3 x 1 hour lessons

This module covers the chemistry of alkanes — saturated hydrocarbons with single bonds. You’ll learn about their structure, bonding, and physical properties, including trends in boiling points and reactivity.

You’ll explore the combustion of alkanes, including complete and incomplete combustion, and the environmental impact of pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. The module also introduces radical substitution reactions between alkanes and halogens, helping you understand how these mechanisms proceed and how mixtures of products arise.

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By the end of this module, you’ll be able to:

• Describe the structure and bonding in alkanes

• Explain trends in physical properties such as boiling point and volatility

• Write balanced equations for combustion and understand the environmental consequences

• Outline the mechanism of free radical substitution and explain how side products are formed

OCR (A) specification points covered: 4.1.2 Alkanes