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Topic 10 Organic chemistry  
Essential ideas:
  • Organic chemistry focuses on the chemistry of compounds containing carbon.
  • Structure, bonding and chemical reactions involving functional group interconversions  are key strands in organic chemistry.
10.1 Functional groups 
Applications and skills: 
Identification of different classes: alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, halogenoalkanes, alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, esters, carboxylic acids, amines, amides, nitriles and arenes.
Identification of typical functional groups in molecules eg phenyl, hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, carboxamide, aldehyde, ester, ether, amine, nitrile, alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl.
Guidance:
The distinction between class names and functional group names needs to be made. Eg for OH, hydroxyl is the functional group whereas alcohol is the class name.
Functional group worksheet
10.1 Homologous series 
Understandings:
A homologous series is a series of compounds of the same family, with the same general formula, which differ from each other by a common structural unit.
10.1 Classification of organic compounds 
Link to worksheet
Applications and skills 
Identification of primary, secondary and tertiary carbon atoms in halogenoalkanes and alcohols and primary, secondary and tertiary nitrogen atoms in amines.
10.1 Structural formulas 
Understandings:
Structural formulas can be represented in full and condensed format.
Applications and skills:
Distinction between empirical, molecular and structural formulas
Guidance:
Skeletal formulas should be discussed in the course.
10.1 Structural isomers 
10.1 Structural isomers 
Understandings:
Structural isomers are compounds with the same molecular formula but different arrangements of atoms.

 
10.1 Naming organic compounds (alkanes, alkenes and alkynes)
Naming alkanes, alkenes and alkynes worksheet
Understandings:
Saturated compounds contain single bonds only and unsaturated compounds contain double or triple bonds.
Guidance:
The general formulas of alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes acids should be known.
The following nomenclature should be covered:
alkenes up to hexene and alkynes up to hexyne.
10.1 Naming branched-chain alkanes 
This video covers how to name simple branched-chain alkanes. 
10.1 Naming organic compounds (aldehydes and ketones) 
Naming aldehydes and ketones worksheet 
Guidance:
The following nomenclature should be covered:
compounds  up to six carbon atoms (in the basic chain for nomenclature purposes)   containing   only  one  of  the  classes   of  functional   groups: alcohols,   ethers,   aldehydes,   halogenoalkanes,   ketones,   esters   and carboxylic acids.
10.1 Naming organic compounds (alcohols and carboxylic acids) 
Naming alcohols and carboxylic acids worksheet 
Guidance:
The following nomenclature should be covered:
compounds  up to six carbon atoms (in the basic chain for nomenclature purposes)   containing   only  one  of  the  classes   of  functional   groups: alcohols,   ethers,  aldehydes,   halogenoalkanes,   ketones,   esters   and carboxylic acids
10.1 Naming amines 
This video covers how to name amines. 
10.1 Diols and dicarboxylic acids 
This video covers diols and dicarboxylic acids.   
10.1 Boiling points of organic compounds 
Applications and skills:
Explanation of the trends in boiling points of members of a homologous series.
10.1 Structure of benzene 
Understandings 
Benzene is an aromatic, unsaturated hydrocarbon.
Applications and skills:
Discussion of the structure of benzene using physical and chemical evidence.

 
10.2 Homolytic and heterolytic bond fission
This video looks at homolytic and heterolytic bond fission.
10.2 Reactions of benzene 
Understandings:
Benzene does not readily undergo addition reactions but does undergo electrophilic substitution reactions.
10.2 Combustion reactions of the alkanes 
Applications and skills:
Writing equations for the complete and incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons.
10.2 Free radical substitution reactions of the alkanes 
Understandings:
Alkanes have low reactivity and undergo free-radical substitution reactions.
Applications and skills:
Explanation of the reaction of methane and ethane with halogens in terms of a free-radical substitution mechanism involving photochemical homolytic fission.
Guidance:
Reference should be made to initiation, propagation and termination steps in free-radical substitution reactions. Free radicals should be represented by a single dot.
10.2 Test for unsaturation ​
Understandings:
Bromine water can be used to distinguish between alkenes and alkanes.
10.2 Addition reactions of the alkenes 
Addition reactions of alkenes worksheet 
Understandings:
Alkenes are more reactive than alkanes and undergo addition reactions
Application and skills: 
Writing equations for the reactions of alkenes with hydrogen and halogens and of symmetrical alkenes with hydrogen halides and water.
Note that the conditions for the hydrogenation of alkenes include a nickel catalyst and high pressure and temperature. 
10.2 Addition polymerisation 
Addition polymerisation worksheet 
Applications and skills:
Outline of the addition polymerisation of alkenes.
Relationship between the structure of the monomer to   the polymer and repeating unit.
10.2 Combustion reactions of the alcohols
Applications and skills:
Writing equations for the complete combustion of alcohols.
10.2 Reactions of the alcohols (oxidation) 
Reactions of the alcohols worksheet
Understandings:
Some alcohols undergo oxidation reactions.
Applications and skills:
Writing equations for the oxidation reactions of primary and secondary alcohols (using acidified potassium dichromate(VI) or potassium manganate(VII) as oxidizing agents). 
Explanation of distillation and reflux in the isolation of the aldehyde and carboxylic acid products.
The aldehyde can be distilled off because it has a lower boiling point than the alcohol or carboxylic acid (aldehydes do not form hydrogen bonds between molecules). If the aldehyde is left in contact with the oxidising agent, then the carboxylic acid is formed.  
10.2 Esterification/condensation reactions of alcohols and carboxylic acids 
Esters worksheet 
Understandings 
Alcohols undergo nucleophilic substitution reactions with acids (also called esterification or condensation)
Applications and skills:
Writing the equation for the condensation reaction of an alcohol with a carboxylic acid, in the presence of a catalyst (eg concentrated sulfuric acid) to form an ester.
10.2 Reactions of the halogenoalkanes 
Understandings:
Halogenoalkanes  are more reactive than alkanes. They can undergo (nucleophilic) substitution reactions. A nucleophile is an electron-rich species containing a lone pair that it donates to an electron-deficient  carbon.
Applications and skills:
Writing the equation for the substitution reactions of halogenoalkanes with aqueous sodium hydroxide.
Guidance:
The mechanisms of SN1 and SN2 and electrophilic substitution reactions are not required.