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Pearson's Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry books


Simple organic compounds

Video clips and animations

Carbon monoxide 1: an over-view

Carbon monoxide is formed when carbon-containing fuels burn in a limited supply of oxygen. US public service film about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. YouTube

Carbon monoxide 2: oxygen transport around the body

How oxygen is transported around the body attached to haemoglobin. YouTube

Carbon monoxide 3: carbon monoxide interfering with oxygen transport

Brief summary of the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning, including the way it reacts with haemoglobin. YouTube

Naming isomers of the alkanes

Neat little video aimed at IB chemistry, but chemistry is chemistry whichever exams you are taking. YouTube

Alkanes and alkenes with bromine

Simple demonstration of the effect of liquid bromine on cyclohexane (as a saturated hydrocarbon) and cyclohexene (as an unsaturated hydrocarbon). The commentary states categorically that bromine does not react with saturated hydrocarbons. This is untrue. Bromine will react with saturated hydrocarbons, but only in the presence of UV light, and the reaction is slower. Under normal lab conditions (unless you are in direct sunlight), there isn't enough UV light to make the reaction happen anything like as fast as the reaction with the unsaturated hydrocarbon, but given time, it would react. YouTube

Burning ethanol

Short video simply showing the clean blue flame that ethanol burns with. YouTube

Oxidation of ethanol using acidified potassium dichromate(VI)

Heating flammable liquids with a naked flame is not good practice! YouTube

Reactions of ethanoic acid

Reactions with sodium carbonate, magnesium and ethanol. At one point, the commentary mentions "glacial" ethanoic acid. That is a traditional term for concentrated ethanoic acid. Seriously old-fashioned, but covers what you need to know. YouTube


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© Jim Clark 2017