← Properties of selected organic compounds

Reading the notation

A small set of terms carries every part of this paper — get them precise, since naming the WRONG isomer type or reaction type is the fastest way to lose a mark that a correct structure would otherwise earn.

📖 Terms used in organic properties

5 terms

Cover the right column and check you can say what each one means.

Constitutional (structural) isomers

Same molecular formula, different arrangement of atoms — chain, positional, or functional-group isomers.

Geometric isomers (cis/trans)

Isomers arising from restricted rotation around a C=C double bond — require each carbon of the double bond to have two DIFFERENT groups attached.

Primary / secondary / tertiary

Classifies a carbon (in a haloalkane or alcohol) by how many OTHER carbons are directly attached to it — 1, 2, or 3.

Major / minor product

When elimination or substitution can give more than one product, the major product is the more stable/more likely one — always justify which is which.

Addition polymerisation

Monomers with a C=C double bond join with no by-product, the double bond opening to form single-bond links between repeat units.

Practice for this standard covers the whole topic — flashcards and quiz.