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Science at key stage 3    (Year 9)

Unit 9H: Using chemistry
Section 1: a. What chemical reactions take place when fuels burn?

QCA

Objectives
Children should learn:
  • that fuels burn and release energy
  • that when fuels containing hydrogen and carbon burn, water, carbon dioxide and sometimes carbon monoxide and carbon are formed
  • to evaluate advantages and disadvantages of a fuel

Activities

Outcomes
Children:
  • Show pupils a video/video clip or other secondary sources of a range of fuels burning, and ask them what they recall about the sort of materials that are fuels and what is made when they burn. Demonstrate products (carbon dioxide and water) of burning natural gas. Ask pupils to explore, using secondary sources and practical work, what is formed when other fuels containing hydrogen and carbon, eg ethanol, wax, wood, burn.
  • Establish the products of complete combustion as carbon dioxide and water, and that soot and carbon monoxide can also be formed. Extend by asking pupils to find out about the use of hydrogen as a fuel and its advantages and disadvantages.
  • identify a range of fuels and describe fuels as substances that release energy when they burn
  • generalise about the products of burning fuels that contain hydrogen and carbon
  • balance advantages of hydrogen as a fuel, eg produces no carbon dioxide, light, against disadvantages, eg highly explosive if mixed with air, needs to be compressed for storage

Points to note
  • These two activities are designed to help teachers find out what pupils recall from earlier units and to revise and consolidate key ideas.
  • Pupils will have had opportunities to burn a range of fuels (including foods) in unit 7I 'Energy resources' to compare the energy released. They will also have considered energy values of foods in unit 8A 'Food and digestion', and burning as a reaction resulting in the formation of oxides in unit 7F 'Simple chemical reactions'. Oxides are also covered in unit 9E 'Reactions of metals and metal compounds'. This activity is designed to revisit and reinforce these ideas.
  • Extension: pupils could be asked to find out about the dangers of carbon monoxide. Pupils' attention could be drawn to the different properties of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide and the fact that they are different compounds, as shown by their formulae.

    • Safety

    • care is needed to control flames. If ethanol or other flammable liquids are burnt, very small quantities should be used. The fuel containers should be kept stoppered and well away from flames. Petrol must never be used

Sections in this unit

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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
1. a. What chemical reactions take place when fuels burn?
2. b. What chemical reactions take place when fuels burn?
3. b. How else are chemical reactions used as energy resources?
4. How else are chemical reactions used as energy resources?
5. What types of new material are made through chemical reactions?
6. Checking progress
7. a. What happens to atoms and molecules when new materials are made?
8. b. What happens to atoms and molecules when new materials are made?
9. c. What happens to atoms and molecules when new materials are made?
10. d. What happens to atoms and molecules when new materials are made?
11. Reviewing work