Organic compounds containing oxygen — WJEC A-Level Chemistry
In summary: Organic compounds containing oxygen is a key topic in WJEC A-Level Chemistry. Key exam tip: Ensure you can draw and name all functional groups accurately
Exam Tips for Organic compounds containing oxygen
- Ensure you can draw and name all functional groups accurately
- Memorize the specific reagents and conditions for each oxidation and reduction reaction
- Practice writing mechanisms clearly, showing curly arrows and lone pairs
- Be prepared to describe practical procedures like distillation and reflux in detail
- Use the provided functional group tests to construct logical identification schemes for unknown compounds
Common Mistakes
- Confusing the oxidation products of primary and secondary alcohols
- Incorrectly identifying the mechanism for nucleophilic addition
- Failing to distinguish between the conditions for oxidation to aldehydes versus carboxylic acids
- Misinterpreting the results of functional group tests like Tollens' or Fehling's
- Confusing the acidity of phenols with that of carboxylic acids
Marking Points
- Distinguishing between primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohols
- Oxidation products of alcohols using acidified dichromate(VI)
- Nucleophilic addition mechanisms for aldehydes and ketones
- Use of Tollens' reagent and Fehling's reagent to distinguish aldehydes from ketones
- Acidity trends and reactions of carboxylic acids and phenols
- Esterification and hydrolysis reactions
- Identification of carbonyl groups using 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine
- Identification of methyl carbonyl groups using the triiodomethane (iodoform) test
← Back to Chemistry WJEC A-Level Specification · All Chemistry Topics