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Northern IrelandChemistry

Unit 1 Structures, Trends, Chemical Reactions and Analysis

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What is inside an atom, and how do we describe and count its particles?

The structure of the atom in terms of protons, neutrons and electrons, atomic number and mass number, isotopes, and the calculation of relative atomic mass from isotopic abundances.
A CCEA GCSE Chemistry answer on atomic structure, covering the masses and charges of protons, neutrons and electrons, atomic number and mass number, how to read symbols, isotopes, and how to calculate relative atomic mass from isotopic abundances.
9 min answer →

How are electrons arranged in atoms, and how does this explain the Periodic Table?

Electron arrangement in shells for the first 20 elements, writing electron configurations, and the link between outer-shell electrons, the group number and chemical reactivity.
A CCEA GCSE Chemistry answer on electron arrangement, covering how electrons fill shells for the first 20 elements, how to write electron configurations, and how the number of outer-shell electrons links to the group, the period and the chemical reactivity of an element.
8 min answer →

How do we classify matter, and how do we separate mixtures?

Elements, compounds and mixtures, the difference between physical and chemical change, and the separation techniques of filtration, crystallisation, distillation, fractional distillation and chromatography.
A CCEA GCSE Chemistry answer on elements, compounds and mixtures, covering how each is defined, the difference between physical and chemical change, and the separation techniques of filtration, crystallisation, simple and fractional distillation and chromatography with their uses.
9 min answer →

How do the properties of elements change within Groups 1, 7 and 0?

The properties and trends of the Group 1 alkali metals, the Group 7 halogens and the Group 0 noble gases, including reactivity trends and displacement reactions of the halogens.
A CCEA GCSE Chemistry answer on group trends, covering the properties and reactivity of the Group 1 alkali metals, the Group 7 halogens with their displacement reactions, and the unreactive Group 0 noble gases, and explaining each trend in terms of electron arrangement.
9 min answer →

How is the Periodic Table organised, and why is it useful?

The development and modern organisation of the Periodic Table by atomic number into periods and groups, the position of metals and non-metals, and how the table predicts properties.
A CCEA GCSE Chemistry answer on the Periodic Table, covering how Mendeleev's table developed into the modern one, how elements are arranged by atomic number into periods and groups, where metals and non-metals sit, and how the layout lets us predict the properties of an element.
8 min answer →