Chemistry Transition Work 2018
First Task!
Use the link below to download the A Level GCE Chemistry B (Salters) H433 Specification. Read this, paying particular attention to the overview on page 5 and then leaf through pages 8-47 in order to get an idea of the content you will be covering.The first five units are taught during the AS year, the second five at A2.
Organisation of Notes
You will be taught using a combination of textbook work, powerpoints and handouts so a folder in which to keep all notes is essential.Invest in a lever-arch folder and a set of dividers for your ‘at home’ store of notes.We would recommend a smaller A4 folder with a refill pad for carrying your current notes to and from school – these will then be transferred to your lever-arch folder once you have completed a unit.
Getting a Headstart
A review of your IGCSE notes on the following topics will help you to hit the ground running when you start AS Chemistry in September.
- The Periodic Table
- Atomic structure
- Relative atomic mass (Ar) and relative molecular mass (Mr) aka relative formula mass
- Chemical bonding
- The electromagnetic spectrum
Use the following questions to focus your review, and hand in your work before your first AS Chemistry lesson in September.
- Atomic structure
- Draw the structure of an atom
- What is the relative charge and mass of each sub-atomic particle?
- What is the difference between Atomic Number and Mass Number?
- How do you calculate Relative Formula Mass? Give a specific example.
- How are electrons arranged in an atom?
2. Chemical bonds
- What is ionic bonding?
- How are ionic compounds formed? Draw a diagram of a specific example.
- What are the physical properties of ionic structures?
- What is covalent bonding?
- How are covalent compounds formed? Draw a diagram of a specific example.
- What are the physical properties of simple covalent and giant covalent structures?
- What are Groups and Periods in the Periodic Table?
You can submit your work to Mrs Williams electronically (LouiseWilliams@online.sch.im) or on paper at your first AS Chemistry lesson.
Recommended Resources.
You will be supplied with a textbook, but this will not be enough on its own to get you through your A-levels.You will need to be disciplined enough to carry out independent research in order to have a deep enough understanding of the course content.There are some excellent online resources (as well as a lot of rubbish ones!), and two that we have found particularly helpful are
Chemguide : https://www.chemguide.co.uk/
Doc Brown’s website : http://www.docbrown.info/page19/Salters_GCE_chem_AS_2015.htm
Previous students have also found the following books to be very useful
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