Chemistry

The study of Chemistry in Stage 6 enables students to develop an appreciation and understanding of materials and their properties, structures, interactions and related applications. Through applying Working Scientifically skills processes, the course aims to examine how chemical theories, models and practices are used and developed.

Module 1: Properties and Structure of Matter

Term 1 Weeks 1 - 8

Students analyse trends and patterns in relation to the properties of pure substances and use these to predict the properties of other pure substances. This knowledge is used to determine the ways in which substances can be separated from each other and 

those that allow them to remain together. 

Matter can be either pure substances with distinct measurable properties (eg melting and boiling points, reactivity, strength, density) or mixtures with properties that are dependent on the identify and relative amounts of the substances that make up the mixture. The analysis of these properties has led to the expansion of the periodic table of elements and the advancement of atomic theory.

Students use knowledge obtained from the study of the periodic table to examine the trends and patterns that exist between chemical elements and atoms in order to discover that fundamental particles, and their role in the structure of an atom, 

give all chemicals their properties.

Module 2: Introduction to Quantitative Chemistry

Term 1 Weeks 9 - 11, Term 2 Weeks 1-5

Students are introduced to the quantitative nature of chemistry. Chemists must be able to quantify reactions in order to make predictions about yields and communicate to specific audiences for specific purposes using nomenclature, genres and models unique to the discipline. Using the mole concept, students will have the opportunity to select and use appropriate mathematical representations to solve problems, make predictions and calculations the mass of reactants and products, whether solid, liquid or gas. 

Students further develop their understanding of the universal language of chemistry. They are introduced to the idea that science is a global enterprise that relies on clear communication, international conventions, peer review and reproducibility. 

Module 3: Reactive Chemistry

Term 2 Weeks 6 - 9, Term 3 weeks 1-4

All chemical reactions involve the creation of new substances and associated energy transformations, which are commonly observable as changes in the temperature of the surroundings and/or the emission of light. These reactions are harnessed and controlled by chemists to produce substances that lead to the development of useful products. Chemicals can react at many different speeds and in many different ways, yet they basically involve the breaking and making of chemical bonds. Students study how chemicals react, the changes in matter and energy that take place during these reactions, and how these chemical reactions and changes relate 

to the chemicals that are used in everyday life.

Module 4: Drivers of Reactions

Term 3 weeks 5 - 10, Term 4 weeks 1-2

Students investigate factors that initiate and drive a reaction. Students will also examine the relationship between enthalpy and entropy in calculating the Gibbs free energy. They also examine the roles that enthalpy and entropy play in the spontaneity of reactions. Students are provided with opportunities to understand that all chemical reactions involve the creation of new substances and associated energy transformations, which are commonly observed as changes in temperature of the surrounding environment and/or emission of light.

Students conduct investigations to measure the heat energy changes that occur in chemical reactions. They describe reactions using terms such as endothermic and exothermic, and explain reactions in terms of the law of conservation of energy. They use Hess’s Law to calculate enthalpy changes involved in the breaking and making of bonds.