Look inside the Edexcel A-Level Chemistry guide (9CH0)
Guide overview All 19 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
Look inside the Edexcel A-Level Chemistry guide
Questions for a subtopic print together. The answers for that section print after them. Nothing else is in the file.
- Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table68
- Bonding and Structure69
- Redox I35
- Inorganic Chemistry and the Periodic Table168
- Formulae, Equations and Amounts of Substance134
- Organic Chemistry I202
- Modern Analytical Techniques I45
- Energetics I39
- Kinetics I32
- Equilibrium I24
- Equilibrium II23
- Acid-Base Equilibria73
- and 7 more
- Define ionic bonding.
- How does ionic charge affect the strength of ionic bonding?
- How does ionic radius affect the strength of ionic bonding?
- How are cations formed?
- How are anions formed?
- How is a cation shown in a dot-and-cross diagram?
- How is an anion shown in a dot-and-cross diagram?
- What is an isoelectronic series?
- Why does ionic radius decrease across the isoelectronic series from N³⁻ to Al³⁺?
- Ions of opposite charge pulling strongly on one another.
- Greater ionic charge gives a stronger electrostatic attraction, so stronger ionic bonding.
- A smaller ionic radius gives stronger attraction, because the centres of charge are closer together.
- By an atom losing one or more electrons.
- By an atom gaining one or more electrons.
- In square brackets with its charge, usually with the outer shell empty because the electrons have been lost.
- In square brackets with its charge, with a complete outer shell including the gained electrons.
- A set of ions (or atoms) that all have the same number of electrons and the same electron configuration.
- The number of electrons stays the same but the nuclear charge increases, so the electrons are pulled in more strongly.
- State Hess's law.
- Why is Hess's law useful?
- Given enthalpies of formation, how is ΔH for a reaction obtained?
- Given enthalpies of combustion, how is ΔH for a reaction obtained?
- In a Hess cycle built from enthalpies of formation, which way do the arrows point?
- In a Hess cycle built from enthalpies of combustion, which way do the arrows point?
- Define bond enthalpy.
- Define mean bond enthalpy.
- Is bond breaking exothermic or endothermic?
- The total enthalpy change of a reaction is independent of the route taken, provided the starting and finishing conditions are the same.
- It allows enthalpy changes that cannot be measured directly to be calculated from ones that can.
- Sum of enthalpies of formation of the products minus the sum of enthalpies of formation of the reactants.
- Sum of enthalpies of combustion of the reactants minus the sum of enthalpies of combustion of the products.
- From the elements up to the reactants and to the products (formation arrows point away from the elements).
- From the reactants and products down to the combustion products (arrows point towards CO₂ and H₂O).
- The energy required to break one mole of a specified covalent bond with all species in the gaseous state.
- The average energy needed to break one mole of a given type of bond, averaged over a range of different compounds.
- Endothermic - energy must be supplied.
- What is the general pattern for the electronic configuration of d-block elements?
- Why do electrons fill the 4s orbital before the 3d orbitals in d-block elements?
- State the electronic configuration of chromium.
- Why does chromium have an anomalous electronic configuration?
- State the electronic configuration of copper.
- Why does copper have an anomalous electronic configuration?
- When a d-block element forms an ion, which electrons are removed first?
- Explain why 4s electrons are lost before 3d electrons when d-block elements form ions.
- Define a transition metal.
- [Ar] 3dⁿ 4s² or [Ar] 3dⁿ 4s¹, where electrons fill the 4s orbital before the 3d orbitals.
- The 4s orbital is at a lower energy level than the 3d orbitals, so it fills first according to the aufbau principle.
- [Ar] 3d⁵ 4s¹
- A half-filled d-subshell provides extra stability, so one electron from the 4s orbital moves to the 3d subshell to achieve 3d⁵ 4s¹.
- [Ar] 3d¹⁰ 4s¹
- A fully-filled d-subshell provides extra stability, so one electron from the 4s orbital moves to the 3d subshell to achieve 3d¹⁰ 4s¹.
- Electrons are removed from the 4s orbital before the 3d orbitals.
- Once the 3d orbitals are occupied, the 4s orbital becomes higher in energy than the 3d orbitals, so 4s electrons are removed first.
- A d-block element with at least one stable ion whose d sub-shell is only partly filled.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Edexcel A-Level Chemistry Active Recall Guide
Every question paired with its answer, ready to work in three passes.