How do you just GET chemistry!?!? I'm so lost!?

Question

I'm panicking because I'm about to start my first year of college. I just took the college's chemistry diagnostic test (not used to placement, just used so that you can gauge your own areas of strength and weakness), and I did horribly. I got more than half of them wrong. My problem is that I just don't know how you're supposed to be able to predict reactions. For example, one of the questions is, what is the product or products when methane gas combusts with oxygen? The formula was CH4 (g) + 2 O2 (g) ---> ?

Well, I don't know. I don't know if the methane splits up and the C goes with the O2 or if the O2 goes with the H4! And apparently it is somewhere in between because the answer is CO2 + 2 H2O! And I thought that the subscripts had to stay the same......

My point is, how the h**l are you supposed to know these things? Is it just memorization of common formulas and molecules or is there some way that I should be able to "figure it out" by using some sort of calculations or the periodic table?

Thanks so much, I'll pick a best answer TODAY!!

Answer 1

Lots of people are lost when it comes to chemistry

I think it has a lot to do with memorization.

Also so people just have a natural ability to be amazing at chem.

for me Chemistry for dummies was a life saver throughout out high school and helped a lot with my chem class last year. (Freshman year of college)

Just relax it will come to you. = ]

Answer 2

Complete combustion (burning) of hydrocarbons produces carbon dioxide and water. This fundamental knowledge is usually presented in high school chemistry. If you haven't had high school chemistry, then this new information is something to remember.

The reaction is:

CH4 + 2O2 ----->  CO2 + 2H2O

If this is your first chemistry course, you will learn later how to write the equation for the reaction and balance it. You will also learn how to name and write formulas for compounds first.

The first week of chemistry is often scary for students. But remember, "by the inch, it's a cinch". So, just take it day by day and plan to spend time on chemistry each day.

You are likely to get good help from Yahoo! Answers.

Answer 3

Practice, review the basics, ask questions in class, read ahead of class (don't have to understand everything) and get a good tutor - and if you don't have textbook get one. You will do just fine if you follow these.