Found this on the website for the Chemistry Department at the University of York, a well respected Chemistry provider which has regularly been placed highly in national press top university polls. Thought it might give prospective undergraduates a bit of an insight into what to expect from the interview process.
The Times Good University Guide 2012
1. Cambridge
2. Oxford
3. Durham
4. York
5. St Andrews
A Typical Interview
Interviewers typically start by asking you specific questions about your personal statement (for example, your interest in a particular area of Chemistry, including practical work) and your reasons for applying to York, before moving on to more open-ended questions about the study of Chemistry.
We are looking primarily for skills and to assess your potential to do well at York. To help you perform at your best, we suggest that you read through your UCAS personal statement, think over what you’ve studied in Chemistry so far and what has particularly interested you.
It might also be useful for you to practice explaining why you are so passionate about Chemistry that you want to study it to degree level, and why you have applied to York. The importance of being enthusiastic cannot be underestimated!
Consider preparing some things that you would like to tell us, and also think about some questions (either course specific and/or more general questions about student life) you would like to ask us.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Thursday, 30 June 2011
nitrogen triiodide
Strike day, and a bit of free time to play around with some home made explosives.
Nitrogen triiodide is worryingly easy to make, and extremely unstable. It is a contact explosive when dry, and produces a beautiful plume of iodine vapour mixed with nitrogen gas when detonated.
As you can see and hear from the video, the explosion is fairly impressive given the small quantity used. You can see that the metre ruler suffers for its art, and you may just be able to make out Mr Chivers' exclamation from his nearby office just as it goes off.
Anyone interested in why it's so unstable will need to consider the entropy change for the reaction.
2 NI3 (s) → N2 (g) + 3 I2 (g)
The large increase in the number of moles from left to right, in addition to the production of gases from a solid, leads to an enormous increase in entropy. Also, the reaction is clearly exothermic. These two factors are ideal for giving a negative free energy change for the reaction, indicating a highly likely, spontaneous reaction.
Nitrogen triiodide is worryingly easy to make, and extremely unstable. It is a contact explosive when dry, and produces a beautiful plume of iodine vapour mixed with nitrogen gas when detonated.
As you can see and hear from the video, the explosion is fairly impressive given the small quantity used. You can see that the metre ruler suffers for its art, and you may just be able to make out Mr Chivers' exclamation from his nearby office just as it goes off.
Anyone interested in why it's so unstable will need to consider the entropy change for the reaction.
2 NI3 (s) → N2 (g) + 3 I2 (g)
The large increase in the number of moles from left to right, in addition to the production of gases from a solid, leads to an enormous increase in entropy. Also, the reaction is clearly exothermic. These two factors are ideal for giving a negative free energy change for the reaction, indicating a highly likely, spontaneous reaction.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
january 2011 past papers
Summer exams are nearly with us, so you'll need to make sure you are up to date with past papers.
You can find anything up to and including June 2010 papers and mark schemes on the AQA website. Just follow the link in the green box on the right.
However, if you want access to Jan 2011 papers you'll have to download them from the links below. I've included CHEM 1 and CHEM 4 papers for anyone resitting.
CHEM1 paper
CHEM1 mark scheme
CHEM2 paper
CHEM2 mark scheme
CHEM4 paper
CHEM4 mark scheme
CHEM5 paper
CHEM5 mark scheme
Don't forget to pop in for some help if you need it while you are on study leave, and the very best of luck.
You can find anything up to and including June 2010 papers and mark schemes on the AQA website. Just follow the link in the green box on the right.
However, if you want access to Jan 2011 papers you'll have to download them from the links below. I've included CHEM 1 and CHEM 4 papers for anyone resitting.
CHEM1 paper
CHEM1 mark scheme
CHEM2 paper
CHEM2 mark scheme
CHEM4 paper
CHEM4 mark scheme
CHEM5 paper
CHEM5 mark scheme
Don't forget to pop in for some help if you need it while you are on study leave, and the very best of luck.
Sunday, 9 January 2011
CHEM 1 exam
By now you will have seen all 4 of the new CHEM 1 papers from the new syllabus. However, you will have tried many older questions as homework throughout the year. If you still feel that you need a bit more practise with CHEM 1 you can find all the past papers from pre 2009 here
old AQA past papers
The tab for '5420 materials' should automatically be selected (this was the exam code for the old syllabus) and then you can look at any of the CHM1 papers for each year by selecting 'past question papers and mark schemes'. You can also download the relevant mark scheme.
You just have to be aware that when trying any papers on the old syllabus some of the content has been moved to module 2 (chemistry of group 2 metals) so will not have been covered yet. It has been replaced by the organic content that you have studied instead.
You can access more up to date papers for the current CHEM 1 module by changing the '5420 materials' tab to 'key materials'.
old AQA past papers
The tab for '5420 materials' should automatically be selected (this was the exam code for the old syllabus) and then you can look at any of the CHM1 papers for each year by selecting 'past question papers and mark schemes'. You can also download the relevant mark scheme.
You just have to be aware that when trying any papers on the old syllabus some of the content has been moved to module 2 (chemistry of group 2 metals) so will not have been covered yet. It has been replaced by the organic content that you have studied instead.
You can access more up to date papers for the current CHEM 1 module by changing the '5420 materials' tab to 'key materials'.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)