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IB Diploma
Before the Diploma
Exam preparation
Chemistry IA · 2025 syllabus
Here is our full list of Chemistry IA ideas and Extended Essay topics, in 11 families. Each one has a title, a one-line hook, how well it fits SL and HL, and the syllabus topics it uses. Our IB Chemistry teachers at Photon Academy made the list against the 2025 criteria.
Choosing the idea is the hardest part of the Chemistry IA. This list is short on purpose: enough to pick from, not the full plan. The full plan for each idea stays with our students.
The Chemistry IA is one investigation, marked out of 24 and worth 20% of your final grade at both SL and HL. The report is at most 3,000 words, and the IB suggests about 10 hours of teaching time. So the idea has to be small enough to run in your school lab.
Got an idea already? Get its research question checked, free.
Free research question checkThe first RQ Check is free · scored on 5 points
First RQ Check free · scored on 5 points
Most of our ideas are lab work, and every family has several to choose from. The chart at the top shows the families. These two show the type of data and what the fit dots mean.
Showing 87 of 87 ideas
Juices, tea, milk, salt and baking powder: the chemistry in your kitchen, measured by titration, colour and gas volume.
Every carton says refrigerate after opening; put a number on what warmth actually costs.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR2.2.4 Activation energyR2.2.12 HLR2.1.2S1.4.5R3.2.1
Also works as an EEOverused: needs a twistTried by our studentsFree full card
Rinse salted peanuts, pickles or noodles and the water gets salty; put a timeline on it.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S1.4.5 Molar concentrationR2.1.2 Mole ratios and calculationsR2.1.3T1
Also works as an EE
A can of cola sinks and a diet cola floats; turn that into a calibration curve that predicts sugar content.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S1.4.5 Molar concentrationS2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesT1T3
Also works as an EE
A tea bag clouds a mug in a smooth curve; that curve is a rate law waiting to be fitted.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.1 Rate of reactionR2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR2.2.4R2.2.12 HLT1T3
Souring is bacteria making lactic acid, so a titration can follow it.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.1.7 NeutralisationR3.1.6 Strong and weak acids and basesS1.4.5R2.2.3T1
A teaspoon of baking powder claims to lift a cake; measure the gas it can produce, not the label.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.1.2 Mole ratios and calculationsR2.1.3 Limiting reactantR2.1.4S1.5.4S1.4.6
Overused: needs a twist
Hardness, dissolved oxygen, salinity, pollution and clean-up: testing the water around you, in the lab and in the field.
Sugar dissolves better in hot tea; calcium hydroxide does the opposite, and the reason takes you into energetics.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.3.4 Le Chatelier's principleR2.3.2 Equilibrium constantR3.1.7R1.1.2T1
Also works as an EEFull guide
Kettle scale is hardness leaving the water; count how much leaves, and when.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S1.4.5 Molar concentrationR2.1.2 Mole ratios and calculationsR2.3.4R3.4.8 HLT1
Also works as an EE
Fish gasp in warm ponds; measure how much dissolved oxygen leaves as the temperature rises.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.3.4 Le Chatelier's principleR3.2.1 Redox as electron transferS1.4.5T1
Also works as an EE
Sea water, estuaries, soup: a conductivity probe turns salt into a number, but not a straight line.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.1.2 Ionic bondingS1.4.5 Molar concentrationS2.4.1T3
Also works as an EEFree full card
Take a handheld probe on a walk along a canal or stream and map what the water is carrying.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Fieldwork + Lab
R3.1.4 pH scaleT1 Experimental techniques (tool 1)T2
Also works as an EEOverused: needs a twist
Activated charcoal clears colour from water; measure how much it can take and where it fills up.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesR2.3.2 Equilibrium constantT1T3
Also works as an EE
Descaling kettles is a rate problem: how quickly do different acids dissolve calcium carbonate?
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.1 Rate of reactionR2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR3.1.6R3.1.4
Overused: needs a twist
Calorimetry, enthalpy cycles, entropy and fuels: where reaction energy comes from and where it goes.
Predict how hot a carbonate must get before its decomposition becomes spontaneous, using only a data table, then see how wrong you are.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database + Modelling
R1.4.1 Entropy HLR1.4.2 Gibbs energy HLR1.4.3 HLR1.2.3 HL
Also works as an EEFull guide
You cannot add five waters to a salt inside a calorimeter, but a Hess cycle can do it for you.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R1.2.2 Hess's lawR1.1.4 Standard enthalpy changesR1.1.1S1.4.1
Overused: needs a twistFull guide
Neutralisation is not always the same textbook value; weak acids add an extra step, and the difference is small.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R1.1.4 Standard enthalpy changesR3.1.6 Strong and weak acids and basesR3.1.7R3.1.10 HLT1
Overused: needs a twistFull guide
Potassium nitrate dissolves even though it takes in heat, so entropy must be doing the work.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R1.4.1 Entropy HLR1.4.2 Gibbs energy HLR1.4.3 HLR2.3.2R1.1.2
Also works as an EEFull guide
The classic spirit-burner experiment: the twist is to find out why it never gets close to the book value.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R1.1.4 Standard enthalpy changesR1.2.1 Bond enthalpiesR1.3.1R1.2.2
Overused: needs a twist
Calcium chloride warms water; how much can you get out of a given mass?
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R1.1.1 Energy transfer between system and surroundingsR1.1.2 Exothermic and endothermic changesR1.1.4S1.4.5
A pinch of manganese dioxide makes peroxide bubble and steam; put a number on the energy.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R1.1.4 Standard enthalpy changesR1.2.2 Hess's lawR2.2.5S1.4.5
Average bond enthalpies are everywhere in exams; find out how well they predict real combustion energies.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database
R1.2.1 Bond enthalpiesR1.2.2 Hess's lawR1.3.1R1.1.4T3
Antacids, aspirin, iron tablets and sanitiser: the chemistry that keeps medicines and the body working.
Heartburn tablets list active ingredients; measure what they can actually do to a stomach's worth of acid.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S1.4.5 Molar concentrationR2.1.2 Mole ratios and calculationsR3.1.7R3.1.8
Overused: needs a twist
An old aspirin tablet smells of vinegar because it has hydrolysed; track the breakdown with a colour.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.1 Rate of reactionR2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR2.2.4R2.2.12 HLS3.2.2T1
Also works as an EE
The chill of a sanitiser is evaporation taking heat from your skin, and it depends on the mixture.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesS2.2.9 Comparing intermolecular force strengthsR1.1.2R1.1.1T2
Also works as an EEFree full card
Iron(II) in a vitamin tablet slowly turns to iron(III) in air; titration can follow it.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.2.1 Redox as electron transferR3.2.2 Half-equationsR2.1.2R2.2.3T1
Soft drinks eat enamel; use a calcium carbonate stand-in to find how pH sets the damage.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.1.4 pH scaleR3.1.6 Strong and weak acids and basesR2.2.3R2.3.4S1.4.5
Every idea above is a starting point. When you study with us, each idea comes as a full card, and we help you make it your own. Here is the layout, using one idea that already has a free full guide. The locked parts are blurred on purpose.
Sugar dissolves better in hot tea; calcium hydroxide does the opposite, and the reason takes you into energetics.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
Method Locked
Variables Locked
Data analysis Locked
Make it yours Locked
Photon Academy students get the full card for every idea, plus help to make it their own. Anyone can get a research question checked free with the IA & EE Coach on our international study site. We give feedback, questions and teaching. We never write or rewrite your IA.
One idea in every family has its full card free for everyone: variables, method, data analysis, an example research question to adapt, and a sketch of the graph to expect.
Sign up free to open 22 more in the IA explorer (2 in every family). Every card is in the Photon IA Guide: Chemistry (S$49 for 12 months), and Photon Chemistry students get it with their classes. These cards are starting points: never copy an idea blindly, and check your plan with your teacher.
Plastics, gels, alloys-like mixtures and conductors: how structure at the particle level gives properties you can measure.
Honey, syrup, glycerol: hydrogen bonds you can see slowing down a falling ball.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesS2.2.9 Comparing intermolecular force strengthsT2
Also works as an EEFull guide
Make a bioplastic in the lab, then find out how much glycerol turns a brittle film into a stretchy one.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.4.4 PolymersS2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesS2.4.1T1
Also works as an EEFull guide
Calcium links alginate chains into a gel; the more links, the less water it can hold.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.4.4 PolymersS2.1.1 Cations and anionsS2.2.8T1
Also works as an EE
Two solids mixed melt at a lower temperature than either alone; map the full curve with a cooling curve.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesS1.1.2 Kinetic theory and states of matterS2.2.9T2
Also works as an EEFree full card
Graphite is a covalent network that conducts; pencil grades change how much graphite is in the lead.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.2.7 Covalent network solidsS2.3.1 Metallic bondingS2.4.1T2
Clocks, catalysts, activation energy and mechanisms: how fast reactions go and what controls it.
Drop a tertiary halogenoalkane into silver nitrate and a cream precipitate appears; how fast depends on the solvent, and the reason says something about the mechanism.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.4.2 Nucleophilic substitutionR3.4.9 SN1 and SN2 mechanisms HLR3.4.10 HLR3.4.1R2.2.10 HLT1
Also works as an EEFull guide
One of the reactants has no effect on the rate, and the data show which one.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.1 Rate of reactionR2.2.9 Rate equations HLR2.2.10 HLR2.2.11 HLT1
Also works as an EEOverused: needs a twistFull guide
Everyone says reactions run twice as fast per 10 degrees C; test the rule against the theory behind it.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database + Modelling
R2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR2.2.4 Activation energyR2.2.12 HLR2.2.13 HLT3
Also works as an EEOverused: needs a twistFull guide
A colour change at a time you choose, then an Arrhenius plot from it.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR2.2.4 Activation energyR2.2.12 HLR2.2.11 HLT1
Overused: needs a twistFull guide
A fixed amount of thiosulfate acts as a timer: when it is used up, the iodine shows blue. The time gives you a rate.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.1 Rate of reactionR2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR2.2.5R2.2.9 HLR2.2.10 HLT1
Also works as an EEOverused: needs a twist
More catalyst should mean more rate; the surface of a powder decides whether it does.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.1 Rate of reactionR2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR2.2.5S1.5.4
Overused: needs a twist
A drop of bleach drains the colour from a food dye in a way that a colorimeter can time exactly.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.1 Rate of reactionR2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR2.2.9 HLR2.2.10 HLR2.2.11 HLT1
Also works as an EEFree full card
How long a fizzing tablet takes to vanish depends on water temperature in a way you can model.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.1 Rate of reactionR2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR2.2.4R2.2.2
Overused: needs a twist
Hydroxide ions conduct much better than ethanoate, so the reaction's progress shows up as falling conductivity.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.1 Rate of reactionR2.2.9 Rate equations HLR2.2.10 HLR2.2.11 HLS3.2.2T2
Also works as an EE
Solubility, titration curves, buffers and complex equilibria: how far a reaction goes and how to read it from data.
Add alkali to a buffer and the pH hardly moves, until it does; how much it takes depends on how concentrated the buffer is.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.1.16 Buffer solutions HLR3.1.17 Buffer pH calculations HLR3.1.10 HLR3.1.8T2
Also works as an EEFull guide
A pale orange solution turns blood-red with thiocyanate; the colour tells you K, and K's movement with temperature tells you whether the reaction gives out or takes in heat.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.3.2 Equilibrium constantR2.3.3 Size of K and extent of reactionR2.3.4R2.3.6 HLR2.3.7 HLT1
Also works as an EEFull guide
An indicator is just a weak acid whose two forms have different colours; measure how much of each is present across a range of pH and the pKa drops out.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.1.14 Indicators HLR3.1.10 Ka, Kb, pKa and pKb HLR3.1.4R3.1.16 HLT1
Also works as an EEFull guide
A salt dissolves less when a solution already has one of its ions; put the numbers on it.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.3.2 Equilibrium constantR2.3.3 Size of K and extent of reactionR2.3.4S1.4.5R3.1.7
Also works as an EE
Titrate a polyprotic acid with a pH probe and read its acidity strengths straight off the curve.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.1.8 pH curves of strong acid and baseR3.1.10 Ka, Kb, pKa and pKb HLR3.1.13 HLR3.1.6T2
Also works as an EEOverused: needs a twist
Iodine dissolves poorly in water, but far better with iodide, because I3- forms.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.3.2 Equilibrium constantR2.3.3 Size of K and extent of reactionR2.3.4T1
Also works as an EEFree full card
Shake iodine with water and a non-polar solvent and it prefers one, in a ratio set by an equilibrium constant.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.3.2 Equilibrium constantR2.3.3 Size of K and extent of reactionR2.3.1S2.2.8
Also works as an EE
Cells, plating, corrosion and electrolysis: electrons doing work, and what limits them.
Avogadro's number is handed to you in class; here you count atoms yourself with a current, a clock and a balance.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S1.4.1 The mole and Avogadro's constantR3.2.8 Electrolytic cellsR3.2.16 HLT1
Also works as an EEFull guide
Dilute one half-cell by a thousand and the voltage barely moves. A few tens of millivolts, but they follow a logarithmic law you can test.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.2.5 Anode and cathodeR3.2.6 Voltaic cellsR3.2.12 HLR3.2.13 HLT2
Also works as an EEFull guide
A supporting electrolyte carries current without taking part; test how much it changes the plating.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.2.8 Electrolytic cellsR3.2.15 Electrolysis of aqueous solutions HLR3.2.16 HLS1.4.1T2
Also works as an EEOverused: needs a twistTried by our studentsFree full card
A cell's voltage under load drops; the size of the drop tells you its internal resistance.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.2.5 Anode and cathodeR3.2.6 Voltaic cellsR1.3.5T2
Also works as an EE
Salted roads and sea air rust cars; find out exactly how the rate depends on salt concentration.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.2.1 Redox as electron transferR3.2.2 Half-equationsR3.2.5R2.2.3T1
Also works as an EEOverused: needs a twist
A table says a cell should give 1.10 V; build many cells and see how close it gets.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.2.12 Standard hydrogen electrode HLR3.2.13 Standard cell potential HLR3.2.6R3.2.14 HLT2
Also works as an EE
Theory says 286 kJ per mole of hydrogen; a real cell asks for more.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.2.8 Electrolytic cellsR3.2.15 Electrolysis of aqueous solutions HLR1.3.5R1.4.2 HLT2
Also works as an EE
Colorimetry, chromatography, titration and spectra: methods that turn colour and signals into amounts.
One bond, many wavenumbers, and a simple reason for each.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database
S3.2.9 Infrared spectroscopy HLS3.2.2 Functional groupsS2.2.5S2.2.11 HL
Also works as an EEFull guide
Dye chromatography, but you choose how polar the solvent is.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.2.10 ChromatographyS2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesS2.2.9
Overused: needs a twistFull guide
A calibration line is straight until it isn't; find where and why.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
T1 Experimental techniques (tool 1)T3 Mathematics: graphs, uncertainty, fitting (tool 3)S1.4.5
Overused: needs a twist
A kitchen indicator changes through the rainbow; turn that into a calibrated pH meter.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.1.4 pH scaleR3.1.6 Strong and weak acids and basesT2
Also works as an EEOverused: needs a twist
A probe sees the equivalence point as a kink in a graph; an indicator sees it as a colour; compare the two.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.1.7 NeutralisationR3.1.8 pH curves of strong acid and baseR3.1.6T1T2
A cereal box lists iron; test how much your stomach's acid might free.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S1.4.5 Molar concentrationR2.3.2 Equilibrium constantR3.1.4T1S3.1.10 HL
Also works as an EEFree full card
A proton next to an electronegative atom is deshielded; test how well a simple scale predicts the shift.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database
S3.2.10 Proton NMR HLS2.2.5 Bond polarity and electronegativityS3.2.9 HLS3.1.3T3
Also works as an EE
Bonds, periodic trends, spectra and molecules, explored with databases and free modelling software.
Molecules with almost the same molar mass can boil more than 100 degrees apart; find out what each functional group contributes.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database
S2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesS2.2.9 Comparing intermolecular force strengthsS3.2.2S3.2.4
Let free software calculate the bond, then check it against tables and experiment.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Simulation + Database
S2.2.1 Covalent bondingS2.2.2 Single, double and triple bondsS2.2.5T2
Also works as an EEFull guide
Mix 50 mL and 50 mL and you don't get 100 mL; measure the shortfall, then explain it.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesS2.2.9 Comparing intermolecular force strengthsS1.4.5T1
Also works as an EEFull guide
Hydrogen's colours aren't decoration, they're data: turn a handful of wavelengths into the energy needed to pull an electron off an atom.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database
S1.3.1 Emission spectra and photonsS1.3.2 Hydrogen spectrum and energy levelsS1.3.6 HLS1.3.7 HLT3
The ionic model says every 'ionic' salt is made of perfect spheres; the energy numbers say otherwise, for some of them.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database + Modelling
S2.1.2 Ionic bondingS2.1.3 Ionic lattices and propertiesR1.2.5 HLS2.4.1S2.4.2
Also works as an EEFull guide
A plot of successive ionisation energies is the nearest thing to seeing electron shells; then the exceptions start.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database
S1.3.7 Successive ionisation energies HLS3.1.7 First ionisation energy discontinuities HLS3.1.3S1.3.4
Also works as an EEFull guide
The ideal gas law is in every exam; find out exactly where it stops being true, and by how much.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database
S1.5.1 Ideal gas modelS1.5.2 Real gases and deviationsS1.5.4S2.2.8T3
Also works as an EEFull guide
Isomers share a molar mass but not a boiling point; find the structural measure that tracks it best.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database + Modelling
S2.2.9 Comparing intermolecular force strengthsS3.2.6 Structural isomersS3.2.4S2.2.8
Also works as an EE
Dipole moments depend on bond polarity and shape; calculate them and test against measured values.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Simulation + Database
S2.2.5 Bond polarity and electronegativityS2.2.6 Molecular polarityS2.2.4T2
Also works as an EEFree full card
Blue crystals turn pale and then white; weigh the loss at each stage.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S1.4.4 Empirical and molecular formulasS1.4.1 The mole and Avogadro's constantS2.1.3S1.4.3T1
Overused: needs a twist
Yield, atom economy and safer solvents: making things with less waste and more thought.
A classic synthesis, but with the real question: when does more time stop helping?
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.1.3 Limiting reactantR2.1.4 Percentage yieldR2.1.5S3.2.2R3.4.2
Also works as an EEOverused: needs a twist
A little base catalyst turns oil into fuel; too much turns it into soap.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R1.3.4 BiofuelsR2.1.3 Limiting reactantR2.1.4S3.2.2R2.2.5
Also works as an EE
Green chemistry asks for safer solvents; test how ethanol and water share the work.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesS2.2.9 Comparing intermolecular force strengthsT1S1.4.5
Also works as an EE
Waste aluminium becomes a useful salt; test what limits how much you get.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.1.2 Mole ratios and calculationsR2.1.3 Limiting reactantR2.1.4R3.2.1R2.1.5
Green chemistry wants less reagent; see how far the volume can drop before the precision falls.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S1.4.5 Molar concentrationR3.1.7 NeutralisationR2.1.2T1
An Extended Essay is a 4,000-word research essay. These 11 topics are built for the Extended Essay rather than the IA. Several draw on HL-only chemistry, so check the fit dots.
Two charged ions approach each other through an atmosphere of other ions; a salt that takes no part can still change the rate.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR2.2.9 Rate equations HLR2.2.10 HLR2.2.11 HLT3
Adsorption is where surface chemistry gets quantitative; test two models against your own data.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
S2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesR2.3.2 Equilibrium constantR2.3.3R2.2.4T3
Hammett's equation says they do; measure pKa for a series of benzoic acids and test it.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.1.10 Ka, Kb, pKa and pKb HLR3.1.11 Ka x Kb = Kw HLS2.2.5S2.2.12 HLS3.2.2T3
A faster method is only useful if it is right; test several against measured values.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Simulation + Database
S2.2.1 Covalent bondingS2.2.4 VSEPR and molecular shapeS2.2.5S2.2.6S2.2.16 HLT2
Pickling acid eats steel; a small additive can slow that dramatically. How well, and why?
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.2.1 Redox as electron transferR3.2.4 Acids with metalsR2.2.3R2.2.4T3
A vitamin dissolved in a drink goes through chemistry that can be followed and modelled.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.3 Factors affecting rateR2.2.10 Order of reaction HLR2.2.12 HLR3.2.1R3.1.4
Overused: needs a twist
Beyond one activation energy: the enthalpy and entropy of activation tell you about the mechanism.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R2.2.4 Activation energyR2.2.7 Energy profiles HLR2.2.10 HLR2.2.11 HLR2.2.12 HLT3
The temperature term in the Nernst equation is easy to forget; test it directly.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
R3.2.12 Standard hydrogen electrode HLR3.2.13 Standard cell potential HLR3.2.14 HLR1.4.2 HLT3
Delta H of vaporisation divided by boiling point is nearly constant for many liquids, and the exceptions teach the chemistry.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database + Lab
S2.2.8 Intermolecular forcesS2.2.9 Comparing intermolecular force strengthsR1.4.1 HLR1.1.2T3
Beer-Lambert is an idealisation; characterise how and why your instrument departs from it.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Lab
T1 Experimental techniques (tool 1)T2 Technology: loggers, sensors, spreadsheets, simulation (tool 2)T3S1.4.5
A famous pair of industrial routes with the same product and very different waste.
SL ●●●HL ●●●Database
R2.1.3 Limiting reactantR2.1.4 Percentage yieldR2.1.5S3.2.2R3.4.2
23 of our ideas are common ones. Examiners and teachers read them often, so they need a clear twist. These are the ones we mark as overused:
A common topic is not a bad topic. It is a topic where a fresh angle shows your own thinking. Four general ways to make one fresh:
Change something nobody in your class is changing. If the usual idea varies temperature, vary something else that the chemistry says should matter, and explain why.
Swap the textbook solution for something from outside the lab: a product, a water sample or a food you can buy. A real sample brings real questions about what else is in it.
Test a wider range, or more values within the range, so your graph can show a trend and where it stops working. Say why you chose the range.
Measure the same thing in two ways, or compare your result with a literature value. State the temperature and source of any value you quote, and explain any gap using your own data.
Help with your Chemistry IA
Our Chemistry students get IA support as part of tuition: the full idea card, help to make it their own, planning, and feedback on the draft. We give feedback, questions and teaching. We never write or rewrite your IA.
Free trial lesson · small groups · 5 Tank Road or online
The IB recommends about 10 hours of teaching time for the investigation, so pick an idea you can run in your school lab in roughly that time. The report is at most 3,000 words, it is marked out of 24, and it counts for 20% of your final grade at both SL and HL.
A good topic has one quantity you can measure well, one thing you can change in clear steps, equipment your school already has, and enough room to repeat the work. Choose a family you enjoy, then check the idea against those four points before you commit.
Yes. The IB allows hands-on lab work, fieldwork, spreadsheet modelling, data from a database and simulations, alone or mixed. The data must be quantitative. 16 of the ideas on this page use a database or a simulation.
Treat every idea as a starting point. Many students pick the same popular ideas, and you may not share data with a classmate, so your question, your method and your data must be your own. The ideas marked as overused need a clear twist.
Some can. Ideas marked "Also works as an EE" have enough depth for a 4,000-word essay. You may not use the same piece of work for both the IA and the Extended Essay, so choose one route for each idea.
No. We give feedback, questions and teaching. Our Chemistry students get the full idea card, help to make it their own, planning support and feedback on their draft. Anyone can also get a research question checked free with the IA and EE Coach, which says what to fix and never rewrites the question.
IB and International Baccalaureate are trademarks of the International Baccalaureate Organization. Photon Academy is not affiliated with or endorsed by the IB. The ideas on this page are our own and are not taken from IB materials.
Mr Ejaz Ahmad and his team
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