Go to the bottom of this blogpost. You may download and print it out, put it in your notebook and use it for revision. Click on image to have a bigger view. =)

Quick Announcement:

I’m conducting my annual event : Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop on 31 July, 7 & 14 Aug 2010 (830 am – 1230 pm) to help students (Pure Chemistry or Combine Science) to

• Understand this easy-to-score major Chemistry topic step-by-step (which many schools rush through)
• Link up the various chapters & Identify the inter-relationship for effective understanding of the concepts
• Be able to apply concepts on real exam questions to earn additional of 20+ marks in ‘O’ Levels
• Expose themselves to the variety of possible Organic Chemistry questions which can be asked
• Avoid common mistakes in Organic Chemistry

This workshop is for students:

• Who haven’t been doing well in Chemistry all along and want to improve themselves in the remaining 15 weeks. It’s possible since Organic Chemistry is an independent topic from the rest of Chemistry.
• Who wants an overall revision just before their prelims & ‘O’ Levels, focusing on the essential concepts in Organic Chemistry.

Click here to register now & enjoy up to 30% off usual workshop fees (for Early Birds only):

Testimonials

Organic Chemistry Mind-Map:

Related Articles:

• O Levels Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop 2009 – 1 More Day
• Secrets: Why you need to master Organic Chemistry in GCE O Levels?
• Successful Completion: O Level Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop 2009
• Announcement: O Levels Organic Chemistry Mastery Workshop – Early Bird Registration Starts!
• Annual (2010) O Levels Chemistry June Holidays Intensive Revision Bootcamp

With GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations coming in less than 5 months time, how many of you are prepared for it?

Not sure? Take a look at your Mid-Year Examination Paper + Sec 3 End-of Year Paper + Continual Assessment Tests recently.  If you are not scoring B3 and above, it might shows that you are not that ready for ‘O’ Level Examinations.

Click HERE for Early Bird Price registration!

Some would argue that you do not have enough time to revise and memorise all the materials before you have gone for your Mid-Year Exams, and thus the not-so-good results you are getting.

But is that true??????

Now, Chemistry is a abstract subject of Science (as compared to Physics and Biology) and you need good understanding of the essential concepts in order to score. Only about 10% of the marks are awarded based on recalling of facts (i.e. memorising itself might help here), with the rest (90%) all based on your understanding and application to challenging questions.

More importantly, ALL the Chemistry Topics are inter-related and it is the norm this days that a structured chemistry question is based on 3-4 topics. As such, it is of paramount importance to have a strong foundation of essential concepts in all the chemistry topics! SORRY you cannot skip topics and expect to do well in Chemistry!

Every June Holidays, we have groups of students that came to our June Holidays Intensive Revision Bootcamp to master their Chemistry concepts. These students realised that June is perhaps the last chance for them to really master Chemistry – and they continue to do well for the ‘O’ Level Examinations in 5 months time

[98% of our 2009 batch scored 'A's or 'B's from 'D' - 'F' grade]

[97% of them achieved minimum 3 grades jump]

This June Holidays, i will be personally coaching you on the following key essential chemistry topics:

• CM1: Atomic Structure & Chemical Bondings
• CM2: Acids & Bases
• CM3: Mole Calculations
• CM4: Rate of Reactions & Energy Changes
• CM5: Preparation of Salts & Qualitative Analysis (QA)
• CM6: Redox
• CM6A: Electrolysis

The bootcamp is a highly participative event and covers the following key areas:

• Comprehensive 100% coverage of each topics
• Understand abstract concepts in an easy to relate manner
• Learn and Apply strategies on real examination questions
• Time management enforced during every workshop
• Pre & Post review assessment for checking level of understanding

Note:

1. CM1, CM2, CM3 and CM5 are suitable for Sec 3 students also. Do call us to discuss suitability if you are not sure.

2. Follow-up revision classes will be available (as an option) to prepare you towards ‘O’ Level Exams if you wish to join

3. Need A-Math or E-Math topical workshops instead? Click HERE to find out more.

Take actions now!

Click HERE for Early Bird Price registration!

PS: Limited seats only! We want to keep each workshop small so that we can give them the individual attention.

PPS: Registration will close without prior notification.Related Articles:

• O Level Chemistry June Holidays Intensive Revision Programme
• Early Bird Registration: Final Revision ‘O’ Level Chemistry Mastery Workshops
• 2010 Chemistry: Sec 3 Headstart & Sec 4 Revision (Dec Holiday Programmes) – Early Bird Registration
• Successful Completion of June ‘O’ Level Chemistry Intensive Revision Programme
• Chemistry Tips: How to Revise for your GCE ‘O’ Level Chemistry Exams

In Chemical Bonding chapter of Basic Chemistry Syllabus (O Levels, etc), you have learned about the term Allotropes as well as Macromolecules.

To be more exact, you learned that Allotropes = Compounds with the same element with different structure.

The two examples you learned are Diamond and Graphite, which are Allotropes of Carbon.

Now, i would like to introduce to you another allotrope of carbon that have found so many applications into our daily modern lives. Think of Apple, iPod, iPad, Macbook, iPad, Blackberry, Nokie, smaller and thinner electronics consumable products.

This is FULLERENE. C6o – highly symmetrical spherical football-shaped molecule – which was obtained by firing a powerful laser at a sample of graphite at a temperature of 10, 000 degree Celsius. It was named as Buckminsterfullerene in honour of the architect R. Buckminster Fuller, who used to be the principle of the geodosic dome in many of his buildings.

Molecular Model of C60, Fullerene (Photo credit St Stev)

Look at the molecular structure and you will realised that the alternating 5- and 6-membered rings in C60 gives a bonding pattern similar to the struts in a geodosic dome.

In fact, from the point C60 was found and honoured, other fullerenes such as C70, C76, C78, C90, etc has been synthesized and i expect many more to be synthesize to open up more exciting new areas of Chemistry and its application in the modern world.

As stated earlier on, fullerenes found its many application in the semi-conductors industry.

Now, time for you to put on your thinking caps:

Question:

Is fullerene a good or non-conductor of electricity? Explain with reference to its structure and bonding properties.

(Clue: Refer to structure and bondings in Graphite (Good Conductor) and Diamond (Non-Conductor))

PS: I would love to hear from you. Think about it and leave your comments below. It is actually very easy. =)Related Articles:

• Chemistry Phenomenon: Diamond, A Giant Macromolecule
• O Level Chemistry: Ionic Bonding
• More Error in Marshall Cavendish GCE ‘O’ Level “Chemistry Matters” Textbook – Part 2
• Chemistry Phenomenon – Chemistry make Harry Potter Invisible
• O Level Chemistry: Intro to Organic Chemistry – Part 1

Besides sharing Chemistry Tips and Exam Strategies, the other aim of this chemistry blogsite is to encourage students to learn the Chemistry Theories and Concepts in a more experiential and interesting way – HOW ? By relating chemistry theories to everyday life processes and experience.

Thermit Process came to my mind several days back when i was passing by the railway track in the west area of Singapore, and today i am going to share with you more on how Thermit Process – which is a highly exothermic reaction is used to weld together steel railway lines. It involves the reduction of iron (III) oxide to iron by aluminium.

Now, let’s check out a chemistry question that requires your concepts in several chemistry topics, namely:

• Energy Changes (Endothermic/Exothermic Reactions)
• Redox (Oxidation/Reduction)
• Mole Calculations

Question:

In the highly exothermic Thermit Process to weld railway lines, aluminium is used to reduce iron (III) oxide to iron based on the balanced chemical equation below:

2Al   +   Fe2O3   ->   Al2O3   +   2Fe

(a) Indicate the state symbols for all the reactants and products involved

(b) Calculate what mass of aluminium is needed to react completely with 10.0g of iron (III) oxide

(c) Explain what is meant by exothermic reaction in terms of enthalpy change

(d) Explain in terms of oxidation state, how is iron (III) oxide being reduced in Thermit Process

Alright, do attempt the question and leave your answers in the comment section below. I would love to hear from you.

PS: If this is your first time reading this blog, you can subscribe to receive updates whenever i blog. Look at right-hand-side to subscribe.Related Articles:

• O Level Chemistry: Energy Changes (Exo/Endo) & Bond Energy
• O Level Chemistry Question: Redox Reaction
• O Level Chemistry – Secrets of Redox & Electrolysis Series
• O Levels Chemistry – Selected Exam Questions Cont’d
• O Level Chemistry – Definition of Redox

Question:

What would be the concentration of the hydrochloric acid produced if all the hydrogen chloride gas from the reaction between 50g of pure sulfuric acid and an excess of sodium chloride was collected in water, and the solution made up to a volume of 400 cm3 of water?

Based on equation: NaCl(s)   +   H2SO4(aq)    –>   NaHSO4(s)   +   HCl(g)

Now, try it out and leave your suggested answer (and possibly your solution/steps) in the comment section below.

The best way to learn is NOT by reading or looking, instead it is by Taking Actions.

I look forward to seeing you answers. Cheers! Enjoy! =)Related Articles:

• O Level Chemistry – Determination of Ionic Equation & Spectator Ions
• O Levels Chemistry Questions – Mole Calculations / Mole Concepts
• O Level Chemistry: Mole Concepts / Chemical Calculations
• O Level Chemistry: Mole Calculations – Balanced Chemical & Ionic Equations
• O Levels Chemistry Questions – Periodic Table & Group Trends