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    • Redox reactions
    • Explaining the chemistry of Group 2 metals
    • Explaining the chemistry of the Group 7, the halogens
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Author: Sarah Parkes

Cat Links Newsletter

Flashcards are the ultimate study tool

Posted on December 9, 2024December 9, 2024 Sarah Parkes

if you know how to use them 😳 We all know how to make a flashcard. Question on one side,

Continue readingFlashcards are the ultimate study tool

Cat Links Fundamentals

Ionisation energy – true or false quiz!

Posted on November 14, 2024November 14, 2024 Sarah Parkes
Cat Links Inorganic chemistry

Using transition metal ions as catalysts

Posted on October 25, 2024September 16, 2025 Sarah Parkes

In the reaction between peroxodisulphate ions and iodide ions, the iodide ions are oxidised to iodine whilst the peroxodisulphate ions

Continue readingUsing transition metal ions as catalysts

Cat Links Inorganic chemistry

Why are transition metal compounds coloured?

Posted on October 24, 2024October 24, 2024 Sarah Parkes

Virtually all transition metal compounds are coloured, a consequence of the way the 3d orbitals in the transition metal ion

Continue readingWhy are transition metal compounds coloured?

Cat Links Newsletter

Hacks to supercharge your learning

Posted on October 22, 2024October 22, 2024 Sarah Parkes

Coffee! Just kidding … In last month’s newsletter we saw that our brains learn by making mistakes. The harder you struggle to retrieve

Continue readingHacks to supercharge your learning

Cat Links Inorganic chemistry

Explaining the redox behaviour of transition metals

Posted on October 17, 2024June 6, 2025 Sarah Parkes

Much of the chemistry of transition metal ions is a consequence of the fact that the 3d and 4s orbitals

Continue readingExplaining the redox behaviour of transition metals

Cat Links Analytical chemistry, Inorganic chemistry

Identifying anions and cations using chemical tests

Posted on October 17, 2024October 17, 2024 Sarah Parkes

Figuring out which cations and anions we might have in an unknown aqueous solution is a form of qualitative analysis.

Continue readingIdentifying anions and cations using chemical tests

Cat Links Newsletter

How to learn better!

Posted on October 2, 2024October 2, 2024 Sarah Parkes

a deep dive into the strategies that actually work There has been a surprising amount of research into how we

Continue readingHow to learn better!

Cat Links Inorganic chemistry

How to identify transition metal ions in solution

Posted on September 9, 2024October 17, 2024 Sarah Parkes

Identifying which ions we might have in a solution is known as qualitative analysis. The chemical tests we carry out

Continue readingHow to identify transition metal ions in solution

Cat Links Inorganic chemistry

Ligand exchange reactions in transition metal complexes

Posted on September 9, 2024September 10, 2024 Sarah Parkes

The ligands in a transition metal complex can be exchanged e.g. ammonia ligands replacing water ligands. This happens either because

Continue readingLigand exchange reactions in transition metal complexes

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