The Contact process (OCR GCSE Chemistry)

This lesson is fully-resourced, engaging and detailed and explains how the Contact process is one of the 3 steps involved in making sulfuric acid. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources, which are differentiated, have been written to cover point C6.1(d) of the OCR Gateway A GCSE Chemistry specification.

The lesson begins with a challenge where students have to use the 1st letters of the answers to questions on previously covered topics to come up with the word CONTACT. At this point, the students are introduced to the contact process as the 2nd step in a 3 stage process to make sulfuric acid. The lesson goes through the details of each of the 3 steps but particular time is spent exploring the conditions needed for the contact process in step 2. Students are continuously tested on their knowledge of reversible reactions and the key concepts to do with equilibrium position and equilibrium yield are explained so they can understand how the conditions of 2 atmospheres and 450 degrees celsius are chosen. Again through a prior knowledge check of empirical formula, the students will be introduced to vanadium oxide as the catalyst. As well as exam-style questions with displayed answers to check on current understanding, there are discussion points as well as quick quiz competitions to introduce key terms and values in a memorable way.