Alkanes
AQA A-Level Chemistry
3.3.2
Alkanes are the simplest family of hydrocarbons and provide a foundation for understanding many of the compounds and reactions encountered throughout organic chemistry. Building on the principles introduced in the Introduction to Organic Chemistry unit, this topic explores the structure and properties of alkanes and how these influence their reactivity. This provides the foundation for understanding how hydrocarbons are obtained from crude oil by fractional distillation and transformed into more useful substances through cracking.
In this topic you will:
- Understand what makes alkanes a homologous series of saturated hydrocarbons.
- Be able to recognise and name alkanes using IUPAC naming rules.
- Explain how molecular size and branching affect boiling point.
- Explain why alkanes are insoluble in water.
- Understand why alkanes are relatively unreactive despite being excellent fuels.
Learn, Revise, Practise
Whether you’re learning this topic for the first time or revising before an exam, the Learn, Revise, Practise Method helps you study in the right way at the right time.
If you’re studying this topic for the first time, or you’re struggling to understand it, start with Learn. Once you’ve built that understanding, move on to Revise to strengthen your memory, before finishing with Practise to apply your knowledge to exam-style questions.
Learn
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Watch the lesson and complete the Learn Pack as you go to develop a secure understanding of the topic.
Revise
Strengthen memory
Use active recall to check what you can remember, identify gaps and reinforce your understanding.
Practise
Apply knowledge
Work through exam-style questions and develop the confidence and technique needed for success.
Learn
Build Understanding
Start by building a secure understanding of the topic’s content. Download the Learn Pack and complete the guided activities alongside the video. This will help build your understanding and give you a comprehensive set of notes to refer back to. Once you’ve finished the video, use the questions in the pack to check your understanding. Finally, use the answers to review your work and correct any misunderstandings before moving on to the Revise phase.