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Chemistry
A-Level Chemistry is the study of matter, its structure, its transformations and the energy that accompanies them, set against the Department for Education GCE AS and A level subject content and delivered here through the AQA 7405 specification. It runs from atomic structure, amount of substance, bonding and energetics through kinetics, equilibria and redox, up to thermodynamics, electrode potentials, acid-base equilibria, the periodic table and the transition metals, and the whole sweep of organic chemistry from alkanes to aromatics, polymers, amino acids and the spectroscopic methods used to determine structure. It is assessed as much on the application of chemical ideas to unfamiliar contexts and the analysis of experimental and spectroscopic data as on recall.
0/81 Texts18 Chapters~244 min total
AQA 7405 3.1.1.1DfE GCE Chemistry - atomic structureAQA 7405 3.1.1.2DfE GCE Chemistry - mass spectrometryDfE GCE Chemistry - relative atomic massAQA 7405 3.1.1.3+142 moreFoundationStandardAdvanced
Table of contents · 18 ChaptersT·18
- Fundamental particles, mass number and isotopesText L·01 · Recommended start3 min
- Time-of-flight mass spectrometryText L·024 min
- Relative atomic mass from mass spectraText L·033 min
- Electron configuration: shells, sub-shells and orbitalsText L·043 min
- Ionisation energies as evidence for structureText L·054 min
- Alkanes: distillation, cracking, combustion and free-radical substitutionText L·483 min
- Halogenoalkanes: nucleophilic substitution and eliminationText L·493 min
- Alkenes: electrophilic addition and Markownikoff's ruleText L·503 min
- Addition polymersText L·513 min
- Alcohols: production, oxidation and dehydrationText L·523 min
- Born-Haber cycles and enthalpies of solution and hydrationText L·573 min
- Entropy and Gibbs free energyText L·584 min
- Rate equations, orders and the Arrhenius equationText L·594 min
- Kp for homogeneous gaseous equilibriaText L·603 min
- Electrode potentials and electrochemical cellsText L·613 min
- pH, Ka and the ionic product of waterText L·623 min
- Buffers, titration curves and indicatorsText L·633 min
- Atomic structure
- Amount of substance
- Bonding
- Energetics
- Kinetics
- Chemical equilibria, Le Chatelier's principle and Kc
- Oxidation, reduction and redox equations
- Periodicity
- Group 2, the alkaline earth metals
- Group 7(17), the halogens
- Introduction to organic chemistry
- Alkanes, halogenoalkanes, alkenes and alcohols
- Organic analysis
- Thermodynamics, rate equations and further equilibria (A-level)
- Period 3 elements, transition metals and reactions of ions in solution (A-level)
- Optical isomerism, carbonyls, carboxylic acids and aromatic chemistry (A-level)
- Polymers, amino acids, proteins and DNA, and organic synthesis (A-level)
- NMR spectroscopy and chromatography (A-level)
- Paper 1 - Inorganic and physical chemistry (AQA 7405/1)
- 2 hours, 105 marks, 35% of the A-Level. Assesses the physical chemistry of atomic structure, amount of substance, bonding, energetics, equilibria and Kc, redox, thermodynamics, rate equations, Kp, electrode potentials and acid-base equilibria (specification 3.1.1-3.1.4, 3.1.6-3.1.8 and 3.1.10-3.1.12) together with the whole of inorganic chemistry (periodicity, Groups 2 and 7, Period 3 and the transition metals, 3.2). Structure: 105 marks of short and long answer questions. A scientific calculator is allowed on every paper and a Periodic Table is provided.
- Paper 2 - Organic and physical chemistry (AQA 7405/2)
- 2 hours, 105 marks, 35% of the A-Level. Assesses the physical chemistry of amount of substance, bonding, energetics, kinetics and equilibria (3.1.2-3.1.6) and rate equations (3.1.9), together with the whole of organic chemistry from nomenclature and the core homologous series to aromatics, amines, polymers, amino acids and the analytical and spectroscopic methods (3.3). Structure: 105 marks of short and long answer questions.
- Paper 3 - Synoptic and practical (AQA 7405/3)
- 2 hours, 90 marks, 30% of the A-Level. Draws on any content from across the whole course: 40 marks of questions on practical techniques and data analysis, 20 marks of questions testing synoptic understanding across the specification, and 30 marks of multiple-choice questions. This is the paper where the twelve required practicals and the handling of real data are most heavily rewarded.
- Assessment objectives, practical endorsement and grading
- Across the three papers the assessment objectives are weighted towards application and analysis rather than recall: AO1 (knowledge and understanding) is roughly a third of the marks, AO2 (application) the largest single share, and AO3 (analyse, interpret and evaluate) the remainder. At least 20% of the marks assess level-2 mathematical skills - the highest mathematical demand of the three sciences - and at least 15% assess practical knowledge and skills. The separately reported Practical Endorsement (pass / not classified) is based on twelve required practical activities judged against the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC). The full A-Level is linear, sat at the end of the course, and graded A*-E (U below E).