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OCR A Level Chemistry A

4.1.1
Basic Concepts of Organic Chemistry

OCR 4.1.1 covers the IUPAC rules for naming organic compounds, general, structural, displayed and skeletal formulae, the terminology of homologous series and functional groups, structural isomerism, and the conventions for homolytic and heterolytic fission, radicals and curly arrows used in mechanisms.

Exam Paper
Paper 2
H432/02
Specification Points
4.1.1(a) – 4.1.1(i)
9 learning outcomes
Sub-topics
11 lessons
Revision notes available
Exam Board
OCR
OCR H432

Revision Notes

11 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 carbon chain ending in a halogen atom
4

Haloalkanes

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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An open chain, a ring and an aromatic ring of carbon atoms
10

Aliphatic, Alicyclic and Aromatic Compounds

The OCR terms aliphatic, alicyclic and aromatic, and saturated and unsaturated including C≡C and benzene rings (4.1.1(c)).

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A shared pair of electrons slid along a bond to one atom
11

Curly Arrows and Mechanisms

What a curly arrow means, heterolytic fission and bond formation, dipoles, and how to draw a mechanism (4.1.1(h)-(i)).

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Summary Map

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Summary map

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Illustration of a summary map: compounds joined by reaction arrows
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Basic Concepts of Organic Chemistry Map

OCR A Level Chemistry A · 4.1.1 Basic concepts of organic chemistry

The whole section on one A4 page: types of formula, aliphatic, alicyclic and aromatic, homologous series, naming, structural isomers, bond fission, curly arrows and dipoles, and a table of the functional groups.

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Specification

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4.1.1

  1. a

    application of IUPAC rules of nomenclature for systematically naming organic compounds

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  2. b (i)

    interpretation and use of the term general formula (the simplest algebraic formula of a member of a homologous series) e.g. for an alkane: CnH2n+2

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  3. b (ii)

    interpretation and use of the term structural formula (the minimal detail that shows the arrangement of atoms in a molecule) e.g. for butane: CH3CH2CH2CH3 or CH3(CH2)2CH3

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  4. b (iii)

    interpretation and use of the term displayed formula (the relative positioning of atoms and the bonds between them) e.g. for ethanol

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  5. b (iv)

    interpretation and use of the term skeletal formula (the simplified organic formula, shown by removing hydrogen atoms from alkyl chains, leaving just a carbon skeleton and associated functional groups) e.g. for butan-2-ol

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  6. c (i)

    interpretation and use of the term homologous series (a series of organic compounds having the same functional group but with each successive member differing by CH2)

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  7. c (ii)

    interpretation and use of the term functional group (a group of atoms responsible for the characteristic reactions of a compound)

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  8. c (iii)

    interpretation and use of the term alkyl group (of formula CnH2n+1)

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  9. c (iv)

    interpretation and use of the term aliphatic (a compound containing carbon and hydrogen joined together in straight chains, branched chains or non-aromatic rings)

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  10. c (v)

    interpretation and use of the term alicyclic (an aliphatic compound arranged in non-aromatic rings with or without side chains)

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  11. c (vi)

    interpretation and use of the term aromatic (a compound containing a benzene ring)

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  12. c (vii) a

    interpretation and use of the term saturated (single carbon–carbon bonds only)

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  13. c (vii) b

    interpretation and use of the term unsaturated (the presence of multiple carbon–carbon bonds, including C=C, C≡C and aromatic rings)

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  14. d

    use of the general formula of a homologous series to predict the formula of any member of the series

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  15. e i

    explanation of the term structural isomers (compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural formulae)

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  16. e ii

    determination of possible structural formulae of an organic molecule, given its molecular formula

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  17. f (i)

    the different types of covalent bond fission: homolytic fission (in terms of each bonding atom receiving one electron from the bonded pair, forming two radicals)

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  18. f (ii)

    the different types of covalent bond fission: heterolytic fission (in terms of one bonding atom receiving both electrons from the bonded pair)

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  19. g i

    the term radical (a species with an unpaired electron)

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  20. g ii

    use of 'dots' to represent species that are radicals in mechanisms

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  21. h i

    a 'curly arrow' described as the movement of an electron pair, showing heterolytic fission

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  22. h ii

    a 'curly arrow' described as the movement of an electron pair, showing formation of a covalent bond

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  23. i

    reaction mechanisms, using diagrams, to show clearly the movement of an electron pair with 'curly arrows' and relevant dipoles

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