Grades: 11–12 (two-year course)
Subject Area/Course Credit: Science, 1 credit each year
Prerequisite: C or above in Coordinated Science II, or C- or above in AP Physics 1, or science teacher recommendation
IB Chemistry SL is a two-year course designed to prepare students for the IB exam at the end of the second year.
As one of the three natural sciences in the IB Diploma Programme, chemistry is primarily concerned with identifying patterns that help to explain matter at the microscopic level. This then allows matter’s behaviour to be predicted and controlled at a macroscopic level. The subject therefore emphasizes the development of representative models and explanatory theories, both of which rely heavily on creative but rational thinking. DP chemistry enables students to constructively engage with topical scientific issues. Students examine scientific knowledge claims in a real-world context, fostering interest and curiosity. By exploring the subject, they develop understandings, skills and techniques which can be applied across their studies and beyond. Integral to the student experience of the DP chemistry course is the learning that takes place through scientific inquiry both in the classroom and the laboratory.
Structure 1. Models of the particulate nature of matter
Structure 1.1—Introduction to the particulate nature of matter
Structure 1.2—The nuclear atom
Structure 1.3—Electron configurations
Structure 1.4—Counting particles by mass: The mole
Structure 1.5—Ideal gases
Structure 2. Models of bonding and structure
Structure 2.1—The ionic model
Structure 2.2—The covalent model
Structure 2.3—The metallic model
Structure 2.4—From models to materials
Structure 3. Classification of matter
Structure 3.1—The periodic table: Classification of elements
Structure 3.2—Functional groups: Classification of organic compounds
Reactivity 1. What drives chemical reactions?
Reactivity 1.1—Measuring enthalpy change
Reactivity 1.2—Energy cycles in reactions
Reactivity 1.3—Energy from fuels
Reactivity 1.4—Entropy and spontaneity
Reactivity 2. How much, how fast and how far?
Reactivity 2.1—How much? The amount of chemical change
Reactivity 2.2—How fast? The rate of chemical change
Reactivity 2.3—How far? The extent of chemical change
Reactivity 3. What are the mechanisms of chemical change?
Reactivity 3.1—Proton transfer reactions
Reactivity 3.2—Electron transfer reactions
Reactivity 3.3—Electron sharing reactions
Reactivity 3.4—Electron-pair sharing reactions
Experimental programme
Practical work
Collaborative sciences project
Scientific investigation
