Chemistry Problems: How to Solve Chemistry Problems On Your Own

Do you know how to solve chemistry problems in these general chemistry topics? You can solve chemistry problems on your own, if you learn a few fundamental techniques.

• dimensional analysis

• moles

• stoichiometry

• gases

• solutions

• acids and bases

Chemistry problems can be hard to solve on your own

Understanding chemistry problems means understanding chemistry math problems.

Our chemistry professor has found over the years that the largest obstacle to student learning in chemistry have been those associated with math skills.

“Students have a difficult time applying what they have learned in their math classes to problems found in chemistry.”

— Joy Lab Chemistry Professor

To succeed in basic chemistry problems, you must be very comfortable with algebra and quantitative reasoning.

Don’t panic! There is hope for every student!

Take these 3 steps today!

You need one of these, because your professor probably wont let you use your phone calculator app.

1. How to solve chemistry math problems on your own: Your calculator is your friend!

Most schools have a check-out system for scientific calculators. Or you can find a used one on Amazon.

We have an entire free page on how to use your calculator to solve general chemistry problems.

Getting comfortable and quick with your calculator is essential for efficiently solving chemistry math problems.

2. Basic chemistry problems require specific vocabulary.

In Spanish class, you have to memorize the verb tenses. In football, you have to memorize the playbook.

In chemistry, you have to memorize words referring to measurement, nomenclature, and chemical reactions, among other essential vocabulary words. Words such as:

• aqueous

• barometer

• coefficient

• deci

• element

• functional group

• gram

That’s quite an ABC!

Your chemistry text book has all the definitions you need. Make flash cards - they work!

Get it?

3. Moles and Molar Mass are all over general chemistry problems.

Moles refers to the number of molecules, number of atoms, number of ions, number of electrons, number of donuts, etc.

• We would be really happy if we had 3 moles of chocolate ice cream (that’s three scoops!)

Avogadro’s number of items is called a mole of items.

Avogadro's number is 6.02x10 ²³.

You see? 1 mole of something is the same as Avogadro’s number of something.

Molar mass is an important concept when solving chemistry problems. The average atomic mass of an element (in grams) is the mass of 1 mole of atoms of that element.

Watch this video of our Joy Lab Chemistry Professor walking through a moles chemistry problem:

All your chemistry problems are solved in three easy steps!

Not really.

Chemistry is confusing, and has been for centuries. Just ask Dmitri Mendeleev.

Dmitri Mendeleev was a Russian chemist who organized the periodic table of elements.

For only $14, you can download your own guidebook to solving all first year chemistry problems!

This eBook is designed to help you through the obstacles of using math to solve chemistry problems.

• 9 chapters

• complete chemistry problem solver guide

• take what you learn here and apply to all general chemistry problems you will encounter in class

• each chapter has chemistry practice problems and answers

• bonus - the professor has a sense of humor!

Here at Joy Lab, we care about your chemistry problem solving success. We have a variety of resources to help.

Now, go do some chemistry!

Chemistry is Confusing, and Has Been for Centuries

Did you know chemists in the 1700-1800’s were confused by the elements they were discovering?  How are they related?  How can they be organized?

Even for chemists, chemistry is a difficult subject! Chemistry is confusing!

Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev grew up in a Siberian household around 16 brothers and sisters, so he knew a thing or two about confusion!

This isn’t Dmitri’s family, but a houseful of 11 children must have been a bit chaotic!

In 1869 Mendeleev sat down and made flash cards of all 65 known elements.  Surely there is a way to organize the elements in a pattern or chart! 

This is Mendeleev’s actual desk. He slept in his office also, of course.

He sat for hours at his desk moving the flash cards around, until he fell asleep.  He awoke with the answer!  Here’s what he said: 

In a dream I saw a table where all the elements fell into place as required. Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper.

We cannot succeed in school by sleeping on our notes.

Chemistry is hard. Chemistry is tough. Chemistry is a difficult subject.

And, in reality, Mendeleev had been pondering the order of the elements for over 20 years. See, it takes work to learn or create something!

Dmitri Mendeleev. Chemist. Dreamer.

Learn how to read the periodic table

Joy Lab has a FREE guidebook to understanding the periodic table! Download it, study it, and end periodic table confusion!

CHEMISTS CAN ALSO HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR

Subscribe for more fun chemistry stories!

Teach Yourself Chemistry

Daniel Liu, age 14, student at the University of Michigan

You can teach yourself chemistry.

Daniel Liu entered high school in Ohio when he was 10. That was after he won the Chemical Educational Foundation’s You Be the Chemist challenge. Yes, a 10-year-old beat out more than 30,000 other 5th-8th grade students nationwide.

Daniel is clearly gifted. And he has parents who support his insatiable quest for learning.

Daniel graduated high school May 2019 at age 13, with nearly 100 college credits. You see, he had been also attending the University of Toledo, taking classes such as Organic Chemistry and Physical Chemistry.

Now, at 14, he is the youngest research assistant in a University of Michigan chemistry lab, where he plans to graduate with a chemistry joint MD-PhD.

“There is a bit of chemistry in everything.”

— Daniel Liu, age 14

Mildren Cohn earned a PhD in Chemistry in the 1930’s at Columbia university when few women were allowed

You can teach yourself chemistry.

Mildred Cohn may have graduated from her New York City high school at age 14 in 1927, got a chemistry bachelors degree in two years, and her chemistry masters degree in 1 year. But she was not allowed to pursue her doctoral degree in chemistry because grad students were required to be teaching assistants, and only men were allowed to be teaching assistants.

Mildred took a few years to work for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the precursor to NASA, during which she taught herself the essential chemistry lab skill of glass blowing, then went back to school and earned her PhD in 1938.

“I didn’t intend to be an assistant for the rest of my life, so I started a new field of research.”

— Mildred Cohn, first female president of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Do these stories inspire you, or intimidate you?

• You don’t have to have a super high IQ to teach yourself chemistry.

• You don’t have to be a geek or a nerd or a dork to teach yourself chemistry.

• You can be a regular person, who is interested in taking on the challenge of learning chemistry on your own.

You could get a text book and work chemistry problems on your own.

You could also use our First Year Chemistry Video Tutorials.

Common chemistry problems are worked by a college chemistry professor. Through the six series of questions, you will learn the approach to tackle all the problems you will encounter in first year high school or college chemistry: dimensional analysis, moles, stoichiometry, gases, solutions, acids & bases.

Teach yourself chemistry on your own schedule, using the videos whenever you need guidance or extra help. Or you can follow along all 100 problems in order, which prepares you for anything you will encounter in general chemistry class.

It’s exciting to learn how to convert moles!

Learning chemistry on your own can be a challenge.

A challenge you are up to.

Let Joy Lab help!

For $219, you get almost 8 hours of video solving the types of problems you will find on any chemistry exam.

Videos teaching you how to solve problems in these six chemistry topics:

1. How to do dimensional analysis in chemistry. Chemistry dimensional analysis, Dimensional analysis chemistry problems. Dimensional analysis conversions.

2. Moles formula. How to calculate moles. How to find moles. How to convert moles.

3. Stoichiometry problems. Stoichiometry practice problems. Stoichiometry problems and answers.

4. Gases definition. Chemistry problems in gases.

5. Chemistry solutions problems. Solutions chemistry problems.

6. Properties of acids and bases. Acids and bases worksheet answers.

You don’t have to compare yourself to Mildred or to Daniel.

You be you.

If you want to teach yourself chemistry, and one of our tools are right for you, you will know it.

Now, go do some chemistry!

Chemistry is Hard

Passing chemistry is possible, but it is not easy!

• You take notes in class.

• You do the homework.

• You ask questions.

• You go to your professor’s office hours.

It simply takes lots of time working many chemistry problems.

Here is a sample video tutorial. Use this to help you with your next dimensional analysis problem.

End periodic table confusion! Click for your free guide.