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Unit 4: Structure, Synthesis and Design

8 dot points, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

How does structure and bonding explain the physical properties of substances?

Relate bonding type and intermolecular forces to melting point, boiling point, solubility and conductivity.

Ionic, covalent and metallic bonding, dispersion forces, dipole-dipole forces and hydrogen bonding, and how they explain melting point, boiling point, solubility and conductivity, with worked TASC-style examples.

10 min read →

How does the structure of organic molecules determine their reactions?

Classify organic functional groups and describe their characteristic reactions

Hydrocarbon families and functional groups, IUPAC naming, isomerism, and the characteristic reactions of alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, acids and esters, with worked TASC-style examples.

10 min read →

How do carboxylic acids behave and how are esters formed?

Describe the acidity of carboxylic acids and the esterification and hydrolysis of esters.

The acidity of carboxylic acids, their reactions with bases, carbonates and metals, esterification with alcohols, and the acid and base hydrolysis of esters, with worked TASC-style examples.

10 min read →

What reactions do alcohols undergo and how do we classify them?

Classify alcohols and describe their oxidation, dehydration, substitution and combustion reactions.

Classifying primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols and their reactions: oxidation, dehydration to alkenes, substitution to haloalkanes, and combustion, with worked TASC-style examples.

10 min read →

How are large polymer molecules built from small monomers?

Distinguish addition and condensation polymerisation and relate polymer structure to properties

Addition and condensation polymerisation, monomers and repeating units, natural and synthetic polymers, and how structure determines polymer properties, with worked TASC-style examples.

9 min read →

How do we name organic molecules and account for their isomers?

Apply IUPAC nomenclature and identify structural and stereo isomers of organic compounds.

Systematic IUPAC naming of organic compounds, structural isomers (chain, positional and functional), and cis-trans (geometric) isomerism, with worked TASC-style examples.

10 min read →

How do chemists identify and measure substances in a sample?

Select and interpret spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques to determine structure and concentration

Mass spectrometry, infrared, UV-visible and NMR spectroscopy, chromatography and volumetric analysis, and how each technique is used to identify or quantify substances, with worked TASC-style examples.

10 min read →

How do chemists design efficient pathways to make target molecules?

Design multistep synthesis pathways and evaluate them using yield and green chemistry principles

Designing multistep synthesis routes, reaction pathways between functional groups, percentage yield and atom economy, and green chemistry principles, with worked TASC-style examples.

9 min read →