Organic Mechanisms (AQA A Level Chemistry)

Revision Note

Stewart Hird

Last updated

Organic Mechanisms

Organic Mechanisms

  • Throughout the A Level course you have met a number of organic mechanisms

    • You must be able to provide these in full if asked for

    • You must be able to apply your knowledge of what happens in a reaction mechanism to other reactions

  • The reaction mechanisms which you have covered in this course are:

    • Free radical substitution

    • Electrophilic addition

    • Nucleophilic substitution

    • Elimination

    • Nucleophilic addition

    • Nucleophilic addition-elimination

    • Electrophilic substitution

    • Formation of amides

General Mechanisms

  • The general mechanisms for each of these reactions are shown below

  • Remember, these are just general mechanisms - for the exam you will have to draw them specific to the reaction in your exam question

Free radical substitution

General mechanism - free radical substitution, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

 

Electrophilic addition

general mechanism - electrophilic addition, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

 

Nucleophilic substitution

General Mechanism - nucleophilic substitution, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

 

Nucleophilic substitution with ammonia

General Mechanism - Nucleophilic Substitution with ammonia, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

 

Elimination

General Mechanism - Elimination, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

Nucleophilic addition

General Mechanism - Nucleophilic addition, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

 

Nucleophilic addition-elimination

General Mechanism - addition elimination, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

 

Electrophilic substitution

General Mechanism - electrophilic substitution, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

 

Formation of Amides

General Mechanism - formation of amides, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

 

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Remember - your arrows must be curly! If they look too straight, then you will lose the mark!

Remember that your arrows will always go from a lone pair, a negative charge or a bond which has high electron density and will move towards a species or area of a molecule which has positive charge!

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Stewart Hird

Author: Stewart Hird

Expertise: Chemistry Lead

Stewart has been an enthusiastic GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and IB teacher for more than 30 years in the UK as well as overseas, and has also been an examiner for IB and A Level. As a long-standing Head of Science, Stewart brings a wealth of experience to creating Topic Questions and revision materials for Save My Exams. Stewart specialises in Chemistry, but has also taught Physics and Environmental Systems and Societies.