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16 Dec 2025

2 pages

GCSE Chemistry Paper 1 Required Practicals

H

Harper Jepps

@harperjepps

Chemistry practicals can seem overwhelming, but they're actually quite straightforward... Show more

Chemistry- paper 1 practicals:
Making soluble salts:
Salts - all salts contain a positive ion (can be from; a metal, metal hydroxide, metal

Making Soluble Salts & Electrolysis

Salt-making is all about combining positive ions (from metals or metal compounds) with negative ions to create new compounds. You'll use copper oxide and sulfuric acid as your limiting reactant to make beautiful blue copper sulfate crystals.

The trick is heating your acid gently, then adding copper oxide bit by bit until there's powder left over - this tells you the reaction has stopped and your solution is neutral. After filtering out the excess powder, you'll evaporate half the water and wait 24 hours for crystals to form.

Electrolysis splits compounds using electricity and graphite electrodes. With copper chloride solution, you'll get copper coating the cathode (negative electrode) and chlorine gas bubbles at the anode. Sodium chloride behaves differently - you get hydrogen gas at the cathode instead because sodium is too reactive.

Top Tip: Always test gases safely - use damp litmus paper for chlorine and a lit splint for hydrogen. Never let your electrodes touch or you'll create a dangerous short circuit!

Chemistry- paper 1 practicals:
Making soluble salts:
Salts - all salts contain a positive ion (can be from; a metal, metal hydroxide, metal

Temperature Changes & Titrations

Temperature change experiments measure how much heat reactions produce or absorb. You'll mix hydrochloric acid with different volumes of sodium hydroxide in a polystyrene cup (which prevents heat loss) and record the maximum temperature each time.

Start with 30cm³ of acid, then gradually add 5cm³ portions of alkali whilst stirring with your thermometer. The temperature will rise to a peak, then start dropping - that peak shows you the neutralisation point.

Titrations help you find unknown concentrations by carefully adding acid to alkali until neutralisation occurs. You'll use phenolphthalein indicator, which changes from pink to colourless when the solution becomes neutral. The key is adding acid drop by drop near the end point.

Read your burette at eye level using the bottom of the meniscus (the curved bit). You need concordant results within 0.1cm³ of each other, so expect to repeat this several times until your readings are consistent enough for accurate calculations.

Remember: Always place your conical flask on a white tile - it makes colour changes much easier to spot during titrations.



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This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now

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The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.

Stefan S

iOS user

This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.

Samantha Klich

Android user

Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.

Anna

iOS user

Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good

Thomas R

iOS user

Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.

Basil

Android user

This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.

David K

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The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!

Sudenaz Ocak

Android user

In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.

Greenlight Bonnie

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very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.

Rohan U

Android user

I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.

Xander S

iOS user

THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮

Elisha

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This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now

Paul T

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Chemistry

20

16 Dec 2025

2 pages

GCSE Chemistry Paper 1 Required Practicals

H

Harper Jepps

@harperjepps

Chemistry practicals can seem overwhelming, but they're actually quite straightforward once you break them down. This guide covers the four essential practical skills you'll need for Paper 1: making salts, electrolysis, measuring temperature changes, and titrations.

Chemistry- paper 1 practicals:
Making soluble salts:
Salts - all salts contain a positive ion (can be from; a metal, metal hydroxide, metal

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Making Soluble Salts & Electrolysis

Salt-making is all about combining positive ions (from metals or metal compounds) with negative ions to create new compounds. You'll use copper oxide and sulfuric acid as your limiting reactant to make beautiful blue copper sulfate crystals.

The trick is heating your acid gently, then adding copper oxide bit by bit until there's powder left over - this tells you the reaction has stopped and your solution is neutral. After filtering out the excess powder, you'll evaporate half the water and wait 24 hours for crystals to form.

Electrolysis splits compounds using electricity and graphite electrodes. With copper chloride solution, you'll get copper coating the cathode (negative electrode) and chlorine gas bubbles at the anode. Sodium chloride behaves differently - you get hydrogen gas at the cathode instead because sodium is too reactive.

Top Tip: Always test gases safely - use damp litmus paper for chlorine and a lit splint for hydrogen. Never let your electrodes touch or you'll create a dangerous short circuit!

Chemistry- paper 1 practicals:
Making soluble salts:
Salts - all salts contain a positive ion (can be from; a metal, metal hydroxide, metal

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Temperature Changes & Titrations

Temperature change experiments measure how much heat reactions produce or absorb. You'll mix hydrochloric acid with different volumes of sodium hydroxide in a polystyrene cup (which prevents heat loss) and record the maximum temperature each time.

Start with 30cm³ of acid, then gradually add 5cm³ portions of alkali whilst stirring with your thermometer. The temperature will rise to a peak, then start dropping - that peak shows you the neutralisation point.

Titrations help you find unknown concentrations by carefully adding acid to alkali until neutralisation occurs. You'll use phenolphthalein indicator, which changes from pink to colourless when the solution becomes neutral. The key is adding acid drop by drop near the end point.

Read your burette at eye level using the bottom of the meniscus (the curved bit). You need concordant results within 0.1cm³ of each other, so expect to repeat this several times until your readings are consistent enough for accurate calculations.

Remember: Always place your conical flask on a white tile - it makes colour changes much easier to spot during titrations.

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The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.

Stefan S

iOS user

This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.

Samantha Klich

Android user

Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.

Anna

iOS user

Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good

Thomas R

iOS user

Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.

Basil

Android user

This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.

David K

iOS user

The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!

Sudenaz Ocak

Android user

In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.

Greenlight Bonnie

Android user

very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.

Rohan U

Android user

I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.

Xander S

iOS user

THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮

Elisha

iOS user

This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now

Paul T

iOS user

The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.

Stefan S

iOS user

This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.

Samantha Klich

Android user

Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.

Anna

iOS user

Best app on earth! no words because it’s too good

Thomas R

iOS user

Just amazing. Let's me revise 10x better, this app is a quick 10/10. I highly recommend it to anyone. I can watch and search for notes. I can save them in the subject folder. I can revise it any time when I come back. If you haven't tried this app, you're really missing out.

Basil

Android user

This app has made me feel so much more confident in my exam prep, not only through boosting my own self confidence through the features that allow you to connect with others and feel less alone, but also through the way the app itself is centred around making you feel better. It is easy to navigate, fun to use, and helpful to anyone struggling in absolutely any way.

David K

iOS user

The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!

Sudenaz Ocak

Android user

In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.

Greenlight Bonnie

Android user

very reliable app to help and grow your ideas of Maths, English and other related topics in your works. please use this app if your struggling in areas, this app is key for that. wish I'd of done a review before. and it's also free so don't worry about that.

Rohan U

Android user

I know a lot of apps use fake accounts to boost their reviews but this app deserves it all. Originally I was getting 4 in my English exams and this time I got a grade 7. I didn’t even know about this app three days until the exam and it has helped A LOT. Please actually trust me and use it as I’m sure you too will see developments.

Xander S

iOS user

THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮

Elisha

iOS user

This apps acc the goat. I find revision so boring but this app makes it so easy to organize it all and then you can ask the freeeee ai to test yourself so good and you can easily upload your own stuff. highly recommend as someone taking mocks now

Paul T

iOS user