Key term
CCEA A-Level Life and Health Sciences 0008
Experimental Techniques
Human Body Systems
Topic overviewBlood vessels, the heart and cardiac outputHeart sounds, ECG traces, pulse and blood pressureBody fluids, haemoglobin and the Bohr effectThe respiratory system, gas exchange and lung diseaseMonitoring breathing and lung volumesCellular respiration and ATPHomeostasis, blood glucose and thyroxineSodium, blood pH and oxygen saturationA balanced diet and nutritional needs through lifeCholesterol, minerals, vitamins, alcohol and exercise
Physical Chemistry in Industrial Processes
Topic overviewMoles, reacting masses and percentage yieldTitration types, indicators and standard solutionsTitration calculations and molarityEnthalpy changes and calorimetryHess's law and average bond enthalpiesCollision theory, rates and the Maxwell–Boltzmann distributionCatalysts, chemisorption and catalytic convertersReversible reactions, the Haber process and the Contact processScale-up, costs and siting a chemical plant
Brain ScienceDouble Award
Topic overviewBrain structure and frontal lobe damageNeurones, synapses and the endocrine systemAlzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and stem cell therapySchizophrenia and mental health awareness in Northern IrelandThe biology of aggression and methods of studying the brainStress, the stress response and stress managementMemory models, forgetting and eyewitness testimonyAbnormality, phobias, depression and OCDExperiments, observations, self-report and research designHypotheses, sampling, ethics and descriptive statistics
Material ScienceDouble Award
Topic overviewMaterial properties and selectionStress, strain and the Young modulusStress–strain graphs, creep and fatigueDensity, hardness and conductivity testingMetals, ceramics, glasses, polymers and compositesAtomic and microscopic structure of materialsAlloys, annealing and biomaterialsSmart materialsNanomaterials and semiconductors
Medicine, Drugs and Clinical TrialsDouble Award
Topic overviewCategories of medicine and routes to drug discoveryMedicines from natural sources, drug names and the ATC systemDrug development, preclinical testing and the therapeutic indexPhases of clinical trials and trial designLicensing, UK regulators, Yellow Card and trial ethicsFormulations, routes of administration and drug absorptionDistribution, metabolism, elimination and sites of drug actionQuantitative analysis of medicines and antibacterial bioassays
Scientific Method, Investigation, Analysis and Evaluation
Topic overviewThe scientific method, literature reviews and Harvard referencingDescriptive statistics and the normal distributionNull hypotheses, significance and choosing a statistical testInvestigation design, Design of Experiments and project plansGood Laboratory Practice, risk assessment and COSHHExperimental error, scientific writing and evaluation
Organic Chemistry
Topic overviewOrganic formulae, homologous series and functional groupsIUPAC naming and types of organic reactionStructural isomerism and E/Z isomerismAlkanes from crude oil, combustion and halogenationVehicle pollutants, catalytic converters and biofuelsAlkenes, pi bonds and electrophilic additionClassifying alcohols, making ethanol and its effects as a drugOxidation of alcohols, IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometryAddition polymers, plastic waste and nylonPreparing and purifying aspirin
Medical PhysicsA2 option
Topic overviewBody temperature and clinical thermometersBlood pressure readings and the sphygmomanometerHeart activity experiments and EEG tracesX-ray tubes, radiographs and CT scansFlexible endoscopes, optical fibres and lasersUltrasound A-scans, B-scans and acoustic impedanceMRI scanning and gamma camera imagingAlpha, beta and gamma radiation and half-lifeRadiopharmaceuticals, radiotherapy and radiation protection
Sound and LightA2 option
Topic overviewTransverse and longitudinal waves and wave graphsPhase difference and the electromagnetic spectrumOuter, middle and inner earSound intensity and the decibel scaleStanding waves, harmonics and resonance tubesHearing response, phons and equal loudness curvesStructure of the eye, rods and conesAccommodation, lens power and correcting long sightTotal internal reflection and fibre-optic communicationDipole antennas, wireless networks and radarAttenuation of radio waves and the Doppler effect
Genetics, Stem Cell Research and CloningA2 option
Topic overviewDNA structure and the evidence for the double helixRNA, genes and the triplet codeGenotype, phenotype and monohybrid inheritanceDihybrid crosses, epistasis and the chi-squared testDNA replication and the Meselson–Stahl experimentMeiosis and genetic variationInsulin, factor VIII and chymosin from genetically modified microbesRecombinant DNA technology and gene cloningGenetic engineering, food supply and ethicsGene therapy and cystic fibrosisGenetic disease, screening and counsellingGenetic fingerprinting and gel electrophoresisStem cells, therapeutic cloning and their ethics
MicrobiologyDouble Award
Topic overviewBacteria, fungi and protozoaViruses, viroids and prionsClassifying bacteria, fungi and virusesLight and electron microscopyLaboratory safety, biocontainment and quality assuranceAseptic technique, growth media and inoculationCounting and measuring microbial growthGrowth requirements and growth inhibitionAntibiotics, PCR, gene therapy and pharmaceutical microbiologyThe gut microbiome in health and disease
Oral Health and DentistryDouble Award
Histology and PathologyDouble Award
Topic overviewSpecimen processing, data protection and safety lawClinical biochemistry tests and electrophoresisBlood smears and identifying blood cellsBlood grouping, cross-matching and transfusionDiagnostic and surveillance work in hospital microbiologyPreparing and staining tissue sectionsRecognising tissues, atheroma and emphysema on slides
Analytical Chemistry TechniquesDouble Award
Topic overviewVolumetric analysis in industry and healthcareApplied titrations of vinegar, indigestion tablets and bleachRedox titration of iron tablets and evaluating titrationsPrinciples of colorimetryColorimetric analysis of copper ore, aspirin and ironThin-layer chromatography and its usesVisualising chromatograms and identifying painkillers and pigmentsCalorimetry and combustionMolar enthalpy and bond energy calculationsQualitative tests for cations and gases
Enabling TechnologyDouble Award
Topic overviewECG and EEG machines in patient monitoringUltrasound and IVF equipment in fertility treatmentProsthetic limbs, hearing aids and cochlear implantsWorkflow and equipment in a medical laboratoryOngoing monitoring of a long-term conditionHealth data collection, databases and data protection
Organic Chemistry
- 10 subtopics
- 30 things to know
- A2 2
What Organic Chemistry covers
Organic Chemistry is examined in Unit A2 2, Organic Chemistry — examined, a core unit. It covers organic formulae, homologous series and functional groups, IUPAC naming and types of organic reaction, structural isomerism and E/Z isomerism, alkanes from crude oil, combustion and halogenation, vehicle pollutants, catalytic converters and biofuels, alkenes, pi bonds and electrophilic addition, classifying alcohols, making ethanol and its effects as a drug, oxidation of alcohols, IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, addition polymers, plastic waste and nylon and Preparing and purifying aspirin.
Where it is assessed
A2 2
Organic Chemistry — a written examination, compulsory.
Check the CCEA specification ↗The 10 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Organic formulae, homologous series and functional groupsHydrocarbons, empirical and molecular formulae with worked calculations, structural, skeletal and general formulae, homologous series and functional groups.Open →
- IUPAC naming and types of organic reactionIUPAC stems, suffixes and numbering rules with worked names, and addition, elimination, substitution, oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis and polymerisation reactions.Open →
- Structural isomerism and E/Z isomerismChain, position and functional group isomers of alkanes, alcohols and carbonyl compounds, stereoisomers, the conditions for E/Z isomerism, and cis and trans names.Open →
- Alkanes from crude oil, combustion and halogenationAlkanes and their formula, fractional distillation of crude oil, cracking and reforming with equations, complete and incomplete combustion, and the free-radical chlorination of methane.Open →
- Vehicle pollutants, catalytic converters and biofuelsCarbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, particulates and unburned hydrocarbons, oil spills, catalytic converters and their limits, and biodiesel and bioethanol against fossil fuels.Open →
- Alkenes, pi bonds and electrophilic additionAlkenes and the bromine water test, naming alkenes, sigma and pi bonds, hydrogenation and margarine, trans fats, electrophilic addition of hydrogen bromide and bromine, and hydration.Open →
- Classifying alcohols, making ethanol and its effects as a drugPrimary, secondary and tertiary alcohols, making alcohols from halogenoalkanes, hydration of ethene and fermentation compared, and ethanol's effects and harms as a recreational drug.Open →
- Oxidation of alcohols, IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometryDehydration of alcohols, oxidation with acidified dichromate to aldehydes, acids and ketones, Benedict's and Fehling's tests, infrared absorptions and the fingerprint region, and mass spectra.Open →
- Addition polymers, plastic waste and nylonAddition polymerisation of ethene and propene, monomers from repeat units, polythene waste, incineration and gas cleaning, recycling and cracking, biodegradable polymers, and nylon-6,6.Open →
- Preparing and purifying aspirinSynthesising aspirin from salicylic acid, filtering and recrystallising the crude product, the iron(III) chloride test, theoretical and percentage yield, melting point purity checks and improving the method.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
A compound contains 40.0% carbon, 6.7% hydrogen and 53.3% oxygen by mass, and its relative molecular mass is 180. What is its molecular formula?
Key term
How is crude oil separated by fractional distillation?
Process
Describe the free-radical mechanism for the chlorination of methane.
Key term
How does a catalytic converter reduce the harm caused by vehicle emissions?
Key term
Compare biofuels with fossil fuels as sources of energy for transport.
Process
Describe the electrophilic addition mechanism for the reaction of ethene with hydrogen bromide.
Key term
What are the IUPAC stems for carbon chains of one to six atoms?
Key term
What are structural isomers?
Key term
What is the general formula of the alcohols?
Key term
Write an equation for the dehydration of ethanol by concentrated phosphoric acid.
Key term
Why must a monomer contain a C=C double bond to form an addition polymer?
Key term
How is aspirin made in the laboratory?
Key term
How do suffixes show the functional group in an IUPAC name?
Key term
What are the three types of structural isomerism?
Key term
What is the general formula of the alkenes?
Key term
How are alcohols classified as primary, secondary or tertiary?
Key term
Which alkenes form when butan-2-ol is dehydrated?
Key term
Write an equation for the formation of poly(ethene) from ethene.
Key term
Write the equation for the synthesis of aspirin from salicylic acid.
Key term
What is a hydrocarbon?
Key term
What rules are followed when numbering a carbon chain in an IUPAC name?
Key term
Name the two structural isomers of C₄H₁₀.
Key term
What is the general formula of the alkanes?
Key term
Which pollutants form when alkane fuels burn in engines?
Key term
Why are alkenes described as unsaturated?
Key term
Classify butan-1-ol, butan-2-ol and 2-methylpropan-2-ol.
Key term
What oxidising agent is used to oxidise alcohols, and what colour change shows that a reaction has occurred?
Key term
Write an equation for the formation of poly(propene) from propene.
Key term
What type of reaction converts salicylic acid into aspirin?
Take Organic Chemistry further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Empirical formula vs Molecular formula
Empirical formula: the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound. Molecular formula: the actual numbers of atoms of each element present, a whole-number multiple of the simplest ratio.
Sigma bond vs Pi bond
Sigma bond: a covalent link formed by head-on overlap of orbitals between two nuclei. Pi bond: a covalent link formed by sideways overlap of p orbitals above and below the plane.
Addition polymerisation vs Condensation polymerisation
Addition polymerisation: the joining of unsaturated monomers into a chain with no other product formed. Condensation polymerisation: the joining of monomers with two functional groups each, releasing a small molecule at every link.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is a hydrocarbon?
Model answer
A hydrocarbon is a compound made of carbon and hydrogen atoms only. Methane, CH₄, and ethene, C₂H₄, are both hydrocarbons.
- 2
What is the difference between an empirical formula and a molecular formula?
Model answer
An empirical formula gives the simplest whole-number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound. A molecular formula gives the actual number of atoms of each element in one molecule.
- 3
How are the empirical and molecular formulae of a compound related?
Model answer
The molecular formula is a whole-number multiple of the empirical formula. The multiple is the relative molecular mass divided by the empirical formula mass.
- 4
A hydrocarbon contains 85.7% carbon by mass and has a relative molecular mass of 56. What are its empirical and molecular formulae?
Model answer
The empirical formula is CH₂ and the molecular formula is C₄H₈. Hydrogen is 14.3%, and 85.7 ÷ 12 : 14.3 ÷ 1 = 7.14 : 14.3 = 1 : 2. The empirical mass is 14, and 56 ÷ 14 = 4.
- 5
A compound contains 40.0% carbon, 6.7% hydrogen and 53.3% oxygen by mass, and its relative molecular mass is 180. What is its molecular formula?
Model answer
The molecular formula is C₆H₁₂O₆. Carbon gives 40.0 ÷ 12 = 3.33 mol and oxygen 53.3 ÷ 16 = 3.33 mol, against 6.7 mol of hydrogen. The 1 : 2 : 1 ratio gives CH₂O, of mass 30, and 180 ÷ 30 = 6.
- 6
A sample of a hydrocarbon contains 2.4 g of carbon and 0.6 g of hydrogen, and its relative molecular mass is 30. What is its molecular formula?
Model answer
The molecular formula is C₂H₆. Carbon gives 2.4 ÷ 12 = 0.2 mol and hydrogen 0.6 ÷ 1 = 0.6 mol, a 1 : 3 ratio. The empirical formula CH₃ has mass 15, and 30 ÷ 15 = 2.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Organic Chemistry revision questions
- What does Organic Chemistry cover in CCEA A-Level Life and Health Sciences?
- 10 subtopics: organic formulae, homologous series and functional groups, iupac naming and types of organic reaction, structural isomerism and e/z isomerism, alkanes from crude oil, combustion and halogenation, vehicle pollutants, catalytic converters and biofuels, alkenes, pi bonds and electrophilic addition, classifying alcohols, making ethanol and its effects as a drug, oxidation of alcohols, ir spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, addition polymers, plastic waste and nylon and preparing and purifying aspirin. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Organic Chemistry organised?
- By the CCEA 0008 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Organic Chemistry, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.