Polymers and organic chemistry topic check
Check H1 Chemistry organic reactions, isomerism, polymers and proteins, then use targeted practice to improve your chemical explanations.
Learning goals
- Name hydrocarbons (alkanes, alkenes and benzene) and use their general, structural and displayed formulae
- Name halogenoalkanes and use their general, structural and displayed formulae
- Name primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols and use their general, structural and displayed formulae
- Name aldehydes and ketones and use their general, structural and displayed formulae
- Name carboxylic acids and use their general, structural and displayed formulae
- Name esters and use their general, structural and displayed formulae
- Name amines and use their general, structural and displayed formulae
- Name amides and use their general, structural and displayed formulae
- Name amino acids and use their general, structural and displayed formulae
- Interpret and use the term functional group
- Interpret and use the terms addition, substitution and elimination
- Interpret and use the terms condensation and hydrolysis
- Interpret and use the terms oxidation and reduction for organic reactions
- Describe structural (constitutional) isomerism, where isomers differ in how their atoms are connected
- Describe cis–trans isomerism in alkenes and explain it by restricted rotation about the π bond
- Deduce the possible isomers of a molecule from its molecular formula
- Describe the shapes of ethane, ethene and benzene molecules
- Explain the shapes and bond angles of ethane, ethene and benzene using their σ and π carbon–carbon bonds
- Predict the shapes and bond angles of molecules similar to ethane, ethene and benzene
- Describe alkanes, such as ethane, as unreactive apart from combustion and substitution by chlorine in ultraviolet light at room temperature
- Describe the combustion of alkenes, such as ethene, and their addition reactions with bromine in CCl₄ and hydrogen over a nickel catalyst
- Describe how halogenoalkanes, such as bromoethane, undergo substitution to alcohols with hot NaOH(aq) and elimination to alkenes with hot NaOH in ethanol
- Describe the combustion of alcohols, such as ethanol, their oxidation to carboxylic acids with hot acidified K₂Cr₂O₇ or KMnO₄, and their elimination to alkenes with hot concentrated H₃PO₄
- Describe the reduction of aldehydes and ketones to alcohols with LiAlH₄ or H₂ and nickel, and the oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids with hot acidified K₂Cr₂O₇ or KMnO₄
- Describe how carboxylic acids, such as ethanoic acid, form salts with alkalis and carbonates, esters with alcohols (concentrated H₂SO₄ catalyst) and amides with amines (using DCC)
- Describe the hydrolysis of esters and amides, such as ethyl ethanoate and ethanamide, by heating with aqueous acid or alkali
- Describe how amines, such as ethylamine, react with aqueous acid to form salts
- Recognise polymers as macromolecules of monomers with an average relative molecular mass of at least 1000 or at least 100 repeat units
- Classify polymers as addition or condensation polymers and explain the difference
- Describe proteins as condensation polymers of α-amino acids joined by peptide (amide) bonds
- Describe the hydrolysis of proteins by heating with aqueous acid or alkali
- Describe how hydrogen bonds, intermolecular forces and ionic linkages hold a protein's three-dimensional structure
- Explain how extremes of temperature and pH denature proteins by disrupting the bonds that hold their three-dimensional structure
- Use protein structure changes to explain everyday effects, such as cooking egg white or adding vinegar to milk
- Explain how thermoplastics such as poly(ethene) and thermosets such as poly(diallyl phthalate) differ in softening and recyclability, using structure and bonding
- Explain how thermoplastics such as poly(ethene) and thermosets such as poly(diallyl phthalate) differ in rigidity, using structure and bonding
- Explain how thermoplastics such as poly(ethene) and thermosets such as poly(diallyl phthalate) differ in strength, using structure and bonding
- Explain why LDPE in plastic bags is softer and more flexible than HDPE in bottles, using structure and bonding
- Explain why polyester (PET) fabric creases slightly less than polyamide (nylon 6,6), using structure and bonding
- Explain why PVA dissolves in water for use in eye drops while PVC resists water for raincoats, using structure and bonding
- Explain why strongly alkaline cleaners are stored in poly(propene) rather than PET containers, which they hydrolyse
- Predict a polymer's physical properties from its structure
- Recognise that poly(alkenes) are chemically inert and so hard to biodegrade
- Recognise that polyesters and polyamides usually biodegrade by hydrolysis
- Recognise that materials are finite and why recycling plastics matters, weighing economic, environmental and social factors
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After a check, practise the skills it showed you need to work on.
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Without an account, unfinished answers stay in this tab. Signed in, they are saved on this device until the deadline shown when you start.
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Recent attempts
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About 10 minutes
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About 10 minutes
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This is for practice only and doesn’t count towards your course progress.
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Your work
Without an account, unfinished answers stay in this tab. Signed in, they are saved on this device until the deadline shown when you start.
Practice settings
Getting your questions…
Recent attempts
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Beyond the syllabus: optional enrichment that does not count towards your progress.
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