Get the best chemistry practicals notes to help with your revision.

These notes explain the most commonly set chemistry practicals questions for Kenyan Schools.

The best KCSE and MOCKS chemistry practicals notes in Kenya

• Titration/volumetric analysis chemistry practical with sample revision questions and answers.
• Thermochemistry(energy changes) chemistry practical with sample revision questions and answers.
• Chemical kinetic(rates of reaction) chemistry practical with sample revision questions and answers.
• Qualitative analysis(organic/inorganic) chemistry practical with sample revision questions and answers.
• Flame test chemistry practical with sample revision questions and answers.
• Physical / general chemistry chemistry practical with sample revision questions and answers.

The above are all the chemistry practical notes with revision questions and answers that you need to pass your KCSE and MOCKS Chemistry Practicals.

ALL CHEMISTRY PRACTICALS FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS - Easy Elimu

Titration/volumetric analysis Summary Notes - Easy Elimu

What you get;

1. Glossary of terms including:
   • Titration
   • Indicator
   • Quantitative
   • Acid-alkali
   • Neutralises
   • Valid
   • Precise
   • Accurate
   • Pipette
   • End-point
   • Repeatable
   • Titre
   • Meniscus
2. Aims of titration
3. Practical activity 1 - Sample Titration table format
4. Practical activity 2 - carrying out a titration
   • Sample results titration
   • Analysis of results of titration
5. Evaluation of learner's understanding
   • Titration general questions and answers
6. Hazards, risks and precautions when carrying out titration

Get these complete Titration revision notes with set questions and answers here.

Thermochemistry(energy changes) Summary Notes - Easy Elimu

What you get;

1.  Glosssary of terms including:
   • Energy
   • Endothermic
   • Exothermic
   • Rise in temperature (-ΔH)
   • Fall in temperature (+ΔH)
   • Physical changes
   • Chemical changes
   • Melting/liquidification/fusion
   • Freezing/fusion/solidification
   • Boiling/vaporization/evaporation
   • Kinetic Theory of matter
   • Neutralization
   • Condensation/liquidification
   • Extrapolation point
   • Standard enthalpy/heat of displacement
   • Standard enthalpy/heat of neutralization
   • Standard enthalpy/heat of solution/dissolution
2. Quick tips (practically section)
3. Energy changes in physical processes
4. Experiments for energy changes in physical processes.
   1. To determine the boiling point of water
      1. Procedure
      2. Sample question 1 (graph and table of temperature and time)
      3. Sample question 2
      4. Sample question 3 (Calculation of molar heat of vaporization of water)
   2. To determine the melting point of candle wax
      1. Procedure
      2. Sample question (table and graph of temperature and time)
5. Energy changes in chemical processes
   1. Standard enthalpy/heat of displacement ΔH^o_d
      1. Examples of displacement reactions
      2. Experiments I showing how to determine the molar standard enthalpy/heat of displacement copper
         • Sample question 1 (Calculating average change in temperature of reaction)
         • Sample question 2 (Calculating the percentage enthalpy change)
         • Sample question 3 (Writing the ionic equation)
         • Sample question 4 (Observations)
      3. Experiments II showing the graphical determination of molar enthalpy of displacement
   2. Standard enthalpy/heat of neutralization ΔH^o_n
      1. Simplified notes on what standard enthalpy/heat of neutralization
      2. Experiment to determine the molar enthalpy of neutralization of Hydrochloric acid
         1. Procedure
         2. Theoretical revision questions with answers
   3. Standard enthalpy/heat of solution/dissolution ΔH^o_s
      1. Simplified notes on what  standard enthalpy of solution
      2. Experiment to determine the heat of dissolution of ammonium nitrate (V)
         1. Procedure
         2. Theoretical revision questions with answers

Get these complete thermochemistry / energy changes revision notes with set questions and answers here.

Chemical kinetic(rates of reaction) Summary Notes - Easy Elimu

What you get:

1. Defination of terms
2. Examples
3. Instructions on how to use a stop watch/clock
4. Factors that theoretically and practically influence the rate or reactions including:
   1. Concentration of reactants
   2. Temperature
   3. Nature of reactants
   4. Physical state of reactants
   5. Surface area of reactants
   6. Effect of solvent
   7. The presence of a catalyst
5. Lab safety/precautions for chemical kinetics reactions

Get these complete chemical kinetic / rate of reaction revision notes with set questions and answers here.

Read on the Reaction Rates and Reversible Reactions - Form 4 Chemistry notes that are related to the chemical kinetics practical on the Easy Elimu Website here.

Remember: You can access all these notes on the Easy Elimu app for free. Download it now!

Qualitative analysis(organic/inorganic) Summary Notes - Easy Elimu

Get these complete qualitative analysis revision notes with set questions and answers here.

What you get; 

1. Process of identifying unknown inorganic compounds
   1. When using 2M sodium hydroxide
   2. When using 2M aqueous ammonia
   3. When using Barium(II)nitrate(V)/Barium chloride solution
2. Process of identifying unknown organic compounds
   1. Identified through burning-a substance
   2. When using bromine water
   3. When using chlorine water
   4. When using acidified KMnO₄
   5. When using acidified K₂Cr₂O₇
   6. Using litmus paper test

The inorganic compunds tested and formed include; K⁺, Na⁺, Nh4⁺, Zn²⁺ Pb²⁺ Al³⁺ , Ba²⁺ Mg²⁺ Ca²⁺, Cu²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, PbSO₄ ,PbSO₃ ,PbCO₃, PbS, PbI₂,PbCl₂, SO₄^2- ,SO₃^2- ,CO₃^2- Cl^-, I^-, S^2-, CO₃^2-, BaSO₄ ,BaSO₃ , BaCO₃,  from SO₄^2- ,SO₃^2- 

Flame test Summary Notes - Easy Elimu

Get these questions answered with these Easy Elimu flame test notes.

1. What is a flame test?
2. Why use flame test?
3. Why do different metal ions produce different flame colours?
4. How do you carry out a flame test?

Also get notes on:

• What you need to do to conduct a valid flame experiment
• The distinct flame coloration of some compounds including:
  • Lithium
  • Sodium
  • Potassium
  • calcium
  • Barium
  • Copper

Finally you get some revision questions with answers to test your grasp of flame test experiment.

Get these complete flame test revision notes with set questions and answers here.

Physical / general chemistry Summary Notes - Easy Elimu

Get these complete physical chemistry revision notes with set questions and answers here.

Chemistry practicals FAQs navigator

Chemistry practicals FAQs

How many practicals are required for chemistry?

In KCSE chemistry paper 3, there are usually 3 practical questions set. These three questions can be derived from any of the above-mentioned practicals, such as titration/volumetric analysis, thermochemistry (energy changes), chemical kinetics (rates of reaction), qualitative analysis (organic/inorganic), solubility and solubility curves, flame test, and physical/general chemistry. 

How do I pass the KCSE chemistry practicals?

To pass the chemistry practicals, whether they are KCSE chemistry practicals or MOCK chemistry practicals, you need to first know the kinds of experiments that can be examined. The table below shows the kinds of experiments that were tested from KCSE 2010 up to now so that you can be able to deduce the practical that will be tested in your year.

To get the specific papers with marking schemes for the various KCSE practicals, click on the highlighted KCSE year in the table.

Based on the table above you can see the most common practical exams given for each KCSE exam since 2010. 

This table is suppose to help you revise as you can now know the probability of each practical test being examined.

Note:

• Though some chemistry practicals are not exclusively indicated as the main question, you may find that they appear in the other practicals. Take for example solubility experiments. Solubility is tested in qualitative analysis where in the inference you can note whether the products of the reactants are either soluble or insoluble.

How do you do chemistry practicals?

Depending on the type of chemistry practical you are being tested on, clear and well-defined instructions will be given on the paper/instruction sheet.

First, one is given a list of chemicals and tools that you are provided with to conduct the test or experiment.

Then clear instructions or steps on how to conduct the experiment are given in the procedure section.

Note: You do not have to cram the instructions/steps for conducting an experiment as they will be provided in the paper. What you need to know is simply the theory behind the experiment.

Read the instructions twice. The first time is to get a general sense of what the test wants you to do. The second time, read as you underline the main ideas and questions of the practical. Doing this will ensure that you do not miss anything.

Remember: As you conduct the experiments, you need to record the data fast. Accurate data recording will ensure that you are able to answer the questions accurately based on your calculations.

With Easy Elimu, either through this website or the Easy Elimu Study app, you will be able to access all the chemical practicals you need to practice and make sure that you pass that KCSE practical exam.

How do I prepare a chem lab practical?

1. Quick tips to pass those chemistry paper 3 exams:

• If you see a table showing time and temperature that is a thermochemistry experiment that tests the changes in heat of a chemical reaction
  Example:

  
  

• If the table that appears in a question contains final and initial burette readings and volume of solution that is most probably a titration/volumetric analysis experiment
  Example:

  
  

•  When you get a stop watch to test the rate of reaction that is most probably a Chemical kinetics experiment.