Formulas, Functional Groups and Naming
Use this landing page to move quickly between the main introductory organic chemistry revision pages for Cambridge International AS & A Level Chemistry Topic 13. Each card links to a focused page covering organic nomenclature, isomerism and the key functional groups students need to recognise before studying organic reactions in more detail.
Choose a Formulas and Naming Page
Organic chemistry begins with recognising carbon-based molecules, naming structures accurately, identifying isomerism and recognising functional groups. These pages separate the core naming rules, isomerism and common functional groups so that students can revise each area 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.
Start revisingAlkene
Learn how alkenes are identified by the carbon-carbon double bond and why this functional group leads to addition reactions.
Start revisingAlcohol
Revise alcohols as organic compounds containing the hydroxyl group and connect their structure to naming and classification.
Start revisingHalogenoalkanes
Review halogenoalkanes as compounds containing a carbon-halogen bond, including how halogen substituents appear in names.
Start revisingAldehyde
Learn how aldehydes contain a terminal carbonyl group and how this affects naming and structural formulae.
Start revisingKetone
Revise ketones as carbonyl compounds where the C=O group is within the carbon chain rather than at the end.
Start revisingCarboxylic Acid
Review carboxylic acids as compounds containing the carboxyl group, including the COOH structure and acid naming pattern.
Start revisingEster
Learn how esters are recognised from the COO linkage and how their names are built from the alcohol and carboxylic acid parts.
Start revisingStructural Isomerism
Revise how compounds can have the same molecular formula but different arrangements of atoms, including structural and stereoisomerism.
Start revisingFunctional Groups in the Cambridge Table
Amines, nitriles, amides, acyl chlorides, hydroxynitriles and arenes, plus the six-plus-six rule for naming esters (13.1.3, 13.1.5).
Start revisingHow to Use These Pages
Start with the IUPAC rules page to secure the naming system. Then move through alkenes, alcohols, halogenoalkanes and the carbonyl-containing families before consolidating with isomerism. For each page, practise drawing displayed formulae, identifying functional groups and naming simple examples.
Exam focus: Be able to recognise functional groups from structural formulae, give the correct family name, apply IUPAC naming rules and distinguish structural isomerism from stereoisomerism.
Master Introduction to Organic Chemistry and Alkanes for Cambridge International AS & A Level Chemistry
Continue from these free revision notes into the full Topics 13 and 14.1 Introduction to Organic Chemistry and Alkanes course. The guided video lessons are ready now; the Cambridge International MCQ bank, teacher-marked short-answer questions and KASP spec-point report are being written, and the course opens for enrolment as soon as they are complete.
Guided video teaching
Learn the chemistry and exam technique through structured video lessons with worked examples and walkthroughs.
Instant MCQ feedback
Auto-marked MCQ quizzes provide immediate diagnostic feedback for every answer choice.
Teacher-marked SAQs
Submit written exam responses and receive chemistry specialist feedback with improvement guidance.
Progress tracking
Identify strengths and weaknesses across the full Topics 13 and 14.1 specification with targeted reporting.
See how the course works
Click play to start the course preview animation.
Some ionic radii are shown.
| Ion | Ionic radius / nm |
|---|---|
| Na+ | 0.102 |
| K+ | 0.138 |
| F− | 0.133 |
| Cl− | 0.180 |
Which compound has the strongest ionic bonding?
Explain why the metallic bonding in magnesium is much stronger than that in sodium.
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.
Keep this note — free
Save your progress across every Cambridge topic. A free account remembers which topics you have covered, saves your question scores, and syncs across your phone and laptop.
- Track every topic you have finished
- Keep your practice-question scores
- No payment, no card, free forever
Already registered? Log in