Process
Edexcel A-Level Chemistry 9CH0
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
Bonding and Structure
Inorganic Chemistry and the Periodic Table
Topic overviewFlame tests and how they workThermal decomposition of nitrates and carbonatesCarrying out flame tests and testing the gasesGroup 2 elements and their compoundsTrends in Group 7 and predicting fluorine and astatineHalogen displacement reactionsDisproportionation and the reactions of chlorineHalides with concentrated sulfuric acid, and the hydrogen halidesTesting for halide ions with silver nitrateTesting for carbonate and hydrogencarbonate ionsTesting for sulfate and ammonium ions
Formulae, Equations and Amounts of Substance
Topic overviewThe mole, molar mass and empirical formulaThe ideal gas equation and molar volumeEquations, concentration and reacting quantitiesStandard solutions, titration and uncertaintyPercentage yield, atom economy and acid reactionsCore practicals 1 to 3Empirical formula and water of crystallisation by experimentApparatus, uncertainty and mathematical skills
Organic Chemistry I
Topic overviewFormulae, homologous series and functional groupsIUPAC nomenclatureTypes of organic reaction and structural isomerismStereoisomerism and E/Z nomenclaturePractical techniques in organic chemistryAlkanes, crude oil and combustion pollutantsRadical substitutionAlkenes, the double bond and hydrogenationElectrophilic addition, Markovnikov's rule and the test for an alkeneAddition polymers and waste polymersNucleophilic substitution of halogenoalkanesRates of hydrolysis and the SN1 and SN2 mechanismsClassifying and oxidising alcoholsAlcohols: practical techniques and the core practicals
Modern Analytical Techniques I
Energetics I
Kinetics I
Equilibrium I
Acid-Base Equilibria
Energetics II
Redox II
Transition Metals
Topic overviewElectron configuration and what makes a transition metalComplex ions, ligands and the colour of transition metal ionsCoordination number, monodentate ligands and the shapes of complexesBidentate and multidentate ligands, and ligand exchangeVanadium and chromium chemistryReactions with sodium hydroxide and ammoniaCobalt and copper complexesLigand exchange, amphoteric behaviour and the chelate effectTransition metals as catalysts
Kinetics II
Organic Chemistry II
Topic overviewChiralityAldehydes, ketones and their oxidationReduction and nucleophilic addition of HCNTesting for a carbonyl group: 2,4-DNPH and the iodoform reactionCarboxylic acids and their reactionsEsters and acyl chloridesReflux, extraction and recrystallisationDistillation, melting temperature and working safely
Organic Chemistry III
Topic overviewThe structure of benzene and the evidence for itElectrophilic substitution of benzeneNitration, halogenation, Friedel-Crafts and phenolAmines: structure and basicityReactions of amines and preparing themAmides and condensation polymersAmino acids, zwitterions and proteinsEmpirical and molecular formulae from analytical dataGrignard reagents and multi-step synthesisPurification techniques and the aspirin preparation
Organic Chemistry I
- 14 subtopics
- 41 things to know
- Papers 2 and 3
What Organic Chemistry I covers
Covers naming and formulae, isomerism and stereochemistry, the alkanes and their combustion, radical substitution, the alkenes and their addition reactions, addition polymers, the halogenoalkanes and their substitution mechanisms, and the alcohols.
Where it is assessed
Papers 2 and 3
Advanced Organic and Physical Chemistry, then the synoptic paper.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 14 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Formulae, homologous series and functional groupsHydrocarbons, empirical, general, structural, displayed and skeletal formulae, homologous series, and functional groups.Open →
- IUPAC nomenclatureThe IUPAC prefixes for carbon chains of one to ten atoms, choosing the longest continuous chain as the parent, numbering to give the lowest locants, and listing substituents alphabetically.Open →
- Types of organic reaction and structural isomerismRecall questions on addition, substitution, elimination, oxidation and hydrolysis, and on chain, position and functional group isomerism.Open →
- Stereoisomerism and E/Z nomenclatureStereoisomerism and why restricted rotation about C=C gives E/Z isomers, assigning E and Z by Cahn-Ingold-Prelog priority, when cis-trans naming is used instead and how cis and trans isomers differ, identifying chiral centres for optical activity, and using symmetry to describe stereoisomerism.Open →
- Practical techniques in organic chemistryClamping distillation and reflux apparatus, gravity and vacuum filtration, recrystallisation, the separating funnel and melting point apparatus, the initial rate and continuous monitoring methods for following a reaction, and why 3D structures are represented in 2D.Open →
- Alkanes, crude oil and combustion pollutantsAlkanes and cycloalkanes as saturated hydrocarbons, fractional distillation, cracking and reforming, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and sulfur, particulates and unburned hydrocarbons as pollutants and their effects, catalytic converters, and biofuels against non-renewable fossil fuels.Open →
- Radical substitutionRadicals and homolytic fission, alkanes reacting with oxygen and with halogens, the initiation, two propagation steps and termination of radical substitution, and why further substitution gives a mixture of products.Open →
- Alkenes, the double bond and hydrogenationAlkenes and cycloalkenes as unsaturated hydrocarbons, the σ-bond and π-bond in C=C and the orbital overlap that forms each, electrophiles, hydrogenation over a nickel catalyst and margarine manufacture, and the products of alkenes with halogens and with steam.Open →
- Electrophilic addition, Markovnikov's rule and the test for an alkeneThe products of alkenes with halogens, hydrogen halides, steam and acidified potassium manganate(VII), heterolytic fission and the electrophilic addition mechanisms for bromine and HBr, carbocation stability and the major product from an unsymmetrical alkene, where curly arrows start, and the bromine water test for C=C.Open →
- Addition polymers and waste polymersAddition polymerisation and moving between monomer and repeat unit, dealing with waste polymers by recycling, incineration for energy and use as cracking feedstock, removing hydrogen chloride from burning PVC, and biodegradable polymers.Open →
- Nucleophilic substitution of halogenoalkanesNucleophiles, halogenoalkanes substituted by aqueous potassium hydroxide, by water from silver nitrate in ethanol, by cyanide ions to lengthen the chain and by excess ammonia to give a primary amine, and hydroxide acting as a base with ethanolic potassium hydroxide.Open →
- Rates of hydrolysis and the SN1 and SN2 mechanismsComparing hydrolysis rates with silver nitrate in ethanol, the reactivity order of primary, secondary and tertiary halogenoalkanes and of chloro-, bromo- and iodoalkanes explained by C–X bond enthalpy, the Sₙ2 mechanism and its transition state, and aqueous against ethanolic potassium hydroxide for substitution or elimination.Open →
- Classifying and oxidising alcoholsClassifying alcohols as primary, secondary or tertiary, their combustion, making halogenoalkanes with PCl₅, potassium bromide and sulfuric acid, or red phosphorus and iodine, oxidation by acidified potassium dichromate(VI) to aldehydes, carboxylic acids and ketones, Fehling's and Benedict's tests for aldehydes, and elimination to alkenes.Open →
- Alcohols: practical techniques and the core practicalsRecall questions on the oxidation and the halogenoalkane preparations, on the apparatus each needs, and on how the product is purified and identified.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Process
What separates the two nucleophilic substitution mechanisms?
Process
What does oxidation give for each class of alcohol?
Key term
Define the term empirical formula.
Key term
What does a displayed formula show?
Key term
Define a substitution reaction.
Key term
Define structural isomerism.
Key term
What is the key structural difference between cis and trans isomers regarding the position of identical groups?
Process
What is cracking and why is it used in the petroleum industry?
Process
How do oxides of nitrogen contribute to acid rain?
Key term
What conditions are required for the reaction of an alkene with steam, and what product is formed?
Key term
In the electrophilic addition of bromine to an alkene, what causes the bromine molecule to become polarised?
Process
Why are tertiary carbocations more stable than primary carbocations?
Key term
What is a nucleophile?
Key term
Why is the reaction of a halogenoalkane with potassium cyanide synthetically useful?
Process
Why are iodoalkanes the most reactive halogenoalkanes towards hydrolysis?
Numbers
What reagents are used to convert an alcohol into a bromoalkane?
Key term
When naming an organic compound using IUPAC rules, how is the parent chain determined?
Key term
How should the carbon chain be numbered when applying IUPAC nomenclature?
Key term
Define stereoisomerism.
Key term
What equipment is used to support and secure glassware when setting up distillation or reflux apparatus?
Key term
Name two methods of filtration used to separate solid products from liquids.
Key term
Define the term radical.
Key term
What two types of bond make up the carbon-carbon double bond in alkenes?
Key term
Which reagent tests for a carbon-carbon double bond, and what do you see if one is present?
Key term
What is addition polymerisation?
Process
How does drying with an anhydrous salt work to purify an organic liquid?
Key term
What reaction is carried out in Core Practical 5?
Key term
What is a hydrocarbon?
Key term
In what order are substituent groups listed in an IUPAC name?
Key term
Define an addition reaction.
Key term
What is E/Z isomerism?
Key term
What piece of equipment is commonly used when purifying a liquid organic product?
Key term
What type of carbon-carbon bonding is present in cycloalkanes, and what term describes this?
Key term
Describe what happens during the initiation step of radical substitution.
Key term
Where is the electron density of a π-bond located relative to the plane of an alkene molecule?
Key term
What conditions are required for the reaction of an alkene with steam to produce an alcohol?
Key term
In a primary halogenoalkane, how many other carbon atoms are attached to the carbon bearing the halogen?
Key term
Which reagent lets you compare how fast primary, secondary and tertiary halogenoalkanes are hydrolysed?
Key term
What decides whether an alcohol counts as primary, secondary or tertiary?
Key term
What reaction is carried out in Core Practical 6?
Take Organic Chemistry I further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Structural formula vs Displayed formula
Structural formula: representation showing atom arrangement without every bond. Displayed formula: representation showing every atom and bond.
Homolytic fission vs Heterolytic fission
Homolytic fission: bond breaking with one electron going to each atom. Heterolytic fission: bond breaking with both electrons going to one atom.
Electrophile vs Nucleophile
Electrophile: electron-pair acceptor attracted to electron-rich regions. Nucleophile: electron-pair donor attracted to electron-deficient regions.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is a hydrocarbon?
Model answer
A compound containing hydrogen and carbon only.
- 2
Define the term empirical formula.
Model answer
The simplest whole number ratio of atoms of each element in a compound.
- 3
What is a general formula?
Model answer
An algebraic formula that can represent any member of a homologous series.
- 4
Define structural formula.
Model answer
A formula showing the arrangement of atoms in a molecule in a simplified form, indicating how atoms are bonded to each carbon atom.
- 5
What does a displayed formula show?
Model answer
All the bonds and all the atoms in a molecule.
- 6
What is a skeletal formula?
Model answer
A formula showing the carbon skeleton with hydrogen atoms removed from alkyl chains, with functional groups shown.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Organic Chemistry I revision questions
- What does Organic Chemistry I cover in Edexcel A-Level Chemistry?
- 14 subtopics: formulae, homologous series and functional groups, iupac nomenclature, types of organic reaction and structural isomerism, stereoisomerism and e/z nomenclature, practical techniques in organic chemistry, alkanes, crude oil and combustion pollutants, radical substitution, alkenes, the double bond and hydrogenation, electrophilic addition, markovnikov's rule and the test for an alkene, addition polymers and waste polymers, nucleophilic substitution of halogenoalkanes, rates of hydrolysis and the sn1 and sn2 mechanisms, classifying and oxidising alcohols and alcohols: practical techniques and the core practicals. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Organic Chemistry I organised?
- By the Edexcel 9CH0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Organic Chemistry I, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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