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VICChemistryQuick questions
Unit 4: How are organic compounds categorised, analysed and used?
Quick questions on Organic nomenclature and functional groups: VCE Chemistry Unit 4
11short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the main families?Show answer
The functional group is the reactive part of the molecule. The rest of the molecule (the carbon skeleton) is named separately.
What is iUPAC naming procedure (alkane skeleton, then go up)?Show answer
1. Identify the longest carbon chain that contains the principal functional group. This is the parent chain. 2.
What is primary, secondary, tertiary alcohols and amines?Show answer
For an alcohol: count the number of carbon atoms bonded to the C bearing the OH.
What is structural isomers?Show answer
Same molecular formula, different connectivity. Three types appear in VCE:
What is naming esters?Show answer
An ester is named in two parts: alkyl (from the alcohol) followed by alkanoate (from the carboxylic acid).
What is numbering from the wrong end?Show answer
Always number so the principal functional group (alcohol, COOH, etc.) gets the lowest locant. Halogens and alkyl groups do not take priority over the functional group.
What is forgetting locants on small molecules?Show answer
Propan-2-ol, not propanol (the latter is ambiguous, although in practice means propan-1-ol).
What is mis-counting carbons in esters?Show answer
Methyl ethanoate has TWO carbons in the acid part and ONE in the alcohol part, despite looking like an ester of methanol. The methyl is from the alcohol, the ethano- is from the acid.
What is calling tert-butanol a primary alcohol?Show answer
Count the carbons on the OH-bearing carbon. (CH3)3COH has 3 carbons on that C, so it is tertiary.
What is confusing position and chain isomers?Show answer
Same skeleton + different group position = position isomer. Different skeleton entirely = chain isomer.
What is drawing an amide as if it were an amine?Show answer
An amide has a C=O next to the N (R-C(O)-NHR'); an amine does not.