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AQA A Level Chemistry

3.3.1
Introduction to Organic Chemistry

AQA 3.3.1 covers the formulas used to represent organic compounds, homologous series and functional groups, the IUPAC rules for naming chains and rings of up to six carbon atoms, the curly-arrow and free-radical conventions used in mechanisms, and structural isomerism.

E-Z stereoisomerism is revised with the alkenes in 3.3.4.

Exam Paper
Paper 2
7405/2
Specification Points
3.3.1.1 – 3.3.1.3
3 AQA sections
Sub-topics
10 lessons
Revision notes available
Exam Board
AQA
AQA 7405

Revision Notes

10 revision notes, in the order the specification teaches them.

A carbon chain with its longest run highlighted
1

IUPAC Rules

Formulae, homologous series and the IUPAC rules for naming chains, rings and functional groups.

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The carbon-carbon double bond functional group
2

Alkene

Naming alkenes with the -ene suffix, locants for the double bond and E-Z prefixes.

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The hydroxyl functional group on a carbon chain
3

Alcohol

Naming alcohols with the -ol suffix and locating the hydroxyl group.

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A halogen on a carbon chain
4

Halogenoalkanes

Naming compounds with fluoro, chloro, bromo and iodo prefixes in alphabetical order.

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The aldehyde group at the end of a chain
5

Aldehyde

Naming aldehydes with the -al suffix and recognising the terminal carbonyl group.

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The carbonyl in the middle of a chain
6

Ketone

Naming ketones with the -one suffix and locating the carbonyl group in the chain.

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The carboxyl group at the end of a chain
7

Carboxylic Acid

Naming carboxylic acids with the -oic acid suffix and their high priority in naming.

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The ester link joining two carbon chains
8

Ester

Naming esters from the alcohol and acid parts, and drawing their structures.

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The same atoms joined in two different ways
9

Isomerism

Chain, position and functional group isomerism, and drawing isomers from a molecular formula.

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A shared pair of electrons slid along a bond to one atom
10

Curly Arrows and Mechanisms

What a curly arrow means, the three places it can start, dipoles, and how to outline a mechanism (3.3.1.2).

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Summary Map

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Summary map

Download, print and revise the key facts of this topic at a glance.

Illustration of a summary map: compounds joined by reaction arrows
Summary map · PDF

Introduction to Organic Chemistry Map

AQA A-level Chemistry · 3.3.1 Introduction to organic chemistry

The whole section on one A4 page: types of formula, homologous series, naming up to six carbons, isomers, bond breaking, mechanisms and curly arrows, and a table of the functional groups.

Download the map6 key ideas + 8 functional groups · A4 portrait · print ready

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3.3.1.1

  1. i a

    know that organic compounds can be represented by empirical formula

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  2. i b

    know that organic compounds can be represented by molecular formula

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  3. i c

    know that organic compounds can be represented by general formula

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  4. i d

    know that organic compounds can be represented by structural formula

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  5. i e

    know that organic compounds can be represented by displayed formula

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  6. i f

    know that organic compounds can be represented by skeletal formula

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  7. ii a

    draw structural formulas for given organic compounds

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  8. ii b

    draw displayed formulas for given organic compounds

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  9. ii c

    draw skeletal formulas for given organic compounds

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  10. iii

    know the characteristics of a homologous series as a series of compounds containing the same functional group

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  11. iv a

    apply IUPAC rules for nomenclature to name organic compounds with chains up to six carbon atoms

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  12. iv b

    apply IUPAC rules for nomenclature to name organic compounds with rings up to six carbon atoms

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  13. v a

    apply IUPAC rules to draw the structure of an organic compound from its IUPAC name for chains up to six carbon atoms

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  14. v b

    apply IUPAC rules to draw the structure of an organic compound from its IUPAC name for rings up to six carbon atoms

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3.3.1.2

  1. i

    understand that reactions of organic compounds can be explained using mechanisms

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  2. ii

    know that in free-radical mechanisms the unpaired electron in a radical is represented by a dot and curly arrows are not required

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  3. iii

    write balanced equations for the steps in a free-radical mechanism

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  4. iv a

    know that in mechanisms the formation of a covalent bond is shown by a curly arrow from a lone pair

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  5. iv b

    know that in mechanisms the formation of a covalent bond is shown by a curly arrow from another bond

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  6. iv c

    know that in mechanisms the breaking of a bond is shown by a curly arrow starting from the bond

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  7. v

    outline mechanisms by drawing the structures of the species involved and curly arrows to represent the movement of electron pairs

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3.3.1.3

  1. i a

    define the term structural isomer

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  2. i b

    draw chain isomers

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  3. i c

    draw position isomers

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  4. i d

    draw functional group isomers

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  5. ii

    define the term stereoisomer

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  6. iii

    know that E-Z isomerism is a form of stereoisomerism arising from restricted rotation about the carbon-carbon double bond

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  7. iv a

    apply the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog (CIP) priority rules to E isomers

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  8. iv b

    apply the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog (CIP) priority rules to Z isomers

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  9. v

    draw the structural formulas of E and Z isomers

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