Note:
IGCSE Chemistry Notes Organic Chemistry
Syllabus Objectives:
Core
- Name and draw the structures of methane,
ethane, ethene, ethanol, ethanoic acid and the
products of the reactions stated in sections
14.4–14.6
- State the type of compound present, given a
chemical name ending in -ane, -ene, -ol, or -oic
acid or a molecular structure
Supplement
- Name and draw the structures of the unbranched
alkanes, alkenes (not cis-trans), alcohols and
acids containing up to four carbon atoms per
molecule
- Name and draw the structural formulae of the
esters which can be made from unbranched
alcohols and carboxylic acids, each containing up
to four carbon atoms
14.2 Fuels
Core
- Name the fuels: coal, natural gas and petroleum
- Name methane as the main constituent of
natural gas
- Describe petroleum as a mixture of hydrocarbons
and its separation into useful fractions by
fractional distillation
- Describe the properties of molecules within a
fraction
- Name the uses of the fractions as:
– refinery gas for bottled gas for heating and
cooking
– gasoline fraction for fuel (petrol) in cars
– naphtha fraction for making chemicals
– kerosene/paraffin fraction for jet fuel
– diesel oil/gas oil for fuel in diesel engines
– fuel oil fraction for fuel for ships and home
heating systems
– lubricating fraction for lubricants, waxes and
polishes
– bitumen for making roads
14.3 Homologous series
Core
- Describe the concept of homologous series as
a ‘family’ of similar compounds with similar
chemical properties due to the presence of the
same functional group
Supplement
- Describe the general characteristics of a
homologous series
- Recall that the compounds in a homologous
series have the same general formula
- Describe and identify structural isomerism
14.4 Alkanes
Describe the properties of alkanes (exemplified
by methane) as being generally unreactive,
except in terms of burning
Describe the bonding in alkanes
Supplement
- Describe substitution reactions of alkanes with
chlorine
14.5 Alkenes
Core
- Describe the manufacture of alkenes and of
hydrogen by cracking
- Distinguish between saturated and unsaturated
hydrocarbons:
– from molecular structures
– by reaction with aqueous bromine
- Describe the formation of poly(ethene) as an
example of addition polymerisation of monomer
units
Supplement
- Describe the properties of alkenes in terms of
addition reactions with bromine, hydrogen and
steam
14.6 Alcohols
Core
• Describe the manufacture of ethanol by
fermentation and by the catalytic addition of
steam to ethene
• Describe the properties of ethanol in terms of
burning
• Name the uses of ethanol as a solvent and as a
fuel
Supplement
• Outline the advantages and disadvantages of
these two methods of manufacturing ethanol
14.7 Carboxylic acids
Core
- Describe the properties of
aqueous ethanoic acid
Supplement
- Describe the formation of ethanoic acid by the oxidation
of ethanol by fermentation and with acidified
potassium manganate(VII)
- Describe ethanoic acid as a typical weak acid
- Describe the reaction of a carboxylic acid with an alcohol in the
presence of a catalyst to give an ester
14.8 Polymers
14.8.1 Polymers
Core
- Define polymers as large
molecules built up from small
units (monomers)
Supplement
• Understand that different polymers have different units and/or
different linkages
14.8.2 Synthetic polymers
Core
- Name some typical uses of
plastics and of man-made fibres
such as nylon and Terylene
- Describe the pollution problems
caused by non-biodegradable
plastics
Supplement
• Explain the differences between condensation and addition
polymerisation
- Deduce the structure of the polymer product from a given
alkene and vice versa
- Describe the formation of nylon (a polyamide) and Terylene
(a polyester) by condensation polymerisation, the structure of
nylon
- Name proteins and carbohydrates
as constituents of food
Supplement
• Describe proteins as possessing the same (amide) linkages as
nylon but with different units
- Describe the structure of proteins
- Describe the hydrolysis of proteins to amino acids. (Structures
and names are not required.)
- Describe complex carbohydrates in terms of a large number of
sugar units,
- Describe the hydrolysis of complex carbohydrates (e.g. starch),
by acids or enzymes to give simple sugars
- Describe the fermentation of simple sugars to produce ethanol
(and carbon dioxide). (Candidates will not be expected to give
the molecular formulae of sugars.)
- Describe, in outline, the usefulness of chromatography in
separating and identifying the products of hydrolysis of
carbohydrates and proteins