Chemistry

SUBJECT overview

We follow the Edexcel syllabus in chemistry. In both AS and A2 the course is split into 3 units. Learners will sit their terminal examinations in June. Assessed practical make up the units studied in AS and A2 are as follows:

Unit 1: The Core Principles of Chemistry
Unit 2: Application of Core Principles of Chemistry
Unit 3: Chemistry Laboratory Skills I (10%)
Unit 4: General Principles of Chemistry I – Rates, Equilibria and Further Organic Chemistry
Unit 5: General Principles of Chemistry II – Transition Metals and Organic Nitrogen Chemistry
Unit 6: Chemistry Laboratory Skills II (10.0%)

Year 12 : Section 1 ( Physical Chemistry)

Atomic structure
Amount of substance
Bonding
Energetics 1
Kinetics 1
Equilibria1
Oxidation,reduction and redox reactions

Section 2: Inorganic Chemistry

Periodicity
Group 1
Group7

Section 3 : Organic Chemistry

Introduction to organic chemistry
Alkanes
Haloalkanes
Alkenes
Alcohols
Organic analysis

unit overview - autumn term

AS Chemistry
Skills	After carrying out the tasks in this topic, students will gain the following skills: Required Practical 1: Titration Ata. Use appropriate apparatus to record a range of measurements ATd. Use laboratory apparatus for a variety of experimental techniques including Required practical 2: Measurement of an enthalpy change. Required practical 3: Test tube reactions for cations and Anions AT d. use laboratory apparatus for a variety of experimental techniques AT k. safely and carefully handle solids and liquids, including corrosive, irritant, flammable and toxic substances
Knowledge	Formulae, Equation, moles, Standard form, Ideal Gas equation, Avogadro’s constant. Physical and chemical properties of group 2 chemical reactions of halogens Testing for halide ions
Rationale	This section builds on and develops earlier study of quantitative chemistry from GCSE. In terms of everyday application, many of the students will have aspirations to work in the medical/pharmacological industry. Being able to accurately carry out laboratory procedures, use standard form and calculate amounts will give the students the skills they require for industry. Balanced equations give students the skills to help calculate yield and predict the outcome of chemical reactions. Atom economy helps students to choose the more efficient process and hence contribute to a greener alternative. Students can link the trends of solubilities of the hydroxides by studying about magnesium hydroxide (milk of Magnesia) and barium sulfate which is given to the patients while carrying out X –rays. The test is safe despite the fact that barium compounds are highly toxic, because barium Sulfate is insoluble.

unit overview - spring term

AS Chemistry
Skills	After carrying out the practical tasks in this topic, students will gain the following skills Required Practical 6. Tests for alcohol, aldehyde, alkene and carboxylic acid AT a. use appropriate apparatus to record a range of measurements AT k. safely and carefully handle solids and liquids, including corrosive, irritant, flammable and toxic substances
Knowledge	Oxidation of Alcohols and identification of aldehydes and ketones by Fehling and Tollens’s test Describe the electrophilic addition and free radical substitution reactions of Alkenes/Alkanes Describe what an addition polymer is. Outline the mechanism of these reactions
Rationale	This topic builds upon understanding of alcohols from key stage four. Students will learn that. The everyday application involves the Biomedical sciences and in breathalysers. Furthermore, the pharmaceutical industry requires the use of alcohol. Students will learn that alcohols are to be carefully chosen to reflect their purpose whether in the cosmetic, medical or pharmaceutical industries. Students can link the properties of polymers which make them suitable for a variety of applications by the use of various additives like plasticisers. Students could link the solutions to plastics disposal. How and where alkenes are used in the cosmetics and plastic industry.

unit overview - summer term

AS Chemistry
Skills	After carrying out the practical tasks in this topic, students will gain the following skills There is no core practical in this topic. Explain why carbon-halogen is polar. Explain the trends in bond enthalpy and bond polarity of the carbon-halogen bonds. Describe the mechanisms of nucleophilic substitution Explain why analytical techniques are used in industry. Explain what are the principles behind Infra- red and mass spectroscopy are polar. Explain the trends in bond enthalpy and bond enthalpy and bond polarity of organic molecules and how we can interpret the mass spectra and infra -red spectrometer.
Knowledge	Students learn different preparative methods of Halogenoalkanes. How do free radicals react and their role in the problem of depletion of the ozone layer Analysis is used in breathalysers and looks at how alcohol presence can be detected by this technique. How these techniques are used in calculating relative atomic masses of compounds.
Rationale	This section builds on and develops earlier study of rate of reaction from GCSE. Students understand chlorofluorocarbons and some of the key terms. The topic builds upon their understanding and introduces them to mechanism. Students will learn that increasing temperature is an effective way to increase rate of reaction. This has implications in the industry as well as introducing them to the idea of reaction rate versus yield. Students will use their knowledge of organic analysis to evaluate different methods used in pharmaceutical industry to get effective yield.

knowledge Organiser

A knowledge organiser is an important document that lists the important facts that learners should know by the end of a unit of work. It is important that learners can recall these facts easily, so that when they are answering challenging questions in their assessments and GCSE and A-Level exams, they are not wasting precious time in exams focusing on remembering simple facts, but making complex arguments, and calculations.

We encourage all pupils to use them by doing the following:

Quiz themselves at home, using the read, write, cover, check method.
Practise spelling key vocabulary
Further researching people, events and processes most relevant to the unit.