Chemistry

Course summary

Year 12 • Physical chemistry: Atomic structure, Amount of substance, Bonding, Energetics, Kinetics, Chemical equilibria, Le Chatelier’s principle and Kc, oxidation, reduction and redox equations. • Inorganic chemistry: Group 2 the alkaline earth metals, Group 7 the halogens, periodicity. • Organic chemistry: Indroduction to organic chemistry, Alkanes, Halogenoalkanes, Alkenes, Alcohols, Organic analysis. Year 13 • Physical chemistry: Thermodynamics, Acids and Bases, Electrode potentials and electrochemical cells, Rate equations, Equilibrium constant Kp for homogeneous systems. • Inorganic chemistry: Transition metals, Reactions of ions in aqueous solution, Properties of Period 3 elements and their oxides. • Organic chemistry: Optical isomerism, Aldehydes and ketones, Carboxylic acids and derivatives, Aromatic chemistry, Amines, Polymers, Amino acids, proteins and DNA, Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Chromatography, Organic synthesis. Over the course students complete twelve required practicals. These will be assessed in the exams and provide the evidence for the practical endorsement.