End first term exam checklist

Thus far we have taken 2 tests and done commendably on the whole and I am confident that we will all do brilliantly.

As we were all given a copy of the syllabus at the beginning of the year we know what the IGCSE syllabus contains so there’s no point in replicating that information here, though that will provide you with good guidance of the information that you will need to know. If you have lost your copy o want another copy of that syllabus it can be downloaded and printed from the Cambridge website at http://www.cie.org.uk/

In addition to the information contained there what follows is a checklist of the skills you should have picked up in Chemistry so far.

By the time we have broken up for exams you will be able to:

• describe the states of matter and explain their interconversion in terms of the kinetic particle theory
  
• describe and explain diffusion
  
• describe evidence for the movement of particles in gases and liquids
  
• describe dependence of rate of diffusion on molecular mass (treated qualitatively)
  
• state the relative charges and approximate relative masses of protons, neutrons and electrons
  
• define proton number and nucleon number
  
• use proton number and the simple structure of atoms to explain the basis of the Periodic table (see section 9), with special reference to the elements of proton number 1 to 20
  
• define isotopes
  
• state the two types of isotopes as being radioactive and non-radioactive
  
• state one medical and one industrial use of radioactive isotopes
  
• describe the build-up of electrons in ‘shells’ and understand the significance of the noble gas electronic structures and of valency electrons.
  
• (Note that a copy of the Periodic Table will be available in the examination)
  
• describe the Periodic Table as a method of classifying elements and its use to predict properties of elements
  
• describe the change from metallic to non-metallic character across a Period
  
• describe the relationship between Group number, number of valency electrons and metallic/non-metallic character
  
• describe lithium, sodium and potassium in Group I as a collection of relatively soft metals showing a trend in melting point, density, in reaction with water.
  
• predict the properties of other elements in the Group, given data, where appropriate
  
• describe chlorine, bromine and iodine in Group VII as a collection of diatomic non-metals showing a trend in colour, state and their reaction with other halide ions
  
• predict the properties of other elements in the Group given data, where appropriate
  
• identify trends in other Groups given information about the elements concerned
  
• describe the transition elements as a collection of metals having high densities, high melting points, and forming coloured compounds, and which, as elements and compounds, often act as catalysts.
  
• describe the noble gases as being unreactive
  
• describe the uses of the noble gases in providing an inert atmosphere, i.e. argon in lamps; helium for filling balloons
  
• describe the general physical and chemical properties of metals
  
• explain why metals are often used in the form of alloys
  
• Identify representations of alloys from diagrams of structures
  
• describe metallic bonding as a lattice of positive ions in a ‘sea of electrons’ and use this to describe the electrical conductivity and malleability of metals
  
• place in order of reactivity; calcium; copper, (hydrogen), iron, magnesium potassium, sodium and zinc by reference to the reactions, if any, of the metals with water or steam dilute hydrochloric acid and the reduction of their oxides with carbon
  
• deduce an order of reactivity from a given set of experimental results
  
• describe the differences between elements, mixtures and compounds, and between metals and non-metals.
  
• describe alloys, such as brass, as a mixture of a metal with other elements.
  
• describe the formation of ions by electron loss or gain
  
• describe the formation of ionic bonds between elements from Groups I and VII
  
• describe the formation of ionic bonds between metallic and non-metallic elements
  
• describe the lattice structure of ionic compounds as a regular arrangement of alternating positive and negative ions
  
• Describe the reactivity series as related to the tendency of a metal to form its positive ion, illustrated by its reaction, if any, with the aqueous ions, the oxides, of the other listed metals
  
• describe the action of heat on the hydroxides and nitrates of the listed metals
  
• account for the apparent unreactivity of aluminium in terms of the oxide layer which adheres to the metal
  
• describe the ease in obtaining metals from their ores by relating the elements to the reactivity series
  
• describe the essential reactions in the extraction of iron from hematite
  
• describe the conversion of iron into steel
  
• describe in outline, the extraction of zinc from zinc blende
  
• name the main ore of aluminium
  
• name the uses of aluminium: in the manufacture of aircraft because of its strength and low density; in food containers because of its resistance to corrosion
  
• describe the idea of changing the properties of iron by the controlled use of additives to form steel alloys
  
• name the uses of mild steel (car bodies and machinery) and stainless steel (chemical plant and cutlery)
  
• name the uses of zinc for galvanising and for making brass
  
• name the uses of copper related to its properties; electrical wiring and in cooking utensils

and by the end of this week we should be able to tick every single thing in that list and begin revision and exam practice next week.

RedOx reactions

In our lesson on Sunday we covered 2 definitions of Oxidation and Reduction reactions

One view of oxidation is the gain of oxygen another view is that it's the loss of electrons

One chemicals loss of electrons is another chemicals gain so oxidation and reduction happen at the same time. Hence the Reduction - oxidation name cos it's a two way thing. The electrons thing is quite confusing because it doesn't involve oxygen and the name of the process is oxidation.

Oxidation is easy to remember when oxygen is involved as it's obvious that a gain of oxygen is an oxidation and a loss is a reduction. That much is obvious. With electrons the process is the opposite hence the OILRIG acronym to help you remember the process for electrons

Now a little insight into what's going on here. You need to know a little about ions and the convention for writing them. As you know if an ion has a positive charge it's written with a little "+" sign up top after the number. We know that if it loses one electron it becomes + and if 2 electrons are lost it becomes 2+, 3 electrons 3+ etc, e.g Li goes to Li+, Mg to Mg2+ etc
That number up top is related to it's combining power and it's got a number of names...
Valency
oxidation number
ionic charge
...and there are more names on the redox sheet you got on wednesday

But notice that it's also called oxidation number

So anything that changes the oxidation number positively is an oxidation. rememebr that Losing a negative (electron) is like gaining a +. It's a messy state of affairs but losing an electron (single negative) has the same effect ON THE CHARGE as gaining an oxygen ION (single positive) so from an ionic point of view it is exactly the same. Yeah that used to do my head in as well!

So if there is a change in the valency of the reacting chemicals it's technically, by our definition of redox reactions, a redox reaction.

Take a look at http://www.chemistry.co.nz/redox_new.htm (it would be helfpul just to look at the bits in the boxes - copy them out into your book if you need to - I don't mind you writing abything into your book if it helps you learn) - Also click on the links at the top of that page for more info on how to get the valencys and a bit more info on ionic equations and a few examples.

New feature - Message board

A messageboard has been created for you lot to discuss any issues you have on chemistry or physics with each other. There's also a general section to discuss Avril as that's obviously on your mind.

I will be moderating but want this to be used responsibly to discuss issues - remember that you have exams soon and should be using every resource available to you to make sure that you perform to the best of your ability. If this board helps use it, if it doesn't then don't. It's there if you need it.

I will try and answer questions that arise but it should be an opportunity for you to ask questions and answer each others questions. Sometimes the best learning and teaching is done at the same level not from above. Remember that each one of you can do well, it's not a race against each other but a test of your own abilities, so every one of you is a resource.

The board can be found at http://phoenixscience.proboards38.com/index.cgi

I hope this is useful for your learning. And Avril is overrated

Typical...

After you lot left the class I spent the next lesson preparing the mixture and blew it up after I had given my reports out. I went out into the playground and *BANG!* Lumps of lovely iron were made. And only I saw it. Anyway if you're lucky we'll get to do it properly after the holidays.

More work 4 U! Revision tips

Any of you who want to get ahead should pay a visit to the website of the Royal Society of Chemistry http://www.chemsoc.org/networks/learnnet/miscon2.htm

This website contains a load of worksheets that I STRONGLY recommend that you download and print out. The worksheets are in the form of question and answer sheets for discussion or thinking about, and they go into good depth.

The way to do them is to print them out and read the question paper, answer them on the answer paper then check your answers on the answer paper. Sounds simple and it is. If you follow these simple instructions you are gonna learn a LOAD of stuff about chemistry and it will reinforce what you've learnt in class.

Firstly I strongly suggest you download and study the following files from that site

Iron - this is exactly what we are doing in class about metals

and for your revision i would suggest
Periodic Table
Elements Compounds, Mixtures

HEADS DOWN! We're going in!

Everyone has worked really hard this term and I'm really pleased with the work you have all produced. As you know we have exams after the break and for many of you this will be your major concern before learning the chemistry of murder, so next term we will be putting that part of the sylabus on the back burner for a while, getting our heads down and making sure that every single part of the sylabus we need to know is covered in great detail with the necessary exam practice.

Murder week will still go ahead start of next term but will be taken a little out of context. We won't be doing the chemistry of murder until after the exams but will instead concentrate on getting all the work on metals done ready for the exam.

It's been a long term, you've worked really hard and produced some excellent work but there's still work to be done, so I've planned that for next term all lessons will take a really simple structure. Every lesson will start with recap questions, followed by a demo then discussion of the principles proved in the demo and some questions. Homework will be exam practice style questions.

Normal service (i.e. chaos) will be resumed after we've proven to every other chemistry set that we really ARE the best!

All this chemistry is killing me....

Week 1 of the next half term is going to be...

MURDER WEEK

The job of forensic scientists depends on a number of scientific techniques which we will look at at the start of next term in the context of

MURDER

so just to get you in the mood we will be playing a game that week, a bit like Cluedo in which all of us will be involved in a spot of

MURDER

On the first lesson back we will finish off the work on the reactivity series that we should have started at the end of term. This will include looking up the mechanism of the Thermit reaction, which we will see on the last day of term and explaining how it works. Once we are all ok with the steps in the reactivity series then the game commences...

MURDER

The game is very simple. Think Cluedo and you're on the right track. In Cluedo you have to work out who was killed where and by whom.

All the names of all the pupils in the class will be in a hat. A list of "props" will be in another hat. Fially a list of locations around the school will be in a third hat. Each person will come to the front, pick a victim from the victim hat, a prop from the props hat and a location from the locatios hat. If they find they have picked themselves then put your name back in the hat and pick another one.

MURDER

The game then commences. Now every person in the room except for the judges and the police are potential murderers and victims. You don't know who is coming for you.

MURDER

The aim of the game is not to ACTUALLY kill anyone let me make that clear to you now! Kills are registered when you set up a situation whereby your victim unwittingly takes the item you are assigned to kill him/her with. The item must be taken willingly with room to deny.

MURDER

What does it all mean?! I hear you cry. Well let's take an example. Strontium has picked out of the hats the following...

Victim: Arsenic
Prop: Balloon
Location: Outside the art room

Stronitum would have to try to maneuver a situation whereby Arsenic would not suspect that being handed a balloon outside the art room is an ususual occurence. So Strontium thinks about it and designs a project to decorate the art room for a party. He calls Arsenic over and asks him to hold the chair while he paints "Happy Birthday" on the walls. Then turns to Arsenic and says

"Can you just hold this balloon while I dip my paintbrush in the green paint?"

Arsenic unwittingly obliges (but of course he has the opportunity to say no)

MURDER

By taking the balloon Arsenic has become a victim. Stronitum laughs heartily at him and shows him the 3 pieces of paper with hi name on. At this point Arsenic falls out of the game without telling anyone else that he is dead just to keep it interesting. Arsenic goes to the police (That's the volunteer who is helping set the game up) and reports the crime for the records.

MURDER

But in his death throes, Arsenic has one more task. In order for the game to continue smoothly, Arsenic needs to give his three pieces of paper to his killer. Strontium now has a new target, new prop and new location and a death score of 1.

But all the while someone has Strontium in their sights.

MURDER

No-one is safe...

A word of warning

This is YOUR site to keep YOU up to date and help YOUR learning. If you choose to use the comments to mouth off then you'll lose them. Believe me this takes time and effort on my part and there are some pupils who have decided to abuse the freedom they have been given. You have been warned.

Week 10 Highlights - End of term mayhem to look forward to

As we've now know how metals bond with non-metals and how non-metals bond with other non-metals it looks like we only have one more type of bond to look at which is obviously the bond between metals and metals, called metallic bonding strangely enough.

This week we'll finish off looking at covalent bonds and look at some different covalent structures and compare these with ionic structures. The properties of ionic and covalent molecules will be related to their structure then the properties of metals will be explained by looking at metallic bonding.

Before we begin next week it may be a good idea for you to all get familiar with the various properties of metals, so that nothing comes as a surprise to you next week.

As we finish week 9, we'll investigate how the structure of molecules defines their properties by looking at allotropes of sulphur and carbon, and seeing how diamond and graphite compare.

In next weeks lessons, we'll look at Metals in great detail then we'll cover one of the most important topics you have covered so far - the reactivity series.

Now here's the good bit - the reactivity series includes one of the most exciting demos in the whole sylabus - the thermite reaction. This is so dangerous it will involve us taking a lesson outside because it is too dangerous to do inside.

So if we manage to get through all the required work the last lesson of term will be absolutely BRILLIANT!