This page summarises the introductory organic chemistry syllabus commonly found in A-Level Chemistry courses. It focuses on the key ideas students learn before moving on to alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, aromatic chemistry, carbonyl compounds, and other advanced topics.
The introduction to organic chemistry teaches students how to recognise, represent, name, and explain the behaviour of carbon compounds. Across major A-Level exam boards, the introduction usually includes formulae, functional groups, homologous series, nomenclature, reaction types, mechanisms, bonding, and isomerism.
Organic chemistry is the study of carbon compounds, especially covalent compounds containing carbon. Students also learn that hydrocarbons contain only carbon and hydrogen.
Students learn to use empirical, molecular, general, structural, displayed, and skeletal formulae to describe organic compounds.
Functional groups are introduced as the part of a molecule that determines many of its chemical properties and reactions.
Students study families of compounds with the same functional group and similar chemical behaviour.
A major skill is learning to name simple organic compounds accurately using systematic IUPAC rules.
Common reaction types include addition, substitution, elimination, oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, and polymerisation. Students also begin using mechanisms and curly arrows to explain reactions.
Some specifications include sigma (σ) and pi (π) bonds, hybridisation, and the
effect of restricted rotation around double bonds.
Students study structural isomerism and stereoisomerism, especially E/Z isomerism. Some boards also introduce optical isomerism early.
AQA introduces organic chemistry through nomenclature, reaction mechanisms, and isomerism.
OCR places introductory organic chemistry in Module 4: Core Organic Chemistry, including basic concepts, hydrocarbons, alcohols and haloalkanes, organic synthesis, and analytical techniques.
Edexcel begins with Introduction to Organic Chemistry, then moves to alkanes, alkenes, halogenoalkanes, alcohols, mass spectrometry, and infrared spectroscopy.
Cambridge includes formulas, functional groups, naming, characteristic reactions, shapes of molecules, sigma and pi bonds, and isomerism.