Acids and bases chemistry focuses on the interpretation of reactions of acids in terms of what is happening to H+ ions and the balance between H+ and OH- ions in aqueous solutions. This is then used to develop an understanding of neutralisation beyond the simple ‘acid + base → salt + water’ model and an explanation of the differences between strong and weak acids.
You will look at the identification of patterns in the formulae of acids and bases and attempts to link them to types of bonding and patterns in the periodic table, while developing your confidence in using experiments, demonstrations and discussion to tackle misconceptions in this area of teaching chemistry.
Pre-16 courses
Learning objectives
Participants will learn about:
- different contexts for teaching acids and bases
- the sequence of key ideas that students need in order to understand acids and bases
- practical activities that can be used to support the development of practical skills and application of maths skills
- the common misconceptions and challenges that students experience with acids and bases
Learning outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- plan to use a range of different contexts when teaching acids and bases
- explain how the key ideas in acids and bases develop and progress at pre-16 level
- apply a range of different activities, including thermometric titration and graph drawing, to support effective learning of acids and bases
- explain the difference between bases and alkalis, plus strong and weak acids
Each course is tailored to specific needs, so objectives and outcomes may vary slightly from those given here.
Post-16 courses
Learning objectives
Participants will learn about:
- the sequence of key ideas that students need in order to understand acids and bases
- practical activities that can be used to support the development of practical skills and the application of maths skills
- the common misconceptions and challenges that students experience with acids and bases
Learning outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- explain how the key ideas in acids and bases develop and progress throughout secondary and post-16 education
- apply a range of different activities to support effective learning, for example measuring Ka for weak acids by two different methods, and using simulations to model the behaviour of pH changes in solution
- explain the logarithmic nature of the pH scale
- identify common misconceptions associated with acid strength, indicators and buffers and use knowledge to address them
Each course is tailored to specific needs, so objectives and outcomes may vary slightly from those given here.
