Australian examsHSC

HSC chemistry data sheet and formulae sheet: what NESA gives you

Published 12 Nov 20269 min read

Year 11 Chemistry

Year 12 Chemistry

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Formula sheet

The card below opens today's Year 12 Chemistry paper with the sheet in a drawer. The contents follow in our own layout, with the periodic table in the drawer itself. NESA prints three pages of formulae and data and then the periodic table, so check against the official sheet on the NESA site before relying on a value.

Formula sheet

Year 12 Chemistry

Open formula sheet

The PDF NESA publishes carries a 2019 heading. The periodic table at the back uses standard atomic weights from IUPAC, abbreviated to four significant figures, and it notes that some data may have been modified for the exam.

Formulae sheet

n=\frac{m}{MM}moles from mass

c=\frac{n}{V}concentration

PV=nRTideal gas equation

q=mc\Delta Theat transferred

\Delta G^\circ=\Delta H^\circ-T\Delta S^\circGibbs free energy

\text{pH}=-\log_{10}\left[\text{H}^+\right]pH

pK_a=-\log_{10}\left[K_a\right]acid dissociation exponent

A=\varepsilon lc=\log_{10}\frac{I_o}{I}absorbance (Beer-Lambert law)

Constants

Quantity	Symbol	Value	Unit
Avogadro constant	NA	6.022×10²³	mol⁻¹
molar volume of an ideal gas at 100 kPa and 0 °C (273.15 K)	Vm	22.71	L
molar volume of an ideal gas at 100 kPa and 25 °C (298.15 K)	Vm	24.79	L
gas constant	R	8.314	J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹
ionisation constant for water at 25 °C (298.15 K)	Kw	1.0×10⁻¹⁴
specific heat capacity of water	c	4.18×10³	J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹

Solubility constants at 25 °C

Compound	Ksp	Compound	Ksp
Barium carbonate	2.58 × 10⁻⁹	Lead(II) bromide	6.60 × 10⁻⁶
Barium hydroxide	2.55 × 10⁻⁴	Lead(II) chloride	1.70 × 10⁻⁵
Barium phosphate	1.3 × 10⁻²⁹	Lead(II) iodide	9.8 × 10⁻⁹
Barium sulfate	1.08 × 10⁻¹⁰	Lead(II) carbonate	7.40 × 10⁻¹⁴
Calcium carbonate	3.36 × 10⁻⁹	Lead(II) hydroxide	1.43 × 10⁻¹⁵
Calcium hydroxide	5.02 × 10⁻⁶	Lead(II) phosphate	8.0 × 10⁻⁴³
Calcium phosphate	2.07 × 10⁻²⁹	Lead(II) sulfate	2.53 × 10⁻⁸
Calcium sulfate	4.93 × 10⁻⁵	Magnesium carbonate	6.82 × 10⁻⁶
Copper(II) carbonate	1.4 × 10⁻¹⁰	Magnesium hydroxide	5.61 × 10⁻¹²
Copper(II) hydroxide	2.2 × 10⁻²⁰	Magnesium phosphate	1.04 × 10⁻²⁴
Copper(II) phosphate	1.40 × 10⁻³⁷	Silver bromide	5.35 × 10⁻¹³
Iron(II) carbonate	3.13 × 10⁻¹¹	Silver chloride	1.77 × 10⁻¹⁰
Iron(II) hydroxide	4.87 × 10⁻¹⁷	Silver carbonate	8.46 × 10⁻¹²
Iron(III) hydroxide	2.79 × 10⁻³⁹	Silver hydroxide	2.0 × 10⁻⁸
Iron(III) phosphate	9.91 × 10⁻¹⁶	Silver iodide	8.52 × 10⁻¹⁷
		Silver phosphate	8.89 × 10⁻¹⁷
		Silver sulfate	1.20 × 10⁻⁵

Infrared absorption data

Bond	Wavenumber (cm⁻¹)
N-H (amines)	3300 to 3500
O-H (alcohols)	3230 to 3550, broad
C-H	2850 to 3300
O-H (acids)	2500 to 3000, very broad
C≡N	2220 to 2260
C=O	1680 to 1750
C=C	1620 to 1680
C-O	1000 to 1300
C-C	750 to 1100

13C NMR chemical shift data

Type of carbon	Shift (ppm)
carbon in C-C	5 to 40
R-C-Cl or Br	10 to 70
R-C(=O)-C	20 to 50
R-C-N	25 to 60
C-O in alcohols, ethers or esters	50 to 90
C=C	90 to 150
R-C≡N	110 to 125
benzene ring	110 to 160
C=O in esters or acids	160 to 185
C=O in aldehydes or ketones	190 to 220

UV absorption (approximate, not a definitive list)

Chromophore	λmax (nm)
C-H	122
C-C	135
C=C	162
C≡C	173, 178, 196, 222
C-Cl	173
C-Br	208

Some standard potentials

Written as reductions, from the most negative to the most positive, with E° in volts.

Half-reaction	E° (V)
K⁺ + e⁻ ⇌ K(s)	−2.94
Ba²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Ba(s)	−2.91
Ca²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Ca(s)	−2.87
Na⁺ + e⁻ ⇌ Na(s)	−2.71
Mg²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Mg(s)	−2.36
Al³⁺ + 3e⁻ ⇌ Al(s)	−1.68
Mn²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Mn(s)	−1.18
H₂O + e⁻ ⇌ ½H₂(g) + OH⁻	−0.83
Zn²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Zn(s)	−0.76
Fe²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Fe(s)	−0.44
Ni²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Ni(s)	−0.24
Sn²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Sn(s)	−0.14
Pb²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Pb(s)	−0.13
H⁺ + e⁻ ⇌ ½H₂(g)	0.00
SO₄²⁻ + 4H⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ SO₂(aq) + 2H₂O	0.16
Cu²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Cu(s)	0.34
½O₂(g) + H₂O + 2e⁻ ⇌ 2OH⁻	0.40
Cu⁺ + e⁻ ⇌ Cu(s)	0.52
½I₂(s) + e⁻ ⇌ I⁻	0.54
½I₂(aq) + e⁻ ⇌ I⁻	0.62
Fe³⁺ + e⁻ ⇌ Fe²⁺	0.77
Ag⁺ + e⁻ ⇌ Ag(s)	0.80
½Br₂(l) + e⁻ ⇌ Br⁻	1.08
½Br₂(aq) + e⁻ ⇌ Br⁻	1.10
½O₂(g) + 2H⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ H₂O	1.23
½Cl₂(g) + e⁻ ⇌ Cl⁻	1.36
½Cr₂O₇²⁻ + 7H⁺ + 3e⁻ ⇌ Cr³⁺ + 7/2H₂O	1.36
½Cl₂(aq) + e⁻ ⇌ Cl⁻	1.40
MnO₄⁻ + 8H⁺ + 5e⁻ ⇌ Mn²⁺ + 4H₂O	1.51
½F₂(g) + e⁻ ⇌ F⁻	2.89

What the HSC Chemistry exam gives you

The examination specifications say the paper comes with a data sheet, a formulae sheet and a periodic table, and that NESA-approved calculators may be used:

Part	Marks	What it is
Time	3 hours	Plus 10 minutes of reading time
Section I	20	Objective-response questions
Section II	80	20 to 25 items, at least two worth 7 to 9 marks

Questions can use stimulus material, and working scientifically outcomes are assessed throughout. Our HSC Chemistry guide covers the course and the HSC trials guide covers school exams.

What is not on the HSC chemistry data sheet

Equilibrium expressions. No equilibrium constant expression for K or Q, and no ICE table method. You write the expression from the balanced equation.
Acid and base formulas beyond pH. There is no pOH, no Kw = [H⁺][OH⁻] line (only the value of Kw), and no Ka expression.
Rate of reaction and rate laws. The sheet has nothing on rates.
Enthalpy. There is no ΔH = −mcΔT ÷ n line, and no bond energy table. You build the enthalpy of reaction from q = mcΔT and the moles yourself.
Electrochemistry formulas. Standard potentials are listed, but the cell potential rule E°cell = E°reduction − E°oxidation is not given.
Organic names and functional groups. Only the spectroscopy tables help you identify them.
Solubility rules and common ion charges. The Ksp table covers only 32 compounds.
Mass spectrometry and proton NMR. The sheet has no table for either.

How to use the sheet in the exam

Read the question for the quantity asked: moles, concentration, pH, heat or energy change.
Find the line first, then check the units of every constant you take from the sheet. R is 8.314 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, so in PV = nRT you need pressure in pascals and volume in cubic metres, or you must convert R to match.
Use the molar masses from the periodic table, to the decimal places printed.
For anything not on the sheet, write the expression you are using before you substitute: markers reward the correct expression.

Example 1: from mass to concentration

5.85 g of sodium chloride is dissolved to make 250 mL of solution. The periodic table gives Na as 22.99 and Cl as 35.45, so MM = 58.44 g mol⁻¹. The first two lines of the formulae sheet give moles and then concentration:

n=\frac{m}{MM}=\frac{5.85}{58.44}=0.100\ \text{mol}\qquad c=\frac{n}{V}=\frac{0.100}{0.250}=0.400\ \text{mol L}^{-1}

Change 250 mL to 0.250 L before you divide. Practise this kind of calculation in the Atomic Structure course.

Example 2: pH and pKa

A solution has a hydrogen ion concentration of 3.2 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹, and a weak acid has Ka = 1.8 × 10⁻⁵. The pH and pKa lines give:

\text{pH}=-\log_{10}\left(3.2\times10^{-4}\right)=3.49\qquad pK_a=-\log_{10}\left(1.8\times10^{-5}\right)=4.74

The pH has two decimal places because the concentration has two significant figures. Our pH Calculator checks this kind of working.

Example 3: a galvanic cell

A zinc half-cell is joined to a copper half-cell under standard conditions. The standard potentials list gives Cu²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Cu(s) as 0.34 V and Zn²⁺ + 2e⁻ ⇌ Zn(s) as −0.76 V. Copper is reduced, and zinc is oxidised, so:

E^\circ_{cell}=E^\circ_{reduction}-E^\circ_{oxidation}=0.34-(-0.76)=1.10\ \text{V}

A positive cell potential means the reaction is spontaneous in that direction. Remember you must write the rule yourself, because the sheet only lists the potentials.

Example 4: free energy

A reaction has ΔH° = −92 kJ mol⁻¹ and ΔS° = −199 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹ at 298 K. Convert the entropy to kJ first, then use the Gibbs line:

\Delta G^\circ=\Delta H^\circ-T\Delta S^\circ=-92-298\times(-0.199)=-92+59.3=-32.7\ \text{kJ mol}^{-1}

The negative value says the reaction is spontaneous at this temperature, even though the entropy falls, because the enthalpy term is larger.

Practise with the sheet open

Our Year 12 Chemistry daily paper is a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks. It is not a full HSC paper and it is not written by NESA. Sit it as a short mock with the sheet open and the clock running. Year 11 Chemistry covers the earlier modules.

Exam answers

The answers and a worked mark scheme come with today's paper once it is marked. They show which line of the sheet each question wanted. We do not publish official answers, past paper answers or leaked papers.

Common questions

Do you get a data sheet in HSC Chemistry?

Yes. NESA's examination specifications say the paper includes a data sheet, a formulae sheet and a periodic table.

How many formulae are on the HSC chemistry formulae sheet?

Eight: n = m/MM, c = n/V, PV = nRT, q = mcΔT, ΔG° = ΔH° − TΔS°, pH, pKa and the absorbance equation.

Is the equilibrium constant expression on the sheet?

No. You write Keq from the balanced equation.

Are standard electrode potentials given?

Yes. The data sheet lists 30 half-reactions from K⁺/K at −2.94 V to F₂/F⁻ at 2.89 V.

Can I use a calculator in the exam?

Yes. NESA-approved calculators may be used.

Revision cards

Say the answer first, then flip the card to check it.

Where to go next

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