Core5 mapped NDA questions
Build the idea
Build exam-ready understanding by connecting the core idea, formulas or facts, worked example and previous NDA questions. Focus on why each rule works, then test it under timed conditions.
Concept
The syllabus covers the everyday chemistry behind common manufactured materials — soap, glass, cement, paper, ink, paints, safety matches and gunpowder — and the raw materials used.
Knowing one key raw material or use for each is usually enough.
Key Points & Formulas
- Soap: made by saponification of fats/oils with an alkali (NaOH).
- Glass: mainly silica (sand), soda and limestone.
- Cement: limestone and clay (calcium silicates).
- Gunpowder: potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur.
Worked Example
Q. Name the chemical process by which soap is made and its raw materials.
Soap is made by saponification.
Fats or oils are boiled with an alkali (sodium hydroxide).
This yields soap and glycerol.