Functional groups
What Functional groups means in Chemistry GCSE, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Functional groups
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Reference: AQA
The groups in the monomers, such as the alcohol groups and carboxylic acid groups, whose reaction allows the chain to continue growing.
The carbon-carbon double bond, C=C, is the functional group: the reactive part that gives the series its characteristic chemistry.
The reactive part of an organic molecule, which defines its homologous series and determines the reactions of the compound.
Topics that use Functional groups
- Condensation polymerisation (HT only) (AQA GCSE)
- Reactions of alkenes (AQA GCSE)
Related terms
- Addition reactions
- Chain growth
- Condensation polymerisation
- Dihaloalkane
- Fully displayed formulae
- Homologous series
- Monomer structure
- Patterns in organic chemistry
Using Functional groups in the exam
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