Bonding, structure, and the properties of matter

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Sample objectives

What this unit covers

• Chemical bonds, ionic, covalent and metallic: Describe how a non-metal atom gains electrons when reacting with a metal atom.
• Chemical bonds, ionic, covalent and metallic: Explain that metal atoms form positive ions and non-metal atoms form negative ions.
• Chemical bonds, ionic, covalent and metallic: Describe the limitations of dot and cross diagrams for giant ionic structures.
• Chemical bonds, ionic, covalent and metallic: Explain that strong electrostatic attractions act in all directions in an ionic lattice.
• Chemical bonds, ionic, covalent and metallic: Compare ionic, covalent and metallic bonding without treating the three bonding models as interchangeable.
• Chemical bonds, ionic, covalent and metallic: Identify ionic bonding as attraction between oppositely charged ions.
• Chemical bonds, ionic, covalent and metallic: Represent single covalent bonds in small molecules using lines.
• Chemical bonds, ionic, covalent and metallic: Represent covalent bonding in repeating units of polymers using lines and brackets where appropriate.
• Chemical bonds, ionic, covalent and metallic: Describe metallic bonding as strong attraction involving metal atoms and delocalised electrons.
• Chemical bonds, ionic, covalent and metallic: Explain that outer-shell electrons in metals are delocalised.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Explain why ionic compounds dissolved in water conduct electricity.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Explain that strong attractions between oppositely charged ions act in all directions in ionic compounds.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Explain why larger molecules tend to have higher melting points and boiling points than smaller molecules.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Explain why small molecular substances often have low melting points and low boiling points.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Identify solid, liquid and gas as the three states of matter.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: (HT only) Explain limitations of a simple particle model that represents particles as solid inelastic spheres with no forces between them.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Describe polymers as very large molecules made from atoms linked by covalent bonds.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Recognise polymers from diagrams showing bonding and structure.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Describe giant covalent substances as structures where atoms are linked by many strong covalent bonds.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Identify diamond, graphite and silicon dioxide as examples of giant covalent structures.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Explain why pure metals may be too soft for some uses.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Explain why most metals have high melting points and high boiling points using strong metallic bonding.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Use state symbols to distinguish pure liquids from aqueous solutions in equations.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Identify (s), (l), (g) and (aq) as state symbols for solid, liquid, gas and aqueous substances.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Explain why metals conduct electricity using delocalised electrons as mobile charge carriers.
• How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances: Explain why metals conduct thermal energy using delocalised electrons.
• Structure and bonding of carbon: Explain why diamond has a very high melting point.
• Structure and bonding of carbon: Explain why diamond is very hard in terms of its bonding and structure.
• Structure and bonding of carbon: Explain graphite's properties using its structure and bonding.
• Structure and bonding of carbon: Explain why graphite is similar to metals because it contains delocalised electrons.
• Structure and bonding of carbon: Describe carbon nanotubes as cylindrical fullerenes with very high length to diameter ratios.
• Structure and bonding of carbon: Identify Buckminsterfullerene, C60, as a spherical fullerene.
• Bulk and surface properties of matter including nanoparticles (chemistry only): (chemistry only) Use standard form when comparing particle sizes in metres and nanometres.
• Bulk and surface properties of matter including nanoparticles (chemistry only): (chemistry only) Define nanoscience as the study of structures from 1 nm to 100 nm.
• Bulk and surface properties of matter including nanoparticles (chemistry only): (chemistry only) Describe that nanoparticles can be used as catalysts.
• Bulk and surface properties of matter including nanoparticles (chemistry only): (chemistry only) Describe that nanoparticles have applications in medicine.