ZNOTES.

ORG

UPDATED TO 2023-2025 SYLLABUS

CAIE AS LEVEL
CHEMISTRY
SUMMARIZED NOTES ON THE THEORY SYLLABUS
Prepared for Srenea for personal use only.
CAIE AS LEVEL CHEMISTRY

Clean all apparatus properly with distilled water prior to

1. Errors starting the experiments.
Whilst pipetting, the tip of the pipette should be placed
Estimated error = N o. of readings × smallest div. against the wall of the container. In this way, droplets of
2 ​

% U ncertainty = Estimated Error the solvent will not spill out of the container.
Reading
Clean the walls with distilled water to ensure you
​

Random error: usually result from the experimenter's include all moles of solution.
inability to take consistent measurements e.g. in the Add indicator as per the instructions. Add too much,
disappearing cross experiment. It is often due to a and you would get incorrect results.
problem which persists throughout the entire Clean burette and pipette with solution, but not
experiment e.g. random fluctuations in room volumetric and conical flask as it will give inaccurate
temperature. values.
Systematic error: usually caused by measuring Always read the bottom meniscus of the burette and
incorrectly calibrated apparatus or incorrectly used ensure the burette does not have any air bubbles to
apparatus e.g. thermometers that consistently read 1∘ C remove the jet space.
above the actual temperature, or reading volumes Tap it to free air bubbles.
consistently from the wrong part of the meniscus. Open the tap to fill the jet space.

2. Accuracy
Apparatus Smallest division Max Error
Burette 0.05cm3 0.1cm3
Pipette (25cm3 ) 0.01cm 3
0.06cm3
Volumetric Flask (250cm3 ) 0.01cm3 0.2cm3

3. Titrations
Always swirl the conical flask.
Burette has to be written to 2 DP. Use a white tile underneath to observe any colour
Two best titres must be within 0.1 cm3 of each other change.
If first two titres are within 0.1 cm3 then no need for the Titration ends when any colour change is permanent.
3rd titre
Repeat and find the average titre volume with total
spread of not more than 0.20 cm3 .

Use of a Burette
Advantages Disadvantage
Lower error Takes longer to add the reagent
More accurately calibrated

In your second titration attempt (after the rough titre),

adjust the burette tap so that it dispenses drop-wise
when the reading is near the end-point to find the exact
titre value.
Titration table should look like this:

0.00
Initial Burette
(It must never start from 0.00 0.00
Reading/ cm3
50 cm3)
Final Burette Reading/
cm3
Titre/ cm3
Best Results (add tick here)

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Srenea at undefined on 07/11/24.
CAIE AS LEVEL CHEMISTRY

4. Temperature
Record to nearest 0.5°C when thermometer calibrated
in 1°C intervals
Record to nearest 0.1°C when thermometer calibrated
in 0.2°C intervals.
If one procedure has a greater temperature change, it
has higher accuracy due to lower percentage error.

5. Conversions Water vapour condenses in the water trough

Ensure there’s no air bubbles in the gas jar when setting
1000cm3 = 1dm3 = 0.001m3 up the apparatus.
0o C = 273o K
1cm3 of water = 1g
1KJ = 1000J
8. Salt Analysis
If acid added to a salt produces effervescence, carbonate
6. Graphs and Tables ion is present, so write “effervescence produced turns
limewater milky”.
When finding gradient, always use a triangle with Label your test tubes.
hypotenuse greater than 75% of the line. Cover the mouth of the test tube with your thumb to
Label axis with quantity and unit. sense presence of gas.
Plot graph with a fine cross or encircle dots. Do not add solutions more than that is required. If the
For each heading in a table, write the quantity measured question says to add 1cm3 of X solution, add roughly
with the unit separated with a slash. around that amount.
Keep significant figures consistent in values in a table. When testing for cations using NaOH and N H3 , ​

Make only one table of result for each question. mention the observations when excess of these are
Circle anomalous results and exclude them from added.
calculations. If there are series of colour changes observed, mention
The line of best fit drawn should ignore anomalous all of the colours.
results.
Ensure your graph covers greater than 3/4th of the page. 8.1. Test for Gases: techniques
Points must be within half a small square of the correct
position. N H3 : Damp a red litmus paper with distilled water and
​

keep it near the mouth of the tube. Do not let it touch

7. Practical Skills the test tube. It should turn blue.
SO2 : Smells like rotten eggs.
​

There’s a number of ways to test this:

7.1. Measuring a Quantity You could dip a paper in Potassium dichromate
and watch its colour turn from orange to green.
Temperature Use a thermocouple If you were to pipe the gas to a solution of
Use burette Potassium Permanganate, it would turn from pink
Volume
If 25cm3 use pipette to colourless.
Mass Use electronic scale If you dipped damp blue litmus paper, it would
turn red.
Repeat and average values N O2 : the test tube turns pale brown and disappears if
​

you remove your thumb.

7.2. Thermal Experiments
Insulate container to stop thermal conduction
Use a lid to seal container to stop thermal convection
When heating a hydrated salt, heat to constant mass

7.3. How to Collect CO2 ​

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Srenea at undefined on 07/11/24.
CAIE AS LEVEL CHEMISTRY

To calculate enthalpy change:

8.2. Test for ions: techniques Use the equation ΔH = Q/mol
Units: KJmol−1 , so divide heat released (Q) by
If you are confused between iron (II) and chromium
1000.
precipitate, keep an eye out for brown precipitate on the
Enthalpy graphs
surface of the solution. If present, then it is Fe2+ . To find max temp change via extrapolation:
If you are confused between Ba2+ and N H41+ , heat it. If
​

N H41+ , ammonia gas will be given out. If you add

​

sulfuric acid to it and it forms white precipitate, then it is

barium ion.
Manganese ions have white precipitate that turns brown
in contact with air.
It’s a good idea to revise the solubility table to confirm
what the precipitate is.
If the observations are like the ones mentioned in the
Qualitative Analysis Notes at the back of your paper, use
that description in the answer.
A general salt analysis table:

Reagent Observation
NaOH Exothermic graphs:
Excess
N H3 ​

Excess

9. Enthalphy Change
Temperature is measured in 1 decimal places and units
given in degree Celsius.
When measuring masses, a table with values in 2 D.P .
must be setup. For example:

Mass of the container + mass of the lid /g 10. Rates of reaction

Mass of the container + mass of the lid + the sample /g
Mass of the container + mass of the lid + residue/g To calculate rate:
Mass of sample used /g Appearance of product/change in concentration of
product
All the data must have the same number of decimal Disappearance of reactants/change in mass
places. Unit: 1/time (s−1 )
Use the equation Q = mcΔT for heat released: Finding gradient of a concentration-time graph
M is mass of the total mixture The higher the gradient (the steeper the graph),
Assuming mass is equivalent to volume where 1g the higher the rate of reaction.
The gradient of the graph decreases with time;
is 1 cm3
thus, rate is inversely proportional to time.
C is specific heat capacity (assuming it’s the same as
water i.e. 4.12)
ΔT is temperature change
No incomplete combustion of fuel occurs
Density of the solution is the same as water
Units in J mol−1

A general rates table for investigation effect of

concentration on rates:

Vol of Vol of Rate of

Experiment Reaction
WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
number
authorised
reagent/ distilled
time/s
for personal use only by Srenea at undefined on 07/11/24.
3
This document is
reaction/
cm 3 water/ cm s −1
CAIE AS LEVEL CHEMISTRY Replace the IV columns with other factors that affect rate
depending on the question.
Take a minimum of 3 experimental readings.
To improve rate of reaction:
Ensure all other variables are kept constant so that any
Increase the concentration of a reactant.
change in rate is caused by the IV.
Increase the temperature of the reactants.
Increase the surface area of a reactant.
Add a catalyst to the reaction.

11. Modifications
How do repeats improve the reliability of errors?
Shows consistent results
Proves/shows values or trend is similar
Eliminates anomalous results
How can you make sure a reagent is in excess?
If solid in excess, then solid remains at the bottom
If liquid (e.g. acid in excess), then all of the solid
dissolves.

Problem Solution
CO2 dissolved in a solution Heat solution to drive off CO2
Use smaller surface area of
CO2 escapes
substance
Unequal distribution of heat Stir
Extra/thicker lagging
Heat loss Use a lid
Use a vacuum flask
Measurement of volume Use a burette/pipette
Identification of colour change Use of colorimeter
Use of a thermostatic water
bath
Switch off the air conditioning
Clean dry
Temperature fluctuations thermometer/container
Make sure thermometer
doesn’t touch walls of container
Use a stirrer to ensure even
distribution of heat.
Use a thermometer with a
smaller scale division
Measurement of temperature
Use an electronic thermometer
to avoid parallax error
Uncertainty in graph
Repeat/extra readings
intersection/ line of best fit
Water present in hydrated salt
Heat to constant mass
crystals

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is
authorised for personal use only by Srenea at undefined on 07/11/24.
CAIE AS Level
Chemistry

© ZNotes Education Ltd. & ZNotes Foundation 2024. All rights reserved.
This version was created by Srenea on Thu Nov 07 2024 for strictly personal use only.
These notes have been created by Mohammed Saif and Shaikha Aliya Ali for the 2022-2024 syllabus.
The document contains images and excerpts of text from educational resources available on the internet and printed books.
If you are the owner of such media, test or visual, utilized in this document and do not accept its usage then we urge you to contact us
and we would immediately replace said media. No part of this document may be copied or re-uploaded to another website.
Under no conditions may this document be distributed under the name of false author(s) or sold for financial gain.
"ZNotes" and the ZNotes logo are trademarks of ZNotes Education Limited (registration UK00003478331).