Chemistry

 

 

 

 

 

Chemistry may seem a very complicated subject at first sight, but the ideas and complexities are actually built on a set of fundamental underlying patterns. Once you have developed a careful understanding for these it becomes accessible and fun to study. Our aim is always to help students to understand these key principles; they can then enjoy the logic that underpins the subject, and use it to explore and make sense for themselves the many factual details and experimental observations.

 

 

What is studied in chemistry?

 

You are the stuff that stars are made of. Chemistry is the study of all chemical substances and how to change one chemical into another. The food you eat, the air you breath, your own body, your mobile phone, the plants and streets around you are made of chemicals. As you want inexpensive products, chemistry helps to decrease economic costs, and as you want a safe environment chemistry helps to decrease pollution, by detecting the toxins, and by destroying them. Gone are the days that poisonous red lead oxide is used to colour cheese, or to sweeten cider; and now we do not put toxic arsenic in cosmetics; nor do we use lead in white paint, or make CFCs that destroy the ozone layer. These chemicals were used mostly out of ignorance, so with the development of new methods, chemistry helps to build a safer world.

 

If you like logical problems, and thinking hard, really using your brain, then chemistry is for you. In addition if you want to know what makes up the world around you, then you are naturally a chemist.

 

It is like seeing with new eyes all that is before you, within your food, on product labels, in cosmetics, in fuels, in the atmosphere, in the chemistry of life, and in the chemistry of the newest products.

 

Mobile phones are small because chemists developed more efficient batteries, and new pigments for the screens. Clothes are more light weight and colourful (or a darker black!) than those of our ancestors. Cars go more kilometres on a litre of fuel due to the study of chemical combustion.

 

Chemistry is also always helping us to develop new products and processes. In the car industry, for example, companies are working on fuel cells to power your car more efficiently, new fuels from plant material and new alloys to make vehicles lighter.

 

 

Who does it suit?

 

Do you take pleasure in working out difficult ideas? Do you enjoy logic problems, learning ideas that ‘click’ beautifully together? Then you would enjoy Chemistry. Studying Chemistry is like studying a logical game so that once you know the ‘rules of Chemistry’ you can ‘play’ with the chemical ideas. However just as in a game you must know the rules, so you must be prepared to memorise the small number of details.

 

Chemistry is a concise subject that makes you think. Studying Chemistry would complement A levels which are essay based, or that have a particularly heavy reading load, like Biology, History, Geography, English and Modern Languages.

 

If you study A level Chemistry then you should be able to ask ‘Why?’ and get a good answer. You will find AS Chemistry explains chemical ideas mostly using words, while A2 Chemistry explains chemical ideas using Maths, while broadening the topics studied.

 

 

The course

 

The First Year - AS

Unit 1 focuses on Atoms, Bonds and Groups . It includes:

Atoms and Reactions 

Electrons, Bonding and Structure 

The Periodic Table 

 

Unit 2 focuses on Chains, Energy and Resources. It includes:

Basic Concepts and Hydrocarbons 

Alcohols, Halogenoalkanes and Analysis 

Energy 

Resources 

 

Unit 3 focuses on Skills in Chemistry 1  

This AS (practical skills) unit is teacher assessed and externally moderated by OCR.

Candidates are assessed on one task from each of the following categories:

qualitative (qualities like chemical tests and observations), 

quantitative (accurately measuring quantities like temperature, volume and mass)

and evaluative (which means looking for errors and suggesting improvements).

 

The Second Year – A2

 

Unit 4: focuses on Rings, Polymers and Analysis.

Unit 5:  Equilibrium, Energetics and Elements . This includes:

Rates, Equilibrium and pH 

Energy 

Transition Elements 

 

Unit 6:  Practical Skills in Chemistry 2.  

This A2 (practical skills) unit is teacher assessed and externally moderated by OCR.

Candidates are assessed on one task from each of the following categories: qualitative,  quantitative and evaluative tasks, which are similar to the AS tasks, but more difficult.

 

 


 

The Department and the teaching methods

 

You will be taught by Max Parsonage, the Head of Department, Dr Steve Field and Dr Tuncel Tack; all of whom are very experienced teachers. You will be taught in small groups. Humour and patience is used to help you understand the ideas. You will be encouraged to ask questions because discussing ideas in class is an effective way of improving understanding.

 

Max has written a number of textbooks, including most recently an A level Chemistry Course companion for OUP, as well as numerous articles on Chemistry, Physics and Environmental issues.  As a consultant he has advised the European Space Agency and presently Oxford University Press and Wolters-Klewer publishing.

 

Steve has a PhD in Biochemistry, researching how cells divide and has also been involved with numerous Chemistry textbooks. He uses great patience and humour in his teaching. He relaxes walking in high mountains while taking photographs. Favourites include making rockets and explosions!

 

Tuncel (PhD) was a world class researcher for a major global corporation before turning to teaching. Her journal publication listing covers three pages! She is an enthusiastic and patient teacher of Chemistry. Tuncel has been an examiner for many years.

 

 

Results

 

Typically 80% of our students gain a grade A or B at A level.

 

 

Higher Education

 

Each year more students are studying pure chemistry, or chemistry based subjects like medical chemistry, or environmental chemistry. If you want to join them then you must study chemistry at A level. A number of our own students have studies chemistry at university and went to gain PhDs in chemistry.

 

AS or A level Chemistry is particularly important if you want to study Medicine, Veterinary Science or Biochemistry at university.

 

It is also appreciated by admissions tutors in many other subjects, including Law, due to its logical discipline.

 

It is useful if you want to go on and study subjects such as Geology, Physical Geography, Engineering, or Material Science. Many chemistry graduates are also recruited by the financial companies in the City of London.

 

Studying Chemistry would also help you with the pyrotechnics in Theatre Studies and if you want to train in Art Conservation, a knowledge of Chemistry is necessary!