AQA AS Chemistry Help/ Discussion/ Angst Thread

Hey TSR, and AS Chemists.

I'm currently studying for my AS Chemistry with the wonderful AQA. I just thought it would be good for there to be a discussion page with Q&A, exam discussion, when it gets to that time and just a place to relieve stress about the course.

Scummy OCR, Edexcel and WJEC aren't disallowed (although heavily discriminated against ) please feel free to post, it's all the same stuff basically.

Personally, I'm fnding ti quite straightforward. We've only done boring calculations and the people who did double award are struggling, but I'm bored as most of the stuff were doing we did in C3, at GCSE.

Have fun posting!

Hey fellow AQA Chemistry TSRian

But just thought I'd show myself towards this newly forming group, as I'm sure that myself (and maybe a few others) will soon be stressed about the oncoming exams

I seem to be doing the same topic as you, having done Bonding and Atomic structure, and I think 'most' of the calculations are done at GCSE, but I think we're doing the "Ideal Gas equation" next week Is that difficult?

Good luck to fellow AS Chemists, and wish you all the best!

I did edexcel AS chem it's a pain in the ass.

Volume of gases, well I think that's the sort of area you will be looking at, is quite hard to get your head around, but as you will soon see when you start to get a grip wo all these new things, is that you will realise they all follow the same principles and need the same type of skills.

It's a beautiful subject :-) 'MedicalMayhem'- are you a prospective medicine applicant of 2013?

Boo! Get into the conical flask! :-)

Ah okay, just seemed confusing with the new term and units that's all. Yeah I've realised that, as atom economy, empirical formula, percentage yield and all the other calculations are pretty much the same, which is why I find it easy to confuse them

Yeah, chemistry is probably my most favoured subject at present Yes, you are correct, and though your username is more ambiguous, but I assume you are too?

After I light your ass on the bunson burner

I have to say at the minute, chemistry is my second favourite subject (after maths of course!). I do want to do medicine, although I like my ambiguous username. I do get a little stick from other users about it though which is annoying.

Do you like my KCrO3?



I'll pour Pottasium Chromate on you!

Admittedly maths is probably my second favourite subject as well Ah, yeah I guess being slightly more ambiguous than my username is good, but in all honestly I think it's a good username, as though it could be interpretted as being arrogant as though you believe that you are a genius, however the "aspiring" part makes it all alright

And I don't unfortunately. I strangely enough like the mysterious properties of phosphorus pentoxide Though I know little about it, but a few generic physical properties

I'll pour Pottasium Chromate on you!

The amount of people that say "you're so arrogant you think your a genius" just makes me want to scream. It's really annoying, especially in discussions.

In any case, I thunk I'm a total genius

Hmmm... Phosphorus Pentoxide, highly irritant, corrosive to metal, not particularly oxidizing. What are the special properties yiu know of?


Hmm... Prettyful!

I'm sure they're just winding you up

Yeah I know, awesome right? Well, initially when I came across them, they reminded me of the AMAZING twiglets (as in the snack), so instantly they appeared cool But mainly due to experiments that I have seen on the TV, and during the combustion of this chemical, it kind of omits a 'special' yellow radiant type of light, which I just thought was amazing as it reminded me of the "gold at the end of a rainbow" and the spectacular light that is perceived to shine off it. Yeah, childish reasons, but it 'looks' cool (Look up the combustion of it on a bed of oxygen, the yellow coloured gas that is omitted looks so cool! )

So which A-levels are you doing? And got much to say/talk about on your UCAS yet?

I'll dilute you with potassium magnate(VII) to distinguish your double bonds. Dirty.

Omg sounds amazing, will look at school on Monday, I'm sure they'll have phosphorus pentoxide, oerhaos my science teacher will get it out for us to play with or perhaps YouTube it is,

I'm doing Biology, Chemistry, Maths and English Literature. I've got Bio and Chem, 1 from maths and physics and a contrasting arts subject. I hope they're the right choices, I'm not sure abiut English, but I should be ok.

In terms of what I've got, well I go to Age UK once a week and help old people get ready for lunch, and make conversation. I've done a week with St.John ambulance, transporting elderly people to and from their care facilities, an NHS taster week, with lectures and stuff from doctors, nurses, surgeons etc. I'm in contact with a doctor and hopefully I can arrange some shadowing or work experience sessions. Then I'm trying to contact the hospital and see if I can do some clinical work experience.

Leaning away from the work experience and more into the extra curricular, Im doing debating society, science group, sign language (which I'll get a qualification for), maths challenge (bronze, gold, gold (best in school) for the JMC, silver, not attended, silver for IMC, and am going to take the SMC this year, taken part in the team challenge four years in a row, captained the last two -no medals lol) student council at my new college, form rep stuff. Senior prefect at my old school, driving a school charity that raised £5000 for a school in Uganda, running a litter initiative, student mentoring, scouting, leading scouts, duke of Edinburgh silver, now doing gold, tap dancing grade four, cello of two years hopefully taking some higher grades before UCAS and taking part in chamber orchestra, amateur dramatics, being in musicals, comedies, Shakespeare and pantomimes.

Wow, I feel like I do too much. Unfortunately, I'm lacking somewhat in the work experience front and I need to puck which EC to elaborate on, as I can't just list my whole life.

well AS chemistry is a living hell; has i have the worst teacher. 59% of his classed failed last year O_O? but self studding with a new group of mates and this form should make me get that A.

Your school may have it, but ours certainly doesn't, but worth a try though

I'm taking Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Geography, with the latter subject as a subject which would provide contrast, like English for you.

Wow, you do have a larger variety of things that me (e/c wise) as mine are all based in one area I suppose. I do care home/BHF/microbiology volunteering weekly which is fun But I think work experience wise, I have a bit more but not much, as I've got a couple of weeks planned which should be good, and will give me an insight into the job itself

But I must commend you on the sheer variety of things you participate in...drama, music, maths, debating, student council...etc. I just play music (flute and piano) to a relatively good/high grade, play in the orchestra/wind band, and that's pretty much it Though hopefully my volunteering and work experience will count for what I miss in the e/c :/ But how many of those e/c things do you think you'll mention on your PS? (as if I do 'too' much, I won't fit it all, well..I won't fit all my volunteering/work experience, but e/c wise?)

Good luck! I think we all want As so far!



Wow! You're w/e looks amazing. I really hope I get some stuff sorted, otherwise I'm stuffed. I've also got my mum saying 'you need a job, not w/e' which isn't helpful. I don't think she understands it's practically compulsory. I'll get über rejected otherwise.

The thing with e/c is picking the things which relate to medicine, or the skills at least. I think being a scout leader is the main thing, but maybe including my cello activities as Ive done it all rather recently, while many take twice as long to get to playing Grade VI stuff. I hope to get uo to Grade VII by march. Then I think maybe student council, speeches, debating is the other thing with drama all linked. Forget the maths chalking unless I get Gold best in college (which is unlikely as there are mathmo freakos who take FM and are already practising their STEPs.)


Perhaps I could put the science club in without work experience, or just drop it, sign language would be good to go with work experience

*constructs PS*

I was thinking of geography, I collect world atlases and love travel, but I hated it at GCSE. It was awful. Awful awful awful. Wish I'd done history. I couldn't bring myself to do it, and I enjoy literature, not so much fiction, I don't get anything from stories and make belief, but I enjoy the analysis, which many other don't.

People think I'm a freak unless you hadn't noticed I'm off to bed now, it's too late!

That's mean.

Although your pointless bravado with potassium magnanate (VII) inspires me, what about just plain Hydrogenation?

Or would that not work?