What is it
Students learn how to identify pure substances and formulations, chromatography (including calculating Rf values), and simple tests to identify gases (hydrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, chlorine) and metal/halide ions.
Why it matters
This is a heavily practical-skills-based topic, drawing directly on required-practical experience, and 'describe a test and expected result' questions are common, straightforward marks if well prepared.
Exam tip
Learn each gas test as a fixed 'test → positive result' pair (e.g. limewater turns cloudy for CO₂, glowing splint relights for O₂) — these are recall facts worth memorising word-for-word.
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