Why study this subject? Chemistry is an exciting field; chemical knowledge enriches our lives by being at the forefront of technical advances in medicine, new materials and fuel technology. Chemistry underpins understanding of many other scientific disciplines, linking physics, biology and the earth sciences. It is a study requiring a high degree of scientific literacy and numeracy and so is valued by universities and employers. However, it is also one of the most challenging subjects at A Level and most definitely requires a great deal of work and dedication in order to achieve success. Course content Module 1: Development of practical skills-This module underpins the whole of the specification and covers the new practical skills that students will develop throughout the course. Module 2: Foundations in chemistry-Students will acquire the basic chemical skills of formulae writing, equation writing and calculating chemical quantities. They will extend their GCSE knowledge of acid-base and redox reactions. A more detailed understanding of electron configurations will enable them to account for the arrangement of elements in the periodic table. The unit also introduces the three types of strong chemical bonding (ionic, covalent and metallic), an understanding of which will support all their future chemical studies. Module 3: Periodic table and energy- This module considers how the structure of the periodic table contributes to chemical knowledge, illustrating this with a study of Groups 2 and 7. The study of energetics in chemistry is of theoretical and practical importance and students will learn to define, measure and calculate enthalpy changes. There is a qualitative study of the ways in which chemists can control the rate, direction and extent of chemical reactions. Module 4: Core organic chemistry- Organic chemistry in this unit begins with basic naming and representation of the structure of organic molecules. Students extend their GCSE knowledge of alkanes and alkenes and study the properties and reactions of alcohols and halogenoalkanes. The techniques of infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry are introduced. Module 5: Physical chemistry and transition elements- Students will further their understanding of chemical kinetics and equilibria by making a quantitative study of these areas. The concept of equilibrium is extended to consider acid-base chemistry, calculating pH and considering the behavior of buffers. Students’ knowledge of thermodynamics will be increased through a consideration of enthalpy, entropy and free energy. The transition elements will be studied in detail and an awareness of the behavior of these elements will allow an appreciation of the redox chemistry of the transition elements and their use in electrochemical cells Module 6: Organic chemistry and analysis- The further organic chemistry section builds on the reactions of alcohols studied in Module 3, by describing the properties and reactions of carbonyls, carboxylic acids and esters. This extends to a study of arenas and organic nitrogen compounds such as amines, amides, amino acids and proteins. Students will use the knowledge and understanding of organic chemistry that they have acquired over the whole course when covering the organic synthesis section. They will also gain an appreciation of how the techniques of chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry can be used to provide information about the structure of organic molecules.