St. Thomas More

High School

A-LEVEL CHEMISTRY

INDUCTION DAY

INFORMATION and

PRE-COURSE

ACTIVITIES

CHEMISTRY A-LEVEL

A-level Chemistry goes into much more detail than GCSE. It attempts to answer the

big question ‘what is the world made of’ and it is the search for this answer that makes

this subject so fascinating. From investigating how one substance can be changed

drastically into another, to researching a new wonder drug to save millions of lives, the

opportunities that chemistry provides are endless.

What we study in A-Level Chemistry: A-level Chemistry lasts two years, with exams at the end of the second year.

The table below shows what you can expect to learn in each year. First year of A-level Second year of A-level

Ph

ysi

cal

Ch

emis

try

Atomic Structure,

Amount of Substance,

Bonding,

Energetics,

Kinetics,

Chemical Equilibrium

Le Chatelier’s Principle

Thermodynamics,

Rate Equations,

The Equilibrium Constant,

Electrode Potentials,

Electrochemical Cells

Ino

rgan

ic

Ch

emis

try

Periodicity,

Group 2 - the Alkaline Earth Metals,

Group 7 - the halogens

Properties of Period 3 elements and their

oxides,

Transition Metals,

Reactions of ions in Aqueous Solution

Org

anic

Ch

emis

try

Introduction to Organic Chemistry,

Alkanes,

Halogenoalkanes,

Alkenes,

Alcohols,

Organic analysis

Optical Isomerism,

Aldehydes and Ketones,

Carboxylic Acids and derivatives,

Aromatic Chemistry,

Amines,

Polymers,

Amino Acids,

Proteins and DNA,

Organic Synthesis,

NMR spectroscopy,

Chromatography

Practicals Chemistry, like all sciences, is a practical subject. Throughout the course you will carry

out practical activities including:

measuring energy changes in chemical reactions

tests for identifying different types of compound

different methods for measuring rates of reaction

studying electrochemical cells

preparation of organic solids and liquids

an advanced form of chromatography for more accurate results.

These practicals will be assessed and your knowledge and understanding of these

procedures will also be tested as part of your PAPER 3 examination at the end of the

course.

Exams The exam board is AQA.

The course is split into 3 units:

Unit 1 – PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

Unit 2 – INORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Unit 3 – ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

These units are assessed in 3 papers that will all be sat at the end of the A2 year.

Paper 1 – Physical & Inorganic Chemistry inc. relevant practical skills (2hours,

105marks, 35% of A-Level).

Paper 2 – Physical & Organic Chemistry inc. relevant practical skills (2hours,

105marks, 35% of A-Level).

Paper 3 – Synoptic – Any content and practical skills from the A-Level course can

be assessed in this paper (2hours, 90marks, 30% of A-Level).

The three exams at the end of the two years are all 2 HOURS long.

There is no coursework on this course. However, your performance during practicals

will be assessed.

At least 15% of the marks for A-level Chemistry are based on what you learned in your

practicals.

Entry Requirements To ensure you are able to meet the demands of this challenging A-Level

course the entry requirements are as follows:

GCSE Double Science at grade 77 or

above OR

GCSE Separate (Triple) Science at grade

777.

GCSE Maths at grade 6 or above is also required.

To study A-Level Chemistry you also

need to be: Interested in

Chemistry

Willing to work

extremely hard A good

time manager

Organised

Able to persevere when faced by difficult/challenging topics.

Who teaches the course? Currently A-Level Chemistry at St. Thomas More is taught by:

MRS HARDIMAN

If you have any further questions about A-Level Chemistry or the work you

can be doing to prepare, please do not hesitate to contact me via email:

ahardiman@st-thomasmore.southend.sch.uk

Just mark the email A-LEVEL CHEMISTRY

Preparing to Study A-Level Chemistry

In the first 2 weeks of the course, all students will be required to sit a chemistry

induction test on the topics covered at GCSE.

To prepare for this assessment you should complete the questions at the back of

this booklet and be using your GCSE revision materials to revise the following

topics:

You can use your GCSE Chemistry specification and CGP revision guide to help

you identify the key points you need to know in these topics.

You should also be completing past GCSE papers as these will consolidate your

knowledge ready for the start of A-Level.

If you don’t already have them the GCSE specification can be found here: https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/chemistry/specifications/AQA-8462-SP-2016.PDF

and past papers and mark schemes can be found here: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/chemistry-8462/assessment-

resources?f.Resource+type%7C6=Mark+schemes&f.Resource+type%7C6=Question+papers&sor

t=date&num_ranks=20

There is also a really useful free CGP Head Start to A-Level Chemistry currently

available from Amazon on Kindle which you can access using the KINDLE app.

This guide can be found here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Head-Start-level-Chemistry-Level-

ebook/dp/B00VE2NIGG/

4.1 Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table

4.2 Bonding, Structure and Properties of Matter

4.3 Quantitative Chemistry

4.4 Chemical Changes

4.5 Energy Changes

4.6 The rate and extent of chemical change

4.7 Organic Chemistry

4.8 Chemical Analysis

4.9 Chemistry of the Atmosphere

4.10 Using Resources

Resources for Chemistry For all A-level chemistry lessons you will need:

An A4 Lever-Arch Folder with Dividers

A copy of the specification (this will be provided).

A CGP revision guide (these can be purchased from the school in September).

A scientific calculator.

A Practical Book (this will be provided at the start of the course).

Assessments in Chemistry An assessment will take place following the completion of every topic in chemistry

and will be based on past examination questions.

Your performance in these assessments will be regularly reviewed and used to

determine your continuation on the course and/or examination entry.

What can you do once you have finished

studying A-Level Chemistry?

Possible Degree Options Currently, the most popular types of degree courses taken by students who have an A-

level in Chemistry are:

Chemistry

Biology

Medicine

Mathematics

Pharmacology

Forensic Science

Veterinary Science

Dentistry

Chemical Engineering

Pharmacy

Biochemistry

Biomedical Sciences

Possible career options Studying an A-level Chemistry related degree at university gives you all sorts of

exciting career options, including:

Doctor

Vet

Dentist

Analytical chemist

Chemical engineer

Clinical biochemist

Pharmacologist

Research scientist (physical sciences)

Toxicologist

Chartered certified accountant

Environmental consultant

Higher education lecturer

Patent attorney

Science writer

Secondary school teacher!!

A-Level Chemistry Induction Activities These questions are a combination of revision and past examination paper

questions. They should be started during your induction session and

completed and submitted in your first Chemistry lesson in September.

Q1.

This question is about sodium chloride and iodine.

(a) Describe the structure and bonding in sodium chloride.

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(4)

(b) When sodium chloride solution is electrolysed, one product is chlorine.

Name the two other products from the electrolysis of sodium chloride solution.

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(2)

(c) Many people do not have enough iodine in their diet.

Sodium chloride is added to many types of food. Some scientists recommend that sodium

chloride should have a compound of iodine added.

Give one ethical reason why a compound of iodine should not be added to sodium chloride

used in food.

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(1)

(d) The bonding in iodine is similar to the bonding in chlorine.

(i) Complete the diagram below to show the bonding in iodine.

Show the outer electrons only.

(2)

(ii) Explain why iodine has a low melting point.

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(3)

(iii) Explain, in terms of particles, why liquid iodine does not conduct electricity.

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(2)

(Total 14 marks)

Q2.

Graphite and diamond are different forms of the element carbon.

Graphite and diamond have different properties.

The structures of graphite and diamond are shown below.

Graphite Diamond

(a) Graphite is softer than diamond.

Explain why.

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(4)

(b) Graphite conducts electricity, but diamond does not.

Explain why.

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(3)

(Total 7 marks)

Q3.

Sodium hydroxide neutralises sulfuric acid.

The equation for the reaction is:

2NaOH + H2SO4 → Na2SO4 + 2H2O

(a) Sulfuric acid is a strong acid.

What is meant by a strong acid?

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(2)

(b) Write the ionic equation for this neutralisation reaction. Include state symbols.

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(2)

(c) A student used a pipette to add 25.0 cm3 of sodium hydroxide of unknown concentration to a

conical flask.

The student carried out a titration to find out the volume of 0.100 mol / dm3 sulfuric acid

needed to neutralise the sodium hydroxide.

Describe how the student would complete the titration.

You should name a suitable indicator and give the colour change that would be seen.

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(4)

(d) The student carried out five titrations. Her results are shown in the table below.

Titration 1 Titration 2 Titration 3 Titration 4 Titration 5

Volume of

0.100 mol /

dm3 sulfuric

acid in cm3

27.40 28.15 27.05 27.15 27.15

Concordant results are within 0.10 cm3 of each other.

Use the student’s concordant results to work out the mean volume of 0.100 mol / dm3

sulfuric acid added.

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Mean volume = _____________________________ cm3

(2)

(e) The equation for the reaction is:

2NaOH + H2SO4 → Na2SO4 + 2H2O

Calculate the concentration of the sodium hydroxide.

Give your answer to three significant figures.

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Concentration = _______________________ mol / dm3

(4)

(f) The student did another experiment using 20 cm3 of sodium hydroxide solution with a

concentration of 0.18 mol / dm3.

Relative formula mass (Mr) of NaOH = 40

Calculate the mass of sodium hydroxide in 20 cm3 of this solution.

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Mass = ________________ g

(2)

(Total 16 marks)

Q4.

A student investigated the reactions of copper carbonate and copper oxide with dilute

hydrochloric acid.

In both reactions one of the products is copper chloride.

(a) Describe how a sample of copper chloride crystals could be made from copper carbonate

and dilute hydrochloric acid.

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(4)

(b) A student wanted to make 11.0 g of copper chloride.

The equation for the reaction is:

CuCO3 + 2HCl → CuCl2 + H2O + CO2

Relative atomic masses, Ar: H = 1; C = 12; O = 16; Cl = 35.5; Cu = 63.5

Calculate the mass of copper carbonate the student should react with dilute hydrochloric

acid to make 11.0 g of copper chloride.

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Mass of copper carbonate = _________________________ g

(4)

(c) The percentage yield of copper chloride was 79.1 %.

Calculate the mass of copper chloride the student actually produced.

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Actual mass of copper chloride produced = ____________ g

(2)

(d) Look at the equations for the two reactions:

Reaction 1 CuCO3(s) + 2HCl(aq) → CuCl2(aq) + H2O(l) + CO2(g)

Reaction 2 CuO(s) + 2HCl(aq) → CuCl2(aq) + H2O(l)

Reactive formula masses: CuO = 79.5; HCl = 36.5; CuCl2 = 134.5; H2O = 18

The percentage atom economy for a reaction is calculated using:

Calculate the percentage atom economy for Reaction 2.

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Percentage atom economy = ________________________ %

(3)

(e) The atom economy for Reaction 1 is 68.45 %.

Compare the atom economies of the two reactions for making copper chloride.

Give a reason for the difference.

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(1)

(Total 14 marks)

Q5.

Aspirin tablets have important medical uses.

A student carried out an experiment to make aspirin. The method is given below.

1. Weigh 2.00 g of salicylic acid.

2. Add 4 cm3 of ethanoic anhydride (an excess).

3. Add 5 drops of concentrated sulfuric acid.

4. Warm the mixture for 15 minutes.

5. Add ice cold water to remove the excess ethanoic anhydride.

6. Cool the mixture until a precipitate of aspirin is formed.

7. Collect the precipitate and wash it with cold water.

8. The precipitate of aspirin is dried and weighed.

(a) The equation for this reaction is shown below.

C7H6O3 + C4H6O3 → C9H8O4 + CH3COOH

salicylic acid aspirin

Calculate the maximum mass of aspirin that could be made from 2.00 g of salicylic acid.

The relative formula mass (Mr) of salicylic acid, C7H6O3, is 138

The relative formula mass (Mr) of aspirin, C9H8O4, is 180

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Maximum mass of aspirin = _______________ g

(2)

(b) The student made 1.10 g of aspirin from 2.00 g of salicylic acid.

Calculate the percentage yield of aspirin for this experiment.

(If you did not answer part (a), assume that the maximum mass of aspirin that can be made

from 2.00 g of salicylic acid is 2.50 g. This is not the correct answer to part (a).)

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Percentage yield of aspirin = _______________ %

(2)

(c) Suggest one possible reason why this method does not give the maximum amount of

aspirin.

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(1)

(d) Concentrated sulfuric acid is a catalyst in this reaction.

Suggest how the use of a catalyst might reduce costs in the industrial production of aspirin.

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(1)

(Total 6 marks)

Q6.

Air bags are used to protect the passengers in a car during an accident. When the crash sensor

detects an impact it causes a mixture of chemicals to be heated to a high temperature. Reactions

take place which produce nitrogen gas. The nitrogen fills the air bag.

(a) The mixture of chemicals contains sodium azide (NaN3) which decomposes on heating to

form sodium and nitrogen.

2NaN3 → 2Na + 3N2

A typical air bag contains 130 g of sodium azide.

(i) Calculate the mass of nitrogen that would be produced when 130 g of sodium azide

decomposes.

Relative atomic masses (Ar): N = 14; Na = 23

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Mass of nitrogen = ___________________ g

(3)

(ii) 1 g of nitrogen has a volume of 0.86 litres at room temperature and pressure.

What volume of nitrogen would be produced from 130 g of sodium azide?

(If you did not answer part (a)(i), assume that the mass of nitrogen produced from 130

g of sodium azide is 80 g. This is not the correct answer to part (a)(i).)

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Volume = ___________________ litres

(1)

(b) The sodium produced when the sodium azide decomposes is dangerous.

The mixture of chemicals contains potassium nitrate and silicon dioxide which help to make

the sodium safe.

(i) Sodium reacts with potassium nitrate to make sodium oxide, potassium oxide and

nitrogen. Complete the balancing of the equation for this reaction.

10Na + _____KNO3 → Na2O + K2O + N2

(1)

(ii) The silicon dioxide reacts with the sodium oxide and potassium oxide to form silicates.

Suggest why sodium oxide and potassium oxide are dangerous in contact with the

skin.

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(1)

(Total 6 marks)