UIUC CHEM 104: General Chemistry II
CHEM 104 is the second semester of UIUC's general chemistry sequence — kinetics, equilibrium, acids and bases, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry — taken with the CHEM 105 lab. It's a core requirement for pre-health and many science majors, and the direct gateway to organic chemistry.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This is an unofficial study guide.
Build my CHEM 104 study planWhat makes it hard
It's harder than CHEM 102 by consensus: nearly every unit is quantitative multi-step problem solving, and the acid-base and buffer material is the classic grade-decider. The curved timed exams reward execution speed, and the co-running lab competes for the same study hours at the worst times.
What you'll cover
- • Chemical kinetics
- • Equilibrium
- • Acids, bases, and buffers
- • Thermodynamics: entropy and free energy
- • Electrochemistry
- • Nuclear chemistry basics
The CHEM 104 study guide
How to study for UIUC CHEM 104, step by step.
- 1
Carry equilibrium in from CHEM 102, sharpened
CHEM 104 opens by assuming 102's equilibrium foundations and immediately builds acid-base chemistry on them. Reviewing ICE tables and K expressions before the semester is the cheapest grade insurance available.
- 2
Give acid-base and buffers double the practice
The buffer and titration material is the course's consistent grade-decider, with multi-step problems that punish improvisation. Standardize your setup routine and work these units in volume.
- 3
Track the sign conventions ruthlessly
Thermodynamics and electrochemistry leak points through sign errors more than concept gaps. Keep a one-page convention summary per unit and check signs as a separate final step on every problem.
- 4
Plan lecture and lab as one workload
CHEM 105 reports landing in exam weeks is the classic collision. Map both schedules in week one and pre-write what you can before the busy weeks arrive.
- 5
Run the gauntlet with Fennie
Upload the CHEM 104 syllabus and Fennie's Daily Plans coordinate problem practice with lab deadlines and exam dates, generating timed multi-step quizzes from your actual course materials to build exam pacing. Free to start.
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How Fennie helps with CHEM 104
Upload the CHEM 104 syllabus and Fennie's Daily Plans coordinate the lecture-lab collision while front-loading the acid-base practice that decides grades. Chat through buffer and titration problems one decision at a time, and take timed generated quizzes to build the execution speed the curved exams reward.
FAQ
Is CHEM 104 harder than CHEM 102?
Most students say yes — nearly every unit is quantitative multi-step problem solving, and the acid-base material demands more setup judgment than anything in 102. The same strategy scales up: problem volume under time, with equilibrium foundations kept sharp.
How do I study for CHEM 104 exams?
Work problems in volume under time limits, with double weight on buffers and titrations — the consistent grade-deciders. Check sign conventions as a separate step in thermodynamics and electrochemistry, where most careless points leak.
Do I need CHEM 104 before organic chemistry?
Yes — CHEM 104 (with the 105 lab) is the standard prerequisite for UIUC's organic sequence. The equilibrium and acid-base reasoning it builds is exactly what organic chemistry's mechanisms assume, so learning it deeply pays forward.
Pass CHEM 104 with a plan, not a cram
Upload your CHEM 104 materials and Fennie generates a Daily Plan paced to your deadline — plus chat, flashcards, and quizzes built from the actual course content.
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