Unit 11
Organic chemistry.
Chains of carbon: alkanes and homologous series, alcohols and carboxylic acids, and the polymers plastics are made of.
Before this unit
The unit, lesson by lesson
Lessons
4 lessons · 20 practice questions · about 2 hours
Hydrocarbons
Why carbon builds chains, how to count the hydrogens of an alkane, what the first alkanes are called, and what forms when they burn.
Homologous series
A family of compounds, each one CH₂ longer than the last: how the molar mass climbs in equal steps, why the boiling point climbs too, and which alkane is the first to be liquid at room temperature.
Functional groups
What happens when one hydrogen is swapped for OH or COOH: alcohols and carboxylic acids, hydrogen bonds that send the boiling point leaping, and why ethanol is not a base.
Polymers
Thousands of monomers in one chain: addition polymerisation, and why a plastic bag stretches and stays long, a rubber band springs back, and a saucepan handle does not melt.