Chemistry

Course summary

What you will study in Year 12: The course begins by covering the structure of the atom and looking more closely at electronic orbital notation. Calculations form a large part of the first term’s work; titration experiments are carried out to calculate the concentration of unknown solutions and reaction stoichiometry is studied. We also cover the Ideal Gas Equation and simple spectroscopic methods. Over the year, you will also study Organic Chemistry. Some examples of topics focusing on the different functional groups include how alkanes act as fuels, how CFCs can break down the ozone layer, how alkenes can be used to make everyday polymers and the interesting properties of alcohols that make them soluble in water. As part of the Physical Chemistry section, you will learn about equilibria and Le Chatelier’s Principle, including applying the equilibrium constant Kc to specific reactions to help predict their outcomes based on changing concentrations and pressures. You will also study rates and calorimetry and get to grips with Hess’s Law. What you will study in Year 13: As part of the Organic Chemistry course, you will learn about many different functional groups and their associated reactions. Aspirin is studied in detail, including the synthesis and purification of a sample as part of the A-level chemistry practical assessment. You will study familiar compounds like paracetamol and amino acids and progress through the year to design synthetic routes to make these compounds. In your Physical Chemistry lessons, you will learn about entropy and kinetics; these explain why reactions happen and how fast reactions may go. Through learning about buffers, you will see how these extraordinary chemicals can be used in biological systems to maintain pH. In the electrochemistry topic, you will have opportunities to build electrochemical cells and to study fuel cells as alternative sources of electrical energy. As part of the Inorganic Chemistry course, you will learn about the properties and reactions of transition metal compounds and why they are coloured.