IB-Chemistry
Reactivity 3
IB Chemistry lessons and exam-style practice covering acids, bases and redox processes.
Lessons in this unit
Work through the topics in order.
R-3.1.1 & 3.1.2& 3.1.3 Bronsted-Lowry acids and bases & conjugate pairs
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering Brønsted–Lowry acids and bases, proton transfer, conjugate acid–base pairs and species that can act as both.
R-3.1.10 Acid and Base Strength: Ka, Kb, pKa and pKb
Explore how Ka, Kb, pKa and pKb are used to compare the strengths of weak acids and bases and interpret their degree of ionization.
R-3.1.11 Conjugate Acid–Base Pairs: Ka, Kb and Kw
Explore the relationship between Ka, Kb and Kw for conjugate acid–base pairs and use it to calculate acid and base dissociation constants.
R-3.1.12 Salt Hydrolysis and pH of Salt Solutions
Explore how the strengths of parent acids and bases determine the pH of salt solutions, and use hydrolysis equations to predict whether solutions are acidic, basic or neutral.
R-3.1.13 Acid–Base Titration Curves
Interpret titration curves for strong and weak acids and bases, identifying initial pH, equivalence points, buffer regions and half-equivalence relationships.
R-3.1.14 & 3.1.15 Acid–Base Indicators and Choosing an Indicator
Explore how acid–base indicators change colour with pH and learn how to select an appropriate indicator for a titration based on its end-point range and the equivalence-point pH.
R-3.1.16 & 3.1.17 Buffer Solutions and Buffer pH Calculations
Explore how acidic and basic buffers resist changes in pH, and calculate buffer pH using equilibrium constants and the concentrations of conjugate acid–base pairs.
R-3.1.4 Acid base reactions and the pH scale
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering the pH scale, hydrogen ion concentration, pH calculations and methods of measuring pH.
R-3.1.5 & 3.1.6 Acid–Base Equilibria: Strength, Ionization & Kw
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering Kw, acid–base equilibria, extent of ionization, acid and base strength, and conjugate acid–base pairs.
R-3.1.7 Neutralization reactions
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering neutralization reactions, salt formation and reactions of acids with oxides, hydroxides, carbonates and hydrogencarbonates.
R-3.1.8 PH curves
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering pH curves for strong acid–base neutralizations, initial pH, equivalence points and curve interpretation.
R-3.1.9 pOH, pH and the Ionic Product of Water
Learn how pOH relates to hydroxide ion concentration and use the ionic product of water to calculate pH, pOH, [H⁺] and [OH⁻].
R-3.2.1 Oxidation and reduction
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering oxidation, reduction, electron transfer, oxidation states and oxidizing and reducing agents.
R-3.2.12 Standard Hydrogen Electrode and Electrode Potentials
Explore the standard hydrogen electrode as the reference for standard electrode potentials and use E° values to compare the ease of oxidation and reduction.
R-3.2.13 & 3.2.14 Standard Cell Potential, Spontaneity and Gibbs Energy
Calculate standard cell potentials from electrode potentials, predict reaction spontaneity, and use the relationship between E°cell and Gibbs energy to determine ΔG°.
R-3.2.15 Electrolysis of Aqueous Solutions and Competing Reactions
Explore competing reactions during the electrolysis of aqueous solutions and use standard electrode potentials to predict the products formed at the anode and cathode.
R-3.2.16 Electroplating and Electrode Reactions
Explore how electrolysis is used to coat objects with a thin layer of metal and deduce the oxidation and reduction half-equations involved in electroplating.
R-3.2.3 & 3.2.4 Oxidation in the periodic table and acids and metals
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering redox trends, metal displacement reactions and reactions of reactive metals with dilute acids.
R-3.2.5 & 3.2.6 Electrochemical cells
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering electrochemical cells, anode and cathode, electron flow, salt bridges and primary voltaic cells.
R-3.2.7 & 3.2.8 Secondary cells & Electrolytic cells
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering rechargeable secondary cells, charging and discharging, electrolytic cells and electrolysis of molten salts.
R-3.2.9 & 3.2.10 & 3.2.11 Oxidation and reduction of functional groups. Reduction and unsaturation
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering oxidation and reduction of organic functional groups, reduction reactions and testing for unsaturation.
R-3.3.1 & 3.3.2 Free radical mechanisms and homolytic fission
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering free radicals, homolytic fission, initiation reactions and fish-hook arrows.
R-3.3.3 Substitution reactions of alkanes
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering radical substitution of alkanes with halogens, propagation and termination steps, and mixtures of products.
R-3.4.1& 3.4.2 Nucleophiles and nucleophilic substitution reactions
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering nucleophiles, electron-pair donation and nucleophilic substitution reactions.
R-3.4.11 & 3.4.12 Electrophilic Addition and Carbocation Stability
Explore electrophilic addition mechanisms in alkenes and use carbocation stability to predict the major products formed when unsymmetrical alkenes react.
R-3.4.13 Electrophilic Substitution of Benzene
Explore the mechanism of electrophilic substitution in benzene and understand how the aromatic ring reacts with a charged electrophile while retaining its aromatic structure.
R-3.4.3 & 3.4.4 Heterolytic fission and electrophyles
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering heterolytic fission, ion formation, curly arrows and recognition of electrophiles.
R-3.4.5 Electrophilic addition reactions in alkenes
IB Chemistry SL lesson covering electrophilic addition and reactions of alkenes with water, halogens and hydrogen halides.
R-3.4.6 & 3.4.7 Lewis Acids, Bases and Coordination Bonds
Explore Lewis acids and bases, coordination bond formation, and the relationship between Lewis bases and nucleophiles and Lewis acids and electrophiles.
R-3.4.8 Ligands, Coordination Bonds and Complex Ions
Explore how ligands donate electron pairs to transition element cations to form coordination bonds and complex ions, and learn how to deduce complex ion charges.
R-3.4.9 & 3.4.10 Nucleophilic Substitution: SN1 and SN2 Mechanisms
Explore nucleophilic substitution in halogenoalkanes, compare SN1 and SN2 mechanisms, and explain how halogenoalkane structure and leaving groups influence reaction rates.