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Quantitative Chemistry
infoWhy this? This unit shows pupils how chemists measure substances and reactions, using ideas such as conservation of mass, relative formula mass, moles and yields to make chemistry precise and predictive.
scheduleWhy now? It is taught after bonding and formulae so pupils can calculate with substances they already know how to describe and represent.
neurologyYou need to know
- The law of conservation of mass states that no atoms are lost or made during a chemical reaction, so the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products in a closed system.
- A balanced symbol equation has the same number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation.
- The large numbers in front of formulae in a balanced equation are coefficients, and they show the ratio of particles or moles reacting and being formed.
- Chemical formulae and element symbols must not be changed when balancing an equation; only coefficients can be added or changed.
- Some reactions seem to change mass in an open container because a gas may escape from the container or a gas from the air may react and be gained.
- A mole is an amount of substance containing `6.02 \times 10^{23}` particles, which is the Avogadro constant.
- The particles counted by a mole can be atoms, molecules, ions or formula units, depending on the substance.
- The relative atomic mass, `A_r`, is the mean mass of an atom of an element compared with one twelfth of the mass of an atom of carbon-12.
- The relative formula mass, `M_r`, is the sum of the relative atomic masses of all the atoms shown in a chemical formula.
- The mass of one mole of atoms is the relative atomic mass in grams, and the mass of one mole of a compound is the relative formula mass in grams.
- The amount in moles is calculated using `n = m \div M_r`, where `n` is moles, `m` is mass in grams, and `M_r` is relative formula mass.
- The mass of a substance is calculated using `m = n \times M_r`, where `m` is mass in grams, `n` is moles, and `M_r` is relative formula mass.
- Relative atomic mass can be calculated from isotope data using the weighted mean: sum of `isotopic mass \times percentage abundance` divided by 100.
- A balanced equation can be interpreted in moles; for example, `Mg + 2HCl \rightarrow MgCl_2 + H_2` means 1 mole of magnesium reacts with 2 moles of hydrochloric acid.
- In a reaction, the limiting reactant is the reactant that is used up first and controls the maximum amount of product that can form.
- An excess reactant is present in a greater amount than needed to react completely with the limiting reactant, so some of it remains after the reaction.
- The coefficients in a balanced symbol equation can be found from reacting masses by converting grams to moles and then simplifying the mole ratio to whole numbers.
- The concentration of a solution in grams per cubic decimetre is the mass of solute dissolved in each cubic decimetre of solution.
- Mass concentration is calculated using `concentration = mass \div volume`, with mass in grams, volume in cubic decimetres, and concentration in grams per cubic decimetre.
- One cubic decimetre is equal to 1000 cubic centimetres, so a volume in cubic centimetres must be divided by 1000 to convert it to cubic decimetres.
rocket_launchYou must be able to
- Balance a chemical equation by counting atoms of each element and adding coefficients until both sides contain equal numbers of each atom.
- Calculate an unknown mass in a reaction using conservation of mass by subtracting the known masses from the total mass on the other side of the equation.
- Explain an apparent change in mass by identifying whether a gaseous reactant or product has entered or left an open reaction container.
- Calculate relative formula mass by adding the relative atomic masses for every atom in the formula, including atoms inside brackets multiplied by the outside number.
- Calculate the number of moles or the mass of a substance using `n = m \div M_r` or `m = n \times M_r` and correct units.
- Calculate relative atomic mass from isotope abundances by multiplying each isotope mass by its percentage abundance, adding the results, and dividing by 100.
- Use a balanced equation to calculate the mass of an unknown reactant or product by converting known mass to moles, applying the mole ratio, and converting back to mass.
- Identify the limiting reactant by comparing the available moles of each reactant with the mole ratio required by the balanced equation.
- Deduce the coefficients in a balanced symbol equation from reacting masses by converting each mass to moles and simplifying to the smallest whole-number ratio.
- Calculate the mass of solute, volume of solution or concentration using `concentration = mass \div volume`, converting between cubic centimetres and cubic decimetres when needed.
Revision Quiz
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