Introduction to Organic Chemistry
Use this landing page to move quickly between the main introductory organic chemistry revision pages for Topic 4. Each card links to a focused page covering organic nomenclature and the key functional groups students need to recognise before studying reactions in more detail.
Choose an Introduction to Organic Chemistry Page
Organic chemistry begins with recognising carbon-based molecules, naming structures accurately and identifying functional groups. These pages separate the core naming rules and common functional groups so that students can revise each family clearly before applying them to reactions, mechanisms and synthesis.
Key idea: The functional group controls the chemical behaviour of an organic molecule. Naming rules help you communicate the carbon chain, substituents and functional group position precisely.
IUPAC Rules
Revise how to name organic compounds by identifying the longest carbon chain, functional group, substituents and position numbers.
Alkene
Learn how alkenes are identified by the carbon-carbon double bond and why this functional group leads to addition reactions.
Alcohol
Revise alcohols as organic compounds containing the hydroxyl group and connect their structure to naming and classification.
Halogenoalkane
Review halogenoalkanes as compounds containing a carbon-halogen bond, including how halogen substituents appear in names.
Aldehyde
Learn how aldehydes contain a terminal carbonyl group and how this affects naming and structural formulae.
Ketone
Revise ketones as carbonyl compounds where the C=O group is within the carbon chain rather than at the end.
Carboxylic Acid
Review carboxylic acids as compounds containing the carboxyl group, including the COOH structure and acid naming pattern.
Ester
Learn how esters are recognised from the COO linkage and how their names are built from the alcohol and carboxylic acid parts.
How to Use These Pages
Start with the IUPAC rules page to secure the naming system. Then move through each functional group family and focus on the part of the molecule that makes that family chemically distinctive. For each page, practise drawing the displayed formula, identifying the functional group and naming simple examples.
Exam focus: Be able to recognise a functional group from a structural formula, give the correct family name and apply IUPAC naming rules without confusing similar groups such as aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and esters.
Copyright notice: This revision page, including its written explanations, layout and teaching sequence, is produced for Online Learning System by Dr. Mohammed Al-Fatah. It is intended for student revision and may not be copied, redistributed or republished without permission.