Key term
Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Chemistry 1SC0
Key Concepts in Chemistry
Topic overviewFormulae, word equations and balanced equationsHazard symbols and assessing riskThe changing model of the atomProtons, neutrons and electronsThe nucleus, mass number and atomic massElements and isotopesCalculating particle numbers and relative atomic massMendeleev's periodic tableHow the modern periodic table is arrangedElectronic configuration and the periodic tableHow ionic bonds formIons in ionic compoundsFormulae of ionic compounds and ionic equationsNaming compounds and the ionic latticeCovalent bonds and moleculesDot and cross diagrams for simple moleculesClassifying substances and the properties of ionic compoundsProperties of simple molecular substances, and forms of carbonGraphite and diamondFullerenes and graphenePolymers and models of bondingThe properties of metalsRelative formula mass and percentage compositionEmpirical and molecular formulaeConservation of mass in closed and open systemsReacting masses from balanced equationsConcentration in grams per cubic decimetreMoles and the Avogadro constantLimiting reactants and stoichiometry
States of Matter and Mixtures
Topic overviewThe three states of matter and changes of stateEnergy changes during changes of state, and predicting statePure substances and melting point dataChoosing a separation techniqueSeparating a mixture in practicePaper chromatography and interpreting a chromatogramInvestigating inks by distillation and chromatographyMaking water potable
Chemical Changes
Topic overviewAcids, alkalis and the pH scaleIndicators: litmus, methyl orange and phenolphthaleinHydrogen ion concentration and the pH scaleInvestigating pH change when neutralising an acidDilute and concentrated, weak and strong acidsBases and alkalisReactions of acids, and testing for hydrogen and carbon dioxideNeutralisation and its ionic equationPreparing soluble salts from insoluble and soluble reactantsPreparing pure, dry copper sulfate crystalsCarrying out an acid-alkali titrationSolubility rulesPredicting precipitates and preparing an insoluble saltElectrolytes and what electrolysis isMovement of ions and predicting the products of molten electrolysisElectrolysis with inert electrodesWriting half equationsOxidation and reduction at the electrodesElectrolysis of copper sulfate solutionInvestigating the electrolysis of copper sulfate
Extracting Metals and Equilibria
Topic overviewInvestigating the reactivity of metalsDisplacement reactions as redox reactionsThe reactivity seriesOres, oxidation and reductionChoosing a method to extract a metalBiological methods of metal extractionCorrosion resistance and recycling metalsLife cycle assessmentReversible reactions and dynamic equilibriumThe Haber process and its conditionsChanging the position of an equilibrium
Groups in the Periodic Table
Topic overviewThe groups of the periodic table, and the alkali metalsReactions of the alkali metals with waterThe pattern in alkali metal reactivity and why it happensPhysical properties of the halogensThe test for chlorine, and halogens reacting with metalsHydrogen halides, and explaining halogen reactivityDisplacement reactions of the halogensGroup 0: the noble gases
Rates of Reaction and Energy Changes
Topic overviewInvestigating the rate of a reactionMeasuring rate and interpreting rate graphsCollision theory and factors affecting rateCatalysts and enzymesExothermic and endothermic changesBond breaking, bond making and the overall energy changeBond energies, activation energy and reaction profiles
Fuels and Earth Science
Topic overviewHydrocarbons and crude oilFractional distillation and the fractionsProperties of the fractions and homologous seriesComplete and incomplete combustionCarbon monoxide and sootPollutants and acid rainHydrogen and fossil fuels comparedCracking and why it is necessaryThe Earth's early atmosphereHow the oceans formed and how oxygen appearedThe test for oxygen and the greenhouse gasesToday's atmosphere and evidence for climate change
Fuels and Earth Science
- 12 subtopics
- 36 things to know
- Paper 4
What Fuels and Earth Science covers
Fuels and Earth Science is examined in Paper 4, Chemistry 2. It covers hydrocarbons and crude oil, fractional distillation and the fractions, properties of the fractions and homologous series, complete and incomplete combustion, carbon monoxide and soot, pollutants and acid rain, hydrogen and fossil fuels compared, cracking and why it is necessary, the Earth's early atmosphere, how the oceans formed and how oxygen appeared, the test for oxygen and the greenhouse gases and today's atmosphere and evidence for climate change.
Where it is assessed
Paper 4
Chemistry 2: Chemistry in Combined Science: 1 hour 10 minutes, 60 marks, 16.67% of the qualification.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 12 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Hydrocarbons and crude oilWhat a hydrocarbon is and deciding whether compounds such as methane and ethanol are hydrocarbons, crude oil as a finite mixture of hydrocarbons in chains and rings, and its use for fuels and petrochemical feedstock.Open →
- Fractional distillation and the fractionsWhat a fraction is, how crude oil is vaporised and separated in a fractionating column with its temperature gradient, why fractions condense at different heights and are still mixtures, and the order and uses of gases, petrol, kerosene, diesel oil, fuel oil and bitumen.Open →
- Properties of the fractions and homologous seriesHow molecule size changes down the column and affects boiling point, ease of ignition and viscosity, why petrol suits car engines, and homologous series, the CH₂ difference, the alkane general formula CₙH₂ₙ₊₂ and trends along a series.Open →
- Complete and incomplete combustionThe products of complete combustion and why it needs plenty of oxygen, the oxidation of carbon and hydrogen, equations for burning methane and propane, and how limited oxygen gives carbon monoxide, soot and water in incomplete combustion.Open →
- Carbon monoxide and sootWhy carbon monoxide is toxic and hard to detect, how it binds to haemoglobin, carbon monoxide alarms, and how soot from incomplete combustion blocks appliances, creates fire and health risks, and why appliances are serviced.Open →
- Pollutants and acid rainHow sulfur impurities in fuels form sulfur dioxide, how it causes acid rain and the damage to lakes, trees, buildings and metals, ways of reducing it, and how oxides of nitrogen form from air in hot engines and why they are pollutants.Open →
- Hydrogen and fossil fuels comparedThe advantages and disadvantages of hydrogen as a car fuel compared with petrol, including its combustion product, storage, flammability, refuelling and manufacture, and petrol, kerosene, diesel oil and methane as non-renewable fossil fuels.Open →
- Cracking and why it is necessaryWhat cracking is, saturated alkanes and unsaturated alkenes, the conditions used and a cracking equation, why the supply of and demand for fractions make cracking necessary and profitable, and presenting data in bar charts, histograms and frequency tables.Open →
- The Earth's early atmosphereHow volcanic activity produced an early atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide and water vapour with little or no oxygen, the small amounts of nitrogen, methane and ammonia, and why the evidence from Mars and ancient rocks is uncertain.Open →
- How the oceans formed and how oxygen appearedHow condensing water vapour formed the oceans, how dissolved carbon dioxide was locked into carbonate sediments, limestone and fossil fuels, and how photosynthesis by primitive plants gradually removed carbon dioxide and added oxygen.Open →
- The test for oxygen and the greenhouse gasesThe glowing splint test for oxygen and why it works, and how carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour absorb heat radiated from the Earth's surface to cause the greenhouse effect, and why more of them raises temperatures.Open →
- Today's atmosphere and evidence for climate changeThe correlation between carbon dioxide and temperature and why it is not proof, uncertainties in historical and local evidence, ice cores, the composition of today's atmosphere, human sources of carbon dioxide and methane, the effects of climate change and ways to limit it.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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Explain why some fuels produce sulfur dioxide when burned and others do not, and how the gas leads to acid rain.
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Explain how oxides of nitrogen form in an engine, giving their formulae and why hotter engines make more.
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Give the word equation for photosynthesis and explain how it changed the early atmosphere and allowed animals to evolve.
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What is a hydrocarbon?
Process
Name the process used to separate crude oil into simpler, more useful mixtures.
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Describe how the size of hydrocarbon molecules changes down a fractionating column.
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Name the two products formed when a hydrocarbon burns completely.
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Explain why carbon monoxide is described as a toxic gas.
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Name the only product formed when hydrogen burns in oxygen.
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What is cracking?
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What produced the gases that made up the Earth's early atmosphere?
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Describe the chemical test for oxygen.
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Explain why a correlation between carbon dioxide levels and temperature does not on its own prove that one causes the other.
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Which two elements are present in every hydrocarbon?
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What is a fraction?
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Explain why larger hydrocarbon molecules have higher boiling points.
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State whether complete combustion gives out or takes in energy.
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Name the substance in the blood that carbon monoxide attaches to.
Evaluation
Give one advantage, in terms of climate, of running a car on hydrogen rather than petrol.
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What is meant by a saturated hydrocarbon?
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Name two gases that volcanoes released into the Earth's early atmosphere.
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State the positive result of the test for oxygen.
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Explain how the consumption of fossil fuels is linked to rising carbon dioxide concentration.
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Explain why ethanol, C₂H₅OH, is not classed as a hydrocarbon.
Process
Describe the first stage in the fractional distillation of crude oil.
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Describe how the ease of ignition of hydrocarbons changes as their molecules get larger.
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Which element in a hydrocarbon is oxidised to carbon dioxide during complete combustion?
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Explain why breathing in carbon monoxide can cause fainting and even death.
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Name the impurity found in some hydrocarbon fuels that leads to sulfur dioxide being released.
Evaluation
Give one advantage of hydrogen over petrol relating to pollutants other than carbon dioxide.
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What is meant by an unsaturated hydrocarbon?
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Suggest why volcanic activity was far greater on the early Earth than it is today.
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Explain how the Earth's oceans formed.
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Explain why a glowing splint relights when it is placed in oxygen.
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Describe one uncertainty in the evidence that is caused by where the measurements are taken.
Take Fuels and Earth Science further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Complete combustion vs Incomplete combustion
Complete combustion: burning in plenty of oxygen to give only carbon dioxide and water. Incomplete combustion: burning in limited oxygen, giving carbon monoxide or soot as well.
Carbon monoxide vs Carbon dioxide
Carbon monoxide: toxic colourless gas that binds to haemoglobin in red blood cells. Carbon dioxide: greenhouse gas from burning fuels fully, which turns limewater milky.
Cracking vs Fractional distillation
Cracking: breaking large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller, more useful ones with heat and a catalyst. Fractional distillation: separating crude oil into groups of similar boiling point in a tall column.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is a hydrocarbon?
Model answer
A hydrocarbon is a compound made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms only.
- 2
Which two elements are present in every hydrocarbon?
Model answer
Every hydrocarbon contains carbon and hydrogen.
- 3
Explain why ethanol, C₂H₅OH, is not classed as a hydrocarbon.
Model answer
Ethanol contains oxygen as well as carbon and hydrogen, so it is not a hydrocarbon.
- 4
State whether methane, CH₄, is a hydrocarbon and give a reason.
Model answer
It is a hydrocarbon because it contains carbon and hydrogen atoms and no other element.
- 5
A compound has the formula C₃H₇Cl. State whether it is a hydrocarbon and explain your answer.
Model answer
It is not a hydrocarbon because it contains chlorine in addition to carbon and hydrogen.
- 6
State whether a hydrocarbon is an element, a mixture or a compound, and give a reason.
Model answer
A hydrocarbon is a compound, because its carbon and hydrogen atoms are chemically bonded together.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Fuels and Earth Science revision questions
- What does Fuels and Earth Science cover in Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Chemistry?
- 12 subtopics: hydrocarbons and crude oil, fractional distillation and the fractions, properties of the fractions and homologous series, complete and incomplete combustion, carbon monoxide and soot, pollutants and acid rain, hydrogen and fossil fuels compared, cracking and why it is necessary, the earth's early atmosphere, how the oceans formed and how oxygen appeared, the test for oxygen and the greenhouse gases and today's atmosphere and evidence for climate change. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Fuels and Earth Science organised?
- By the Edexcel 1SC0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Fuels and Earth Science, 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.
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