It is highly recommended that students intending to undertake this subject in Unit 3 & 4, should have successfully completed and passed Chemistry Unit 1 & 2 prior.
Unit 3: How can chemical processes be designed to optimise efficiency?
The global demand for energy and materials is increasing with the growth of world population. In this unit students explore energy options and the chemical production of materials with reference to efficiencies, renewability and the minimisation of their impact on the environment. Students compare and evaluate different chemical energy resources and investigate the combustion of fuels. They consider the purpose, design and operating of principles of galvanic cells, fuel cells and electrolytic cells and calculate quantities in electrolytic reactions. Students analyse manufacturing processes with reference to factors that influence their reaction rates and extent. They apply the equilibrium law and Le Chatelier’s principle to predict and explain the conditions that will improve the efficiency and percentage yield of chemical processes.
Unit 4: How are organic compounds categorised, analysed and used?
Carbon is the basis of the diverse compounds found in living tissues and in the fuels, foods, medicines and many of the materials we used in everyday life. In this unit students investigate the structural features, bonding, reactions and uses of the major families of organic compounds including those found in food. Students process data from instrumental analyses to confirm or deduce organic structures, and perform volumetric analyses to determine the concentrations of organic chemicals in mixtures. They predict the products of reaction pathways and design pathways to produce particular compounds from given starting materials. Students investigate key food molecules including carbohydrates proteins, lipids and vitamins and use calorimetry to determine the energy released in the combustion of food.