§-Chemistry syllabus
NSW · NESA← Chemistry
Chemistry syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the NSW Chemistry syllabus, with a focused answer for each. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions and links to related points.
Module 5: Equilibrium and Acid Reactions
Module overview →Inquiry Question 5: How are acids and bases defined and how do they behave in aqueous solution?
Conduct an investigation to perform titrations of strong acid and strong base, weak acid and strong base, and weak base and strong acid, and analyse the data to determine concentration, pH at the equivalence point, and appropriate indicator selection
Inquiry Question 5: How are acids and bases defined and how do they behave in aqueous solution?
Investigate the Brønsted-Lowry theory of acids and bases, including conjugate acid/base pairs and the behaviour of amphiprotic species
Inquiry Question 5: How are acids and bases defined and how do they behave in aqueous solution?
Investigate the structure and properties of buffer systems, including their composition, how they resist pH change, and their importance in natural systems such as blood
Inquiry Question 2: What factors affect equilibrium and how?
Use collision theory to explain and predict the effect of concentration, temperature, surface area and catalysts on the rate at which a system approaches equilibrium
Inquiry Question 1: What happens when chemical reactions do not go through to completion?
Explore the relationship between entropy, enthalpy and Gibbs free energy in the context of a reaction's spontaneity, and evaluate given the equation delta-G = delta-H minus T delta-S why a reaction that has a negative delta-H is not always spontaneous, and why some reactions do not go to completion
Inquiry Question 3: How can the position of equilibrium be described and what does the equilibrium constant represent?
Deduce the equilibrium expression (in terms of Keq) for homogeneous reactions, and perform calculations to find the value of Keq and concentrations of substances within an equilibrium system
Inquiry Question 2: What factors affect equilibrium and how?
Investigate the effects of temperature, concentration, volume and/or pressure on a system at equilibrium and explain how Le Chatelier's principle can be used to predict such effects
Inquiry Question 5: How are acids and bases defined and how do they behave in aqueous solution?
Conduct investigations and perform calculations to determine the pH and pOH of strong and weak acids and bases, applying the formulae pH equals negative log of hydrogen ion concentration, and pH plus pOH equals 14
Inquiry Question 4: How does solubility relate to chemical equilibrium and the position of equilibrium?
Predict the solubility of an ionic substance by applying solubility equilibrium principles, and perform calculations involving the solubility product constant (Ksp) and the ionic product
Inquiry Question 1: What happens when chemical reactions do not go through to completion?
Investigate the differences between static and dynamic equilibrium, and reversible and non-reversible reactions, using practical examples
Module 6: Acid/Base Reactions
Module overview →Inquiry Question 3: It is all about hydrogen ions
Investigate the application of buffer systems in natural and industrial contexts, including the bicarbonate buffer in blood and the Henderson-Hasselbalch description of buffer pH
Inquiry Question 3: It is all about hydrogen ions
Investigate quantitatively the relationship between the strength of conjugate acid-base pairs, including the relationship Ka times Kb equals Kw
Inquiry Question 3: It is all about hydrogen ions
Calculate concentration changes on dilution using c1v1 = c2v2 and predict the effect of dilution on pH for strong and weak acid and base solutions
Inquiry Question 2: What happens when acids react?
Investigate the enthalpy of neutralisation, including the calorimetric determination of the heat released when strong and weak acid-base combinations react
Inquiry Question 1: What is an acid and a base?
Investigate the properties of acids and bases and the historical development of the Arrhenius model of acids and bases
Inquiry Question 1: What is an acid and a base?
Predict and write balanced molecular, ionic and net ionic equations for reactions of acids with active metals, metal carbonates and hydrogencarbonates, and bases (including metal oxides and hydroxides)
Inquiry Question 3: It is all about hydrogen ions
Distinguish between the strength and the concentration of acids and bases, including investigation of the degree of ionisation and the relationship between ionisation, conductivity, and pH
Inquiry Question 3: It is all about hydrogen ions
Analyse titration curves for strong-strong, strong-weak and weak-strong combinations to identify the equivalence point, distinguish it from the end point, and justify indicator selection
Module 7: Organic Chemistry
Module overview →Inquiry Question 3: How do alcohols form, react, and how does their structure affect their properties?
Investigate the structural formulae, properties, classification (primary, secondary, tertiary), oxidation reactions and production by hydration of alkenes for alcohols up to C8
Inquiry Question 4: How do carbonyl-containing compounds form, behave and how can they be distinguished?
Investigate the structural formulae, properties and reactions of aldehydes, ketones and carboxylic acids, including their formation by oxidation of alcohols and chemical tests that distinguish them
Inquiry Question 6: How do amines and amides form, and how do their properties differ from other organic compounds?
Investigate the structural formulae, classification, properties and formation of amines and amides
Inquiry Question 5: How are esters formed, what are their properties, and how are they used?
Investigate the structural formulae, properties, applications, formation by esterification, and hydrolysis (including saponification) of esters
Inquiry Question 2: How are hydrocarbons classified and what do their reactions reveal about their structure?
Investigate the structural formulae, properties and reactions of alkanes, alkenes and alkynes, including combustion and addition reactions of alkenes
Inquiry Question 1: How do we systematically name organic compounds?
Apply IUPAC rules to name and represent the structural formula of organic compounds including alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, and amines
Inquiry Question 7: How are addition and condensation polymers made and how do their structures determine their uses?
Investigate the structural formulae, properties, formation and uses of addition polymers (polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polytetrafluoroethylene) and condensation polymers (nylon, polyester)
Inquiry Question 8: How can we plan a multi-step synthesis to convert one organic compound to another?
Construct reaction pathways linking the functional groups studied in Module 7 and apply retrosynthesis logic to plan multi-step syntheses, including reagents and conditions for each step
Inquiry Question 5: How are esters formed, what are their properties, and how are they used?
Explain the structure of soaps and detergents, their formation by saponification (base hydrolysis of an ester) or by sulfonation, and how the hydrophilic and hydrophobic ends of the molecule give rise to the cleaning action of a micelle
Inquiry Question 2: How are hydrocarbons classified and what do their reactions reveal about their structure?
Investigate the industrial sourcing and separation of hydrocarbons, including fractional distillation of petroleum, catalytic and thermal cracking of larger fractions, and the production of biofuels as an alternative source of hydrocarbon-derived fuels
Module 8: Applying Chemical Ideas
Module overview →Inquiry Question 3: How, and why, are chemical reactions used to produce particular products?
Evaluate the factors that need to be considered when designing a chemical synthesis process, including availability of reagents, reaction conditions, yield and purity, industrial uses, and environmental, social and economic issues
Inquiry Question 1: How are the ions present in the environment identified and measured?
Conduct investigations to use colourimetry, UV-visible spectrophotometry and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) to measure the concentration of species in aqueous solution
Inquiry Question 1: How are the ions present in the environment identified and measured?
Conduct investigations to measure the concentration of cations and anions in solution using gravimetric analysis and precipitation titrations
Inquiry Question 3: How, and why, are chemical reactions used to produce particular products?
Evaluate how the industrial synthesis of ammonia (the Haber process) and of sulfuric acid (the contact process) balance the equilibrium and rate demands of an exothermic, gas-phase reversible reaction to optimise the yield and rate of a commercial product
Inquiry Question 2: How is information about the reactivity and structure of organic compounds obtained?
Investigate the processes used to analyse the structure of simple organic compounds, including infrared spectroscopy
Inquiry Question 1: How are the ions present in the environment identified and measured?
Conduct qualitative investigations to test for the presence in aqueous solutions of cations and anions using flame tests, precipitation reactions and complexation reactions
Inquiry Question 2: How is information about the reactivity and structure of organic compounds obtained?
Investigate the processes used to analyse the structure of simple organic compounds, including mass spectroscopy
Inquiry Question 1: How are the ions present in the environment identified and measured?
Analyse the need for monitoring the environment
Inquiry Question 2: How is information about the reactivity and structure of organic compounds obtained?
Investigate the processes used to analyse the structure of simple organic compounds, including proton and carbon-13 NMR
Inquiry Question 2: How is information about the reactivity and structure of organic compounds obtained?
Conduct qualitative investigations to test for the presence in organic molecules of carbon-carbon double bonds, hydroxyl groups and carboxylic acids