Studying Chemistry

University Foundation, A-level, Medics Programme or International Baccalaureate

Whichever course you choose, studying Chemistry will enable you to develop a scientific approach to solving problems. Through a combination of practical experiments, classroom lectures and guided private study, you will learn skills and abilities relevant to chemistry and science in general.

Discover the skills of Science

You will learn how to describe, explain and interpret experiments and theories in terms of scientific principles and concepts, presenting arguments and ideas clearly and logically, using specialist vocabulary where appropriate.

You will also learn to make observations and measurements with appropriate precision, to record these observations accurately, and to communicate this information clearly and logically.

The foundation for many careers

The course provides scientific training, either as an end in itself, or as a foundation for more advanced studies. You will learn the relevance of chemistry to society, industry, economics and to the environment.

Whatever you decide to do after your studies, Chemistry is a challenging and exciting choice for students.

Topics covered by the course include:

• Atomic Structure
• Formulae, Equations and Moles
• Structure and Bonding
• The Periodic Table
• Oxidation and reduction
• Groups of elements
• Energetics
• Organic Chemistry
• Organic Analysis
• Reaction Kinetics
• Chemical Equilibria
• Industrial Inorganic Chemistry
• Optical Isomerism
• Transition metal Chemistry
• Fluorine Chemistry
• Radioactivity and Radioactive emissions
• Biochemistry

Did you know…?

20% of Earth's Oxygen is produced by the Amazon Rainforest.

Air becomes liquid at about minus 190 degrees Celsius. Liquid air looks like water with a bluish tint.

There's enough gold in the Earth's crust to cover the entire land surface knee-deep.

Hydrofluoric acid will dissolve glass.

Mosquitoes like the scent of oestrogen, hence women get bitten more often than men do!

Famous chemists

John Dalton (1766-1844)
Regarded as the Father of Modern Chemistry

John Tyndall (1820-1893)
Discovered the 'Greenhouse Effect'

Albert Nobel (1883-1896)
Discovered many explosive and ways of making them safe 
Founded the Nobel Prizes

Dmitri Mendeleyev (1834-1907)
Constructed the first Periodic Table

Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) & Niels Bohr (1885-1962)
Laid the foundations of atomic theory

Alexander Flemming (1881-1955)
Discovered penicillin, revolutionising medicine

Francis Crick (1916-2004) & James Watson (b.1928)
Discovered the double helix structure of DNA