Properties of selected organic compounds

Practice

Recall it first, then use it — testing yourself builds the memory, where rereading the notes above only feels easier.

Recall and application shuffled together — you have to work out what each item wants before you can answer it, which is the part the exam actually tests. Both kinds feed the same spacing schedule, so anything you miss comes back sooner.

Say the answer out loud before flipping — that attempt is where the learning happens, even when you get it wrong.

Exam-style only. Instant feedback, shuffled each attempt, best score saved on this device.

What actually comes up

Three questions every year: draw/name a set of compounds and distinguish two of them by a chemical test (Q1), complete an incomplete reaction scheme built from a haloalkane or alcohol, naming reaction types and reagents (Q2), and a mix of polymer chemistry with isomer/geometric-isomer reasoning (Q3). Geometric (cis/trans) isomerism — checking whether BOTH carbons of a C=C carry two different groups — has appeared in every year transcribed here.

Across 4 years

The pattern — what to prepare

The 2025 paper ↗ Marking schedule ↗

Question One

Six organic compounds given as either structure or IUPAC name, to complete; two haloalkane/alcohol compounds (G and H) to distinguish; four structural isomers of chloropentane to classify and react.

• a Complete a table of six compounds by drawing the structure or giving the IUPAC name (including a haloalkane, a carboxylic acid, and an alkyne). Achieved
• b Explain how acidified dichromate can distinguish a haloalkane from an alcohol — the reaction type, conditions, observations, and product. Merit
• c(i) Classify four structural isomers of chloropentane as primary, secondary, or tertiary. Achieved
• c(ii)-(iii) Draw both products of a tertiary haloalkane reacting with KOH(alc)/heat, then explain why two products form and justify the major/minor choice. Excellence

Question Two

An incomplete reaction scheme from a haloalkane, through several reaction types, to an addition polymer monomer; Teflon's structure and monomer.

• a Draw the structures of three compounds in an incomplete reaction scheme, name four reaction types, and complete a missing reagent. Merit
• b Draw three repeating units of an addition polymer, then explain the process of addition polymerisation, including the structural feature that enables it and the relative reactivity of monomer vs polymer. Excellence
• c Draw the Teflon monomer, identify properties that suit it to non-stick cookware, and draw three straight-chain isomers of C5H11Cl. Merit

Question Three

Pōhutukawa bark tea contains organic acids (gallic, ellagic) with rongoā (traditional medicine) uses; pōhutukawa flowers contain fragrant terpenes.

• a(i)-(ii) Name a circled functional group, then explain a physical-property procedure to distinguish two amine compounds. Merit
• a(iii)-(iv) Describe using litmus paper to distinguish an acid from an amine, then devise an alternative (non-litmus) test for the acid's functional group. Excellence
• b Identify which of two circled functional groups in a terpene (nerol) can form geometric isomers, and justify the choice against the requirements for geometric isomerism. Excellence

The 2024 paper ↗ Marking schedule ↗

Question One

Vitexin, a medicinal molecule from kawakawa leaves, has two functional groups circled; solvents used to extract anti-inflammatory compounds; polystyrene manufacture.

• a Name two circled functional groups, then the reagents/conditions and observations to identify each by a chemical test. Merit
• b Explain a physical-property procedure to distinguish methanol, ethanol, and hexane, giving reasons for the different results. Excellence
• c Draw three repeating units of polystyrene from its styrene monomer, then explain addition polymerisation and why the monomer is more reactive than the polymer. Excellence

Question Two

An incomplete reaction scheme starting from 2-bromobutane; a tertiary isomer of bromobutane; an alkene reacting with HCl vs with Cl₂.

• a Draw four compounds in an incomplete reaction scheme, complete two reagents, and name four reaction types. Merit
• b Draw the tertiary isomer of bromobutane and explain why it is classified as tertiary. Achieved
• c Discuss the reaction of an alkene with HCl (major/minor products, justified), then compare it to the same alkene reacting with Cl₂, explaining the different number of products. Excellence

Question Three

Four organic compounds to draw/name; a C6H14O compound's primary-alcohol isomers; a two-step synthesis; geometric isomerism in two amine-containing compounds.

• a Complete a table of four compounds by drawing the structure or giving the IUPAC name. Achieved
• b Draw all structural isomers that are primary alcohols for the formula C6H14O. Merit
• c Describe a two-step reaction series converting one compound to another, naming reaction types, reagents, and products at each step, then explain why one step gives equal major/minor products. Excellence
• d Given two compounds with a C=C double bond, identify which forms geometric isomers, then draw its cis and trans forms. Merit

The 2023 paper ↗ Marking schedule ↗

Question One

Four organic compounds (a haloalkane, an acid, an amine, an alcohol) to draw/name and distinguish using litmus paper and acidified potassium permanganate.

• a(i) Complete a table of four compounds by drawing the structure or giving the IUPAC name. Achieved
• a(ii) Devise a procedure to distinguish the four compounds using only red litmus paper and acidified KMnO4, with observations and any product structures. Excellence

Question Two

Sodium hexanoate, a food/cosmetic preservative, synthesised from hexan-2-ol through an incomplete reaction scheme.

• a Complete an incomplete reaction scheme from hexan-2-ol to sodium hexanoate — naming reaction types and reagents at each step. Merit

Question Three

Polypropene, used in N95/surgical mask filters, made by addition polymerisation of prop-1-ene.

• a(i)-(ii) Draw three repeating units of polypropene and explain why this is classified as addition polymerisation. Merit
• a(iii) Compare the reactivity of polypropene with its monomer, linking structure to reactivity and explaining why lower reactivity suits face-mask use. Excellence
• b Propose a structure with molecular formula C4H8 that forms geometric isomers, and justify the choice against the requirements for geometric isomerism. Excellence

The 2022 paper ↗ Marking schedule ↗

Question One

Five alcohols (Compounds A-E) given as structures, including primary/secondary/tertiary examples and a pair showing constitutional isomerism; two further alcohols (F and G) undergoing elimination with concentrated H₂SO₄.

• a(i) Classify the given alcohols as primary, secondary, or tertiary, giving one example letter for each. Achieved
• a(ii) Explain your choice for the secondary alcohol. Merit
• a(iii) Identify the form of isomerism between two of the given compounds (constitutional or geometric), and explain the choice. Merit
• b Compare and contrast the reaction between one compound and bromine water with the other compounds' reactions with bromine water, naming and justifying the reaction types, stating conditions, and stating expected observations. Excellence
• c(i) Give the structural formula of the major and minor elimination products for one alcohol (which forms two products), and the single elimination product for another alcohol (which forms only one). Merit
• c(ii) With reference to their structures, explain why one alcohol produces two elimination products while the other produces only one, justifying the major/minor choice. Excellence

Question Two

Two alkenes (Compounds A and D), only one able to form geometric isomers; a third alcohol (Compound B) forming an addition polymer (Polymer H) and convertible to Compound D via a synthesis route.

• a(i) Identify which of two given alkenes can form geometric isomers. Achieved
• a(ii) Draw the cis and trans isomers it forms. Achieved
• a(iii) Explain why only one of the two compounds can form geometric isomers, describing the requirements for geometric isomerism, the importance of the C=C double bond, and referring to both structures. Excellence
• b(i) Draw two repeating units of the addition polymer formed from the given alcohol/alkene monomer. Achieved
• b(ii) Propose a series of reactions to convert one named compound into another, giving reagents and conditions for each step, stating the reaction type occurring, and identifying any major/minor products. Excellence

Question Three

Four compounds (I-L, including ethanol, an amine, a carboxylic acid, and a branched alkane) to draw/name; an incomplete reaction scheme starting from propene with four unknown reagents and four unknown compounds (M-P).

• a(i) Complete a table of four compounds by drawing the structure or giving the IUPAC name. Achieved
• a(ii) Devise a method for distinguishing between the four compounds using acidified potassium dichromate and solid sodium carbonate, stating observations, linking them to the compounds' properties, and giving the structural formula of any organic product. Excellence
• a(iii) Propose an alternative test to distinguish between two of the compounds, stating observations. Merit
• b(i) Complete an incomplete reaction scheme starting from propene, giving the structures of four unknown compounds and four unknown reagents (with conditions where necessary). Merit
• b(ii) Explain which of two products formed when propene reacts with H₂O/H⁺ forms in the greater amount, referring to the structure of propene. Excellence

Grades above are read from each year's own Achievement/Merit/Excellence evidence, condensed to the actual task — the schedules also grade holistically per question on a 0–8 scale, not a fixed mark per bullet. Molecular structures drawn in the original papers are described here rather than reproduced, since the source OCR cannot represent bond diagrams reliably.

Past exams & resources

⏱ Timed opens the paper and starts a countdown matching the exam length. Official NZQA PDFs. If a link 404s, that year’s paper may sit under a slightly different code: browse the NZQA subject page.