5 x 1 hour lessons

This module covers aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, and acyl compounds. You'll revise how to identify, name, and react carbonyl-containing compounds, with a focus on nucleophilic addition, esterification, and hydrolysis. We’ll also practise mechanisms and apply them to synthetic planning and exam-style problems.

By the end of this module you will be able to:

• Identify and name aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, and acyl chlorides

• Explain and draw mechanisms for nucleophilic addition reactions of carbonyls

• Describe esterification reactions and hydrolysis of esters in both acidic and basic conditions

• Predict the outcomes of reactions involving acylation reagents and identify the role of nucleophiles

• Use reagents such as Tollens’ and Fehling’s solutions to distinguish between aldehydes and ketones

AQA Specification Points:

3.21 Aldehydes and ketones

3.22 Carboxylic acids and esters

3.23 Acylation