I am so excited to tell you about the Fascinating Chemistry course from Fascinating Education.

Fascinating Education offers excellent online science courses for teens. They currently offer several courses: Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Anatomy and Physiology, Logic of Medicine.  These courses are interactive and help students build a solid foundation in their knowledge of science.  These courses were developed by Dr. Sheldon Margulies who has taught science courses for over 30 years and trained 2500+ medical students in the science of how the brain works.  His programs have won numerous education awards.

Fascinating Chemistry

Fascinating Chemistry

Online Course

18 Lessons

Quizzes

Labs

For grades 8 – 12

1 year subscription

Retail $79

Fascinating Chemistry uses an online audio visual approach to engage students and keep their interest while they learn the scientific methods and principals of chemistry.  The courses are mobile and all you need is a subscription and a computer or smart phone or other interactive device that connects to the online course on the internet.  These courses are designed for highschool age students, but can be used for middle school age students too if they have had some of the higher math training used in the course.

In Fascinating Chemistry, students will learn the four ways that atoms bond to each other to create molecules, and how these bonds help determine the properties of the end result molecule.  Students will learn how these special molecular properties explain a wide range of aspects of the everyday world we live including concepts as varied as: air, temperature, diamonds, rubber, how water freezes, gasses, nuclear energy, food, metals, weather, and more.

The course outlines 18 main lessons with multiple mini-lessons in each. Lessons take approximately 45 minutes or less to complete, not including tests and additional labs.

Lessons include:

Lesson 1: Intramolecular Bonding

The Periodic Table of Elements
Bohr Model of the Atom
Electrons, Protons, Neutrons, Nucleus
The Strong Force
Intramolecular Bond

Lesson 2: The Ionic Bond

Law of Entropy
How Ionic bonds form molecules
Reaching a lower energy level
Polarity
Ionic bonds
Pauling’s Electronegativity Chart
Atomic Numbers

Lesson 3: The Covalent Bond

Covalent Bonds
Gases
van der Waals forces

Lesson 4: The Polar Covalent Bond

Giving away electrons
Polar covalent bonds
Intramolecular bonds hold atoms
together.
Intermolecular bonds hold molecules
together.
Polarity of a molecule
Dipoles

Lesson 5: The Metallic Bond, Part 1

The Metallic Bond
Metals in the Periodic Table
Transition metals
Electron shells
Block groups of the Periodic Table
Electron configuration

Lesson 6: The Metallic Bond, Part 2

Molecular movement in a metal
Metallic strength
Hard or soft?
Temperature and translational movement
Heat Conduction

Lesson 7: Heat

Sensing cold
Hypothermia
Heat insulation
The Leidenfrost Effect
States of water
Heat capacity
Latent heat of fusion
Vaporization
Steam

Lesson 8: Air Pressure

The boiling point
Air pressure
Barometer
The strength of air pressure
Measuring altitude
Temperature and pressure

Lesson 9: Properties of Water

Oil and water
Micelles and soap
Viscosity
Surface tension
Density
Displacing water
Salt water versus fresh water

Lesson 10: The Mole

Comparing equal numbers of molecules
Lower the freezing point
Weighted average
Converting grams to moles
Converting moles to molecules
Converting moles to grams
Percentage weight
Empirical formula vs. actual formula

Lesson 11: Gases

Coulomb’s Law
Kinetic energy
Ideal Gas Law
Electrolysis
Concentration vs. density
Standard temperature and pressure
(STP)
Partial pressure of gas

Lesson 12: Solutions

Molarity
Molality
Mixtures
Freezing point depression
Colligative property
Phase diagram
Boiling point elevation
Acids and bases
Types of acids
Neutralization of acids and bases
Calculating pH

Lesson 13: Chemical Reactions

Activation energy
Catalysts
Balancing equations
Stoichiometry
Coefficients
Equilibrium state
LeChatelier’s principle
Phase diagram
Equlibrium constant
Solubility product constant

Lesson 14: Orbitals

Subshells
Slots within subshells
Energy levels within slots
Probability clouds
Aufbau Principle
Hund’s Rule
Pauli Exclusion Principle
Ionization energy
Lewis Diagrams
Hybrid bonds
VSEPR (Valence Shell Electron Pair
Repulsion)
Molecular shapes

Lesson 15: Molecular Geometry

Lewis Dot Diagrams
Lewis Dot Diagram Predictions
Filling the Valence Shell
Formal Charges
Forming sp3 Hybrid Bonds
Carbon sp2 Hybrid Orbitals Current
Sigma and Pi bonds
Nitrogen sp3 Hybrid Orbitals
Oxygen sp3 Hybrid Orbitals
Beryllium difluoride
Boron trifluoride
VSEPR
Molecular shapes
Diamonds
Isomers

Lesson 16: Electrochemistry

Oxidation State
Redox
Voltage Cells
Reduction Potential
Calculating Potentials
Voltage
Current
Car Battery
Electroplating
Aluminum Oxide
Iron Rust
Fuel Cells

Lesson 17: Polymers

Formaldehyde, Phenol, and Bakelite
Ethylene and Polyethylene
Strengthening Polyethylene
Natural Polymers
Nylon
Rubber

Lesson 18: The Nucleus

Solar energy
The Strong Force
Neutrons
Making helium
Making heavy elements
Binding energy
The Sun’s fuel

Final Problems

Lessons and Student Dashboard

The student dashboard is easy to navigate.  From the dashboard you can choose the lesson video, or lesson text script, or the test.   After you complete the test, it grades the test and gives the option to retake or continue on to the next lesson.

Below is an example of Lesson 2 The Ionic Bond and within the lesson this is a segment called The Atomic Number.  You can see from this dashboard picture that you can access the Lesson Menu as needed, and a Glossary with definitions on the left.  You can also control the play and pause of the video lesson, and the volume, at the base of the video. You can also go back to a previous segment and watch it again, or skip ahead as desired.

The Glossary of definitions is right next to the video so you can pause the video at anytime and look up a word you may not know and read it’s meaning.

Labs:

Fascinating Chemistry offers the option of Labs for high school credit.  On the student dashboard, they have an option to “Go To Lab”.  Labs are experiments that demonstrate the concept being taught in the lessons. Labs are optional but some states require them for high school credit.  Check with your state to see what is required.

My son likes using this course.  He says it is not difficult if you focus and take time to listen to what is being said.  The teacher speaks clearly and gives good visuals to show what concept is being discussed.  He is so excited that he spends a good deal of time retelling me what he is learning.

Word’s of my son: “I Love It!  It’s fascinating! The teacher is easy to follow and he explains everything very well.  I am learning about different kinds of bonds that atoms form.  I am in lesson three and learning about the second way atoms form bonds called covalant.  The first lesson was an introduction to the program and taught me the structure of atoms with protons neutrons and electrons.  The second lesson was learning about ionic bonds, electronegativity, electron affinity, and ionization energy.  So far I understand everything he is explaining. The tests are at the end of the lesson. I like that if I get the answer to a question wrong I can go back and retake the test again. I am really glad I am taking this class.”

Free Resources:

Video explaining more about Fascinating Education and a lesson in Calcium.

Video Lesson Periodic Table, Atoms, and Inter-molecular Bonding

Try before you buy.  Fascinating Education offers free lessons of their different courses.  Check out courses and a free sample lesson from each course:

Fascinating Chemistry
Fascinating Biology
Fascinating Physics

Find even more FREE Introduction to Science Lessons.

We highly recommend Fascinating Education courses.  I wish interactive curriculum like this had been available for me when I was in high school. This is a great way to inspire kids to love and succeed at learning about science and how it applies to the real world.

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Homeschool Review Crew

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