Students devote their precious time, energy, and hard work every year to studying various concepts. Among all the concepts they learn, some are easy to grasp, while some ask for the extra endeavor. All these studies and mastering them require learning some effective strategies.
Similarly, when dying Chemistry, students request some smart tips and strategies to master all the topics. It is because there are plenty of new concepts in Chemistry, such as surface chemistry, thermodynamics, organic chemistry, coordination compounds, etc., that students find challenging to attempt.
Generally, in exams, chemical reactions contain most of the weightage in Chemistry. It makes this topic important for exams and responsible for affecting the scores.
Here are some unique ways that can let you master chemical reactions.
Learn Periodic Table With Mnemonics
The periodic table is a chart that comprises information about all chemical elements with details on their atomic numbers, full names, mass numbers, and symbols. It is like a go-to guide for all students who want to get command over chemical reactions.
As the periodic table is vast, memorising all the elements is difficult without proper strategy. Mnemonic learning tools can be handy for students to overcome this problem. It is one of the best effective methods to memorise the periodic table in the shortest possible time. It is a memory technique that assists in holding the information.
It is a very simple method. What students need to do is
- Select a group from the periodic table.
- Write down the initial letters of the elements of that group.
- Come up with an exciting song, sentence, or rhyme for these letters.
For instance, the Group 15 of the periodic table contains N, P, As, Sb, and Bi elements. Therefore, its mnemonic can be New Police Assigns Subordinate Bikram on duty.
Likewise, you can come up with other exciting sentences and memorize the sequence of chemical names of the elements by heart.
Knowing About the IUPAC Nomenclature
The IUPAC, aka International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry nomenclature, provides organic compounds with an identifiable name depending upon their structure. It is a universal standard that ensures that certain regularity in chemical names is always maintained.
If students are unable to understand the IUPAC nomenclature precisely, in that case, they will lose many marks by incorrectly naming the compounds in the chemical reactions during the exams.
Some steps that can help you in understanding and learning the IUPAC nomenclature of the compounds are
- First, note down all the suffixes and prefixes based on the number of compounds, functional groups, and atoms in the chemical reaction.
- Revise all the jotted-down information thoroughly to get friendly with these terminologies.
- After the above steps, start solving questions that ask you to guess the name of a compound.
- Then move toward some complex questions.
Therefore, helping you memorise better, improve your recalling skills, and you can name chemical compounds accurately.
Make Good Use of Visual Aids
There are various effective learning tools and techniques that make the traditional learning process a smart process. Visual aids are one of these tools. They are quick and effective methods to revise important concepts at any time.
For instance, normally, if you try to rescript redox reactions with the systematic technique, you would have to scan the textbook and search for the information. By using visual techniques, the entire summary is under a single chart; you can go through it anytime and anywhere.
Such a visual description of information makes it trouble-free to memorise and recall it at a subsequent point. Likewise, you can jot down all the appropriate information regarding chemical reactions and sketch out an infographic that provides your learning needs.
Also see: How to Memorise Reactions for NEET Chemistry 2022 Exam?
Get-Command Over How to Balance Chemical Reactions
One of the foremost challenging parts of the chemical reactions is balancing them. Many students get stuck at this point. They find balancing the atoms and molecules in a chemical reaction as they fight on a battlefield.
To become an expert in balancing chemical reactions, students must follow the below steps:
- Make a separate list of the number of atoms and molecules on both sides of the reaction.
- Identify the compound which contains the largest sized atom and start to balance it on both sides of the reaction.
- Remember that you must not change the compound’s chemical formulae while balancing their numbers. You can only substitute their coefficients.
- First, balance the compound that contains the highest number of atoms in the reaction and then gradually move to the next one.
- As the last step, mention the physical states of reactants and products in the balanced chemical reaction.
Practise Thoroughly With Smartness
Hard work and practice are necessary to learn chemical reactions. But if you use smart ways to memorise them, you will have a better outcome.
Instead of just memorising and practising similar types of chemical reactions, try to solve unique and different types of chemical reactions as much as possible.
It will be best if you are well prepared for any tricky questions that appear in the exam. So, attempt all unique chemical reactions and prop up your topic understanding accordingly.
How to Learn Reactions?
Some steps that can help you in learning reactions in Chemistry are as follows:
- Mug up all the inorganic chemistry reactions and the trends in that particular group’s periodic table.
- Look for the pattern or similarity in the reactions or trends.
- Take a notebook and write down all those chemical reactions you want to remember till the end of the exam. Repeat this step daily.
- Note down the colour of precipitates, trends like electronegativity down the group, name of ores, flame test colours, etc.
- Revise all the reactions you try to memorise during the daytime at the end of the day.
Conclusion
Many students find chemical reactions the most challenging part of Chemistry. They find it difficult to comprehend the compounds’ names, atomic numbers, symbols, mass numbers, oxidation states, etc.
But with the methods mentioned above, you will be well equipped to solve the toughest chemical reactions easily. When you put these steps into practice, these strategies will give you an excellent Chemistry score. And in case of any query, experts at Aakash Coaching Institute are always there for you to reach!
FAQs about Learn Chemical Reactions Easily
1. What Tricks Can I Use to Memorise Reactions in Organic Chemistry?
Some tricks to memorise Organic Chemistry reactions are
Before learning chemical reactions, understand its reactants and products and their symbols. Then balance both sides of the reaction.
Understand the mechanism behind the reaction.
Learn all the IUPAC rules and functional groups thoroughly. This way, you can accurately identify the compound's name.
Identify the type of reaction, recall its reaction mechanism, and then find out the product of the reaction accordingly.
Learn all the fundamental steps of compound formation.
Memorise some basic name reactions such as aldol condensation, Wurtz reaction, etc.
Practice chemical reaction problems as much as possible.
Remember the conditions involved in the reaction conversion or product formation.
2. How Do I Learn Inorganic Chemistry Reactions?
To learn Inorganic Chemistry reactions, follow the below steps:
Make a notebook and write all the important Inorganic Chemistry reactions in it.
Write the reactions on one page while their answers are on the next page.
Once a day, try to solve these reactions and then verify your answers from the answer sheet. If your answers are incorrect, revise them again. Repeat this step daily.
Take a note of all the cations and anions involved in the reaction.
Calculate what the oxidation number of an ion stands for.
Balance both sides of the reaction. You can use the hit and trial or electronic ion method to balance the reactions.
You can start these steps with ten initial reactions and then gradually increase the number of reactions.
3. What Are the Prime Ways to Remember All Chemical Reaction Mechanisms?
The chief tips to remembering all chemical reaction mechanisms are
Try to understand the reaction and find the answer to the question that why this reaction happens.
Practice the reactions in the best way possible and revise them before bed.
Look for the question 'why' instead of 'how' for every reaction.
In the case of Organic Chemistry, it will take time to understand the reaction mechanism. So, do not lose hope.
Recall all the notes about chemical reaction mechanisms you have taken till now.
4. Is Memorising the Chemical Reactions a Good Way to Remember them for a Long Period?
Memorising the chemical reactions to remember them for a long period is a poor strategy. It is better to understand them rather than memorising. Although there are certain aspects where memorising is required, such as functional groups, nomenclature, reagent names, etc., learning the whole reaction and reaction products is a difficult task.
Some students like to choose other options like flashcards, infographics, etc., to remember the chemical reactions. But all these are ways to remember the reactions for a short period. Instead of memorising them, you can understand them by understanding their reaction mechanisms. This way, you will get a deeper knowledge of chemistry concepts.
5. What are the Significance of Chemical Reactions in our Daily Life?
Chemical reactions are the most important event that occurs in the universe. The reasons that make them important in our lives are
- They are the cause of the formation of new matter in the atmosphere.
- They aid in understanding the properties of a matter.
- They explain the reason behind the question of how the natural world works.
- They piqued the interest of students in Science.
- They help in solving the crimes and mysteries behind the crime.
- They help in determining whether there is life on any other planet or moon or not.
- The first discovery that leads to civilisation, fire, is also a chemical reaction.
- Without chemical reactions, there is no change in nature.
6. What are the Ways to Predict the Product in the Inorganic Reactions?
There are several ways to predict the product in inorganic reactions.
Look at the compound in the reaction and write down its oxidation state. The compound with the highest oxidation state acts as an oxidising agent. In contrast, the compound with the lowest oxidation state acts as a reducing agent.
In some cases, elements try to achieve the most stable oxidation state. So, try to make the product in the most stable oxidation state.
Get command over the periodic table, electrochemical series, and solubility of compounds topics to predict the product in advance
7. What are the Ways to Learn Named Reactions in Organic Chemistry?
The ways to learn named reactions in Organic Chemistry are
Write all the named reactions and their mechanisms in a separate notebook.
Read them regularly and at the end of the day, try to write at least five reactions a time with their mechanisms.
Try to reach examples where that reaction takes place. You can look after the conversion reactions too. This way, you can find a loop between different reactions and memorise them easily.
