Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry · Carboxylic acids

Carboxylic acids, from the –COOH group to the ester.

Build the molecules, react ethanoic acid with metals, bases and carbonates on a virtual bench, watch ethanol turn into vinegar and make all sixteen esters. Then draw, balance and name them in exam-style questions that are marked on the spot.

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Free · no sign-up · works on a phone, a tablet or a laptop

What is inside

A learning journeyTen short lessons in a fixed order, each with the prerequisites it needs and a one-question check before it starts: the –COOH group, the general formula, properties, metals, bases, carbonates, oxidation, esters, catalysts, exam skills.
Seven live labsSlide along the homologous series, compare a weak acid with hydrochloric acid, balance equations atom by atom, react ethanoic acid on a bench, oxidise ethanol, make esters and test a catalyst.
Exam-style questionsOriginal questions with command words and marks: draw displayed formulae on a grid, balance and complete equations, name salts and esters. Marked against the chemistry; two attempts, then the answer and the reason.
A skills map that flags gapsThirteen skills and ten prerequisites, how secure each is, and the specific slips found in the answers, each with a short fix and the lesson that repairs it.

lessons: 10
exam-style questions: 73
live labs: 7

What it covers

Core is for every candidate; Supplement is for the Extended paper. A switch inside the simulator hides the Supplement material.

1(a)Describe the reaction of ethanoic acid with metals, including the names and formulae of the salts producedCore
1(b)Describe the reaction of ethanoic acid with bases, including the names and formulae of the salts producedCore
1(c)Describe the reaction of ethanoic acid with carbonates, including the names and formulae of the salts producedCore
2(a)Describe the formation of ethanoic acid by the oxidation of ethanol with acidified aqueous potassium manganate(VII)Supplement
2(b)Describe the formation of ethanoic acid by the bacterial oxidation of ethanol during vinegar productionSupplement
3Describe the reaction of a carboxylic acid with an alcohol using an acid catalyst to form an esterSupplement
F1Name and draw the structural and displayed formulae of unbranched carboxylic acids with up to four carbon atomsCore
F2Write and interpret the general formula of the carboxylic acids, CnH2n+1COOHCore
F3Name and draw the displayed formulae of the unbranched esters that can be made from unbranched alcohols and carboxylic acids, each containing up to four carbon atomsSupplement

Level: Written for Grade 10 (Year 10) students preparing for the Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620) exams. It stays inside the topic: acids and esters of up to four carbon atoms, no mechanisms and no equilibrium constants.
How it marks: Formulae, equations and drawings are checked against a chemistry engine, not against a list of typed answers. Written answers are self-marked against a mark scheme. A revealed answer does not count towards mastery.
On a phone: Everything works with a finger. Drawing displayed formulae is easier on a tablet or laptop.

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