I am a Science and Chemistry teacher focused on Cambridge IGCSE and AS/A. I am also heavily involved in the National Chemistry Olympiad program.
By way of background I have a PhD in inorganic chemistry and entered teaching after 13 years in the food industry.
I guess I am a bit old fashioned - I don't use twitter and I have no idea what instagram or Pinterest are......but I love my subject and I love working with students.
I am a Science and Chemistry teacher focused on Cambridge IGCSE and AS/A. I am also heavily involved in the National Chemistry Olympiad program.
By way of background I have a PhD in inorganic chemistry and entered teaching after 13 years in the food industry.
I guess I am a bit old fashioned - I don't use twitter and I have no idea what instagram or Pinterest are......but I love my subject and I love working with students.
This resource consists of 2 worksheets: 25 calculation problems (and worked answers) involving aspects of acid base chemistry and some general pH calculation notes, which initially cover simple calculations. .
The first half of each work sheet covers pH calculations in both acid and base conditions and calculation of H+ and OH- ion concentrations.
The 2nd side of the worksheets focus on pH calculations involving partial neutralisation reactions where the student has to work out what species is in excess before calculating the pH. Some problems also involve the use of n=m/M equation.
These problems would suit students doing IGCSE, year 11 chemistry or wanting to enter the National chemistry Olympiad competition.
ps (June 2018) I have updated this resource and changed a problem that potentially is misleading.)
This resource focuses on laboratory equipment found in a typical school. There are four worksheets.
The first bundle relates to laboratory equipment that is typically used in schools. The student either provides the English word or the Chinese word. Pictures are given on each worksheet. The answers are also provided.
The second bundle relates to words we typically use to describe what we observe in an experiment. It includes terms that are important for drawing and describing graphs.
The feedback from the classroom has been very positive and some colleagues from other schools have asked to use these resources for their Chinese International students.
If there are specific topics you would like please tell me as it is likely they are currently being developed / or used.
This resource consists of some general REDOX notes and 1 work sheet with 6 hard-to-difficult REDOX reactions to balance.
The difficulty is due to the fact the students must first convert word equations into symbols. One problem requires them to balance under alkaline conditions and the metal product is not immediately obvious.
The problems introduce the students to uncommon reactions where the acid itself is converted to products other than hydrogen gas.
This worksheet would be suitable for students doing A-level or wanting to take part in the National Chemistry Olympiad competition.
This resource consists of 2 double-sided worksheets made up of short answer questions (and answers) relating to atomic structure; in particular, ionisation energy, atomic and ionic radii and electron affinity.
The questions would suit students studying AS-A2 or IB chemistry and students wanting to compete in a National Chemistry Olympiad competition.
The students are required to write structured answers rather than limited 2-3 word answers therefore encouraging writing skills and building their understanding of the periodic table.
5Feb17: small error found and fixed.
There are two worksheets (with worked answers) and notes in this resource. WS1 focuses on word equations and limits reaction to those of oxides, hydroxides and carbonates. Notes are also provided. The intention is for students to get used to the idea of always writing down the salt and that water is the other product.
WS2 asks students to balance the symbol equations. The equations are limited to acids reacting with oxides, carbonates and hydroxides. Both worksheets are also part of a larger resource called "Chemistry: balancing equations involving metals and their salts".
This resource will suit students learning about balancing equations for the first time.
With all the best intentions in the world, mistakes do get made. Please tell me if there is an error and I will correct it and organise to send you a corrected copy.
This resource contains two fun-worders based around the first 20 elements of the periodic table.
In the first fun-worder, the student has to find the element. Each element succeeds its atomic number (find the name and you find the atomic number). The 2nd fun-worder has both the proton number (before the word) and the atomic mass (after the word). The student then fills in the periodic table grid (supplied) in the correct order.
Other shorter activities are included: match symbols and names, and electron configuration practice.
The students love these activities and it can take a good 45 minutes to complete. It is fun and builds familiarity with the PT.
There are 2 worksheets (and answers) as well as notes and worked examples (ws2). The resources would suit students aged about 14-17 years old depending on the course. WS2 is for more advanced students.
WS1 has 2 pages of questions where the student has to choose whether a reaction is either endothermic or exothermic, draw and label an energy profile. There are also some simple calculations to determine the amount of energy given off from a known mass of an organic compound.
WS2 contains notes, worked examples and 10 problems (and answers) focused on the equation Using q = mCΔT and Hess's law. The problems will be useful for students enrolled in Honors, AP or those who would like to sit the National Chemistry Olympiad competition. The problems are of straight forward to moderate difficulty.
With all the best intentions in the world, mistakes do get made. Please tell me if there is an error and I will correct it and organise to send you a corrected copy.
Key words: Hess's law, thermochemistry, enthalpy, heat, thermodynamics, calculations.
This resource contains 5 simple experiments that have been successfully used in the laboratory for students aged from 11-15 years of age.
The aim, through simple experiments, is to encourage safe working with chemicals and familiarity with equipment.
One experiment is based on the use of plastic burettes where students are asked to work out which solution is the strongest (most concentrated). The use of burettes adds the 'wow' factor for budding young Scientists. They will talk about it for weeks to come.
The experiments are based around color change with common acids and bases and Universal Indicator. A short set of instructions explaining how to make a home made indicator is also included.
The "effect f dilution...." resource helps the students link dilution to colour change of UI. The students like this one because it allows them to practice dilutions and observe colour change.
This resource consists of two experiments.
The first is the permanganate - oxalic acid titration to standardise the permanagate.
The second uses the permanganate solution to determine the concentration o f a solution of unknown concentration of Fe(II).
These practicals would suit students in year 11-13 who have experience with titrations and REDOX chemistry. The resource has the template for data collation built into it.
The resource is 4 pages long.
With all the best intentions in the world, mistakes do get made. Please tell me if there is an error and I will correct it and organise to send you a corrected copy.
Key words: titration, oxalic acid, permanganate, iron, calculations, practical
This worksheet has bond enthalpy and lattice energy calculations and would be suitable for A level students.
Key words: Hess’s law, bond enthalpy, Lattice energy, calculations.
This experiment gets students to compare pH titration data collected using different indicators. It shows the importance of choosing the correct indicator.
The experiment(s) are easily carried out in 50 minutes and students can do up to 8 titrations during the class. Data is reported back to the teacher and the results shared with the wider class.
Student feedback suggests this is a very useful practical and the repetitive nature of the experiment allows them to fine-tune their experimental skills.
The practical will be useful for those studying acid-base chemistry and buffer systems. Students enrolled in AS-A2 Cambridge or A level courses would find this practical beneficial.
Notes for the teacher are also included
Key words: buffer, acid-base, equivalence point, buffer zone, practical, pKa, indicators.
This resource would suit A2 students. It contains 4 pages of problems, which can either be printed on both sides and made into an 4-page booklet or used as two separate 2-page problem sheets.
The problems focus on the assignment of signals to the different hydrogen environments in 2-5 carbon organic aliphatic molecules. Some problems ask the student to distinguish between isomers based on the number and type of signals. The start of the worksheet asks students to decide how many signals they can expect based on symmetry arguments. In all cases students are asked to justify their assignments.
Other worksheets are currently being developed that will include aromatic systems and problems based on the combination of IR, Mass spec, 1H and 13C NMR spectra. If you find any mistakes please give me feedback and I will address and send you an updated version.
This resource contains some worked calculations and notes and a 2-page w/s that contains weak acid or weak base problems. 2 misconception questions are also included to encourage students to be able to explain a concept without the need of a calculator. Answers are provided.
The detailed pH calculation notes are also found in the other pH calculation resources at Drog-chem’s shop.
This resource would suit those doing AS/A2 (Cambridge) or A-level chemistry. It would be useful for those wanting to compete in the National Chemistry Olympiad Competition…
This worksheet (and answers) contains 8 empirical formula problems and answers.
It would suit students aged 16-18 yrs and those in Cambridge IGCSE or AS courses.
Key words: calculations, molecular formula, empirical formula,
This resource contains student instructions to determine the vitamin C content of a commercial vitamin C tablet (or a Technician's unknown sample).
There is an introduction outlining the different REDOX steps involved in the back titration, a data recording sheet and instructions for the Technician for the preparation of the different reagents.
This practical would suit students who are studying REDOX chemistry in AS-A2 Cambridge or A-level courses.
This resource consists of two worksheets.
The first work sheet is based on a series of unknowns (a-o) that are either a reagent or a product (about 30-50 min. to complete depending on ability of student). The reactions are limited to oxidation, reduction, nucleophilic substitution, chlorination, cyanation and addition reactions. The worksheet will suit students A-level chemistry or with an interest in the National Chemistry Olympiad competition.
The second worksheet (ws3) is 3 pages long and has 24 questions requiring either structures, short answers or descriptions for answers. Answers are included.
This resource is a test that covers various aspects of periodicity: sub atomic numbers, electron configuration, assigning charge to ionic species, some electrolysis questions and a few word equations (eg. photosynthesis) requiring symbols equations.
The test takes about 1 hour.
This test is about 1 hours long. It includes questions about calculating oxidation number, observations and balancing half and full REDOX equations. Answers are included.
This test would be useful for students doing IGCSE and AS chemistry.
With all the best intentions in the world, mistakes do get made. Please tell me if there is an error and I will correct it and organise to send you a corrected copy.
This test comprises about 45 marks worth of short answer questions (with answers).
The focus is on the periodic table, electron configuration, balancing simple word and symbol, equations, universal indicator colors and a few questions concerning the electrolysis of NaCl.
With all the best intentions in the world, mistakes do get made. Please tell me if there is an error and I will correct it and organise to send you a corrected copy.
This resource consists of 4 worksheets (some double sided) and answers.
* The first two are starter activities and take about 10-15 minutes to complete.
* The elements-compounds-molecules and mixtures worksheet has a variety of exercises.
* The states of matter worksheet largely focuses on a number of short answer questions based on every day scenarios. There are also some diagrams to complete.
The resources target students who are in year 8-10 (13-15 years old) depending on curriculum.