UNIT- Chemical Reactions
SUGGESTED TIMELINE OF UNIT: 5 Weeks
Atoms in the substances around us are held together in different ways. The
compounds produced have different properties and are useful for various
purposes.
During chemical reactions, atoms are separated and put together in different
combinations. This also involves energy. Chemical reactions can use up
energy or they can release it, such as when something burns, corrodes. In
this chapter we will investigate how this happens.
The Chemical Reactions unit aims to:
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Revise students’ understanding of the Particle Model to the level of
basic Atomic Theory
Familiarise students with chemical symbols and formulae – the
universal language of Chemistry
Conduct a series of practical activity that demonstrate common
chemical reactions
Begin to write more complex chemical equations and perform utilise
more complex practical procedures
Key Competencies
KEY SKILLS
The Key Skills that students will improve during the completion of this unit
are:
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Defining and using designated chemical terminology appropriately
Using the theory learnt in the unit to solve problems
Recording and interpreting experimental results
Designing and evaluating a practical investigation
Conducting an extended practical investigation
Time management and meeting deadlines
KEY KNOWLEDGE
The Key Knowledge that students will gain from this unit include:
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describing how and why the numbers of atoms of each element does
not change during a chemical reaction and so mass is conserved
expressing chemical changes by writing balanced equations that show
that the number of atoms of each element is conserved
using symbols to represent the physical states of reactants and
products
classifying chemical reactions into types according to the changes that
take place as reactants are converted into products
describing chemical reactions according to energy changes that take
place
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characteristics of several different types of chemical reactions,
including- reactions of acids, acid/base reaction (ie. neutralisation),
combustion reactions,
predicting the products of specific reactions, given the patterns (ie.
reaction patterns of acids and complete and incomplete combustion)
guidelines for writing simple chemical equations using either words
AND symbols
factors that influence the rate of a chemical reaction
role of chemical reactions in common industrial processes
KEY TERMS
The Key Terms that students will become familiar with the definition and
spelling of during this unit are:
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KEY TERMINOLOGY I
Chemical reaction
Combustion
Reactant
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conservation of mass
proton
endothermic
neutralisation
compound
base
product
exothermic
KEY TERMINOLOGY II
Conjugate acid/base
rate of reaction
Element
acid
catalyst
molecule
Unit Resources
POSSIBLE ASSESSMENT TASKS INCLUDE:
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Topic Test
Practical report- Acid/base titration (basic version, no
calcuations)
Student designed practical investigation- eg.
SUGGESTED PRACS:
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Testing the acidity/alkalinity of common household substances
Reactions of HCl
Neutralising the acid in vinegar (basic titration)
Red Cabbage indicator
SKILL AUDIT: