States of Matter and Mixtures | Edexcel GCSE Chemistry, Foundation tier (1CH0)
States of Matter and Mixtures
- 118 questions
- 8 subtopics
- Paper 1
- Paper 1
States of Matter and Mixtures is examined in Paper 1, Chemistry 1.
It covers the three states of matter and changes of state, energy changes during changes of state, and predicting state, pure substances and melting point data, choosing a separation technique, separating a mixture in practice, paper chromatography and interpreting a chromatogram, investigating inks by distillation and chromatography and making water potable.
Sample questions from States of Matter and Mixtures
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
-
The three states of matter and changes of state
Put the three states of matter in order of increasing energy of their particles.
Show the answer
Solid particles have the least energy, liquid particles have more, and gas particles have the most. -
Energy changes during changes of state, and predicting state
Why does the temperature stay constant while a pure solid is melting?
Show the answer
The energy supplied is used to overcome the forces between the particles rather than to make them move faster. -
Pure substances and melting point data
State one way in which the properties of a mixture differ from those of a pure substance.
Show the answer
Each substance in a mixture keeps its own properties, while a pure substance has one fixed set of properties. -
Choosing a separation technique
Why would crystallisation be chosen instead of distillation to obtain salt from salt solution?
Show the answer
Crystallisation is used when only the dissolved solid is wanted and the solvent does not need to be kept. -
Separating a mixture in practice
A mixture contains sand and salt. Describe how to obtain dry salt from it.
Show the answer
Add water and stir to dissolve the salt, filter off the sand, then crystallise the salt from the filtrate. -
Paper chromatography and interpreting a chromatogram
What kind of substances can be separated by paper chromatography?
Show the answer
Substances that are soluble in the solvent being used. -
Investigating inks by distillation and chromatography
What does the distillation stage show about the composition of an ink?
Show the answer
It shows that the ink is a mixture of a solvent and coloured substances dissolved in it. -
Making water potable
Why is chlorine added to water during treatment?
Show the answer
It kills bacteria and other microbes that could cause disease.
The 8 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The three states of matter and changes of state | The arrangement, movement and energy of particles in solids, liquids and gases, why gases compress and solids keep their shape, melting, freezing, boiling, evaporation, condensing and sublimation, and physical and chemical changes. | 16 |
| Energy changes during changes of state, and predicting state | What happens to particles and their energy as substances melt, boil, condense, freeze and sublime, why the temperature stays constant while a pure solid melts, and predicting a substance's state from its melting and boiling points. | 16 |
| Pure substances and melting point data | What pure means in chemistry and in everyday language, what a mixture is and why it can be separated physically, and how a sharp melting or boiling point shows a substance is pure while a mixture melts over a range. | 16 |
| Choosing a separation technique | Which mixtures are separated by filtration, crystallisation, simple distillation, fractional distillation and paper chromatography, and why each technique suits the properties of the substances being separated. | 10 |
| Separating a mixture in practice | Choosing filtration, crystallisation, chromatography or fractional distillation for sand and water, copper sulfate, sand and salt, pen dyes and ethanol and water, and how to obtain pure water from muddy salt water. | 8 |
| Paper chromatography and interpreting a chromatogram | The mobile and stationary phases, why substances travel different distances up the paper and which can be separated, how a chromatogram shows purity or identifies a substance, and calculating and interpreting Rf values. | 18 |
| Investigating inks by distillation and chromatography | What simple distillation of an ink separates, the condenser, thermometer and safety precautions, and why the chromatography start line is pencil, the spots small and the solvent below the line. | 18 |
| Making water potable | What potable water is, sedimentation, filtration and chlorination, distilling sea water and why it is costly, why chemical tests use distilled or deionised water, and taking representative random samples of water. | 16 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
-
Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
-
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.
-
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.
Nearby topics
Edexcel GCSE Chemistry, Foundation tier Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,651 questions with their answers.