Name: _________________
Chemistry A Level Transition
We are delighted that you will be joining us in September and are looking forward to helping you
become amazing Chemists. Chemistry is brilliant when you get it and, just like most things, ‘getting
it’ comes with practice. We have identified three areas that make Chemistry easy (well easier!) once
you have a good understanding of them. Use the Periodic Table at the end of this document to help
you and bring this with you to your first lesson. Good luck 
1.
Writing Chemical Equations
One of the most important aspects of Chemistry is being able to write balanced chemical equations.
To do that, you need to be able to write the formulae of compounds correctly and this is only
possible if you know the formula of some important ions. The following section will take you
through each of these areas.
a) Ions
As you know a ion is a charged particle. Complete this table
Name of ion
Formula of ion
(including charge)
1.
Cl -
2. Oxide
3. Magnesium
4.
CO32-
5. Sulphate
6. Nitrate
7.
8. Hydroxide
NH4+
b) Compounds
A compound is a substance made from two or more different elements. The compounds in the
table blow are ionic. Use your knowledge of ions to help you write their formula.
Compound
Formula
1.
NaCl
2. Strontium bromide
3. Rubidium oxide
4. Gallium sulphide
5.
MgCO3
6. Magnesium nitrate
7.
NH4NO3
8. Calcium hydroxide
9. Sodium sulphate
10. Ammonium sulphate
c) Reactions
Sometimes it is important to know which substances you would react together to make a certain
product and this, in turn, relies on you knowing what type of chemicals belong to which families.
1. What acid and alkali would you react together to form calcium sulfate?
Acid
:
Alkali :
2. What acid and base would you react together to form magnesium nitrate?
Acid
:
Base
:
It is really important that you know your general equations (such as MASH etc) and you are able
to apply them when given compounds to react. Write a balanced chemical equation for the
following reactions.
3. Sodium reacting with water
4. Barium reacting with nitric acid
5. Hydrochloric acid reacting with sodium hydroxide
6. Sulfuric acid reacting with sodium oxide
7. Hydrochloric acid reacting with sodium carbonate
8. Nitric acid reacting with ammonia
2.
Chemical Calculations
Another important area is chemical calculations, which always come down to moles. Work through
the following questions to refresh your ‘moley skills’.
1. 2g of the metal lithium reacted with 50cm3 of water to produce a solution of lithium
hydroxide and hydrogen gas. The equation for the reaction is:
2Li(__) + 2H2O(__)  2LiOH(__) + H2(__)
a) Insert state symbols to the equation
b) Calculate the amount, in moles, of lithium that reacted
(Tip: you know the mass of lithium, can you remember how to get from mass to moles?)
c) Calculate the concentration, in mol/dm3, of the resulting solution of lithium hydroxide
(Tip: now you know the moles of lithium, you can work out the moles of lithium hydroxide by
looking at the chemical equation. You also know the volume of the solution. Can you
remember how to work out concentration when you know moles and volume?)
d) Calculate the volume, in cm3, of hydrogen gas produced
(Tip: you know the moles of lithium, you can work out the moles of hydrogen by looking at
the chemical equation. Can you remember how to work out gas volume when you know
moles? Don’t forget to look at the units that the question is asking for though!)
2. During a titration reaction, 25.0 cm3 of sodium hydroxide was neutralised by 18.3cm3 of 0.1
mol/dm3 sulphuric acid. The equation for the reaction is:
H2SO4 + 2NaOH  Na2SO4 + 2H2O
Calculate the concentration of the sodium hydroxide.
(Tip: You need to know the moles of sodium hydroxide and its volume. You can work out the
moles by calculating the moles of sulfuric acid and then looking at the chemical equation.
The volume is given in the question)
3.
Organic Chemistry
Organic Chemistry is a very important part of A Level. You have already met three functional
groups at GCSE (alkanes, alkenes and alcohols, which will be explored more at A Level) and
there are a few others that you will meet in your first few weeks back. Use the internet to
help you find the functional group of each of the homologous series below (the first has
been done for you).
Alcohol
- OH
Alkene
Carboxylic acid
Ketone
Aldehyde
Haloalkanes
The Periodic Table of the Elements
(1)
(2)
(3)
1
beryllium
sodium
magnesium
potassium
calcium
rubidium
strontium
23.0
19
K
39.1
37
Rb
85.5
55
Cs
caesium
132.9
87
Fr
francium
(7)
2
He
helium
13
5
B
boron
9.0
12
Mg
24.3
20
Ca
3
21
Sc
40.1
38
Sr
87.6
56
Ba
barium
137.3
88
Ra
radium
5
23
V
6
24
Cr
7
25
Mn
8
26
Fe
54.9
43
Tc
55.8
44
Ru
scandium
titanium
vanadium
chromium
manganese
yttrium
zirconium
niobium
molybdenum
technetium
45.0
39
Y
88.9
• 57–71
lanthanoids
47.9
40
Zr
91.2
72
Hf
hafnium
50.9
41
Nb
92.9
73
Ta
tantalum
52.0
42
Mo
112.4
80
Hg
114.8
81
Tl
118.7
82
Pb
121.8
83
Bi
195.1
110
Ds
197.0
111
Rg
200.6
112
Cn
204.4
207.2
114
Fl
209.0
67
Ho
68
Er
69
Tm
silver
cadmium
meitnerium
darmstadtium
roentgenium
copernicium
61
Pm
62
Sm
63
Eu
64
Gd
65
Tb
66
Dy
seaborgium
57
La
58
Ce
59
Pr
60
Nd
actinium
107.9
79
Au
bohrium
platinum
gold
mercury
indium
thallium
germanium
72.6
50
Sn
tin
lead
arsenic
74.9
51
Sb
antimony
bismuth
35.5
35
Br
39.9
36
Kr
chlorine
selenium
bromine
79.0
52
Te
tellurium
127.6
84
Po
polonium
79.9
53
I
iodine
126.9
85
At
astatine
116
Lv
neodymium
promethium
samarium
150.4
152.0
europium
gadolinium
157.2
158.9
terbium
dysprosium
162.5
164.9
167.3
168.9
173.0
175.0
90
Th
91
Pa
92
U
93
Np
94
Pu
95
Am
96
Cm
97
Bk
98
Cf
99
Es
100
Fm
101
Md
102
No
103
Lr
thorium
232.0
protactinium
144.2
uranium
238.1
144.9
neptunium
plutonium
americium
curium
berkelium
californium
einsteinium
fermium
mendelevium
ytterbium
71
Lu
praseodymium
140.9
thulium
70
Yb
cerium
140.1
erbium
20.2
18
Ar
livermorium
flerovium
holmium
19.0
17
Cl
sulfur
32.1
34
Se
106.4
78
Pt
palladium
gallium
4.0
fluorine
31.0
33
As
69.7
49
In
zinc
hassium
dubnium
iridium
phosphorus
28.1
32
Ge
17
9
F
oxygen
16.0
16
S
65.4
48
Cd
copper
192.2
109
Mt
osmium
silicon
27.0
31
Ga
16
8
O
14.0
15
P
63.5
47
Ag
nickel
190.2
108
Hs
rhenium
nitrogen
12.0
14
Si
58.7
46
Pd
186.2
107
Bh
tungsten
carbon
10.8
13
Al
aluminium
15
7
N
12
30
Zn
183.8
106
Sg
rutherfordium
89
Ac
rhodium
14
6
C
11
29
Cu
75
Re
actinoids
lanthanum
ruthenium
cobalt
58.9
45
Rh
10
28
Ni
102.9
77
Ir
180.9
105
Db
• 138.9
iron
9
27
Co
101.1
76
Os
95.9
74
W
178.5
104
Rf
•• 89–103
••
4
22
Ti
(0)
18
relative atomic mass
2
4
Be
lithium
6.9
11
Na
(6)
name
hydrogen
3
Li
(5)
Key
atomic number
Symbol
1
H
1.0
(4)
nobelium
lutetium
lawrencium
10
Ne
neon
argon
krypton
83.8
54
Xe
xenon
131.3
86
Rn
radon