1.31 Deduce the charge of an ion from the electronic configuration of the atom from which the ion is formed

If an atom has four or less electrons in its outer shell, it will lose these electrons when it ionically bonds with another atom. If it has more than this, it will receive electrons.

Atoms that recieve electrons will become NEGATIVE.
Atoms that "give" electrons will become POSITIVE.

1.30 recall the charges of common ions in this specification

Positive

• K +
• Na +
• Li +
• H +

Doubly Positive

• Mg 2+
• Ca 2+

Triply Positive

• Al 3+

Negative

• Cl-
• Br-
• I-
• F-
• OH-

Doubly Negative

• SO4 2-
• CO3 2-

Triply Negative

• NO 3-

1.29 Understand oxidation as the loss of electrons and reduction as the gain of electrons

Oxidisation is the loss of electrons and reduction is the gain of electrons in a chemical reaction.

1.22 Use the state symbols (s), (l), (g) and (aq) in chemical equations to represent solids, liquids, gases and aqueous solutions respectively

Whoops I covered this too early in 1.21… anyway. 

(s) = solid

(l) = liquid

(g) = gas

(aq) = aqueous, meaning dissolved in water

These are written next to the element (right) in subscript. I.e. HCl_(aq)

1.21 Write word equations and balanced chemical equations to represent the reactions studied in this specification

The equation must have at least one reactant (usually 2 though), and a product (again, usually two), and there must be the same number of atoms on both sides - that’s where the balancing comes in.

i.e. H₂O_(l) → H₂O_(g) This equation is balanced (it shows water going from one state to another)

Na_(s) + H₂SO_4(aq) → NaSO_4(aq) + 2H_(g) This equation had to be balanced. You do this by putting a big number in front of the element. DO NOT add a small number because you will lose marks for that.

You don't need to balance word equations but for the reaction above, it would be:

Sodium + Sulphuric acid → Sodium Sulphate + Hydrogen gas

1.15 Deduce the number of outer electrons in a main group element from its position in the Periodic Table.

See 1.14, but basically the group number is the number of electrons in the outer shell.

1.14 Deduce the electronic configurations of the first 20 elements from their positions in the Periodic Table

The group number is the number of electrons in the outer shell. The atomic number is the number of protons, which is equal to the number of electrons (the charges need to balance each other out to make the atom neutral). It’s helpful to know that the first shell holds 2 electrons, the second holds eight, and the third holds eight as well. You can start filling up shell 4 if necessary but you don’t need to know how many this shell holds. So for example, Oxygen has an atomic number of 6 (and it’s in group 6) so its electronic configuration is…

2, 4

1.12 Calculate the relative atomic mass of an element from the relative abundances of its isotopes

(% of isotope 1 x mass of isotope 1) + (% of isotope 2 x mass of isotope 2) ÷ 100

:) 

1.10 recall the relative mass and relative charge of a proton, neutron and electron

Proton: +1 charge, relative mass of 1

Neutron: 0 charge, relative mass of 1

Electron: -1 charge, relative mass of 1/1836

1.11 understand the terms atomic number, mass number, isotopes and relative atomic mass (Ar)

The atomic number is the number of protons the element has. The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus. Isotopes are different forms of the same element that have a different number of neutrons (an element ALWAYS has the same number of protons.) The relative atomic mass is the ratio of the average mass of an atom of a specific element to a twelfth of the mass of a carbon-12 atom. 

1.9 Understand that atoms consist of a central nucleus, composed of protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons, orbiting in shells

Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. The protons and neutrons from the nucleus, which is at the center of the atom and makes up most of its mass. Electrons orbit around the nucleus in shells, and are held to the atom by forces of attraction (kind of like a magnet) because the nucleus has a positive charge (clap clap protons) and the electrons have a negative charge (clap clap electrons)

1.6 Understand the differences between elements, compounds and mixtures

Element - A group of the same type of atoms with the same number of protons. These appear on the periodic table.

Compound - A substance made up of two or more elements chemically bonded together.

Mixture - A substance made up of two or more other substances not chemically bonded.