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What is Chemistry?
by Adeline
Chemistry is the study of the composition, behaviour and properties of matter, and of the elements of the Earth and its atmosphere. Chemistry is often associated to other sciences such as Physics and Biology. Its scope is huge — it is thanks to chemical processes that an ice cube melts in your drink, that medications can be synthesised, or that the Earth has an atmosphere!
If you are interested in understanding more about these, it is quite common to start by studying a Combined Science qualification at GCSE level before focusing on Chemistry at A-level, even though some exam boards offer Chemistry as a single subject at GCSE level.
At GCSE level, exam boards have different ways to tackle each individual aspect but the key ideas are the same:
• matter is composed of tiny particles called atoms and there are about 100 different naturally occurring types of atoms called elements
• elements show periodic relationships in their chemical and physical properties
• these periodic properties can be explained in terms of the atomic structure of the elements
• atoms bond by either transferring electrons from one atom to another or by sharing electrons
• the shapes of molecules (groups of atoms bonded together) and the way giant structures are arranged is of great importance in terms of the way they behave
• there are barriers to reaction so reactions occur at different rates
• chemical reactions take place in only three different ways: proton transfer, electron transfer, electron sharing
• energy is conserved in chemical reactions so can therefore be neither created or destroyed.”
(This list can be found on the AQA syllabus but is also the basis of other specifications)
At GCSE level, you are very likely to spend some time exploring the periodic table and referring back to it. I really like the online tool of the Royal Society of Chemistry, which allows you to click on each element to get more information. You can even access videos or podcasts for each individual element, take a look at a historical version of the entire table or at a version inspired by the beliefs of Alchemists (long before Chemistry became a Science).
As for all Science subjects, Chemistry will also give you a chance to develop your experimental skills: you will be encouraged to use scientific theories to develop hypotheses and carry out experiments. Some of the core practicals listed in the Chemistry section of the Edexcel Combined Sciences specification include: “investigate the composition of inks using simple distillation and paper chromatography”, “Investigate the electrolysis of copper sulfate solution with inert electrodes and copper electrodes” or “Investigate the effects of changing the conditions of a reaction on the rates of chemical reactions by measuring the production of a gas or observing a colour change”.
If you continue Chemistry at A-level, you will study the previous themes in more depth and will continue to develop your practical skills by doing experiments. You might for instance get a chance to synthesise aspirin! Indeed, as the RSC explains: “Aspirin is a relatively simple molecule containing an ethylated phenol group and a carboxylic acid group. In your experiment you will make aspirin from an acid called 2-hydroxybenzoic acid by esterification with ethanoic anhydride under acid catalysed conditions.
Ethanoic anhydride is an ‘activated’ form of ethanoic acid which most of you will have encountered in its dilute form as the vinegar you put on fish and chips". If you can’t wait for your lab class to turn vinegar into aspirin, take a look at this interactive resource which will allow you to see how the experiment would work.
So next time you have a headache and need to take an aspirin, thank Chemistry!
We offer varied Chemistry tuition rates to suit all budgets, with prices depending on the tutors' qualifications and their total number of hours of private tuition or classroom teaching experience.