• Alkanes: Alkanes have low reactivity and undergo free-radical substitution reactions.

• Alkenes: Alkenes are more reactive than alkanes and undergo addition reactions. Bromine water can be used to distinguish between alkenes and alkanes.

• Alcohols: Alcohols undergo esterification (or condensation) reactions with acids and some undergo oxidation reactions.

• Halogenoalkanes: Halogenoalkanes are more reactive than alkanes. They can undergo (nucleophilic) substitution reactions. A nucleophile is an electron-rich species containing a lone pair that it donates to an electron-deficient carbon.

• Polymers: Addition polymers consist of a wide range of monomers and form the basis of the plastics industry.

• Benzene: Benzene does not readily undergo addition reactions but does  undergo electrophilic substitution reactions.

Alkanes:

• Writing equations for the complete and incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons.

• Explanation of the reaction of methane and ethane with halogens in terms of a free-radical       substitution mechanism involving photochemical homolytic fission.

Alkenes:

• Writing equations for the reactions of alkenes with hydrogen and halogens and of symmetrical alkenes with hydrogen halides and water.

• Outline of the addition polymerization of alkenes.

• Relationship between the structure of the monomer to the polymer and repeating unit.

Alcohols:

• Writing equations for the complete combustion of alcohols.

• Writing equations for the oxidation reactions of primary and secondary alcohols (using              acidified potassium dichromate(VI) or potassium manganate(VII) as oxidizing agents).   

• Explanation of distillation and reflux in the isolation of the aldehyde and carboxylic acid         products.

• Writing the equation for the condensation reaction of an alcohol with a carboxylic acid, in the presence of a catalyst (eg concentrated sulfuric acid) to form an ester.

Halogenoalkanes:

• Writing the equation for the substitution reactions of halogenoalkanes with aqueous sodium hydroxide.

• Reference should be made to initiation, propagation and termination steps in free-radical substitution reactions. Free radicals should be represented by a single dot.

• The mechanisms of SN1 and SN2 and electrophilic substitution reactions are not required.