A Level Chemistry CCEA

This subject is broken down into 42 topics in 4 modules:

  1. Basic Concepts in Physical and Inorganic Chemistry 10 topics
  2. Further Physical and Inorganic Chemistry and an Introduction to Organic Chemistry 11 topics
  3. Further Physical and Organic Chemistry 10 topics
  4. Analytical, Transition Metals, Electrochemistry and Organic Nitrogen Chemistry 11 topics
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  • 4
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  • 42
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  • 15,585
    words of revision content
  • 2+
    hours of audio lessons

This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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Chemistry

Basic Concepts in Physical and Inorganic Chemistry

Formulae, Equations and Amounts of Substance

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Formulae, Equations and Amounts of Substance

Formulae and Equations

  • Understand the concept of chemical formulae used to represent molecules and ions. These convey the type and ratio of atoms in a compound.
  • The molecular formula represents the number and type of atoms in a molecule, where the empirical formula conveys the simplest ratio of atoms in a compound.
  • Know how to balance chemical equations, which show the number of atoms for each element being conserved in a chemical reaction.
  • Reactive species in an equation are termed reactants, while the end products are called products.
  • Master the concept of stoichiometry, which is the ratio of reactants to products in a balanced equation.
  • Differentiate between molecular and ionic equations, and be able to write net ionic equations by cancelling out spectator ions.

Amounts of Substance

  • Familiarize yourself with the term 'mole'. The mole is the unit for amount of substance in chemistry, defined as exactly 6.02 x 10^23 particles.
  • Understand the concept of molar mass, expressed in g mol^-1, defined as the mass of one mole of a substance.
  • The molar mass of an element can be found on the Periodic Table and is numerically equal to the relative atomic mass.
  • Be able to carry out mole calculations using the equation n = m/M where n is the number of moles, m is the mass, and M is the molar mass.
  • Understand how to calculate the number of particles in a sample using the number of moles and Avogadro’s constant.
  • Know how to calculate molar concentration in mol dm^-3 by using the formula C = n/V where C is the concentration, n is the number of moles and V is the volume in dm^3.
  • Familiarize yourself with molar volume at standard temperature and pressure (STP), defined as the volume occupied by one mole of any gas at STP, taken to be 22.4 dm^3 mol^-1.

Limiting Reagents and Excess

  • Understand the concept of limiting reagents, the substance that is completely consumed in the reaction and determines the maximum amount of product that can be formed.
  • Identify how to determine the limiting reagent in a chemical reaction from the stoichiometry of the equation and mass of reactants.
  • Familiarise yourself with calculations involving excess reagents. The reagent that is not completely used up in a reaction is said to be in excess.

Percentage Yield and Atom Economy

  • Understand how to calculate percentage yield, a measure of the efficiency of a reaction, calculated with actual yield/theoretical yield x 100%.
  • Familiarize yourself with the definition and calculation of atom economy, a concept that assesses the efficiency of a reaction in terms of atom utilization. Atom economy is calculated by (mass of desired product/total mass of reactants) x 100%.

Course material for Chemistry, module Basic Concepts in Physical and Inorganic Chemistry, topic Formulae, Equations and Amounts of Substance

Chemistry

Further Physical and Organic Chemistry

Lattice Enthalpy

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Lattice Enthalpy

Lattice Enthalpy Definition

  • Lattice enthalpy is defined as the heat energy required to convert one mole of an ionic solid into its gaseous ions under standard conditions.
  • In reverse, it can be described as the energy released when gas ions condense to form an ionic solid.
  • Although the enthalpy change is theoretically the same whether making or breaking a lattice, conventionally lattice enthalpy is given as a positive value.

Factors Affecting Lattice Enthalpy

  • Lattice enthalpy depends on the size of the charged ions. Smaller ions allow for closer packing and stronger bonding, resulting in higher lattice enthalpies.
  • The magnitude of the charge on the ions also affects lattice enthalpy. Larger charges create stronger attractive forces, resulting in a higher lattice enthalpy.
  • The structure of the lattice: different lattice structures have different lattice enthalpies.

Born-Haber Cycles and Lattice Enthalpy

  • The Born-Haber cycle is a thermochemical cycle involving several steps that can provide an indirect way of calculating lattice enthalpy.
  • The steps involved usually are: formation of gaseous atoms from the elements, ionisation of the atoms, electron affinity step, and the formation of the ionic lattice.
  • Hess’s law is applied in the Born-Haber cycle to allow the calculation of the lattice enthalpy.

Applications of Lattice Enthalpy

  • Lattice enthalpy can be used to determine the stability of ionic compounds, with more negative enthalpies reflecting greater stability.
  • It is also useful in predicting other properties of ionic substances, such as their solubility in water, which involves the breakdown of the ionic lattice, and their melting and boiling points, which also involve breaking down the lattice structure.

Course material for Chemistry, module Further Physical and Organic Chemistry, topic Lattice Enthalpy

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