Year 10 IGCSE Revision Guidance

The following are a list of topics and parts of the course that you will need to cover
and understand to revise for the exam (it covers the work from both year 9 and 10).
Remember revision is best done over a period of time, and cramming will not help
with Chemistry.
It is best to learn definitions. Its boring, but it gets the marks!
Useful Links
http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-international-gcses-andedexcel-certificates/international-gcse-chemistry2011.coursematerials.html#filterQuery=category:Pearson-UK:Category%2FExammaterials
This provides you with all the past papers and markschemes. As well as the syllabus
and other useful material to help you revise.
Chemistry for You Textbook
Revision Guide for Edexcel iGCSE Chemistry by CGP

You might find the above link helpful as it goes to past papers, mark schemes and
exam reports. It is good to look at what the examiner says about a particular
question and how it was answered. This gives you an idea of the classic mistakes that
students make and then helps you not fall into the same trap.
1) Can you identify elements from an atomic number or a mass number on the
periodic table?
2) Can you identify the group number for the noble gases, the halogens or the
alkali metals?
3) Can you work out the charge that the elements in each group will have?
4) Can you label Protons, neutrons and electrons and identify where they are in
the atom? Can you work out the mass of an atom from the number of Protons
and neutrons? Can you work out which group the element belongs to in the
periodic table based on the electrons in the outer shell?
5) Can you identify similarities and differences between Isotope?
6) Can you identify elements from their electronic configuration?
7) Do you know why elements are placed in the same group?
8) What is special about the noble gases?
9) Can you work out the number of protons, neutrons and electrons from the
mass number and the atomic number?
10) Can you work out the relative atomic mass of an isotope?
Equation to learn and apply

 % of Isotope 1
% of Isotope 2

Ar
Mass No of isotope
Mass No of isotope
100
100

Example
Chlorine has 2 isotopes of isotopic masses 35 and 37 with a percentage of each
isotope being 75% and 25% calculate the Ar of Chlorine

75
25

Ar
35
37 35.5
100
100

11) Can you name pieces of apparatus we have used since year 7 and also identify
what they are used for? E.g. burette, pipette, measuring cylinder, beaker,
Bunsen burner, filter funnel, glass rod etc.
12) Can you remember the results of the experiment of Group 1 and water
(especially what happened to sodium and potassium)?
13) Know that the Chemical test for Water is that it turns Anhydrous Copper (II)
Sulfate from White to Blue
14) Know that the Physical test for Water is that it boils at 100 oC
15) Know that some Crystals contain Water bound up in them and this is called
the Water of Crystallisation. It is represented by using an .xH2O where x is a
whole number. We describe the crystal as HYDRATED.
16) Know that Limewater is used to test for Carbon Dioxide and that the reason
the solution turns milky is that a white precipitate is forming.
17) Can you identify the trend in reactivity down group 1 and predict what will
happen if the element is above or below a chosen member of group 1?
18) Can you recall the balanced symbol equations for the reactions of group 1 with
water.
i. 2Na + 2H2O 2NaOH + H2
ii. 2Li+ 2H2O 2LiOH + H2
iii. 2K + 2H2O 2KOH + H2
19) Can you describe how an Ionic bond is formed in terms of
i. Which element loses the electron
ii. Which element gains the electron
iii. What are the charges on the ions
iv. Can you draw the movement of electrons in ionic bonding?
20) Can you recall the reason why Giant Ionic substances have high melting
points.
21) Can you suggest why some ionic substances may have higher melting points
than others? (Clue. Look at the charges and think about the attraction
between the ions)
22) Can you remember the technique of Chromatography? Do you know why
we place the dots where we do? Can you describe what would happen during
the experiment? Can you measure the distance a dot has travelled and
determine Rf values? Can you use Chromatography to identify a substance
present? How would you change the experiment so that dots that dont move
now move?
23) Can you recall the two diffusion experiments at the start of the year? Can you
describe what happens? Can you identify the substance formed in the tube

with ammonia and Hydrochloric acid? Can you identify the relative speeds of
the particles and why?
24) Can you predict the physical properties of elements from a trend?
25) Can you identify the colour of Bromine as a liquid and a gas?
26) Can you identify the colour of Iodine as a solid and a gas?
27) Can you write a chemical equation to show a solid turning into a gas using
state symbols?
e.g. CO2 (s) CO2 (g)
28) Can you define a covalent bond as a Shared pair of electrons between two
atoms
29) Do you know that small molecules have low melting points and are only held
together by weak forces of attraction?
30) Can you draw dot and cross diagrams of simple molecules such as Hydrogen
(H2) , Methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6) and water (H2O)
31) Can you remember the tests for Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Carbon Dioxide
gases?
32) Can you recall the Word and Symbol equations for the reaction of Hydrogen
with Oxygen to make Water, Hydrocarbons with Oxygen in a plentiful
supply (complete combustion) of Oxygen to form Carbon Dioxide and
water; and in a limited supply of Oxygen (incomplete combustion) with
Carbon Monoxide and water as the products?
33) What are the problems with Carbon Monoxide?
34) Can you recall that Diamond and Graphite are Giant Covalent Structures? You
should be able to apply your knowledge of Diamond and graphite to
unfamiliar compounds. i.e. Silicon dioxide has a similar structure to
35) Can you explain why Diamond and Graphite have High sublimation points
due to the fact that you have to break a Large Number of Strong Covalent
bonds?
36) Can you explain why graphite can be used as a lubricant as the layers can slide
over each other due to the weak forces between the layers?
37) Can you define a Homologous Series as A family of hydrocarbons with the
same general formula, similar chemical properties, but increasing
physical properties?
38) Can you define the term Unsaturated
39) Can you describe the test of alkenes with Bromine water and the result of the
test?
40) Can you represent Hydrocarbons and alcohols using the DISPLAYED
formula. Can you show the reaction of Bromine with Ethene in terms of
displayed formula of the products?
41) Can you draw different isomers of Alkanes e.g. C4H8?
42) Can you remember the general formula of Alkanes, Alkenes, and Alcohols.#
43) Can you define a Hydrocarbon as a substance that contains Carbon and
Hydrogen ONLY and identify why a substance might be a hydrocarbon or
not?
44) Can you identify and name the first five alkenes and six alkanes? Can you
then name the polymer formed from any of the first 5 alkenes. E.g. Ethene
Polyethene. Propene Polypropene etc?
45) Can you explain why the monomer would react with Bromine water and the
polymer would not?

46) Can you Recall the two methods for making alcohol (ethanol)
i. Direct Hydration using steam and Phosphoric acid catalyst
(Continuous process so fast, but uses ethane derived from crude
Oil which is non renewable)
ii. Can you remember the equation C2H4 + H2O C2H5OH
iii. Can you describe how you would make ethanol from sugar by
fermentation
a. Sugar
b. Yeast as the catalyst
c. Temperature 25-37oC
d. Batch process so slow
47) Can you recall the uses of the fractions from the fractionating column and also
the names of all the fractions?
48) Can you describe the laboratory distillation of a crude oil fraction?
i. Round bottomed flask
ii. Fractionating column
iii. Liebig Condenser
iv. Collect over the range temperatures needed.
49) Moles calculations
i.
Moles solid element = Mass / Atomic mass
ii.
Moles solid compound = Mass / RFM

Mass

Moles

iii.

RFM

Moles of a gas= volume of gas / 24000 cm3

Volume

Moles

24,000cm3

iv.

Empirical formula calculations

e.g. 7.5g of Carbon and 2.5g of Hydrogen are found to be in a
compound calculate the empirical formula

v.

C
H
Mass 7.5g
2.5g
Moles 7.5 / 12
2.5/1
=
0.625
2.5
Ratio 0.625/0.625 2.5/0.625
=
1
:
4
Empirical formula CH4
Mass to mass calculations.

i.e. Calculate the mass of CaO formed when 20g of Calcium carbonate are heated in a
Bunsen burner. Calculate the volume of CO2 produced.
CaCO3
Reacting ratio

Find moles of what

You know

CaO
1

+
:

CO2
1

20g/100
=0.2 moles

Moles of what you

trying to find using
the ratio

Find the mass of

What you are trying to find
Find the volume of what you
Are trying to find

0.2

0.2

0.2 x 56
= 11.2g
0.2 x 24000
=4800cm3

50) Know what is put into the blast furnace in terms of iron ore, coke, and
limestone. Know that the waste material from the blast furnace is slag and
that we get molten iron out.
51) Know that we can extract aluminium by the electrolysis of alumina
(aluminium oxide) and that we dissolve the alumina in cryolite as the mixture
has a lower melting point than pure aluminium oxide.
52) Know that Redox can also be described in terms of Electrons. OILRIG

53) Know the reactivity series of elements and be able to explain why a reaction
has occurred.
54) Know about the bonding in metals and be able to describe properties of metals
in light of the bonding.
55) Know about the electrolysis of sodium chloride; explain why ionic substances
conduct electricity and what the products of the electrolysis are.
56) Know the factors that speed up a rate of reaction are Temperature,
Concentration, Surface area and a Catalyst.
57) Be able to plot a graph and then sketch on to it the effect of changing one of
the above conditions.
58) Be able to explain why a rate of reaction increases in terms of the number of
particle theory. i.e. Changing the Temperature gives all the particles more
energy. This means that there are more particles above the Activation
Energy. Therefor there is more chance of a Successful Collision, and this
means the rate of reaction will increas.
59) Be able to Define the Activation Energy.
Good luck and remember it is best to ask your chemistry teacher if you dont
understand something

Dr. P.