[999khasa]

I'm taking AP chem this year as a junior without ever having taken chem before. I'm prepared for the insane workload and have taken calculus already, which I have heard helps. I have a bunch of free time over the summer and was wondering, which chem topics should I familiarize myself with so that I don't get totally left behind? Thanks!

[thetada]

There's a fantastic, concise book called Why Chemical reactions Happen, by Wothers and Keeler, published by OUP. It introduces atomic orbitals in the context of thermodynamics, both of which will form a huge part of any uni course. You could also look at the organic bible, Organic Chemistry by McMurray. I appreciate that's books instead of topics, but they'd both provide alot of relevant information.

[999khasa]

I might check those out just for fun, but I still really just need a list of things to know for AP chem.

[Borek]

Why don't you check the curriculum sylabus? My bet is that any General Chemistry book will do.

[Dan]

Ask your course director(s) for a syllabus. They are the only people who know exactly what you need to know to pass their course.

There is a list of topics on the Wikipedia page:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP_Chemistry

But I imagine it could vary a bit between institutions.