Chemistry

Data Book
2024 VCE Examination


Contents  pages
1. Electrochemical series  2
2. Chemical relationships  3
3. Physical constants and standard values  4
4. Unit conversions  4
5. Metric prefixes  4
6. Acid‑base indicators  5
7. Colours of selected conjugate redox reagents  5
8. Formulas and charges for selected ions  6
9. Solubility table  8
10. Average bond enthalpies at 25 °C – single bonds  9
11. Average bond enthalpies at 25 °C – multiple bonds  9
12. Energy content of food groups  10
13. Molar enthalpies of combustion  10
14. Heats of combustion of selected blended fuels  11
15. Heats of combustion of selected biofuels  11
16. Periodic table of the elements  12
17. Names of selected elements  14
18. Representations of organic molecules  15
19. Functional group nomenclature in organic chemistry  15
20. 2‑amino acids (α‑amino acids)  16
21. Formulas of selected fatty acids  18
22. Characteristic ranges for infrared absorption  18
13
23. C NMR data  19
1
24. H NMR data  20
25. Representations of selected biomolecules  22
26. Sustainability  22
i. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals  22
ii. Green chemistry principles  23
iii. Types of economies  23

© VCAA 2024
Page 2 of 24VCE Chemistry Data Book

1. Electrochemical series
Standard electrode potential (E 0)
Reaction
in volts at 25 °C
– –
F2(g) + 2e ⇌ 2F (aq) +2.87
+ –
H2O2(aq) + 2H (aq) + 2e ⇌ 2H2O(l) +1.77
– + –
MnO4 (aq) + 8H (aq) + 5e ⇌ Mn (aq) + 4H2O(l) +1.51
2+

+ –
PbO2(s) + 4H (aq) + 2e ⇌ Pb (aq) + 2H2O(l)
2+
+1.47
+ –
(aq) + 14H (aq) + 6e ⇌ 2Cr (aq) + 7H2O(l) +1.36
2– 3+
Cr2O7
– –
Cl2(g) + 2e ⇌ 2Cl (aq) +1.36
+ –
O2(g) + 4H (aq) + 4e ⇌ 2H2O(l) +1.23
– –
Br2(l) + 2e ⇌ 2Br (aq) +1.09
+ –
Ag (aq) + e ⇌ Ag(s) +0.80
–
Fe (aq) + e ⇌ Fe (aq) +0.77
3+ 2+

+ –
O2(g) + 2H (aq) + 2e ⇌ H2O2(aq) +0.68
– –
I2(s) + 2e ⇌ 2I (aq) +0.54
– –
O2(g) + 2H2O(l) + 4e ⇌ 4OH (aq) +0.40
–
Cu (aq) + 2e ⇌ Cu(s) +0.34
2+

–
Sn (aq) + 2e ⇌ Sn (aq) +0.15
4+ 2+

+ –
2H (aq) + 2e ⇌ H2(g) 0.00
–
Pb (aq) + 2e ⇌ Pb(s) – 0.13
2+

–
Sn (aq) + 2e ⇌ Sn(s) – 0.14
2+

–
Ni (aq) + 2e ⇌ Ni(s) – 0.25
2+

–
Co (aq) + 2e ⇌ Co(s) – 0.28
2+

–
Fe (aq) + 2e ⇌ Fe(s) – 0.44
2+

–
Zn (aq) + 2e ⇌ Zn(s) – 0.76
2+

– –
2H2O(l) + 2e ⇌ H2(g) + 2OH (aq) – 0.83
–
Mn (aq) + 2e ⇌ Mn(s) – 1.18
2+

–
Al (aq) + 3e ⇌ Al(s) – 1.66
3+

–
Mg (aq) + 2e ⇌ Mg(s) – 2.37
2+

+ –
Na (aq) + e ⇌ Na(s) – 2.71
–
Ca (aq) + 2e ⇌ Ca(s) – 2.87
2+

+ –
K (aq) + e ⇌ K(s) – 2.93
+ –
Li (aq) + e ⇌ Li(s) – 3.04
VCE Chemistry Data Book Page 3 of 24

2. Chemical relationships

Name Formula

m V
amount of substance (number of moles) n= ; n = cV ; n =
M Vm

universal gas equation pV = nRT

chemical calibration factor (CF) for

calorimetry ∆

E VIt
electrical calibration factor (CF) = =
∆T ∆T

thermal energy transferred q = mcΔT

; ΔH = H(products) – H(reactants)
q
molar enthalpy change ∆H =
n

electric charge Q = It

Q
amount of electrons (number of moles) n(e ) =
F

molar mass of desired product 100

% atom economy ×
molar mass of all reactants 1

actual yield 100

% yield ×
theoretical yield 1

[C ]c  [D]d  
K
[ A]a  [B ]b  
equilibrium constant
for the equation
aA + bB + … ⇌ cC + dD + …
Page 4 of 24VCE Chemistry Data Book

3. Physical constants and standard values

Name Symbol Value

23 –1
Avogadro constant NA or L 6.02 × 10 mol
–1
Faraday constant F 96 500 C mol
–1 –1
molar gas constant R 8.31 J mol K
molar volume of an ideal gas at SLC –1
Vm 24.8 L mol
(25 °C and 100 kPa)
–1 –1 –1 –1
specific heat capacity of water c 4.18 kJ kg K or 4.18 J g K
–1
density of water at 25 °C d 1.0 g mL
–1
molar latent heat of vaporisation of water at 25 °C ΔHvap(H2O) +44.0 kJ mol
–1
molar latent heat of vaporisation of water at 100 °C ΔHvap(H2O) +40.7 kJ mol

4. Unit conversions

Measured value Conversion

0 °C 273 K

100 kPa 0.987 atm

3 –3 3 3 3 3
1 litre (L) 1 dm or 1 × 10 m or 1 × 10 cm or 1 × 10 mL

5. Metric prefixes
The following prefixes are commonly used within the International System of Units (SI) to modify the
base units and express quantities in multiples or fractions of those units.

Prefixes Scientific notation Multiplying factor

9
giga (G) 10 1 000 000 000
6
mega (M) 10 1 000 000
3
kilo (k) 10 1000
–1
deci (d) 10 0.1
–2
centi (c) 10 0.01
–3
milli (m) 10 0.001
–6
micro ( μ) 10 0.000001
–9
nano (n) 10 0.000000001
–12
pico (p) 10 0.000000000001
VCE Chemistry Data Book Page 5 of 24

6. Acid‑base indicators
Colour change from lower
Name pH range
pH to higher pH in range

thymol blue (1st change) 1.2 – 2.8 red 🠢 yellow

methyl orange 3.1 – 4.4 red 🠢 yellow

bromophenol blue 3.0 – 4.6 yellow 🠢 blue

methyl red 4.4 – 6.2 red 🠢 yellow

bromothymol blue 6.0 – 7.6 yellow 🠢 blue

phenol red 6.8 – 8.4 yellow 🠢 red

thymol blue (2nd change) 8.0 – 9.6 yellow 🠢 blue

phenolphthalein 8.3 –10.0 colourless 🠢 pink

7. Colours of selected conjugate redox reagents

Redox reagent in oxidised state Redox reagent in reduced state

Name/formula Colour Name/formula Colour

−
bromine, Br2 brown bromide ion, Br colourless
−
chlorine, Cl2 yellow/green chloride ion, Cl colourless
2+ +
copper(II) ion, Cu blue copper(I) ion, Cu red

dichromate ion, 3+
2− orange chromium(III) ion, Cr green
Cr2O7
brown in −
iodine, I2 iodide ion, I colourless
aqueous solutions
3+ 2+
iron(III) ion, Fe yellow/brown iron(II) ion, Fe pale green

manganese(IV) dioxide, manganese (II) ion,

black/brown 2+ very pale pink
MnO2 Mn
permanganate ion, manganese (II) ion,
− intense purple 2+ very pale pink
MnO4 Mn
Page 6 of 24VCE Chemistry Data Book

8. Formulas and charges for selected ions

Cations

1+ 2+ 3+

Name Formula Name Formula Name Formula

+ 2+ 3+
ammonium NH4 barium Ba aluminium Al
+ 2+ 3+
copper(I) Cu calcium Ca chromium(III) Cr
+ 2+ 3+
hydronium H3O copper(II) Cu iron(III) Fe
+ 2+
lithium Li iron(II) Fe 4+
+ 2+ 4+
potassium K lead(II) Pb titanium(IV) Ti
+ 2+
silver Ag magnesium Mg
+ 2+
sodium Na mercury(II) Hg
2+
nickel(II) Ni
2+
tin(II) Sn
2+
zinc Zn
VCE Chemistry Data Book Page 7 of 24

Anions

1− 2− 3−

Name Formula Name Formula Name Formula

− 2− 3−
bromide Br carbonate CO3 citrate C6H5O7
− 2− 3−
chlorate ClO3 chromate CrO4 nitride N
− 2− 3−
chloride Cl dichromate Cr2O7 phosphate PO4

− monohydrogen 2−
chlorite ClO2 HPO4
phosphate
− 2−
cyanide CN oxide O

dihydrogen − 2−
H2PO4 peroxide O2
phosphate
− 2−
ethanoate CH3COO sulfate SO4
− 2−
fluoride F sulfide S

hydrogen − 2−
HCO3 sulfite SO3
carbonate
− 2−
hydrogen sulfate HSO4 thiosulfate S2O3
−
hydrogen sulfide HS
−
hydrogen sulfite HSO3
−
hydroxide OH
−
hypochlorite ClO
−
iodide I
−
nitrate NO3
−
nitrite NO2
−
perchlorate ClO4
−
permanganate MnO4
Page 8 of 24VCE Chemistry Data Book

9. Solubility table

Salts Soluble Insoluble

sodium

potassium

ammonium All None

nitrate

ethanoate

bromide, chloride, iodide Most are soluble. lead(II), silver, CuBr2 , CuI2

sulfate Most are soluble. barium, calcium, lead(II), silver

carbonate Group 1 ions, ammonium Most are insoluble.

phosphate Group 1 ions, ammonium Most are insoluble.

hydroxide Group 1 ions, ammonium Most are insoluble.

VCE Chemistry Data Book Page 9 of 24

10. Average bond enthalpies at 25 °C – single bonds

ΔH (kJ mol−1)

C H O N Br Cl F I

C 346 414 358 286 285 324 492 228

H 414 436 463 391 366 431 567 298

O 358 463 144 214 201 206 191 234

N 286 391 214 158 192 278

11. Average bond enthalpies at 25 °C – multiple bonds

Bond ΔH (kJ mol−1)

C=C 614
C≡C 839
C=N 615
C≡N 890
C=O 804
O=O 498
N=N 470
N≡N 945
Page 10 of 24VCE Chemistry Data Book

12. Energy content of food groups

The energy that is typically available for the body to use as a result of the digestion and
absorption of fats and oils, proteins and carbohydrates is shown in the table below.
These values may vary based on the specific composition of foods and individual
metabolic factors.

Food Energy content (kJ g–1)

fats and oils 37

protein 17

carbohydrate 16

13. Molar enthalpies of combustion

The molar enthalpies of combustion in the following table are calculated at SLC (25 °C and
100 kPa) with combustion products being CO2(g) and H2O(l). Enthalpies of combustion,
ΔH, for the substances in this table are reported for one mole of fuel and are shown as
negative values, indicating the exothermic nature of the combustion reaction.
1 −1
C2H6(g) + 3 O2 (g) → 2CO2(g) + 3H2O(l)   ΔH = −1560 kJ mol
2

Molar enthalpy of
Fuel Formula
combustion (kJ mol–1)

hydrogen H2(g) −286

methane CH4(g) −890

ethane C2H6(g) −1560

propane C3H8(g) −2220

butane C4H10(g) −2880

octane C8H18(l) −5470

methanol CH3OH(l) −726

ethanol C2H5OH(l) −1370

carbon (graphite) C(s) −394

glucose C6H12O6(s) −2840

VCE Chemistry Data Book Page 11 of 24

14. Heats of combustion of selected blended fuels

Blended fuels are mixtures of compounds with different mixture ratios and, hence,
determination of a generic molar enthalpy of combustion is not realistic. The values
provided in the following table are typical values for heats of combustion at SLC
(25 °C and 100 kPa) with combustion products being CO2(g) and H2O(l). Values for heats
of combustion will vary due to the composition of the different fuels. Additionally, for natural
gas, the values may vary based on the source and processing.

Heat of Heat of
Fuel State combustion combustion
(kJ g–1) (kJ mL–1)

diesel liquid 45 37

kerosene liquid 46 37

natural gas gas 54 0.035

petrol liquid 45 34

15. Heats of combustion of selected biofuels

The following table provides typical values for the heat of combustion of selected biofuels.
The values may vary significantly, particularly for biogas, depending on the source of
the biofuel and, hence, its composition. The amount of energy consumed during any
purification process must also be considered when determining the net energy obtained
from a biofuel.

Heat of combustion
Fuel State
(kJ g−1 )
biodiesel liquid Approx 37
bioethanol liquid 29.7
14–24
This depends on its methane content,
biogas gas which can vary from 45% to 75% methane
by volume, depending on its source. The
other main constituent is CO2 , which does
not burn.
Page 12 of 24VCE Chemistry Data Book

16. Periodic table of the elements

1 2.2
H
1.0
hydrogen

3 1.0 4 1.6 atomic number 79 2.5 electronegativity value

Li Be Au symbol of element
6.9 9.0
197.0 relative atomic mass
lithium beryllium
gold name of element
11 0.9 12 1.3
Na Mg
23.0 24.3
sodium magnesium

19 0.8 20 1.0 21 1.4 22 1.5 23 1.6 24 1.7 25 1.6 26 1.8 27 1.9

K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co
39.1 40.1 45.0 47.9 50.9 52.0 54.9 55.8 58.9
potassium calcium scandium titanium vanadium chromium manganese iron cobalt

37 0.8 38 1.0 39 1.2 40 1.3 41 1.6 42 2.2 43 1.9 44 2.2 45 2.3

Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh
85.5 87.6 88.9 91.2 92.9 96.0 (98) 101.1 102.9
rubidium strontium yttrium zirconium niobium molybdenum technetium ruthenium rhodium

55 0.8 56 0.9 72 1.3 73 1.5 74 2.4 75 1.9 76 2.2 77 2.2

Cs Ba 57–71 Hf Ta W Re Os Ir
132.9 137.3 lanthanoids 178.5 180.9 183.8 186.2 190.2 192.2
caesium barium hafnium tantalum tungsten rhenium osmium iridium

87 0.7 88 0.9 104 105 106 107 108 109

Fr Ra 89–103 Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt
(223) (226) actinoids (261) (262) (266) (264) (267) (268)
francium radium rutherfordium dubnium seaborgium bohrium hassium meitnerium

57 1.1 58 1.1 59 1.1 60 1.1 61 62 1.2 63

La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu
138.9 140.1 140.9 144.2 (145) 150.4 152.0
lanthanum cerium praseodymium neodymium promethium samarium europium

89 1.1 90 1.3 91 1.5 92 1.4 93 1.4 94 1.3 95 1.3

Ac Th Pa U Np Pu Am
(227) 232.0 231.0 238.0 (237) (244) (243)
actinium thorium protactinium uranium neptunium plutonium americium
 VCE Chemistry Data Book Page 13 of 24

2
He
4.0
helium

5 2.0 6 2.6 7 3.0 8 3.4 9 4.0 10

B C N O F Ne
10.8 12.0 14.0 16.0 19.0 20.2
boron carbon nitrogen oxygen fluorine neon

13 1.6 14 1.9 15 2.2 16 2.6 17 3.2 18

Al Si P S Cl Ar
27.0 28.1 31.0 32.1 35.5 39.9
aluminium silicon phosphorus sulfur chlorine argon

28 1.9 29 1.9 30 1.7 31 1.8 32 2.0 33 2.2 34 2.6 35 3.0 36 3.0

Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
58.7 63.5 65.4 69.7 72.6 74.9 79.0 79.9 83.8
nickel copper zinc gallium germanium arsenic selenium bromine krypton

46 2.2 47 1.9 48 1.7 49 1.8 50 2.0 51 2.1 52 2.1 53 2.7 54 2.6

Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
106.4 107.9 112.4 114.8 118.7 121.8 127.6 126.9 131.3
palladium silver cadmium indium tin antimony tellurium iodine xenon

78 2.3 79 2.5 80 2.0 81 1.6 82 2.3 83 2.0 84 2.0 85 2.2 86

Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn
195.1 197.0 200.6 204.4 207.2 209.0 (210) (210) (222)
platinum gold mercury thallium lead bismuth polonium astatine radon

110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118

Ds Rg Cn Nh Fl Mc Lv Ts Og
(271) (272) (285) (280) (289) (289) (292) (294) (294)
darmstadtium roentgenium copernicium nihonium flerovium moscovium livermorium tennessine oganesson

64 1.2 65 66 1.2 67 1.2 68 1.2 69 1.3 7.0 71 1.3

Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
157.3 158.9 162.5 164.9 167.3 168.9 173.1 175.0
gadolinium terbium dysprosium holmium erbium thulium ytterbium lutetium

96 1.3 97 1.3 98 1.3 99 1.3 100 1.3 101 1.3 102 1.3 103 1.3
Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
(247) (247) (251) (252) (257) (258) (259) (262)
curium berkelium californium einsteinium fermium mendelevium nobelium lawrencium

Values in brackets indicate the mass number of the longest‑lived isotope.

Page 14 of 24VCE Chemistry Data Book

17. Names of selected elements

Relative Relative
Atomic atomic Atomic atomic
Element Symbol Element Symbol
number mass number mass
(amu) (amu)
aluminium Al 13 27.0 magnesium Mg 12 24.3
argon Ar 18 39.9 manganese Mn 25 54.9
arsenic As 33 74.9 mercury Hg 80 200.6
barium Ba 56 137.3 neon Ne 10 20.2
beryllium Be 4 9.0 nickel Ni 28 58.7
boron B 5 10.8 nitrogen N 7 14.0
bromine Br 35 79.9 oxygen O 8 16.0
cadmium Cd 48 112.4 phosphorus P 15 31.0
caesium Cs 55 132.9 platinum Pt 78 195.1
calcium Ca 20 40.1 potassium K 19 39.1
carbon C 6 12.0 rubidium Rb 37 85.5
chlorine Cl 17 35.5 scandium Sc 21 45.0
chromium Cr 24 52.0 selenium Se 34 79.0
cobalt Co 27 58.9 silicon Si 14 28.1
copper Cu 29 63.5 silver Ag 47 107.9
fluorine F 9 19.0 sodium Na 11 23.0
gallium Ga 31 69.7 strontium Sr 38 87.6
germanium Ge 32 72.6 sulfur S 16 32.1
gold Au 79 197.0 tin Sn 50 118.7
helium He 2 4.0 titanium Ti 22 47.9
hydrogen H 1 1.0 tungsten W 74 183.8
iodine I 53 126.9 vanadium V 23 50.9
iron Fe 26 55.8 xenon Xe 54 131.3
krypton Kr 36 83.8 yttrium Y 39 88.9
lead Pb 82 207.2 zinc Zn 30 65.4
lithium Li 3 6.9 zirconium Zr 40 91.2
VCE Chemistry Data Book Page 15 of 24

18. Representations of organic molecules

The following table shows different representations of organic molecules, using
butanoic acid as an example.

Formula Representation

molecular formula C4H8O2

H H H O
structural formula H C C C C
H H H O H

semi‑structural
CH3CH2CH2COOH or CH3(CH2)2COOH
(condensed) formula
O O
skeletal structure H or
O OH

19. Functional group nomenclature in organic chemistry

The following table shows the priority of functional groups when naming organic compounds
that contain more than one functional group. The functional group with the highest priority
determines the suffix of the compound.

Class of Functional
Prefix Suffix
compound group name

carboxylic acid carboxyl – ‑oic acid

ester ester – ‑oate

amide amide – ‑amide

aldehyde aldehyde – ‑al

ketone carbonyl – ‑one

hydroxy/
alcohol hydroxy‑ ‑ol
hydroxyl

amine amino amino‑ ‑amine

alkene alkenyl – ‑ene

‘halo’ bromo-
(i.e. bromo, chloro-
halogen –
chloro, fluoro, fluoro-
iodo) iodo-
Page 16 of 24VCE Chemistry Data Book

20. 2‑amino acids (α‑amino acids)

The table below provides simplified structures for amino acids. These amino acids may
all be classified as ‘2-amino acids’ since the amino group (-NH2) is attached to the second
carbon atom in the carbon chain, numbered from the carboxyl (-COOH) end. They may
also be classified as ‘α-amino acids’, since both the amino group and the carboxyl group
are attached to the same carbon atom, known as the alpha carbon. These structures
may be used as the basis for drawing zwitterions, identifying the products of protein
hydrolysis and drawing the structures formed in the condensation polymerisation of amino
acid monomers.

Name Symbol Structure

CH3
alanine Ala
H2N CH COOH

NH

arginine Arg CH2 CH2 CH2 NH C NH2

H2N CH COOH

asparagine Asn CH2 C NH2

H2N CH COOH

CH2 COOH
aspartic acid Asp
H2N CH COOH

CH2 SH
cysteine Cys
H2N CH COOH

CH2 CH2 COOH

glutamic acid Glu
H2N CH COOH

glutamine Gln CH2 CH2 C NH2

H2N CH COOH

glycine Gly H2N CH2 COOH

histidine His CH2 N

H
H2N CH COOH
VCE Chemistry Data Book Page 17 of 24

Name Symbol Structure

CH3 CH CH2 CH3

isoleucine Ile
H 2N CH COOH

CH3 CH CH3

leucine Leu CH2

H 2N CH COOH

CH2 CH2 CH2 CH2 NH2

lysine Lys
H2N CH COOH

CH2 CH2 S CH3

methionine Met
H2N CH COOH

CH2
phenylalanine Phe
H2N CH COOH

COOH
HN
proline Pro

CH2 OH
serine Ser
H2N CH COOH

CH3 CH OH
threonine Thr
H 2N CH COOH

HN

tryptophan Trp CH2

H2N CH COOH

CH2 OH
tyrosine Tyr
H2N CH COOH

CH3 CH CH3
valine Val
H2N CH COOH
Page 18 of 24VCE Chemistry Data Book

21. Formulas of selected fatty acids

Molecular
Name Semi‑structural formula
formula

caproic C6H12O2 CH3(CH2)4COOH

capric C10H20O2 CH3(CH2)8COOH

lauric C12H24O2 CH3(CH2)10COOH

myristic C14H28O2 CH3(CH2)12COOH

palmitic C16H32O2 CH3(CH2)14COOH

palmitoleic C16H30O2 CH3(CH2)5CH=CH(CH2)7COOH

stearic C18H36O2 CH3(CH2)16COOH

oleic C18H34O2 CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7COOH

linoleic C18H32O2 CH3(CH2)4CH=CHCH2CH=CH(CH2)7COOH

linolenic C18H30O2 CH3(CH2CH=CH)3(CH2)7COOH

arachidic C20H40O2 CH3(CH2)18COOH

arachidonic C20H32O2 CH3(CH2)4(CH=CHCH2)3CH=CH(CH2)3COOH

22. Characteristic ranges for infrared absorption

Wave number Wave number
Bond Bond
(cm–1) (cm–1)

C=O (amides) 1630 –1680 C–H (alkanes, alkenes, arenes) 2850–3090

C=O (aldehydes) 1660 –1745 O – H (acids) 2500 –3500

C=O (acids) 1680 –1740 O – H (alcohols) 3200 –3600

C=O (ketones) 1680–1850 N – H (amines and amides) 3300 –3500

C=O (esters) 1720–1840

VCE Chemistry Data Book Page 19 of 24

13
23. C NMR data
C shift values relative to TMS = 0
13
Typical
These can differ slightly in different solvents.

Type of carbon Chemical shift (ppm)

R–CH3 8–25

R–CH2–R 20– 45

R3–CH 40–60

R4–C 36– 45

R–CH2–X 15–80

R3C–NH2, R3C–NR 35–70

R–CH2–OH 50–90

R2C=CR2 110–150

arenes C6H5–R 110–150

RCOOH 160–185

R
C O 165–175
RO
R
C O 165–185
H 2N

R
C O 190–200
H

R2C O 205–220
Page 20 of 24VCE Chemistry Data Book

1
24. H NMR data
Typical proton shift values relative to TMS = 0
These can differ slightly in different solvents. The shift refers to the proton environment that
is indicated in bold letters in the formula.

Type of proton Chemical shift (ppm)

R–CH3 0.9–1.0

R–CH2–R 1.3–1.4

RCH=CH–CH3 1.6–1.9

R3–CH 1.5

O O
CH3 C or CH3 C 2.0
OR NHR

R CH3
C 2.1–2.7
O

R–CH2–X (X = F, Cl, Br or I) 3.0– 4.5

R–CH2–OH, R2–CH–OH 3.3– 4.5

O
R C 3.2
NHCH2R

R—O—CH3 or R—O—CH2R 3.3–3.7

O C CH3 2.3

O
R C 3.7– 4.8
OCH2R

1–6
(varies considerably
R–O–H
under different
conditions)

R–NH2 1–5

RHC=CHR 4.5–7.0
VCE Chemistry Data Book Page 21 of 24

Type of proton Chemical shift (ppm)

OH 4.0–12.0

H 6.9–9.0

O
R C 6.0–8.0
NH2

O
R C 9.4 –10.0
H

O
R C 9.0–13.0
O H
Page 22 of 24VCE Chemistry Data Book

25. Representations of selected biomolecules

H
CH2OH
H C OH
O
H H
H C OH H
OH H
H C OH HO OH

H H OH

glycerol α-D-glucose

CH2OH
O

OH
O
OH
O
CH2OH CH2OH CH2OH
CH2OH CH2 CH2OH
O O O
O O O
OH OH OH
OH OH OH
O O O O
O O O O
OH OH OH
n OH OH OH

amylose (starch) amylopectin (starch)

26. Sustainability
i. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The following nine goals are relevant to VCE Chemistry:
• Goal 2: Zero hunger
• Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation
• Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy
• Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
• Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
• Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
• Goal 13: Climate action
• Goal 14: Life below water
• Goal 15: Life on land
VCE Chemistry Data Book Page 23 of 24

ii. Green chemistry principles

The following seven green chemistry principles are relevant to VCE Chemistry:
• Atom economy: Processes/pathways should be designed to maximise incorporation of all reactant
materials used in the process into the final product.
• Catalysis: Catalysts should be selected to generate the same desired product(s) with less waste and
using less energy and reagents in reaction processes/pathways.
• Design for degradation: Chemical products should be designed so that at the end of their use they
break down into harmless degradation products and do not persist in the environment.
• Design for energy efficiency: Processes/pathways should be designed for maximum energy
efficiency and with minimal negative environmental and economic impacts.
• Designing safer chemicals: Chemical products should be designed to achieve their intended function
while minimising toxicity.
• Prevention of wastes: It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it has
been produced.
• Use of renewable feedstocks: Raw materials or feedstocks should be made from renewable (mainly
plant‑based) materials, rather than from fossil fuels, whenever practicable.

iii. Types of economies

Linear

Natural
Take Make Distribute Use Dispose
resources

Circular

Natural
resources Take

Recycle
Make
Compost
Re-Make
Enrich

Sort
Distribute
Transfer

Use
Re-Use
Repair

End of Chemistry Data Book

© Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2024