chirality, enantiomers, diastereomers, R/S configurations, and optical activity.
Alkanes and Cycloalkanes: Studying structures, conformations (e.g., chair/boat), and physical properties of saturated hydrocarbons.
Alkenes and Alkynes: Examining structure, reactivity, addition reactions (e.g., hydrogenation, halogenation), and Markovnikov’s rule.
Reaction Mechanisms: Understanding nucleophiles, electrophiles, and mechanisms like SN1, SN2, E1, and E2 reactions.
Alkyl Halides: Learning substitution and elimination reactions, and factors affecting reaction pathways (solvent, leaving group).
Aromatic Compounds: Introducing benzene, aromaticity, electrophilic aromatic substitution (e.g., nitration, sulfonation).
Alcohols, Ethers, and Epoxides: Exploring properties, synthesis, and reactions like dehydration and oxidation.
Spectroscopy: Using IR, NMR, and mass spectrometry to identify organic molecules and their structures.
