one more week until chem (1 Viewer)

[lildumpling86]

what's everyone's study plan for the next week?
four exams in and i'm just now realising that i haven't the slightest clue how to set up a proper study plan

 

[icycledough]

I'd say as there's still a week left, that should be enough time to effectively study for it (will be a lot easier if you don't have other exams; if you do, then it's still feasible).

1) Learn topics/content you are not thorough with first; I see too many students rush into practice papers not knowing the whole syllabus, thus, defeating the purpose of a practice paper (to simulate the real exam under timed conditions). Watch Youtube videos, attempt practice textbook questions, whatever it takes to solidify your understanding of these topics.

2) Have notes on topics they can ask extended response questions (of course, good to have notes on everything, if you are a notes person, but especially with me, I made sure to have notes on topics like biofuels, polymers, saponification, questions I knew could be assessed in a 6+ marker question, which requires a substantial understanding).

3) Do exams under timed conditions (simulate the real exam as much as possible, which includes no/very minimal toilet breaks or other breaks, closed book exams, no music/headphones. If you want, you can transition from open book exams to semi open-book questions (only referencing it when absolutely necessary and then closed book exams).

4) Value the answers and guidelines given; most students will do an exam and just leave it. However, it's imperative you read the solutions and make note of it, so you know where you went wrong and what your weaknesses are.

 

[lildumpling86]

I'd say as there's still a week left, that should be enough time to effectively study for it (will be a lot easier if you don't have other exams; if you do, then it's still feasible).

1) Learn topics/content you are not thorough with first; I see too many students rush into practice papers not knowing the whole syllabus, thus, defeating the purpose of a practice paper (to simulate the real exam under timed conditions). Watch Youtube videos, attempt practice textbook questions, whatever it takes to solidify your understanding of these topics.

2) Have notes on topics they can ask extended response questions (of course, good to have notes on everything, if you are a notes person, but especially with me, I made sure to have notes on topics like biofuels, polymers, saponification, questions I knew could be assessed in a 6+ marker question, which requires a substantial understanding).

3) Do exams under timed conditions (simulate the real exam as much as possible, which includes no/very minimal toilet breaks or other breaks, closed book exams, no music/headphones. If you want, you can transition from open book exams to semi open-book questions (only referencing it when absolutely necessary and then closed book exams).

4) Value the answers and guidelines given; most students will do an exam and just leave it. However, it's imperative you read the solutions and make note of it, so you know where you went wrong and what your weaknesses are.

thanks so much!! i was really tempted to head straight into past papers,, but i think i'll at least review mod 5-6 calculations and mod 8 content first before i start to do papers )

 

[icycledough]

thanks so much!! i was really tempted to head straight into past papers,, but i think i'll at least review mod 5-6 calculations and mod 8 content first before i start to do papers )

No worries ... I'm not sure what your strong and weak areas are, but definitely for me, Module 7 and 8 were the most content heavy modules (especially the different functional groups and nomenclature in Module 7 and the different chemical tests in Module 8; make sure you are thorough on these).

 

[Siwel]

No worries ... I'm not sure what your strong and weak areas are, but definitely for me, Module 7 and 8 were the most content heavy modules (especially the different functional groups and nomenclature in Module 7 and the different chemical tests in Module 8; make sure you are thorough on these).

do you have any tips on how you got better at mod 7 and 8? In particular how to get better at doing the HNMR and CNMR ,IR etc

 

[wizzkids]

If you haven't seen a lot of spectroscopy examples, it can be hard to do questions. If you have and iPhone or iPad, I recommend you grab a copy of the Monash University Chemical Detectives app, it's a free app in the AppStore. It's a fun and engaging way to learn problem-solving with spectroscopy and it comes with a vast structural database. That way you can flick between different functional groups and homologous series and see how their IR and Mass Spectra vary.

 

[icycledough]

do you have any tips on how you got better at mod 7 and 8? In particular how to get better at doing the HNMR and CNMR ,IR etc

With Module 7, make sure you have a good set of notes on the extensive topics like biofuels and polymers, and I believe saponification (as these can be assessed in a extended response question). Unfortunately, I won't be able to help you with the HNMR and CNMR topics, as I wasn't very thorough and confident with those topics myself.

 

[CM_Tutor]

Remember that the ¹H NMR is giving you four types of information, and to look at each. ¹³C NMR gives three types. Recognise that NMR and IR also provide information on what is absent, as well as what is present.

 

[Siwel]

With Module 7, make sure you have a good set of notes on the extensive topics like biofuels and polymers, and I believe saponification (as these can be assessed in a extended response question). Unfortunately, I won't be able to help you with the HNMR and CNMR topics, as I wasn't very thorough and confident with those topics myself.

when you say biofuels do you mean adv and disadv compared to fossil fuels and for saponification do we need to know how the actual soap molecules are formed from like fatty acids and glycerides or whatever

 

[Siwel]

Remember that the ¹H NMR is giving you four types of information, and to look at each. ¹³C NMR gives three types. Recognise that NMR and IR also provide information on what is absent, as well as what is present.

not quite sure what 4 types of info are for that, do you mean integration and how each peaks is a hydrogen environment?

 

[icycledough]

when you say biofuels do you mean adv and disadv compared to fossil fuels and for saponification do we need to know how the actual soap molecules are formed from like fatty acids and glycerides or whatever

Yep, so like the 3 types of biofuels (biogas, biodiesel and bioethanol) and for saponification, the different types of molecules (cationic, anionic and neutral; don't remember the exact terms, what their structure is like and the general method for how soaps work)

 

[Siwel]

Yep, so like the 3 types of biofuels (biogas, biodiesel and bioethanol) and for saponification, the different types of molecules (cationic, anionic and neutral; don't remember the exact terms, what their structure is like and the general method for how soaps work)

ok cheers, didnt realise there was different types of soap molecules

 

[ColdMint123]

ok cheers, didnt realise there was different types of soap molecules

ones with cationic, anionic or neutral heads are detergents. Soap has a polar head due to the carboxylate group at the end

 

[Siwel]

ones with cationic, anionic or neutral heads are detergents. Soap has a polar head due to the carboxylate group at the end

ah ok yeah forgot about detergents

 

[CM_Tutor]

not quite sure what 4 types of info are for that, do you mean integration and how each peaks is a hydrogen environment?

¹H NMR gives information on:

1. The number of hydrogen environments in a molecule
2. The ratio of hydrogens in the environments (from integration / intensity)
3. The shielding / deshielding effects from moieties near each environment (notably electronegative atoms / electron density) via chemical shifts
4. The hydrogens in the immediate neighbours of the environment in question via splitting patterns / coupling.

¹³C gives information on the first three but not the fourth as splitting is rare seen in typical cases.

 

[CM_Tutor]

ones with cationic, anionic or neutral heads are detergents. Soap has a polar head due to the carboxylate group at the end

Soaps can also be salts of sulfonic acids so the head group need not necessarily be a carboxylate. Something like sodium dodecyl sulfate is common in shampoo and works just like a soap to clean hair (CH₃(CH₂)₁₁SO₃Na).