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WAChemistryQuick questions
Unit 4: Organic Chemistry and Chemical Synthesis
Quick questions on Organic reaction pathways: WACE Year 12 Chemistry
7short 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 addition (alkenes)?Show answer
Alkenes are reactive because of the C=C double bond and undergo addition, where the double bond opens and atoms add across it:
What is oxidation (alcohols)?Show answer
Primary alcohols are oxidised (by acidified dichromate or permanganate) first to an aldehyde and then to a carboxylic acid. Secondary alcohols oxidise to a ketone. Tertiary alcohols are not readily oxidised, because the carbon bearing the OH has no H to remove. For example:
What is esterification (alcohol plus carboxylic acid)?Show answer
A carboxylic acid reacts with an alcohol, with a concentrated sulfuric acid catalyst, to form an ester and water. This is a reversible condensation reaction:
What is building a pathway?Show answer
A reaction pathway links these single steps. To plan one, identify the functional group of the start and target, then choose reactions that step from one family to the next. For example, to convert ethene to ethyl ethanoate, you would hydrate ethene to ethanol, oxidise some ethanol to ethanoic acid, then esterify the two.
What is step 1: ethene to ethanol?Show answer
, using steam and a phosphoric acid catalyst.
What is step 2: ethanol to ethanoic acid?Show answer
, using acidified dichromate, heated under reflux to ensure full oxidation to the acid.
What is step 3: esterification?Show answer
, warmed with a concentrated sulfuric acid catalyst.
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