High School Chemistry Handbook
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Topic 1 - Formula and Equation Writing
The ability to write formula and balance equations is an essential skill in chemistry and forms the starting point for solving most problems.
Writing Formula
Chemical compounds typically consist of one of two endings; -ide and -ate. With the exception of hydroxides, a compound ending -ide will be made up of just two elements (e.g. potassium iodide, KI) and those ending -ate will also contain the element oxygen (e.g. magnesium sulfate, MgSO4)
Chemical names often give an indication as to the formula of a compound. A good example of this is carbon dioxide (CO2). These prefixes can be used to quickly write a formula.
|
Prefix |
Number of atoms |
Example |
|
Mono- |
1 |
Carbon Monoxide (CO) |
|
Di- |
2 |
Iron Disulfide (FeS2) |
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
This handbook is written for any student between the ages of 15 and 19 studying Chemistry. Its content meets the core chemistry requirements of IGCSE, IBDP, A-Level and AP courses. The material will also help an undergraduate whose course requires a basic foundation in Chemistry. It offers an alternative, succinct perspective to enable students to understand key concepts and can be used as a concise reference resource or a review guide. Each topic contains comprehensive explanations supported by diagrams and worked examples. The final sections of the book hold useful reference material for experimental work and offer guidance on how to write laboratory reports. There is also a series of practice calculation questions with solutions.
About the Author
Angus Carmichael studied Chemistry at Oxford University earning MChem and DPhil qualifications. He spent three years teaching GCSE, A-Level and Scottish Higher Level Chemistry in Edinburgh (Merchiston Castle School) and fulfilled the requirements of his UK teaching license. Following this he moved to an international school in Tanzania (International School of Tanganyika) for four years to teach the International Baccalaureate program; MYP Science, Theory of Knowledge, SL and HL Chemistry. During this time Angus was an assistant moderator of Internal Assessment practical work. He is currently working in Malaysia (International School of Kuala Lumpur) where he continues to teach IB Chemistry and also assists students preparing for the AP exams.