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.
Revision Notes
Work through each part of OCR 4.1.1 in a structured sequence.
Rules
IUPAC Rules
Formulae, homologous series and the IUPAC rules for naming chains, rings and functional groups.
Start revisingAlkene
Naming alkenes with the -ene suffix, locants for the double bond and E-Z prefixes.
Start revisingAlcohol
Naming alcohols with the -ol suffix and locating the hydroxyl group.
Start revisingHaloalkanes
Naming compounds with fluoro, chloro, bromo and iodo prefixes in alphabetical order.
Start revisingAldehyde
Naming aldehydes with the -al suffix and recognising the terminal carbonyl group.
Start revisingKetone
Naming ketones with the -one suffix and locating the carbonyl group in the chain.
Start revisingAcids
Carboxylic Acid
Naming carboxylic acids with the -oic acid suffix and their high priority in naming.
Start revisingEster
Naming esters from the alcohol and acid parts, and drawing their structures.
Start revisingIsomerism
Chain, position and functional group isomerism, and drawing isomers from a molecular formula.
Start revisingAromatic
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)).
Start revisingArrows
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)).
Start revising4.1.1 Basic Concepts of Organic Chemistry – OCR A Level Chemistry A
The following OCR specification points outline the knowledge and skills students are expected to demonstrate for Basic Concepts of Organic Chemistry.
4.1.1 Basic Concepts of Organic Chemistry
Application of IUPAC rules of nomenclature for systematically naming organic compounds.
Interpretation and use of the terms:
Interpretation and use of the terms:
Use of the general formula of a homologous series to predict the formula of any member of the series.
Explanation of the term structural isomers (compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural formulae) and determination of possible structural formulae of an organic molecule, given its molecular formula.
The different types of covalent bond fission:
The term radical (a species with an unpaired electron) and use of dots to represent species that are radicals in mechanisms.
A curly arrow described as the movement of an electron pair, showing either heterolytic fission or formation of a covalent bond.
Reaction mechanisms, using diagrams, to show clearly the movement of an electron pair with curly arrows and relevant dipoles.
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