Summary notes for AQA A-Level Chemistry Unit 3.3.14 - Organic synthesis (A-level only) by an Imperial College London MSci Chemistry graduate. Notes divided into the following sections: Designing Synthetic Routes, Devising a Step-Wise Synthesis for an Organic Compound, Exam Technique
Organic Synthesis
The synthesis of an organic compound can involve several steps. Chemists use synthetic routes to
show the reagents, conditions + any special procedures needed to get from one compound to another.
Designing Synthetic Routes
When designing synthetic routes, chemists aim to…
1. Design processes that do not require a solvent.
- Avoiding using solvents reduces both the hazards associated w/ the process + the amount of waste
created by a synthetic route.
• Solvents are often ammable + toxic so can pose safety risks.
• Having to separate solvents from products or dispose of solvents after the reaction is complete
can create a lot of waste too.
2. Design processes that use non-hazardous starting materials.
- These may be toxic, corrosive or ammable.
• Often the use of KCN is avoided as it is toxic, + other synthetic routes will be used instead
- This limits the potential for accidents + environmental damage.
3. Design production methods w/ fewer steps that have a high % atom economy.
- Chemists will always try to limit the no. of steps in a conversion as there is a loss at each step as
the % yield is not 100% for each reaction.
- A higher % atom economy means more of the starting materials are converted into useful
products, which minimises waste.
Devising a Step-Wise Synthesis for an Organic Compound
In your exam you could be asked to devise a step-wise synthesis, w/ up to 4 steps, for an organic
compound. When answering the question, make sure to include:
• Special procedures (e.g. re uxing).
• Conditions (e.g. high temp./pressure or catalyst).
• Safety precautions (e.g. fume cupboard for toxic gases such as HCl or HCN; avoid splashes on bare
skin for bromine water, acids or alkalis).
Please note the next 2 diagrams…
• Synthetic Routes for Making Organic Compounds
and
• Synthetic Routes for Aromatic Compounds
have been taken from the
A-Level Chemistry for AQA: Year 2 Student Book,
so the page no.s found in the diagrams refer to pages
found in that textbook.
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