QCE Chemistry case studies
QCE Chemistry · Put your knowledge to work in context.
QCE Chemistry is a senior secondary subject in the Queensland Certificate of Education, the school qualification awarded to students who complete Year 11 and 12 study in Queensland, Australia. It suits students who want a science-based pathway into university courses such as chemistry, pharmacy, medicine, engineering, environmental science or education, and who are willing to build fluency in both quantitative problem solving and extended written explanation. The QCE Chemistry case studies are 5 cases and about 2,034 words.
1Identifying an Unknown Carbonate by Back-Titration
A first-year laboratory has an unlabelled bottle of a white, water-soluble solid believed to be a group 1 or group 2 carbonate. A 2.000 g sample is dissolved and made up to 250.0 mL.
478 words, about 2 min2Boiling Points of Two Isomers
Two colourless liquids, A and B, are isomers with molecular formula C4H10O. Both are miscible with water to some extent, but A dissolves completely while B forms a separate layer.
385 words, about 2 min3Shifting an Esterification Equilibrium
Ethanoic acid and ethanol are mixed in a sealed flask and warmed with a small amount of concentrated sulfuric acid. After equilibrium is reached at a fixed temperature, analysis shows 0.30 mol of ethyl ethanoate, 0.30 mol of water, 0.20 mol of ethanoic acid and 0.20 mol of ethanol in a total volume of 0.50 L.
389 words, about 2 min4A Discrepant Redox Titration
A student standardises a potassium permanganate solution against 0.0500 mol/L iron(II) sulfate. In acid, MnO4⁻ + 8H⁺ + 5Fe²⁺ → Mn²⁺ + 5Fe³⁺ + 4H2O.
351 words, about 2 min5Designing a Green Synthesis Route
A class must choose between two routes to make a substituted benzoate ester for a fragrance project. Route 1 uses benzoyl chloride and an alcohol in pyridine, giving 92 % yield in 20 minutes but producing a stoichiometric amount of pyridinium chloride waste and requiring fume-hood handling of a lachrymator.
431 words, about 2 min