The chemistry of photochemical smog
Photochemical smog is a brownish haze caused by the action of the sun’s visible and ultraviolet radiation on the primary
Author: Sarah Parkes
The Greenhouse Effect
Global warming and the greenhouse effect are topics that everyone feels they know well enough (because you’ve done them to
Free radical substitution reactions
Alkanes are exceptionally boring and unreactive molecules chemically speaking but we can persuade them to react with halogens in the
Blending petrol
Petrol needs to be blended to have the right properties in terms of its volatility and to reduce its propensity
Fractional distillation and cracking
Crude oil is the raw material from which alkanes are extracted via the process of fractional distillation. There is nothing
Structural isomerism
Structural isomers are molecules with the same molecular formula but a different arrangement of atoms … you need to recognise
Understanding single and double bonds – sigma and pi bonding
Given the electronic configuration of carbon, at first glance it would seem that it has only two electrons available for
Continue readingUnderstanding single and double bonds – sigma and pi bonding
How to name an alkane
I’ve tried to simplify the rules for naming alkanes in this video – I don’t think this requires notes so
Aromatic, aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbons
It’s always important to start at the beginning! There is so much terminology in organic chemistry, from the naming of
Continue readingAromatic, aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbons
Shapes of molecules and polyatomic ions
Working out the shape of a molecule or a bond angle always starts with a dot and cross diagram, even