AQA Knowledge test Unit 1 Chemistry C1

C1.1 The fundamental Ideas in Chemistry

C1.1.1 Atoms
1. What is an atom?
2. What is an element?
3. Match the name of the element with the symbol
Element

Symbol

Oxygen
Sodium
H
Li
Copper
Potassium
Ar
Ca
4. Draw and label the structure of an atom. Ensure that you
include the following key words:
Nucleus Protons Neutrons Electrons
5. Complete the table below
Name of Particle

Charge

Mass

Proton
Neutron
Electron
6. Why do atoms have no overall electrical charge?
7. What does the atomic number tell you?
8. What does the mass number tell you?
9. Copy and complete the table
Elemen Symbol Atomic Mass
t
Numbe Numbe
r
r

Numbe Numbe
r of
r of
Protons Neutro
ns

Numbe
r of
Electro
ns

Hydrog
en
He
3
9
5
10. Draw diagrams to show the electronic structure of the
elements above.
PiXL AQA Knowledge Test Unit 1 Chemistry 1: C1 GCSE Science A for certification
June 2014 onwards

C1.1.2 The Periodic Table

1. Complete the table
Group Number Number of Electrons in Outer Energy Level
(Shell)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
0
2. What is a period?
3. Why do elements in the same group of the periodic table
have similar properties?
4. Describe the reaction of alkali metals with water.
5. What happens to the reactivity of group 1 metals as you go
down the group?
6. Label each of the group of the periodic table below.

7. Why are the elements in group 0 (the noble gases) are very
unreactive?

PiXL AQA Knowledge Test Unit 1 Chemistry 1: C1 GCSE Science A for certification
June 2014 onwards

C1.1.3 Chemical Reactions

For the chemical reaction:
Write the word equation
1. Identify how many of each element there is in each
compound

CaCO3

CaO + CO2

2. What is an ion?
3. What type of bonding occurs between:
a. Metal and non-metals?
b. Two non-metals?
4. Complete the table about forming ions:
Metal/Non-metal
Gain/Loose
Electrons?
Metal

Positive/Negative
Ion?

Non-Metal
5. Draw a diagram showing the bonding between sodium and
chlorine to form sodium chloride.
6. Draw a diagram to show how hydrogen and oxygen bond
together to form H2O.

PiXL AQA Knowledge Test Unit 1 Chemistry 1: C1 GCSE Science A for certification
June 2014 onwards

C1.2 Limestone and Building Materials

C1.2.1 Calcium Carbonate
1. What is limestone made from?
2. How do you get limestone out of the ground?
3. What is limestone used for?
4. What is thermal decomposition?
5. Write the word and symbol equations for the thermal
decomposition of calcium carbonate.
6. What happens to magnesium carbonate, copper carbonate,
zinc carbonate when they are heated?
7. Write word and symbol equations to show what happens
when calcium oxide reacts with water. What can the product
be used for?
8. What can you use to rest for Carbon Dioxide? What would a
positive test be?
9. What happens to limestone statues when exposed to acid
rain?
10. Complete the following:
11. Limestone + Heat + Clay = ..
12. Cement + Sand = ..
13. Cement + Sand + Aggregate = ..
14. List the advantages of a limestone quarry.
15. List the disadvantages of a limestone quarry.
C1.3 Metals and Their Uses
C1.3.1 Extracting Metals
1. What is an ore?
2. Explain why it is possible to find gold in the Earth as a metal.
3. What does the reactivity series show us?
4. List the metals in the reactivity series.
5. Where is carbon in the reactivity series?
6. Describe the two ways carbon is extracted from copper rich
ores.
7. What is electrolysis?
8. What is phytomining?
9. What is bioleaching?
10. Why are these processes important?
11. How can carbon be used to extract a metal from its ore?
12. What method do we use to extract more reactive metals
such as aluminium?
PiXL AQA Knowledge Test Unit 1 Chemistry 1: C1 GCSE Science A for certification
June 2014 onwards

13. What methods do we use to extract less reactive metals

that carbon?
14. List some properties and uses of Aluminium.
15. Why is aluminium expensive?
16. List some properties of uses of Titanium.
17. Why is titanium expensive?
18. Why is it important that we recycle metals?
C1.3.2 Alloys
1. What impact do impurities have on the properties of iron
when it comes from the blast furnace?
2. What is steel?
3. What are the properties of high carbon steel?
4. What are the properties of low carbon steel?
5. What are the properties of stainless steel?
6. Why do we convert copper, gold, iron and aluminium into
alloys?
C1.3.3 Properties and uses of metals
1. Where in the periodic table are the transition metals?
2. What is malleable?
3. What properties of copper make it good for electrical wiring?
4. What properties of copper make it good for plumbing?
C1.4 Crude Oil and Fuels
C1.4.1 Crude Oil
1. What is crude oil?
2. What is a hydrocarbon?
3. What is an alkane?
4. Give the general formula of an alkane.

PiXL AQA Knowledge Test Unit 1 Chemistry 1: C1 GCSE Science A for certification
June 2014 onwards

C1.4.2 Hydrocarbons
Complete the following table
Alkane Number Number
of
of
Carbon Hydroge
s
ns
1

Formul
a

Structure

6
C3H8

1. What is fractional distillation?

2. What is a boiling point?
3. Where do substances with high boiling points condense in
the fractionating column?
4. Where do substances with low boiling points condense in the
fractionating column?
5. How does the length of the carbon chain affect the following:
6. Boiling point
7. Viscosity (how it flows)
8. Flammability
C1.4.3 Hydrocarbon Fuels
1. Complete the following equation for the combustion of
hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbon + . = +

2. What gas is produced when there is not enough oxygen for a

fuel to burn?
3. Name 3 impurities produced when fossil fuels burn and state
why they are harmful.
4. Describe the causes and effects of global warming
5. Describe the causes and effects of global dimming
6. How are biofuels produced?
7. How does sulfur in fuel cause acid rain?

PiXL AQA Knowledge Test Unit 1 Chemistry 1: C1 GCSE Science A for certification
June 2014 onwards

8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of biodiesel as

a fuel?
9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of ethanol as a
fuel?

C1.5 Other Useful Substances from Crude Oil

C1.5.1 Obtaining useful substances from crude oil
1. What is cracking and why is it necessary?
2. Describe the process of cracking.
3. What is an alkene?
4. What is the general formula for an alkene?
5. What happens when alkenes react with bromine water?
6. Complete the table.
Alkene
Number of Number of Formula
Structure
Carbons
Hydrogens
2
6

C1.5.2 Polymers
1. Draw a diagram representing the process of polymerisation
of ethene. Label the following:
Monomer
Polymer
Ethene
Poly(ethene)

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Describe the process of polymerisation.

What uses do we have for polymers?
Why is it important to recycle polymers?
What are biodegradable plastics?
Name and describe 3 smart polymers.

C1.5.3 Ethanol
1. What are the two methods of producing ethanol?
2. Write the word equations for each method.

PiXL AQA Knowledge Test Unit 1 Chemistry 1: C1 GCSE Science A for certification
June 2014 onwards

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each

method?
4. List some uses of ethanol.

C1.6 Plant Oils and Their Uses

C1.6.1 Vegetable Oils
1. What steps are required to extract oils from fruits, seeds and
nuts?
2. How is lavender oil extracted?
3. Why are vegetable oils important foods?
C1.6.3 Emulsions
1. What is an emulsifier?
2. What is an emulsion?
3. Why are emulsions useful?
4. Higher Tier What is meant by hydrophobic and
hydrophilic?
C1.6.3 Saturated and Unsaturated Oils
1. How do you test for the presence of a double bond?
2. The presence of a double bond means that oil is Saturated or
unsaturated?
Higher Tier How can unsaturated oils be hardened?
Describe the properties of the product.
C1.7 Changes in the Earth and its Atmosphere
C1.7.1 The Earths Crust

1. Label a copy of the diagram above to show the atmosphere,

core, mantle and crust.
PiXL AQA Knowledge Test Unit 1 Chemistry 1: C1 GCSE Science A for certification
June 2014 onwards

2. Where do earthquakes and volcanoes occur?

3. What are tectonic plates?
4. What is a plate boundary?
5. What was Wegeners theory?
6. What evidence did he have?
7. What is Pangea?
Higher Tier Describe why we do not know how life was
first formed?
C1.7.2 The Earths Atmosphere
1. Draw a table to show the proportions of Oxygen, nitrogen
and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
2. What was responsible for the formation of the Earths early
atmosphere and provided the water that formed the oceans?
3. What process produced the oxygen that is now in the
atmosphere?
4. What happened to a lot of the carbon dioxide that was in the
air?
5. What human activities have caused a change in our
atmosphere?
6. Higher Tier What process could be used to separate
the mixture of gases that makes up air?
7. What did Miller-Ureys experiment find out?
8. What is a primodial soup?
9. What are 3 other theories for the beginning of life on
earth?

PiXL AQA Knowledge Test Unit 1 Chemistry 1: C1 GCSE Science A for certification
June 2014 onwards