Nuffield Advanced Chemistry: The Main Course

The Nuffield Advanced Chemistry basic course based its treatment of chemistry on three aids to understanding that were seen as being fundamental. These were:
*the use of the Periodic Table to provide unifying patterns for the diverse properties of elements and their compounds.
*the relationship between structure (atomic and molecular) and the properties of chemicals.
*the ways in which energy transfers can determine the feasibility and outcomes of reactions.

Teaching approach
The teaching was based on teacher-led discussion often arising from practical work carried out by the students. Students, with their teachers, were expected to explore questions arising from their studies of:
*particular chemical changes in materials
*patterns in the chemical behaviour of materials
*structure, including the structure of atoms and the structure of molecules and crystals
*rates of reactions
*equilibria in chemical systems
*energy changes accompanying chemical changes
*applications - industrial, medical, economic, and other social aspects