Experimental Chemistry
Measure accurately, collect gases, separate mixtures and use physical evidence to judge purity.
The lessons below are in teaching order. Work through them in turn, then come back after practice and use the outcomes on this page to choose what to review. Finishing a topic records participation only. Check your progress to see what you can answer independently and what to review next.
Lessons in order
- Experimental Methods
Choose suitable apparatus, record measurements clearly and plan a fair, safe investigation.
- Separation and Purity
Select a separation method from physical properties and use measured data to assess purity.
- Experimental Chemistry review
Review separation, chromatography and purity decisions at G2 depth.
Learning goals
- name appropriate apparatus for the measurement of time, temperature, mass and volume; including burettes, pipettes, measuring cylinders and gas syringes
- suggest suitable apparatus, given relevant information, for a variety of simple experiments, including collection of gases.
- select and use techniques, apparatus and materials
- take readings and record observations
- interpret and evaluate experimental data and observations
- evaluate methods and suggest possible improvements.
- describe methods of separation and purification for the components of mixtures, to include: — use of a suitable solvent, filtration and crystallisation or evaporation
- describe methods of separation and purification for the components of mixtures, to include: — distillation and fractional distillation (see also 8.1(b))
- describe methods of separation and purification for the components of mixtures, to include: — paper chromatography
- suggest suitable separation and purification methods, given information about the substances involved in the following types of mixtures: — solid-solid
- suggest suitable separation and purification methods, given information about the substances involved in the following types of mixtures: — solid-liquid
- suggest suitable separation and purification methods, given information about the substances involved in the following types of mixtures: — liquid-liquid (miscible)
- interpret paper chromatograms including comparison with ‘known’ samples (the use of Rf values is not required)
- deduce from given melting point and boiling point data the identities of substances and their purity.