Chemistry 9701/43 Oct Nov 2012 | Cambridge AS Level Past Papers With Mark Scheme

1. Hydrolysis reactions of MgCl₂, AlCl₃, and SiCl₄ with water, producing hydroxides or oxides and associated observations, including equations.
2. Chloride ion quantification in food products using AgNO₃ titration, involving mole calculations, ionic equations, and volume estimations for solutions prepared from meat product extracts.
3. Iodination of benzene involving enthalpy calculations with bond enthalpies, nitric acid interaction with HI, and redox changes in nitrogen and iodine.
4. Role of nitrogen oxides as homogeneous catalysts in acid rain formation, detailing their sources, catalytic cycles, and environmental impact using reaction pathways and diagrams.
5. Transition metal chemistry, focusing on d-orbital splitting, ligand effects on color, Cu²⁺ complex reactions with NH₃, and Fehling’s reagent applications for aldehyde detection.
6. Structural analysis of curcumin and its derivatives through sequential reactions, functional group identification, and reaction mechanisms involving Br₂ and KMnO₄.
7. Basicity of ethylamine versus phenylamine, diazonium salt synthesis for dye production, and the role of sulfonate groups in dye solubility and stability.
8. Protein structure and DNA interaction analysis, covering amino acid bonding, mRNA transcription, codon-to-amino acid translation, and mutation effects on sequences.
9. Spectroscopic analysis using mass spectrometry and NMR data to deduce molecular formulae and structures, with chromatographic techniques applied for compound separation and identification.
10. Polymer chemistry with structural analysis of monomers and polymer types (addition and condensation), effects of side chains on density, and intermolecular forces in polymer chains.