Worksheet on making copper sulfate crystals covering two pages for AQA 9-1 GCSE chemistry, versions in colour and in black and white for printing with a mark scheme. Covers removing the excess copper oxide and letting crystals form, and checked against a similar question on the 84621H specimen paper. There’s a link to a recommended video from Pearson. The content is divided over the two pages: the first page is more “directly on the topic” questions and could be used on its own for students at the time they cover copper sulphate or do the practical, the second page is more extension and for “final exam revision”: based on student questions and points that came up from discussing the video, I made the second page cover more synoptic questions making connections with other topics, like temperature and rate of reaction. Written targeting AQA but would be suitable for other exam boards. The worksheet is targeted towards building exam technique and written question skills, so doesn’t include a full practical method. Topic area: required practical 1 and 4.4 Chemical Changes > 4.4.2 Reactions of acids > 4.4.2.3 Soluble salts > Preparing a pure dry sample of a soluble salt from an insoluble oxide or carbonate. I also have a version for Edexcel iGCSE chemistry.

One-page poster of the transition metal formulas and colours of aqua ions and reactions with hydroxide ions, ammonia, carbonate ions and HCl. Covers Fe2+, Fe3+, Al3+, Cu2+ and Co2+ ions. Versions in full colour and black and white. For AQA A-level chemistry. These notes are inspired by vocab check lists you use when you learn a foreign language-you cover the answers and read through. Getting the points to learn into an order you repeat over and over is really helpful for learning everything. UPDATE, October 2023: based on feedback from students, more details on the cobalt complexes and the problem of what you are and aren’t asked to know, the half-equation for oxidation by dissolved oxygen in alkaline solution has been added, the equation of ammonia acting as an alkali in water, and an explanation that on non-course materials you may see the hydroxide formulas without showing that they’re hydrated.

Worksheet on making copper sulfate crystals from copper oxide (insoluble base method) covering two pages for Edexcel 9-1 iGCSE chemistry, versions in colour and in black and white for printing with a mark scheme. Covers removing the excess copper oxide and letting crystals form. There’s a link to a recommended video from Pearson. The content is divided over the two pages: the first page is more “directly on the topic” questions and could be used on its own for students at the time they cover copper sulphate or do the practical, the second page is more extension and for “final exam revision”: based on student questions and points that came up from discussing the video, I made the second page cover more synoptic questions making connections with other topics, like temperature and rate of reaction. The worksheet is targeted towards building exam technique and written question skills, so doesn’t include a full practical method. Questions consulted include 2C June 2016 Q7 for technique (I recommend this for exam-style practice) and 1CR June 2019, question 5d for rate of reaction and temperature. I have a similar worksheet for AQA GCSE chemistry.

Combined lesson plan: a presentation on metallic bonding, simple fill-in-the-blank questions questions and a harder sheet of written questions linked to the presentation, and a take-home set of notes on one page. Covers metallic bonding, conduction of electricity and heat, the fact that metals are malleable/ductile and alloys. Starts with a mixer exercise covering uses of metals and also includes some properties and uses of the most common metals. Need to use this lesson plan in a hurry and want to deliver a polished lesson? I’ve got you covered: each slide ends with a full stop marking that it’s the last point on the slide so you know when the slide’s going to change. Also, each exam question slide has a spare line before the answer is revealed so you don’t accidentally show the answer too early. Included is a fairly easy fill-in-the-blanks worksheet and an exam-style written questions worksheet matching questions on the presentation, and the mark schemes for both. Both worksheets have pictures and diagrams to stimulate students. The notes have diagrams and also links to two recommended YouTube videos for revision. The pack is suitable for all specifications for GCSE and is useful for recap for students coming into A-level. It’s particularly been written for the AQA trilogy and synergy chemistry GCSEs and hits specific phrasing from their mark schemes. Doing Edexcel iGCSE? I now have a specific version for that course covering things like the types of steel. Besides covering metallic bonding, the presentation introduces themes for future lessons, like that metal recycling saves energy and rust prevention.

Some of the hardest questions for many GCSE chemistry students are the long answer written questions, explaining things like why the rate of reaction increases when you increase the temperature, and how the position of equilibrium shifts. So I’ve written a one-page set of notes for the Edexcel iGCSE chemistry course that covers all these questions, fitting them onto a single page. These notes cover: how temperature and concentration affect rate of reaction melting point of ionic, molecular and giant covalent chemicals equilibrium position conductivity It makes chemistry so much easier for students having everything on a single page. Particularly intended for iGCSE chemistry but I think it’s also pretty helpful for A-level students just starting the course who need to recap what they did last year, many will have forgotten these topics. This set of notes was written consulting current Edexcel iGCSE chemistry papers and mark schemes. Questions consulted included: rate: 1CR June 2019, question 5d bonding: 1CR June 2019 9a and 9b equilibrium: June 2019, 2C 7b and 2CR 7b conductivity: 2CR June 2019 and Paper 1CR June 2019 9c diffusion: 1C Jan 2018, 3c ii) Versions with colour pictures and without pictures for photocopying. I also have a version for the AQA GCSEs and a combined set for a range of courses.

Two-page revision checklist of all the transition metal colours on the OCR A A-level chemistry specification. Also includes list of notable catalysts, half-equations with dichromate(VI) and manganate(VII) ions, lists of the types of stereoisomerism, and links to videos of most of the reactions. There’s versions both in colour and black and white. These notes are inspired by vocab lists you use when you learn a foreign language-you cover the answers and read through. Getting the points to learn into an order you repeat over and over is really helpful for learning everything. Changelog, 12/3/23: a broken link has been fixed.

Worksheets for teaching polymers on the AQA chemistry specification, covering the current 9-1 GCSEs: a two-page question and answer worksheet covering addition and condensation polymers, and a fill-in-the-blanks sheet for the common addition polymers and their uses. Practices definitions and drawing organic molecule structures. Mark schemes are attached. I include a lot of alternative ways the molecules could be drawn in case the person giving the lesson isn’t a chemistry specialist.

Notes on one page each covering all the tests for anions and cations for Edexcel GCSE chemistry, including the precipitation equations. Versions both in colour and in black and white for photocopying. With the positive ion tests, I’ve included model equations, both complete and ionic, for the precipitation reactions, with examples for a +2 and +3 ion. With the negative ion tests, there’s both a full and ionic equation for carbonate, sulfate and halide ion reactions to give students good models. To show the differences in formulas between compounds of metals that form +2 and +1 ions, there’s equations for both sodium and calcium carbonate too, and details of what happens if you use different acids.

Five page revision notes on Gibbs free energy, for the OCR A specification. Covers the standard trick questions, graphs against temperature, and includes a range of worked examples, diagrams of the graphs, types of reactions where ΔH and ΔS have different signs and unit conversion examples.

Notes on one page covering all the tests for cations for AQA 9-1 GCSE chemistry, including the precipitation equations. I’ve also included model equations, both complete and ionic, for the precipitation reactions, with examples for a +2 and +3 ion. Versions both in colour and in black and white for photocopying and links to videos of the tests.

Worksheet on two pages on extracting metals using carbon (and tungsten), targeting the AQA 9-1 science and chemistry GCSEs in the C5 “Chemical changes” section of the course. Covers the reactivity series, unreactive metals, word and symbol equations, environmental impact, redox and tungsten extraction. There’s an in-depth mark scheme, diagram of a blast furnace and links to recommended videos. Update, September 2024: added version with the images tuned to print well in black and white (note that the emoji graphics appear in colour onscreen).

Helping students understand chemistry, I’ve realised you have to hold a lot of things in your head to even know what a chemistry textbook is talking about. A lot of students find they just can’t hold together all the things they have to know at once. Back in 2015, I realised what students can benefit from is a concentrated set of notes, like a dictionary or a glossary but in full sentences, that fits as much of chemistry as you can on a single page that you can keep referring back to to decode what’s going on. My students liked it, and I’ve worked to create definitions that are concise and clear to fit as much as possible on one page. It’s helpful for giving students just starting the course to have to refer to every now and then, and for students who need remedial help because the concepts are slipping out of reach. The notes include quick basic definitions of: structure of an atom how to read the periodic table ionic, covalent and metallic bonding properties of ionic chemicals oxidation and reduction properties of ionic chemicals acids, bases and alkalis the idea that in neutralisation the salt name depends on the acid

Notes on gas chromatography for the OCR A-level chemistry A specification on a single page. It particularly emphasises knowing how separation is achieved, a common topic for tough questions where getting the phrasing right is absolutely essential. There’s pictures and diagrams, explanation of a calibration curve and links to three top recommended videos. Questions looked at to prepare these notes (and recommended for revision) included: October 2020 paper 1, question 13 (MCQ) June 2015 paper 4, question 1 June 2012 paper 4, question 5 June 2018 unit 2, question 21 c i)

Worksheet as a reminder of how the ideal gas law works, showing all the unit conversions and with a model calculation. Also includes a diagram of why a cubic metre = 1 million cubic centimetres, something students often have trouble with. Suitable for all A-level chemistry and 16+ exam boards e.g. AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Cambridge. The assumptions the ideal gas law makes are also explained.

Colourful revision notes in checklist form of all the bond angles for the AQA course over two pages. It’s very helpful to be able to run quickly down a list of all the bond angles and check you remember them-this is very common in foreign languages where you have to learn lots of vocabulary: you cover the answers and run through them one by one. Lists of both the standard case study chemicals from the textbooks, and also others students may run into e.g. organic chemicals, which the textbook doesn’t link to this topic but exam questions may do. There’s also an explanation of the key points to make in explaining why bond angles exist based on past paper questions. There’s versions both in colour and black and white.

Notes on gas chromatography and GC-MS for the current AQA A-level specification. There’s pictures and diagrams, explanation of a calibration curve and links to three top recommended videos in this one-page resource. In preparing this set of notes, I found question 6 from the specimen paper 2 (set 2) especially useful for knowing what the current examiners are looking for, so I really recommend this for exam practice of this topic.

Poster showing all the most common ions students need to know about and their charges, and a reminder that negative ions have gained electrons and positive ions have lost them. Clean modern design, great for GCSE and A-level students for all courses. Most courses don’t have phosphate on the list of ions to know, so I’ve left it off the main list. But in case your course does need it, I’ve added a second version of the sheet with the phosphate ion added. If you like this resource, you might want my exercises working out formulas of ionic chemicals. Update, April 2024: added zinc and some hints about iron(II) vs. iron(III)

Simple worksheet on two pages covering electrolysis of aluminium for students to fill in. Covers the equations at the cathode, anode, redox, why the process is environmentally damaging and why recycling aluminium is a good thing to do. There’s also links to recommended YouTube videos from Fuse School and the RSC. This plan targets the Edexcel iGCSE 9-1 course. Versions both in colour and black and white. This lesson plan is given away for free in order to encourage recycling! But if you like it please check out my lesson plan on metallic bonding and other lesson plans. I also have versions of these questions for Edexcel GCSE and for AQA. Update: 16/3/24: added clarification that the cathodes are graphite and added a link to a video showing bauxite mining to show the amount of land needed.

Simple worksheet on two pages covering electrolysis of aluminium for students to fill in. Covers the equations at the cathode, anode, redox, why the process is environmentally damaging and why recycling aluminium is a good thing to do. There’s also links to recommended YouTube videos from Fuse School and the RSC. This plan targets the Edexcel GCSE 9-1 chemistry course although should be suitable for other exam boards. Versions both in colour and black and white. This lesson plan is given away for free in order to encourage recycling! But if you like it please check out my lesson plan on metallic bonding and other lesson plans. I also have versions for AQA and Edexcel iGCSE. Update: 13/3/24: added clarification that the cathodes are graphite and added a link to a video showing bauxite mining to show the amount of land needed.

Notes on purifying an organic liquid, including links to RSC YouTube clips of the processes. These notes are oriented towards exam technique and don’t include a complete practical method. The notes are particularly targeted towards the AQA chemistry A-level and required practical but could be used for other courses or as a basis for other lesson plans. 2018 AQA paper 3 question 3 was consulted writing the notes.