Scheme of work · A-Level Chemistry 9701

At a glance

The course in numbers

Lessons

122, one 45-minute lesson pack each

Teaching time

91 hours 30 minutes

Weeks

41 at 3 lessons a week

AS Level

22 topics, 76 lessons, 57 hours

A Level (A2)

15 topics, 46 lessons, 34 hours 30 minutes

Assessment points

37 topic question banks, assignable in the app

Labs

37 full-screen topic labs to project

How to read it. One row is one 45-minute lesson; its pack holds the plan, worksheet and quiz. The week column counts 3 lessons a week until you change the control above; the sheet you download uses the same numbers. Each topic ends at an assessment point, its question bank, which you can assign in the app for a marked score. The learning intention is the first idea of each lesson in the students' own pages; the traps are the examiner traps those pages pre-empt.

AS Level

Year 1: the AS topics

Weeks 1 to 26

Topic 1Atomic structure

Weeks 1 to 2

6 lessons, 4 hours 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Atomic structure lab Assessment: topic question bank (48 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
1	1.1	Particles in the atom	Build any atom or ion in the simulator: pick a proton number, add neutrons, then add or remove electrons.
1	1.1	Atomic and ionic radius	Step through Period 3 in the simulator and watch the atom shrink from sodium to chlorine.
1	1.2	Isotopes	Set the abundance of each isotope of chlorine in the simulator and watch the relative atomic mass move.
2	1.3	Shells, orbitals and electron configuration	Rotate the 3D orbitals in the simulator.
2	1.3	Ionisation energy and its trends	Every ionisation energy question is answered with the same three ideas.
2	1.3	Successive ionisation energies and electron affinity	Choose an element in the simulator and remove its electrons one at a time.
2		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 48 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

The charge on an ion changes the electron count only.
Ionic radius across Period 3 is not a smooth decrease.
Isotopes have the same number of protons and electrons; only the neutron number differs.

Topic 2Atoms, molecules and stoichiometry

Weeks 3 to 5

7 lessons, 5 hours 15 minutesTopic plan Lab: Stoichiometry lab Assessment: topic question bank (56 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
3	2.1	Relative masses	Load an element into the mass spectrometer and read off each isotope's m/z value and abundance.
3	2.2	The mole and the Avogadro constant	Pick a substance in the simulator and drag the mass slider.
3	2.3	Formulae and equations	Learn the charges of the common polyatomic ions.
4	2.3	Empirical and molecular formulae	Enter a composition by mass in the simulator and follow its working: divide by A r, divide by the smallest, then scale to whole numbers.
4	2.4	Reacting masses and limiting reagents	Never compare grams directly: 1 g of one substance and 1 g of another contain different numbers of particles.
4	2.4	Volumes of gases	Set the amount of gas in the piston and read the volume at room temperature and pressure.
5	2.4	Solutions and titrations	Every solution calculation starts with n = c × V.
5		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 56 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

A molecule such as Cl 2 gives three molecular ion peaks, at m/z 70, 72 and 74, because each atom can be either isotope.
When a question asks for the number of atoms or ions, multiply the number of formula units by how many of that particle each one contains. 0.100 mol of MgCl 2 contains 0.200 mol of chloride ions, not 0.100 mol.
Never balance an equation by changing a subscript.

Topic 3Chemical bonding

Weeks 5 to 8

9 lessons, 6 hours 45 minutesTopic plan Lab: Chemical bonding lab Assessment: topic question bank (72 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
5	3.1	Electronegativity and bonding	Pick pairs of atoms in the simulator and watch where the bonding pair sits.
5	3.2	Ionic bonding	Build the sodium chloride lattice in the simulator and rotate it.
6	3.3	Metallic bonding	Choose sodium, magnesium and then aluminium in the simulator.
6	3.4	Covalent and dative covalent bonding	Build H 2, O 2 and N 2 in the simulator, adding electrons one at a time.
6	3.4	Sigma and pi bonds, hybridisation	In the simulator, bring two orbitals together end-on, then turn two p orbitals parallel and bring them alongside each other.
7	3.5	Shapes of molecules	Load each molecule in the 3D simulator and rotate it.
7	3.6	Intermolecular forces	Switch the simulator to the id-id view and watch the electron clouds wobble.
7	3.6	Hydrogen bonding and bond properties	Load water and then hydrogen fluoride in the intermolecular forces simulator and switch on the hydrogen bond view.
8	3.7	Dot-and-cross diagrams	Use the dot-and-cross simulator to build H 2 O, CO 2, N 2 and NH 4 + step by step.
8		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 72 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Electronegativity is about electrons in a bond.
Ionic solids conduct nothing because the ions cannot move, and it is ions, not electrons, that carry the current in a melt or solution.
Say positive ions in a metal lattice, not atoms, and describe the electrons as delocalised.

Topic 4States of matter

Weeks 8 to 9

3 lessons, 2 hours 15 minutesTopic plan Lab: States of matter lab Assessment: topic question bank (24 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
8	4.1	Ideal gases and pV = nRT	Change the temperature, volume and amount of gas in the simulator piston and watch the pressure respond.
8	4.2	The liquid state	Heat the solid in the simulator and watch the particles.
9	4.3	Lattice structures and properties	Rotate each lattice in the simulator: sodium chloride, copper, diamond and iodine.
9		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 24 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Keep M in g mol −1 by leaving the mass in grams.
Evaporation happens at any temperature, from the surface only; boiling happens at one temperature for a given pressure, throughout the liquid.
For a giant molecular solid, melting breaks covalent bonds; for a simple molecular solid it overcomes only intermolecular forces.

Topic 5Chemical energetics

Weeks 9 to 10

4 lessons, 3 hoursTopic plan Lab: Chemical energetics lab Assessment: topic question bank (32 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
9	5.1	Enthalpy changes and definitions	Switch between reactions in the enthalpy profile simulator.
9	5.1	Calorimetry	Run a neutralisation in the calorimetry simulator, then a combustion with a spirit burner.
10	5.1	Bond energies	In the simulator, break the reactant molecules into atoms and then build the products.
10	5.2	Hess's law	Build the methane cycle in the simulator.
10		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 32 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

The standard enthalpy change of formation of water and the standard enthalpy change of combustion of hydrogen are the same equation, H 2 (g) + ½O 2 (g) → H 2 O(l), so they have the same value, −286 kJ mol −1.
In q = mcΔT, m is the mass of the water or solution whose temperature changes, never the mass of fuel or solid added.
It is broken minus formed, not the other way round; reversing it flips the sign.

Topic 6Electrochemistry

Weeks 10 to 11

2 lessons, 1 hour 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Electrochemistry lab Assessment: topic question bank (16 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
10	6.1	Oxidation numbers	Pick species in the simulator and assign each atom's oxidation number before revealing it.
11	6.1	Redox equations and half-equations	Watch electrons pass from zinc to copper(II) ions in the simulator, then split the reaction into its two halves.
11		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 16 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

The oxidising agent is the species that is reduced, because it takes electrons from something else.
Electrons go on the left in a reduction and on the right in an oxidation, and they must all cancel in the full equation.

Topic 7Equilibria

Weeks 11 to 12

5 lessons, 3 hours 45 minutesTopic plan Lab: Equilibria lab Assessment: topic question bank (40 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
11	7.1	Dynamic equilibrium and Le Chatelier's principle	Start the simulator with only reactant molecules and watch the forward and reverse rates.
11	7.1	The equilibrium constant Kc	Build Kc expressions in the simulator, then vary the starting amounts.
12	7.1	The equilibrium constant Kp	In the simulator, change the total pressure of an equilibrium mixture and watch each gas's share of the pressure.
12	7.2	Brønsted–Lowry acids and bases	In the simulator, drop acids and bases into water and follow the protons.
12	7.2	pH, strong and weak acids, titration curves	pH is a logarithmic scale: one unit is a factor of ten in hydrogen ion concentration.
12		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 40 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

A catalyst does not change the position of equilibrium or the yield; it increases the rate of the forward and reverse reactions equally.
Use equilibrium concentrations, not initial amounts, and convert moles to concentrations by dividing by the volume unless the volumes cancel.
Partial pressure uses the mole fraction of the equilibrium mixture, so first find the equilibrium moles and the new total.

Topic 8Reaction kinetics

Week 13

3 lessons, 2 hours 15 minutesTopic plan Lab: Reaction kinetics lab Assessment: topic question bank (24 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
13	8.1	Rate of reaction	In the collision simulator, count the collisions and the successful ones.
13	8.2	The Boltzmann distribution and activation energy	Use the simulator to raise and lower the temperature and watch the distribution change shape.
13	8.3	Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis	Add a catalyst in the simulator and watch the activation energy line move left on the Boltzmann curve while the curve itself stays put.
13		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 24 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Increasing the concentration does not give the particles more energy; it only increases the frequency of collisions, so the number of successful collisions per second rises.
On the higher-temperature curve the peak is lower and further right, and the area is the same, because the number of molecules has not changed.
A catalyst lowers the activation energy of the forward and reverse reactions, so it does not change ΔH, the position of equilibrium or the yield.

Topic 9Chemical periodicity of elements in Period 3

Week 14

3 lessons, 2 hours 15 minutesTopic plan Lab: Periodicity lab Assessment: topic question bank (24 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
14	9.1	Period 3: physical properties	Step across Period 3 in the simulator and watch the atom shrink.
14	9.2	Period 3: oxides and chlorides	Burn each element in oxygen in the simulator, then add the oxide to water and test the pH.
14	9.3	Chemical periodicity of other elements	Use the trends simulator as a reference table while you work through each clue below.
14		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 24 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Silicon's high melting point is due to its giant covalent structure, not to being a metal.
Aluminium oxide and silicon dioxide are insoluble in water, so they do not change its pH; their acid-base character is shown by their reactions with acids and alkalis.
Do not base an identification on a single property.

Topic 10Group 2

Week 15

3 lessons, 2 hours 15 minutesTopic plan Lab: Group 2 lab Assessment: topic question bank (24 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
15	10.1	Group 2 metals and their reactions	Move from magnesium to barium in the simulator and compare the size of each atom and how tightly its outer electrons are held.
15	10.1	Group 2 compounds and their trends	Heat each carbonate and nitrate in the simulator and compare the temperature at which it starts to decompose.
15	10.2	Uses of Group 2 compounds	Take limestone around the full cycle in the simulator, watching the mass change at each step.
15		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 24 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Calcium, strontium and barium react with dilute sulfuric acid at first but soon slow down, because their sulfates are insoluble and coat the metal.
The two solubility trends go in opposite directions: hydroxides become more soluble down the group, sulfates less.
Barium compounds in general are toxic.

Topic 11Group 17

Weeks 16 to 17

4 lessons, 3 hoursTopic plan Lab: Group 17 lab Assessment: topic question bank (32 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
16	11.1	Physical properties of the halogens	Compare the three halogens in the simulator at room temperature, then warm each one and watch for the vapour.
16	11.2	Halogens as oxidising agents and the hydrogen halides	Add each halogen to each halide solution in the simulator.
16	11.3	Reactions of the halide ions	Run the silver nitrate test on each halide in the simulator, then add dilute and concentrated ammonia to the precipitates.
17	11.4	Chlorine: disproportionation and water treatment	Bubble chlorine into cold dilute and hot concentrated sodium hydroxide in the simulator, then into water, and track the oxidation number of chlorine in each product.
17		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 32 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Boiling a halogen breaks intermolecular forces, not the X–X covalent bond.
Oxidising power decreases down the group, so iodine cannot oxidise chloride or bromide ions.
Chloride ions are too weak a reducing agent to reduce concentrated sulfuric acid, so no chlorine forms; the only product is HCl.

Topic 12Nitrogen and sulfur

Weeks 17 to 18

3 lessons, 2 hours 15 minutesTopic plan Lab: Nitrogen and sulfur lab Assessment: topic question bank (24 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
17	12.1	Nitrogen, ammonia and the ammonium ion	Compare the N 2 molecule with NH 3 in the simulator, then add H + to ammonia and watch the shape change.
17	12.1	Nitrogen oxides and pollution	Run the engine model in the simulator at different temperatures, then fit a catalytic converter and watch the exhaust composition change.
18	12.2	Sulfur dioxide and acid rain	Burn a high-sulfur fuel in the simulator and follow the sulfur through the atmosphere to the rain, then watch it react with limestone.
18		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 24 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Nitrogen is unreactive because of its strong triple bond and lack of polarity, not because it is small or a gas.
In the oxidation of SO 2, NO 2 is a catalyst: it is used in the first step and regenerated in the second, so it is not used up overall.
Acid rain is caused by sulfur and nitrogen oxides, not by carbon dioxide; rain is naturally slightly acidic (about pH 5.6) from dissolved CO 2, but SO 2 and NO 2 push it much lower.

Topic 13An introduction to AS Level organic chemistry

Weeks 18 to 20

6 lessons, 4 hours 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Organic chemistry lab Assessment: topic question bank (48 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
18	13.1	Organic formulae and functional groups	Build a molecule in the simulator and switch between its formula types.
18	13.1	Naming organic compounds	Draw molecules in the naming simulator and check your name against the generated one.
19	13.2	Types of organic reaction and mechanism	Classify each reaction by what happens overall before thinking about mechanism.
19	13.3	Shapes of organic molecules, sigma and pi bonds	Overlap the orbitals in the sigma and pi simulator and watch the shape around each carbon change from ethane to ethene to ethyne.
19	13.4	Structural isomerism	Generate every isomer of a formula in the simulator, then sort them into chain, positional and functional group isomers.
20	13.4	Cis-trans and optical isomerism	Rotate the molecules in the 3D stereoisomerism simulator.
20		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 48 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

In a skeletal formula hydrogens on carbon are not drawn, but they are still there: work out how many each carbon needs to make four bonds.
Always find the longest chain, which may bend round a corner in a drawn structure; a “branch” at the end of a chain is just part of the chain.
A nucleophile donates an electron pair; an electrophile accepts one.

Topic 14Hydrocarbons

Weeks 20 to 21

4 lessons, 3 hoursTopic plan Lab: Hydrocarbons lab Assessment: topic question bank (32 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
20	14.1	Alkanes	Build alkanes of increasing length in the simulator, then crack a long one and compare the products.
20	14.1	Free radical substitution	Shine UV light on the methane and chlorine mixture in the simulator and follow the radicals step by step.
21	14.2	Alkenes	Look at the π bond in the simulator, then try the three ways of putting a double bond into a molecule.
21	14.2	Electrophilic addition	Step through the mechanism in the simulator.
21		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 32 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

When balancing a combustion equation, balance C first, then H, then O last; if O needs a half, double everything.
Radicals form by homolytic fission and carry an unpaired electron, shown by a dot.
Cold, dilute KMnO 4 adds two OH groups (a diol); hot, concentrated KMnO 4 breaks the C=C.

Topic 15Halogen compounds

Weeks 21 to 22

2 lessons, 1 hour 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Halogen compounds lab Assessment: topic question bank (16 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
21	15.1	Halogenoalkanes	Sort halogenoalkanes into primary, secondary and tertiary in the simulator by counting the carbons on the C–X carbon.
22	15.1	SN1 and SN2 mechanisms	Step through both mechanisms in the simulator, first with bromoethane and then with 2-bromo-2-methylpropane.
22		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 16 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Aqueous NaOH gives substitution (an alcohol); ethanolic NaOH gives elimination (an alkene).
Curly arrows start from the lone pair on OH −, not from the minus sign, and the arrow from the C–X bond must point to the halogen.

Topic 16Hydroxy compounds

Week 22

2 lessons, 1 hour 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Hydroxy compounds lab Assessment: topic question bank (16 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
22	16.1	Reactions of alcohols	Sort alcohols into primary, secondary and tertiary in the simulator, then switch to the hydrogen bonding view and compare boiling points with alkanes.
22	16.1	Oxidation of alcohols	Warm each class of alcohol with acidified dichromate in the simulator.
22		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 16 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Alcohols react with sodium more slowly than water does, because they are weaker acids: the ethyl group pushes electron density towards O, making O–H harder to break.
Distillation gives the aldehyde; reflux gives the carboxylic acid.

Topic 17Carbonyl compounds

Week 23

2 lessons, 1 hour 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Carbonyl compounds lab Assessment: topic question bank (16 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
23	17.1	Aldehydes and ketones	Build aldehydes and ketones in the simulator, check the C=O position and name each one.
23	17.1	Nucleophilic addition and carbonyl tests	Step through the mechanism in the simulator.
23		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 16 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

An aldehyde has the C=O at the end of the chain, a ketone in the middle.
HCN adds by nucleophilic addition, not electrophilic: the attacking species is CN −, and it bonds through carbon.

Topic 18Carboxylic acids and derivatives

Weeks 23 to 24

2 lessons, 1 hour 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Carboxylic acids lab Assessment: topic question bank (16 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
23	18.1	Carboxylic acids	Rotate the carboxyl group in the simulator and switch between the acid and its anion.
24	18.2	Esters	Pick an acid and an alcohol in the simulator and watch the ester assemble.
24		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 16 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Only carbonates and hydrogencarbonates separate acids from alcohols: sodium and PCl 5 react with any –OH group.
Name the alcohol part first: CH 3 COOC 2 H 5 is ethyl ethanoate, and HCOOCH 3 is methyl methanoate.

Topic 19Nitrogen compounds

Week 24

2 lessons, 1 hour 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Nitrogen compounds lab Assessment: topic question bank (16 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
24	19.1	Primary amines	Choose a halogenoalkane in the simulator and step through the attack by ammonia.
24	19.2	Nitriles and hydroxynitriles	React a halogenoalkane with KCN in ethanol in the simulator.
24		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 16 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Use excess ammonia, not excess halogenoalkane, to get the primary amine; excess halogenoalkane pushes the substitution on to secondary and tertiary amines and the quaternary salt.
A nitrile is named by counting the C of the C≡N group: CH 3 CH 2 CN is propanenitrile, not ethanenitrile.

Topic 20Polymerisation

Week 25

1 lesson, 45 minutesTopic plan Lab: Addition polymerisation lab Assessment: topic question bank (8 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
25	20.1	Addition polymerisation	Pick a monomer in the simulator and watch the π bonds open and the molecules join end to end.
25		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 8 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Poly(ethene) is saturated, so never draw a C=C inside a repeat unit, and never write “polyethene contains double bonds”.

Topic 21Organic synthesis

Week 25

1 lesson, 45 minutesTopic plan Lab: Organic synthesis lab Assessment: topic question bank (8 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
25	21.1	Organic synthesis and reaction pathways	Build displayed, structural and skeletal formulae in the simulator and pick out each functional group before you predict any reaction.
25		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 8 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Do not try to oxidise straight from an alkane or alkene to an acid at AS: go through the halogenoalkane or alcohol.

Topic 22Analytical techniques

Weeks 25 to 26

2 lessons, 1 hour 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Analytical techniques lab Assessment: topic question bank (16 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
25	22.1	Infrared spectroscopy	Stretch each bond in the simulator and watch the dipole: a vibration is only IR-active if it changes the dipole.
26	22.2	Mass spectrometry	Build the mass spectrum of a molecule in the simulator.
26		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 16 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Spectra are drawn with wavenumber decreasing from left to right, and absorptions point down.
The M + peak is the last significant peak before its own small isotope peaks, not the tallest (the tallest is the base peak).

A Level (A2)

Year 2: the A2 topics

Weeks 26 to 41

Topic 23Chemical energetics (A Level)

Weeks 26 to 27

4 lessons, 3 hoursTopic plan Lab: Chemical energetics (A Level) lab Assessment: topic question bank (32 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
26	23.1	Lattice energy and Born-Haber cycles	Match each enthalpy term to its equation in the simulator.
26	23.2	Enthalpies of solution and hydration	Set up the triangle in the simulator: solid to gaseous ions (reverse of lattice energy), then gaseous ions to aqueous ions (hydration).
27	23.3	Entropy change	Compare the before and after particle pictures in the simulator and watch how freely the particles move.
27	23.4	Gibbs free energy change	Work through the decomposition of calcium carbonate at two temperatures.
27		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 32 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Lattice energy goes from gaseous ions to the solid, so it is negative; do not reverse it.
Hydration starts from gaseous ions, not the solid.
Entropy values are in J K −1 mol −1, not kJ.

Topic 24Electrochemistry (A Level)

Weeks 27 to 28

4 lessons, 3 hoursTopic plan Lab: Electrode potentials and electrolysis lab Assessment: topic question bank (32 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
27	24.1	Electrolysis and the Faraday constant	Electrolyse molten and aqueous electrolytes in the simulator.
28	24.2	Standard electrode potentials	Set up the standard hydrogen electrode against a half-cell in the simulator, then build reduction half-equations: balance atoms, then add electrons to balance charge.
28	24.2	Standard cell potentials and feasibility	Pair two half-cells in the simulator and watch which electrode gives electrons to which.
28	24.2	The Nernst equation	Treat each half-equation as an equilibrium and apply Le Chatelier.
28		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 32 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Time must be in seconds (minutes times 60).
E ⊖ values are always quoted for the reduction.
E ⊖ cell = E ⊖ (positive) − E ⊖ (negative): never add them, and never multiply E ⊖ by the coefficients used to balance electrons.

Topic 25Equilibria (A Level)

Weeks 29 to 30

4 lessons, 3 hoursTopic plan Lab: Acid-base equilibria lab Assessment: topic question bank (32 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
29	25.1	Ka, pKa and the pH of weak acids	Choose a strong acid, then a strong base, in the simulator and change the concentration.
29	25.1	Buffer solutions	A buffer needs a large amount of both partners.
29	25.1	Solubility product and the common ion effect	Compare sparingly soluble salts in the simulator, then add a common ion.
30	25.2	Partition coefficients	Partition is an equilibrium like any other: molecules move across the boundary in both directions until the rates are equal, and the ratio of concentrations is then fixed.
30		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 32 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Do not set [H + ] equal to the concentration of a weak acid; that is only true for strong acids.
A buffer is not a solution whose pH never changes: it resists change from small additions, and fails once one reservoir is used up.
Square or cube the right terms: for PbI 2, [I − ] = 2s and K sp = 4s 3, not s 3 or s 2.

Topic 26Reaction kinetics (A Level)

Weeks 30 to 31

4 lessons, 3 hoursTopic plan Lab: Rate equations and reaction kinetics lab Assessment: topic question bank (32 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
30	26.1	Orders of reaction and rate equations	Measure the rate of a reaction in the simulator at several starting concentrations and see how the initial gradient changes.
30	26.1	Rate-determining step and mechanisms	Work through each example: write the steps, check they add up to the overall equation, then read the rate equation off the slow step.
31	26.2	Temperature, rate constants and the Arrhenius equation	Raise the temperature in the Boltzmann distribution simulator and watch the shaded area beyond the activation energy grow.
31	26.3	Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts	Compare uncatalysed and catalysed routes in the simulator and look for the extra dip that marks an intermediate.
31		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 32 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Orders come from experimental data, not from the coefficients in the balanced equation.
The rate equation tells you about the slow step, not the overall equation, so do not copy coefficients from the overall equation.
Always use T in kelvin and R in J K −1 mol −1, so E a comes out in J mol −1: divide by 1000 for kJ.

Topic 27Group 2 (A Level)

Week 31

1 lesson, 45 minutesTopic plan Lab: Group 2 trends lab Assessment: topic question bank (8 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
31	27.1	Group 2: solubility and thermal stability	Compare the cations next to a carbonate ion in the simulator and watch how much each one distorts the anion; then heat each carbonate and nitrate on the next tab and compare how hot it must get before gas is given off.
31		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 8 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Both terms get less exothermic down the group; the trend depends on which one falls faster, so never explain solubility with just one of them.

Topic 28Transition elements

Weeks 32 to 34

7 lessons, 5 hours 15 minutesTopic plan Lab: Transition elements lab Assessment: topic question bank (56 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
32	28.1	Physical properties of transition elements	Write the configuration of the atom first, then remove the 4s electrons before any 3d electrons when the ion forms.
32	28.2	Complex ions and ligands	Each ligand uses a lone pair on a donor atom.
32	28.2	Ligand exchange	Follow each arrow on the figure: write the equation, then say what happens to the colour, the coordination number and the shape.
33	28.2	Variable oxidation states and redox	Work out the oxidation number of the metal in each species in the simulator, then build the half-equations by balancing O with H 2 O, H with H + and charge with electrons.
33	28.3	Colour of complexes	Use the figure: an electron moves up across ΔE, and the frequency of light absorbed matches the gap exactly.
33	28.4	Stereoisomerism in complexes	Place the two identical ligands next to each other (cis, 90°) or opposite each other (trans, 180°).
34	28.5	Stability constants, Kstab	Watch the Kstab panel on the ligand exchange bench as you add ammonia and chloride.
34		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 56 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

When forming ions, remove the 4s electrons first: Fe 2+ is [Ar]3d 6, not [Ar]3d 4 4s 2.
The coordination number counts dative bonds, not ligands: [Cu(en) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ] 2+ is 6-coordinate.
A little ammonia acts as a base and gives the hydroxide precipitate; only excess ammonia acts as a ligand and gives the deep blue solution.

Topic 29Organic chemistry (A Level introduction)

Weeks 34 to 35

4 lessons, 3 hoursTopic plan Lab: Organic chemistry (A Level introduction) lab Assessment: topic question bank (32 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
34	29.1	A Level functional groups and naming	Pick each A Level functional group in the simulator and see it highlighted on a molecule, then watch how the suffix or prefix changes the name.
34	29.2	A Level organic reactions	Sort the reaction cards in the simulator, then follow an electrophile attacking a pi system in Fig. 1.
35	29.3	Structure of benzene	Toggle between the Kekulé structure and the delocalised ring in the simulator, and compare the sideways overlap in ethene with the continuous overlap round a benzene ring.
35	29.4	Optical isomerism	Pick a molecule with four different groups on one carbon in the simulator, look at its mirror image, then try to rotate the mirror image so it fits the original.
35		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 32 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Amines are classified by counting the carbon groups on the nitrogen, not by the type of carbon the nitrogen is on: (CH 3) 3 CNH 2 is a primary amine even though it would be a tertiary alcohol if the NH 2 were OH.
Benzene undergoes electrophilic substitution, not addition: an addition would destroy the stable delocalised ring.
The circle does not mean benzene has no double bond character: every C–C bond has some.

Topic 30Arenes

Weeks 35 to 36

2 lessons, 1 hour 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Arenes lab Assessment: topic question bank (16 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
35	30.1	Arenes	Switch the ring in the simulator from the sigma skeleton to the p orbitals and the π doughnut: six p orbitals overlapping all the way round instead of in pairs.
36	30.1	Electrophilic substitution	Look at the delocalised ring in the simulator: adding across one C=C, as ethene does with bromine, would destroy that delocalisation, so benzene substitutes instead and keeps the ring.
36		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 16 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Benzene does not decolourise bromine water: it needs pure Br 2 and a halogen carrier, and the reaction is substitution (HBr is the by-product), not addition.
The first curly arrow starts from the delocalised ring (the circle), not from a C=C or a C–H bond, and ends at the electrophile's atom.

Topic 31Halogenoarenes

Week 36

1 lesson, 45 minutesTopic plan Lab: Halogenoarenes lab Assessment: topic question bank (8 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
36	31.1	Halogenoarenes	Step through the simulator: chlorine adds across the C=C of an alkene, but with benzene it substitutes, and only when a halogen carrier is present to make a strong enough electrophile.
36		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 8 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Do not write a halogen carrier for side-chain chlorination: AlCl 3 puts Cl on the ring; UV light puts it on the CH 3.

Topic 32Hydroxy compounds (A Level)

Weeks 36 to 37

2 lessons, 1 hour 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Alcohols and phenol lab Assessment: topic question bank (16 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
36	32.1	Alcohols: further reactions	Add sodium to water and to ethanol in the simulator and compare how fast hydrogen is given off.
37	32.2	Phenol	Compare the acids in the simulator, then use the table to explain where phenol sits and why it fizzes with sodium but not with carbonate.
37		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 16 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Alcohols are weaker acids than water, not stronger: the alkyl group is electron-donating and destabilises the alkoxide ion.
Phenol does not react with carbonates: it is too weak an acid to release CO 2, which is how it is told apart from a carboxylic acid.

Topic 33Carboxylic acids and derivatives (A Level)

Week 37

2 lessons, 1 hour 30 minutesTopic plan Lab: Carboxylic acids and derivatives (A Level) lab Assessment: topic question bank (16 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
37	33.1	Relative acidity of carboxylic acids	Change the substituents in the simulator and watch the pKa and the charge on the carboxylate ion.
37	33.2	Acyl chlorides	Compare the hydrolysis of different chloro compounds in the simulator, watching how fast a precipitate forms with silver nitrate.
37		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 16 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Electron- withdrawing groups make an acid stronger; electron-donating groups make it weaker.
Show the mechanism in two steps: addition (lone pair to C, C=O π electrons to O) then elimination (C=O reforms, Cl − leaves).

Topic 34Nitrogen compounds (A Level)

Weeks 38 to 39

4 lessons, 3 hoursTopic plan Lab: Nitrogen compounds (A Level) lab Assessment: topic question bank (32 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
38	34.1	Primary and secondary amines	Making an amine from a halogenoalkane is covered in the AS nitrogen compounds lab.
38	34.1	Phenylamine and azo dyes	Phenylamine cannot be made from a halogenoarene and ammonia, because the C–Cl bond in chlorobenzene is too strong.
38	34.2	Amides	Acyl chlorides are reactive because the carbonyl carbon is bonded to two electronegative atoms.
39	34.3	Amino acids and peptides	Slide the pH in the simulator and watch the amino acid change form.
39		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 32 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Basicity is about how available the lone pair on N is to accept H +, not about how many H atoms there are.
The reducing agent for nitrobenzene is tin and concentrated HCl, followed by NaOH; do not write NaBH 4 or LiAlH 4.
Learn the hydrolysis products by condition: acid gives the free carboxylic acid and the nitrogen as an ammonium ion; alkali gives the carboxylate salt and the free ammonia or amine.

Topic 35Polymerisation (A Level)

Weeks 39 to 40

3 lessons, 2 hours 15 minutesTopic plan Lab: Condensation polymers lab Assessment: topic question bank (24 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
39	35.1	Condensation polymerisation	Watch the diacid and diol join in the simulator and note the water that leaves.
39	35.2	Polymer deductions	Work through each example: find the repeating pattern first, then cut at the links.
40	35.3	Degradable polymers	Hydrolyse the polyester chain in the simulator with water, acid and then alkali.
40		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 24 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

In a condensation polymer the repeat unit contains one residue of each monomer and the links inside the chain: do not leave H on the N end and OH on the C=O end of a repeat unit.
When cutting an amide link, the C=O stays with the acid monomer and the N–H with the amine: do not split the C=O away from its carbon.
Poly(alkenes) are not biodegradable because their C–C and C–H bonds are non-polar and strong, not because they are "too big".

Topic 36Organic synthesis (A Level)

Week 40

1 lesson, 45 minutesTopic plan Lab: Organic synthesis (A Level) lab Assessment: topic question bank (8 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
40	36.1	Multi-step organic synthesis	Highlight each functional group on the target molecules in the simulator until every group stands out at a glance.
40		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 8 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Do not add or average step yields: multiply them.

Topic 37Analytical techniques (A Level)

Weeks 40 to 41

3 lessons, 2 hours 15 minutesTopic plan Lab: Chromatography and NMR lab Assessment: topic question bank (24 MCQ)Notes PDF

Week	Ref	Lesson	Learning intention
40	37.1	Chromatography	Each method below has the same two ingredients.
41	37.2	Proton NMR spectroscopy	Electronegative atoms near a hydrogen pull electron density away from it, so its peak moves to higher δ (to the left of the spectrum).
41	37.2	Carbon-13 NMR spectroscopy	Draw the full structure, then look for symmetry.
41		Assessment point	Topic question bank, 24 multiple-choice questions: print or review, or assign in the app for a marked score.

Examiner traps to pre-empt:

Rf is spot distance ÷ solvent front distance, never ÷ the length of the plate, and both are measured from the baseline.
Splitting comes from H on the adjacent carbon, not from the H in the group itself: a CH 3 next to a CH 2 is a triplet, not a quartet.
Count environments, not carbon atoms: the two CH 3 groups of propanone give one peak. 13 C peaks are not split and their heights do not give the number of carbons, unlike proton peak areas.

Also for this course

Beyond the scheme

Lesson packs122 packs: plan, worksheet, quiz Question bankBuild a test from every course PlannerBlock out the term Classes and gradebookAssign the banks, track everyone Student syllabus pageA-Level Chemistry 9701

Original work by the TheLucidSTEM team. Week numbers assume 3 lessons a week unless you change the control; the download carries the numbers shown.