CAIE IGCSE Chemistry Heating and Cooling Curves

Practise reading and sketching heating or cooling curves, locating melting, boiling and freezing points and explaining plateaux using particle attractions.

Syllabus
2026–2028
Objective
1.1.5
Level

Exam points

  • read melting, freezing or boiling points from horizontal sections of a temperature–time graph
  • sketch cooling or heating curves with sloping single-phase regions and constant-temperature plateaux
  • explain a plateau as energy used to overcome or form attractions while kinetic energy stays constant

1.1.5—Changes of state using kinetic question 1

[Maximum number: 6]

2 Z is a covalent substance. In an experiment, a sample of pure solid Z was continually heated for 11 minutes.

The graph shows how the temperature of the sample of pure Z changed during the first 9 minutes.

Figure for Question 1.1.5—Changes of state using kinetic question 1 — CAIE IGCSE Chemistry

Question (a)

(a)

What is the melting point of pure Z ? C[1]{ }^{\circ} \mathrm{C}[1]

[ 1 ]

Question (b)

(b)

The sample of pure Z began to boil at 9 minutes. It was boiled for 2 minutes.

Use this information to sketch on the grid how the temperature of the sample of pure Z changed between 9 minutes and 11 minutes.

[ 1 ]

Question (c)

(c)

The sample of pure Z was continually heated between 2 minutes and 5 minutes.

Explain, in terms of attractive forces, why there was no increase in the temperature of the sample of pure Z between 2 minutes and 5 minutes.

[ 2 ]

Question (d)

(d)

A sample of pure Z was allowed to cool from 120C120^{\circ} \mathrm{C} to 20C20^{\circ} \mathrm{C}. The total time taken was 8 minutes.

Starting from point x, sketch on the grid how the temperature of the sample of pure Z changed between 0 minutes and 8 minutes.

[Total: 10]

[Total: 10]

[ 2 ]
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