The primary reason chemistry is so hard is because of the topic progression. You really have to fully understand several topics before you can fully understand other topics. It’s important to keep in mind, memorization isn’t the key here. There’s a certain element of memorization.
On this post you will learn about How To Get An A In College Chemistry, chemistry tips and tricks, how to study chemistry effectively, how to understand chemistry and how to get an a in chemistry in high school.
How To Get An A In College Chemistry
We begin with the details on How To Get An A In College Chemistry, then chemistry tips and tricks, how to study chemistry effectively, how to understand chemistry and how to get an a in chemistry in high school.
“Chemistry is just too hard. I don’t understand it.”
How often have you thought Chemistry is too hard? I can’t tell you how many college students have told me different versions of this exact same thing. Many students think that they can’t comprehend it, or that their brains just don’t work that way. This is NOT true. Some people might understand it more naturally or have more math experience. However, You (yes… You reading this) can understand Chemistry as good as anyone… if you put in the work and make use of these study tips.
Make time to use these 10 Study Tips for General Chemistry
Use the following 10 Study Tips for General Chemistry. Remember that General Chemistry requires more time and effort than your average college class.
1. Understand Electrons
Chemistry is considered the study of matter. This is the study of atoms, molecules, and how they interact with each other. When we talk about how atoms and molecules INTERACT, we are specifically talking about electrons. Keep electrons in mind when learning chemistry. Think of how many electrons, what they are doing, and why. Even though there is some memorization required in General Chemistry, understanding electrons and how they interact will greatly reduce the amount of work and memorization required during study time.
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2. Read before the Lecture
If someone were to tell me that only 10% of a General Chemistry class made an A, I would tell them that 90% of the class wasn’t reading the material before the lecture. In fact, most college students NEVER do this. If you want an advantage over other students, this is a great tip for any class. Not just General Chemistry.
3. Go to Class. Every… Single… Class
Go to lecture and lab every single time! Many college professors expect you to be an adult and never take attendance. This may seem to be an obvious study tip, but go to class anyway! Attendance matters because if you don’t go to lecture and lab, you will get behind and your grades will drop. Don’t ever miss unless you absolutely have to. If you do miss, email your professor and let him or her know! Get notes from other students. You might even be able to attend a lecture or lab from another professor.
4. Organize your Notes
After class, and sometime before the next class, organize your Chemistry notes. Go through the text book and add additional information that might be missing. Read through the notes as it relates to the text book. You can also add example problems from the text or rewrite notes in your own words to make it easier to understand.
5. Take Practice Exams
Taking practice exams can greatly increase your grades on exams in General Chemistry. If your chemistry professor doesn’t provide practice exams, look online or make your own. Sometimes making your own practice exam can help even more.
If you are taking the General Chemistry Final Exam from the American Chemical Society, you can find Practice Exams for both General Chemistry 1 and General Chemistry 2 online here:
6. Study Every Day
I know that it’s hard to find time. Sometimes it’s even hard to find time to eat or sleep. But if you don’t make time to study, you will have a very hard time in General Chemistry. Yes… there will be times you have to study for several hours at a time. But even 10 or 15 minutes in a day can be helpful. Flash Cards, notes, working problems, or any other quick method that works for you should be available daily.
7. Join a Study Group
There are so many benefits to joining a study group that I can’t even mention all of them here. It is important to join a study group for your General Chemistry class. It’s a great way to learn more study tips and methods used by your peers. Since study groups meet regularly, it helps prevent procrastination in your study schedule.
Research has shown that studying with peers helps you learn faster, fill in any gaps in your information, and see things from other student perspectives. If you help other students in your study group, it will bring your learning to a whole other level. When you begin to teach others, you begin to master the material yourself.
8. Practice Solving Chemistry Problems
The homework assignments in General Chemistry exist to help you practice solving problems. This is a good reason to never skip the homework. However, sometimes doing the homework problems isn’t quite enough.
In addition to doing all, yes I said all, of your homework, you should work extra problems in your study groups! Make the study group active. Work problems on the board. During the week, when you come across problems that you struggle with, save them! Write them down. Take a picture of it with your phone. Save it somehow so you can bring it to your study group and practice it with others.
9. Determine Areas of Confusion
If you come across topics, concepts, or chemistry problems that seem confusing to you, take action! Don’t hesitate. First, look it up online. There are a lot of great videos on YouTube that can help you figure things out. Next, bring it to your study group. Discuss it with the group and see if your peers can clear things up for you and help you understand. Finally, talk to your professor about it. Most professors are happy to help when students come to their office hours.
10. Distinguish Important vs. Difficult
This is an incredibly important point. I see this all the time with Chemistry Students. It is important that Chemistry Students know the difference between important concepts and difficult ones. Yes, many important concepts and chemistry techniques are difficult, but not all of them that are difficult are as important.
Please do not take this point the wrong way and start ignoring everything that’s difficult! Just be mindful of what topics are important when you start digging through the book or working extra problems. If you are unsure if something is important, ask your professor. I’ve seen study groups spend an hour trying to figure out how to solve a problem that was incredibly difficult that wasn’t relevant to the information they were studying. It was time wasted. Your study time is precious. Focus on the material that’s important.
chemistry tips and tricks
Next, we consider chemistry tips and tricks, how to study chemistry effectively, how to understand chemistry and how to get an a in chemistry in high school.
For a lot of people, it’s one of the most, if not the most dreaded subject in VCE, and as a prerequisite for medicine, it’s also one of the most popular. So here are a few basic tips to help you succeed in VCE Chem and hopefully increase your score
- Take detailed notes. Regardless of whether you have photographic memory or 9 copies of the textbook, detailed notes are essential in such a pedantic and content filled subject, especially when it comes to revision time and you’ve forgotten what the catalyst for esterification is
- Understanding is paramount. When it comes to Chem, memory is the easy part. When it comes to actual SAC and exam questions, you’ll slowly start to realise that most of the questions are impossible without a thorough understanding of the subject. Make sure to understand rather than memorise
- Don’t give up. A lot of chemistry students “give up” and relegate chemistry to their bottom subjects and stop putting effort in. Surprisingly, in doing this they lose the opportunity to score well in a subject that has less and less competition for higher marks. Persistent work is key throughout the academic year
- Practice exams are key. When it comes to SAC and exam preparation, taking notes and revising the textbook is useless. Do as many relevant questions as possible, especially ones from last VCE exams as these focus on understanding, as I said previously, and are necessary to consolidate your understanding of topics
- VCAA examination reports are a brilliant guide. When it comes to any questions you aren’t sure about, the reports provide a reliable resource that can help explain questions you aren’t sure about, but more importantly, show you which questions the state struggles with. By finding and doing these questions, you become much more proficient at completing questions that initially seem difficult, but become increasingly easier.
Chemistry doesn’t have to be so difficult. Once you’ve got a good understanding of the subject content, you’ll learn how to apply it to a myriad of scenarios by doing practice questions. So make sure you grab some great resources for VCE Chemistry early on and focus on the one key thing that I zealously believe is the most important item on that list: UNDERSTANDING
how to study chemistry effectively
Now we delve into how to study chemistry effectively, how to understand chemistry and how to get an a in chemistry in high school.
Chemistry is one of those classes you either love or dread. At the high school level chemistry is usually not a required course – it’s an elective. However, most reputable colleges require all undergraduate students to take at least one chemistry course as a prerequisite to graduation. If you plan on pursuing a career in medicine, engineering, or a field of natural science, then you’re likely going to be required to take at least one chemistry course before you graduate. Chemistry is a challenging subject for most people, but it doesn’t have to be. The number one reason people struggle with chemistry is that they don’t approach it the right way. Below we’ll explore proven strategies and techniques that will, if applied, improve your ability to study and learn chemistry.
Review and Study Material Before Going to Class
In a traditional learning model, students arrive at class, the instructor introduces the material, expounds on relevant concepts, assigns follow up readings and assignments, and ends class. Students are then expected to go home, review their class notes, attempt to complete assigned readings and assignments, actually learn what was taught in class (which doesn’t always happen), come to class the following week with any questions they have from the previous lecture, and be ready to move on and explore new material and concepts. The problem with this model is that it’s ineffective, especially with subjects and material that are challenging to learn.
The best way to learn chemistry is to come to each lecture having already read and studied the material that is going to be presented that day. This method of learning is known as the ‘Flipped Classroom‘, sometimes referred to as ‘Class Reversed’, and it is a growing trend for teaching many subjects in schools and colleges nationwide. This model is especially effective for learning (and teaching) chemistry for several reasons. First, it gets students to come to class having already studied the material to be presented. Second, arriving at class already familiar with the subject matter, students are able to follow along and understand what is being taught. If students did not understand concepts from their studies, they are able to ask questions during the relevant lecture. Finally, classroom time is used more effectively as a learning tool. Students come away from each lecture with a much better understanding of course concepts and with fewer questions.
Studying your chemistry assignments, readings, and material before going to each class is one of the most effective strategies for learning chemistry.
Seek Understanding
As with any of the sciences, there is a lot of new information to learn and memorize in chemistry. In fact, there is so much new information you’ll be presented with as you begin to study chemistry that you’ll get bogged down quickly if you get caught up trying to memorize all the details. First focus on gaining understanding of fundamental concepts. Once you have a sound understanding of the fundamentals, you can spend time memorizing the details. Also, as you master the fundamentals of chemistry and gain understanding of the concepts, you’ll find it much easier to memorize everything else.
Remember, memorization should never replace understanding. Seek to gain understanding first.
Take Good Notes
Attending class regularly and paying attention is important, but it’s not enough. As you study chemistry, it’s necessary to take copious, intelligible notes that further your understanding of the concepts being discussed. Note taking is of particular importance to the study of chemistry for the following reasons.
- Note taking also forces you to write things down. The formulas and equations you’ll be introduced to as you study chemistry will be far easier to remember and understand after you’ve written them down.
- Taking good notes, and then reviewing those notes, will help you to determine what you do and don’t understand.
- Make sure your note taking is organized. Taking organized notes will help you review lectures effectively and prepare for exams.
- Note taking will enable you to participate in study groups. The better your notes, the better you’ll be able to participate and contribute to your study group.
When taking notes, don’t just focus on what your instructor writes on the board. Listen and copy down all key verbal points and concepts discussed during the lecture.
After each lecture take a few minutes to review your notes. Make sure you understand all the concepts covered in the lecture. Use your textbook to improve your notes and understanding of key concepts covered.
Practice Daily
A key to learning and studying chemistry is practice. Completing practice problems, solving equations, working formulas, etc. should be a core feature of your daily study routine. That’s right, daily study routine. You should spend a little time each day (1 hour) studying chemistry if you want to learn it and stay at the top of your game. Test your understanding and knowledge of chemistry by reviewing and working the practice problems found on sample chemistry tests, as well as problems found on previous chemistry tests (if you can get your hands on them.)
When working chemistry problems, don’t look at the answer key unless (1) you’ve been able to work out the answer or (2) are completely stumped. Before looking at the answer, ask for help understanding how to work the problem from a study companion, teacher’s aide or your instructor. Re-read your textbook to gain understanding and clarification.
If you get a problem wrong, work it again on paper until you’re able to get it correct. Make sure you understand each step of the problem and why it is necessary. Once you’ve been able to figure out the problem, find another problem of the same type and work it. Continue to do so until you thoroughly understand the concept being taught.
Take Advantage of Lab Time
When it comes to understanding and learning chemistry, there is no substitute for hands-on experience, and there is no better way to get this experience than by attending chemistry labs. Take every opportunity presented to work in the lab. Working through chemistry problems and conducting chemistry experiments in a practical environment will strengthen your understanding and knowledge of chemistry.
Use Flashcards
Flashcards are nothing new, but they work. They are particularly useful for studying chemistry. Chemistry is full of scientific symbols, formulas and vocabulary that must be memorized and interpreted correctly. Flashcards are ideal for organizing and studying chemical symbols, formulas, and vocabulary – including the periodic table of elements. Once you’ve created an organized set of flashcards you’ll find memorization must be easier.
Use Study Groups
Using a well-organized study group is a great way to tackle learning any challenging subject, including chemistry. Study groups allow chemistry students to share their insights with one another, exchange ideas, explain difficult concepts to one another, teach what they’ve learned, share notes, study for exams, and cover more material. The following are tips for forming effective study groups.
- Keep groups between 3 and 6 people.
- All members must come prepared to group study sessions.
- Include members who are dedicated to their individual success as well as the success of the other group members.
- Schedule group study sessions at the same time and place each week.
- Keep study sessions between 2 to 3 hours.
- Keep study sessions focused. Don’t let them turn into social events.
- Study as a group in an environment free from distractions.
Break Large Tasks Into Smaller Ones
When studying chemistry, break the material down into smaller pieces that you can master. Even though this may seem at times to be slow and tedious, it will help you actually learn what you’re studying. Once you’ve mastered one concept, move on to the next. You’ll be surprised to find that after you really understand a few of the smaller concepts well, it will become much easier to learn and master larger concepts.
Focus on Your Work, Not Your Grade
Learning chemistry requires total concentration. Continually focusing on your grade takes focus away from learning chemistry. If you will focus on learning chemistry, your grade will follow. There are no shortcuts. At the end of the day, what you learn is what’s important. And if you learn chemistry, you’ll get a good grade.
Jump in With Both Feet
As with other challenging subjects, including biology, jumping in with both feet is key to your success studying and learning chemistry. Partial efforts don’t cut it. Decided now that you’re going to succeed in chemistry and that you’re going to give it your all.
how to understand chemistry
Next, how to understand chemistry and how to get an a in chemistry in high school.
Chemistry can be a tough subject to learn, especially if you aren’t going about studying this complicated science the right way. While there are no secret shortcuts to help you master Chemistry overnight, you can make it easier by studying the right way. Once you know the best ways to spend your study time and prepare for lessons, you can focus on understanding the concepts better.
Brush up on your math. There are going to be a number of formulas and equations that you need to solve in order to learn chemistry. If you can’t remember how to solve logs or quadratic equations, it’s a good idea to review some algebra problems. They will help you to do similar problems in your chemistry coursework. Some of the match concepts you should familiarize yourself with include:[1]
- Algebraic equations (writing and solving them)
- Exponents
- Negative numbers
- Scientific notation
- Fractions
- Logarithms
Learn to read and understand the periodic table and its trends. Learning the elements is essential to success in chemistry. Just as you would struggle with math if you did not know the difference between numbers, it is vital to learn how to read and understand what is on the periodic table. You will also need to understand how the trends of the periodic table work to learn more complex concepts in chemistry. Some important trends to learn about include:
- Electronegativity
- Ionization energy
- Atomic radius
- Electron affinity
Study all the core concepts and learn how to solve problems step by step. This would begin with understanding the metric system, the scientific method, chemical nomenclature and atomic structure. The reason many people find chemistry difficult is they do not fully understand these fundamental concepts before trying to study more advanced subjects.
- Many of the fundamental concepts of chemistry can be learned through university websites that provide learning materials free.[2]
- You can also find helpful guidebooks, such as SparkNotes or the “For Dummies” books, at your local bookstore.
- Write concepts out by hand.[3] Studies have shown that when you write by hand you’re more likely to remember the concepts.[4]
Make flashcards. Anytime you learn a new word or concept, make a flashcard for it. This is great for the periodic table as well as many other principles. Go through the flashcards several times a week to keep the information fresh in your mind.
Learn mnemonic memorization techniques. Try thinking of each element as a different symbol, such as an apple or a football. It can be anything you can picture in your mind when you think of the element. It may seem counter-intuitive, but by creating strong associations you will have an easier time remembering information.
Think three dimensionally. Use visual aids to help understand the texts.[6] You are trained to read the textbook with 2D drawings of molecules, but keep in mind that chemistry is in the 3D world. Use a 3D model or train your mind to picture any molecular structure in 3D.
- The University of Liverpool runs a website called ChemTube 3D that has free interactive animations and structures for many chemistry concepts. It will even run on your phone or tablet.[7]
Choose a quality textbook that covers all the important concepts. Don’t go for a book because it seems like it is an easier text. You may just feel like you have learned chemistry without really understanding the essential principles. [8] To find a good textbook, take a look at some university bookstores and see which texts their professors prefer.
how to get an a in chemistry in high school
Students in need of High School Chemistry help will benefit greatly from our interactive syllabus. We break down all of the key elements so you can get adequate High School Chemistry help. With the imperative study concepts and relevant practice questions right at your fingertips, you’ll have plenty of High School Chemistry help in no time. Get help today with our extensive collection of essential High School Chemistry information.
High school chemistry often conjures images of Bunsen burners, beakers, and reactions brewing over hot plates. These are all things that many students will experience, but are supplemented with plenty of long laboratory reports and challenging examinations. Like many other high school science courses, high school chemistry is time-intensive and conceptually challenging with long-term implications for students with aspirations to college or technical careers. Whether you need top Chemistry tutors in Syracuse, Chemistry tutors in Chicago, or top Chemistry tutors in San Francisco, working with a pro may take your studies to the next level.
High school chemistry classes usually focus on the basics of chemistry, which will be critically important in later, more advanced courses. Mastering these basic principles can often seem overwhelming when they are presented with many other less important facts in the course of a typical chemistry class session. Knowing what is important and triaging information is an essential skill to develop, and can be applied to any other class you are taking now or end up taking later. Varsity Tutors offers resources like free High School Chemistry Practice Tests to help with your self-paced study, or you may want to consider a Chemistry tutor.
Aside from recognizing what is important, one of the most challenging parts of high school chemistry for many students is developing the ability to think like a chemist. Critical thought and analytical consideration of results both rest on applying the scientific method, which can be a foreign way of thinking for many students. This approach, however, can pay dividends in future science classes, and on challenging exams students face later in their educational careers.
The real challenge, of course, is seeing this long-term value while also accomplishing the everyday tasks of studying and writing reports. Proper perspective is therefore critical, and something that is best afforded by working with other students, teaching and learning in groups or one-on-one. Quickly it will become apparent that analytical and critical investigation of questions holds great value in a variety of fields.
In fact, chemistry and the scientific method are important even if you never see yourself as a chemist working in a lab. Maybe you want to work in a field like finance or accounting or a technical field like automobile repair. Regardless, all of these fields will involve someone present with a problem that you will need to investigate and fix. A methodical approach to investigating the problem will be critical to efficiently and effectively completing your job.
Standardized examinations on the road to college also emphasize critical thinking, and some, like the AP Chemistry exam, directly test you on knowledge you likely learn in a high school chemistry class. You can also put critical thinking skills developed in high school chemistry courses to good use on exams like the ACT and the SAT. While all of these can be meaningful motivation for many students, finding enjoyment and satisfaction from the study of chemistry is also critical. You may not find everything fascinating, but taking a moment to reflect on the implications your new knowledge of chemistry has on your understanding of the world around you can help you appreciate remarkable aspects of even the most mundane parts of everyday life. In addition to the High School Chemistry Help section and Chemistry tutoring, you may also want to consider taking some of our High School Chemistry Flashcards.
Working in groups or one-on-one with other students of chemistry is a way to recognize and appreciate the enormous impact that chemistry has on everyday life. Consider that every atom is almost entirely empty space, and ask yourself why your atoms and the atoms of your chair don’t simply pass through one another, landing you on the floor. Chemistry has the answer, and appreciating new perspectives like these can help you find your passion, in chemistry or elsewhere.
If you’re having trouble fully understanding or appreciating a topic in high school chemistry, our High School Chemistry Help page might be just the tool to help you finally master the concepts that elude you. We divide up our High School Chemistry Help content into general topics as well as specific concepts, so you can study material at the level of detail that best suits your needs. Our Help content presents you with correctly-worked practice problems with full explanations, making it easy to follow along and start good problem-solving habits you can apply to similar questions in the future. High school chemistry courses offer many challenges, and our free Learning Tools can help as you work to meet every one of them.
For students dreaming of becoming a doctor, pharmacist, engineer, concreter, painter or even a chef, you will have to be very familiar with Chemistry as it’s a subject that you will end up using on a daily basis in your chosen career. Chemistry forms the building blocks of life. It is a subject that is traditionally viewed as difficult because of the complex nature of chemical reactions and the unfamiliarity of the new language. This is usually where students crumble in Chemistry but with the right tools you’ll be on the track to success in no time!
Chemistry is far more theoretical than most people imagine. The theory studied in Chemistry, particularly at a High School level, is the starting point to the practical work that will come as students transition into the careers that were mentioned at the start of this blog. Whenever a Doctor prescribes a drug, they will always consider the chemical properties of the drug and how it will interact with the human body. This is just one example of Chemistry in action! Through this subject you will learn how to view the world in a different light, and appreciate the complex nature of the world we live in.
So without further ado, put on your safety googles and let’s get started on how you can ace Chemistry at school!
Tip 1: Know the history of Chemistry
In order to grasp the theoretical concepts that are studied in Chemistry, it is important to understand the history behind them. One fundamental principle of Science is that every concept or idea that you learn is based on a ‘theory’. By a theory’s very nature, we cannot definitively say that we ‘know’ something. For example, the structure of an atom cannot be known for certain. The development of the theory on the structure of atom started in the early 1800’s by John Dalton, but it has continued to develop and change through scientific experimentation up until 1918 when Neils Bohr proposed the current theory that is still used and accepted today. That’s not to say that it’s not still being experimented upon though! Just like the structure of an atom, it is only through experimentation that we can devise a theory to explain ideas. This applies for many Scientific principles and is a common theme across Science. Having a baseline understanding of Scientific history will allow you to know why scientists believe an atom has the structure it does, and maybe one day you’ll disagree and devise a ground-breaking experiment that wins you a Nobel Prize! Until you do, it is essential that you know to learn the theories that have preceded you!
Exam questions will often ask you to distinguish between the different atomic models by Dalton, Bohr and Thompson. Being able to describe the difference between these ideas is important and so is understanding how each model developed and extended or differentiated from another theory. Pay attention to the history, as it is only on the shoulders of giants that we can see further
Tip 2: Learn the Periodic Table using songs and mnemonics
Fundamental to your understanding of Chemistry lies the periodic table. Live it, love it, and learn it. Know what the different groups are. If you can memorise the first 20 elements of the Periodic Table, then this will aid you greatly. I used a funny song to remember it in Grade 9 and I still remember it now! Pay attention to the patterns within the Periodic Table, know your valence electrons and remember how to draw the shells.
The mnemonic that I use to remember the elements within the Periodic Table is, “Harry heard little Betty bought chocolate nibbles on Friday, near Nanna’s magical albatross. Silly people should clean around king’s castles.”
Every letter at the start of each word within this mnemonic corresponds to the first letter of an element. By knowing this pattern, you can arrange the Periodic Table on a scrap sheet of paper. Once you learn the columns of the periodic table and if it’s an Alkaline earth metal or a Halogen (groups within the periodic table), then you can determine the properties of the element, the valence electrons or determine if it will be an ionic or covalent bond.
Many people also use songs to recall the elements of the periodic table, particularly if they are not familiar enough with the chemical symbols. This song is useful if this is you! Remember that you will only need to memorise the first 20 elements (which is up to 0.29 sec in this video). Perhaps you can practice the song with a friend!
Tip 3: The secret to success is using formulas!
Conversion of known variables into the appropriate unit is one of the most common and disastrous errors I see students make. Even if you have correctly identified the correct equation and the variables, if you fail to use the correct units, then you simply won’t get the right answer! The easiest way to avoid this is to know what the SI units (International System of Units) are for each of the equations and keep track of them in your notebook. If in doubt, ask your teacher to explain the method of conversion or simply google the ‘SI units of equation XX’.
For example, if you are asked to calculate the force required to accelerate a race car that has a mass of 1.7 tonnes in a straight line at 1.8m/s2, the equation is F = ma. Here, F = the force in Newtons (N), m = the mass in kilograms (kg), and a = the acceleration in meters per second squared (m/s2).
If we calculate f where the mass is to be expressed in tonnes, the equation will be:
F = 1.7 x 1.8 m/s2
F = 3.06 Newtons
However, if we convert the mass into kg, then 1.7 tonnes = 1,700 kg. Accordingly, the equation will be:
F = 1,700 x 1.8 m/s2
F = 3,060 Newtons.
As you can see, there is a significant difference in the answers! It is important to always pay attention to the SI units when using an equation and to convert them before plugging them into the equation! A simple mistake like failing to do this, can affect your marks greatly!
Tip 4: Know how to write Extended Experimental Investigation (EEI) and Extended Response Questions (ERQ)
One of the biggest challenges faced by students while writing an EEI or an EQ is the research component of the task. Before starting assignments of this magnitude, students should develop research questions to aid in their searching. This is just one of the many steps students should take to jump towards an ‘A’ grade. Many students lose marks because they struggle to 1) breakdown the question posed for the task and 2) struggle to develop research questions appropriately before narrowing their search down to a particular sub-topic. Before you start writing or experimenting, try to spend a day just breaking down your questions and reading as widely as possible before narrowing your search.
Remember, you need to see the whole picture before you can start putting the jigsaw pieces together! So read widely, watch YouTube videos on the topic and ask questions if you don’t understand something – peers, tutors and teachers are all excellent resources! Once you know your topic, it is much easier to decide where your findings should go in each paragraph, and how you should best structure and design your experiment for the most effective outcome.
Need help in other subjects? Find a high school tutor today
Tip 5: Know different chemical reactions and avoid common errors
Responding to reactions is a classic question that you will likely find on a Chemistry exam and knowing this area of Chemistry will form the basis of most of the content that will be covered in the subject throughout High School. Often, you will be given either the reactants (starting material) or the products (the end result of a reaction) and be asked to fill in the blanks within the equation.
From my experience, students are generally confused as to how they are expected to know what the missing information is and how to answer questions of this kind. Just remember, there is nothing new under the sun! The reactions will follow predictable patterns which your teacher will run through in class. Decomposition, combustion, redox, and doubles displacement are all common types of chemical reactions that you will cross in your studies. You will most likely be expected to be able to identify these in an exam question. Knowing your Periodic Table and common compounds will really help at this stage! Before doing any calculations, it is always important to check the equation you are working with. Ask yourself: is it balanced? Do the amount of reactants equal the amount of products? If your answer is no, balance the equation first before moving on!
Firstly, count how many elements are on each side of the equation:
On the L hand side Fe = 2, O = 3 and C = 1
On the R hand side Fe = 1, O = 2 and C = 1
Since the numbers are not the same, we know that there are not the same number of products producing reactants. Equations are a scale. What is on one side of the equation, should be balanced on the other side.
To balance the equation, add numbers in front of the elements:
2Fe2O3 + 3C -> 4Fe + 3CO2
Knowing how to do this correctly will come with practice and there are plenty of helpful videos and practice questions online that you can use to help. Sometimes, this balancing act will form part of a question without expressly stating what you are required to do. Thus, it’s important to get yourself in the habit of checking the equations before you do anything with them