VCE Chemistry case studies
VCE Chemistry · Put your knowledge to work in context.
VCE Chemistry is a senior secondary study in the Victorian Certificate of Education, administered by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). It is designed for students in Years 11 and 12 who want a rigorous, chemistry-focused science pathway toward university study, further training, or science-related work. The study is organised into four units: Units 1 and 2, whose details apply from 2023, and Units 3 and 4, whose details apply from 2024. Across the sequence, students engage with chemical concepts, scientific investigation, data and measurement, and the communication of chemical ideas, with each unit pairing an area of study with specified outcomes and assessment. The VCE Chemistry case studies are 5 cases and about 3,093 words.
1Calibrating a Student-Made Standard for a Titration
A Year 11 class prepares a sodium hydroxide standard by dissolving 2.00 g of impure NaOH pellets (labelled 96% pure) in water and making the volume to 500.0 mL in a volumetric flask. A student then titrates 20.00 mL aliquots of this base against a 0.100 M hydrochloric acid standard using phenolphthalein.
668 words, about 3 min2Choosing a Fuel for a Remote Field Station
A field station must choose between two fuels for heating and cooking. Fuel A is methanol (CH₃OH, M = 32.0 g/mol, ΔHc = −726 kJ/mol).
548 words, about 3 min3Interpreting a Rate Experiment with Conflicting Data
Students react magnesium ribbon with 1.0 M hydrochloric acid and measure gas volume every 10 s. Run 1 uses 2.0 cm of ribbon and 50 mL of acid at 25 °C.
675 words, about 3 min4Analysing an Unknown Organic Compound from Combined Data
A colourless liquid of molecular formula C₄H₈O₂ is analysed. It is neutral to litmus.
635 words, about 3 min5Galvanic Cell Design Under Real Constraints
A student builds a galvanic cell from a magnesium electrode in 1.0 M Mg(NO₃)₂ and a copper electrode in 1.0 M Cu(NO₃)₂, connected by a salt bridge and a voltmeter. Standard reduction potentials: Mg²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Mg, E° = −2.37 V; Cu²⁺ + 2e⁻ → Cu, E° = +0.34 V.
567 words, about 3 min