AS in Chemistry AQA (7404)

Course Content

The full AS consists of 3 units of content:

AS Chemistry AQA Unit 1 Physical chemistry

3.1.1 Atomic structure
3.1.2 Amount of substance
3.1.3 Bonding
3.1.4 Energetics
3.1.5 Kinetics
3.1.6 Chemical equilibria, Le Chatelier’s principle and Kc
3.1.7 Oxidation, reduction and redox equations

The opening unit begins by looking at the atom, the building blocks of chemistry and considers how the atom is made up and how this impacts the chemistry of the molecules they form.  We then look at concentrations of solutions and the concept of the ‘mole’ as an amount of substance. The unit continues on to look at how atoms bind together using different types of bonding to form molecules and how the type of bonding influences the properties of a given compound. Energetics covers the energy transfers involved in chemical reactions and we investigate the requirements for a chemical reaction to successfully occur. The kinetics topic in the A-Level course show the student how the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution and collision theory are key in the creation of models in chemistry and how they account for the different effects that changing variables can have on the rate of a reaction before the unit finishes off by looking at equilibrium reactions can go in both directions and investigates ways in which we can control the reaction, and finally, redox reactions, types of reactions that involve the loss and gain of electrons.

AS Chemistry AQA Unit 2 Inorganic chemistry

3.2.1 Periodicity
3.2.2 Group 2, the alkaline earth metals
3.2.3 Group 7(17), the halogens

Unit 2 concentrates on the chemistry of inorganic compounds (those not generally involved in living things and do not contain the element, carbon). In this unit, we look at the periodic table and some of the key families of elements within it.

AS Chemistry AQA Unit 3 Organic chemistry

3.3.1 Introduction to organic chemistry
3.3.2 Alkanes
3.3.3 Halogenoalkanes
3.3.4 Alkenes
3.3.5 Alcohols
3.3.6 Organic analysis

Unit 3 introduces the organic compounds all of which share in common the elements carbon, hydrogen and often oxygen or nitrogen. The unit opens by introducing some common ideas in organic chemistry including how to name an organic compound based on its constituent elements and the coordination of these elements within the molecule. We then look at four particular groups of organic compounds, before discovering ways in which we can analyse organic compounds to identify them.

Assessment

For the AS Chemistry AQA you will sit two exam papers

Paper 1

AS Chemistry AQA Content examined
• Relevant physical chemistry topics (sections 3.1.1 to 3.1.4, 3.1.6 and 3.1.7)
• Inorganic chemistry (section 3.2.1 to 3.2.3)
• Relevant practical skills<

Exam Details
• Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes
• 80 marks
• 50% of the AS

Questions
65 marks of short and long answer questions
15 marks of multiple choice questions

Paper 2

AS Chemistry AQA Content examined
• Relevant physical chemistry topics (sections 3.1.2 to 3.1.6)
• Organic chemistry (section 3.3.1 to 3.3.6)
• Relevant practical skills

Exam Details
• Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes
• 80 marks
• 50% of the AS

Questions
65 marks of short and long answer questions
15 marks of multiple choice questions

Further Reading

CGP Revision Guide – New A-Level Chemistry: AQA Year 1 & AS Complete Revision & Practice with Online Edition – 978 1 78294 287 0. AS LEVEL & A-LEVEL

CGP Revision Guide – New A-Level Chemistry: AQA Year 2 Complete Revision & Practice with Online Edition– Due for release in September 2015, 978 1 78294 339 6 FULL A-LEVEL ONLY

Nicholls – AQA A Level Chemistry Year 1 7 AS Student Book – 978-0007590216– Publisher: Collins AS LEVEL & A-LEVEL

Bayley, Clark, Coppo – AQA A-Level Year 2 Student Book – 978-0007597635 – Publisher: Collins FULL A-LEVEL ONLY