CHEMISTRY PLAN FOR AQA RP 6

TEST 1: TESTING FOR AN ALKENE

Equipment: 5 test tubes, test tube rack, bromine water, dropping pipette, spatula

 Set up 5 test tubes using a test tube rack. Make sure you label each one from A-E.
 Add 1cm3 of bromine water in each test tube using a dropping pipette.
 Proceed to add a small spatula of organic solid A to its corresponding test tube.
 If the organic compound contains the alkene functional group, the solution of bromine will decolorize.
 Repeat the process for the other unknown organic solids.

TEST 2: TESTING FOR A CARBOXYLIC ACID

Equipment: 5 test tubes, test tube rack, aqueous sodium carbonate, dropping pipette, spatula

 Set up 5 test tubes using a test tube rack. Make sure you label each one from A-E.
 Add 1cm3 of aqueous sodium carbonate in each test tube using a dropping pipette.
 Proceed to add a small spatula of organic solid A to its corresponding test tube.
 If the organic compound contains the carboxylic acid functional group, effervescence will be observed due to the
production of CO2.
 Repeat this process for the other unknown organic solids.

TEST 3: TESTING FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ALCOHOLS

Equipment: 5 boiling tubes, test tube rack, acidified potassium dichromate, dropping pipette, spatula, 250cm3 beaker, kettle

 Set up 5 test tubes using a test tube rack. Make sure you label each one from A-E.
 Add 1cm3 of acidified potassium dichromate in each boiling tube using a dropping pipette.
 Proceed to add a small spatula of each unknown organic solid (A-E) to their corresponding boiling tubes.
 Make a water bath by boiling water from a kettle and adding it to a 250cm3 beaker. Fill the beaker about halfway.
 Once you have your water bath immediately heat your boiling tubes by adding them all into the beaker.
 If the organic compound contains a primary or secondary alcohol functional group, the orange dichromate solution
will be reduced to green chromium (III) solution.

TEST 4: TESTING FOR AN ALDEHYDE

Equipment: 5 boiling tubes, test tube rack, silver nitrate, 0.4M sodium hydroxide, 1M ammonia solution, dropping pipette,
spatula, 250cm3 cubed beaker, kettle

 Set up 5 test tubes using a test tube rack. Make sure you label each one from A-E.
 To make Tollen’s reagent do the following: put 1cm3 of silver nitrate in a test tube. Add 1 drop of 0.4M dm-3
sodium hydroxide. A precipitate will form. Add drops of 1M ammonia solution until the precipitate just
redissolves. The test tube now contains Tollen’s reagent.
 Add 1cm3 of the Tollen’s reagent in each boiling tube using a pipette.
 Proceed to add a small spatula of each unknown organic solid (A-E) to their corresponding boiling tubes.
 Make a water bath by boiling water from a kettle and adding it to a 250cm3 beaker. Fill the beaker about halfway.
 Once you have your water bath immediately heat your boiling tubes by adding them all into the beaker.
 If the organic compound contains an aldehyde functional group, a silver mirror will be seen.