A Level Chemistry 9701, topic 36.1

Organic synthesis: past paper questions

10 Cambridge A Level Chemistry 9701 questions on Organic synthesis (36.1) from 8 papers, 2023 to 2026. Open the paper or try a question free.

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Questions: 10
Papers: 8
Years: 2023 to 2026
Total marks: 108
Average per question: 10.8 marks
Largest question: 15 marks

By type: Structured 10

How hard the questions are

Recall0
Apply0
Analyse10
Not banded0

Derived from the command word Cambridge prints in each question, banded by a fixed table beside the syllabus's own definitions. A question printing no command word is unbanded: unknown, not middling.

Command words

explainAnalyse9 questions
set out purposes or reasons / make the relationships between things evident / provide why and/or how and support with relevant evidence
drawApply8 questions
suggestAnalyse8 questions
apply knowledge and understanding to situations where there are a range of valid responses in order to make proposals / put forward considerations
giveRecall5 questions
produce an answer from a given source or recall/memory
stateRecall4 questions
express in clear terms
completeApply3 questions
nameRecall3 questions
describeApply2 questions
state the points of a topic / give characteristics and main features
deduceAnalyse1 question
conclude from available information
identifyRecall1 question
name/select/recognise

Where the questions come from

By year

20263
20254
20241
20232

By session

May/June6
Oct/Nov4

By paper

Paper 410

Questions on this topic

Showing 9 of 10, spread across the years. Open one to write your answer and have it marked.

Question 6May/June 2026, paper 42Structured14 marksHas a diagram
Phenol reacts with ${Br}_{2} (aq)$ . State all the expected observations when ${Br}_{2} (aq)$ is added dropwise to a solution of phenol.
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Question 9Oct/Nov 2025, paper 41Structured9 marksHas a diagram
Explain why amides are much weaker bases than amines.
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Question 7May/June 2024, paper 42Structured9 marksHas a diagram
Methyl red can be synthesised as shown in Fig. 7.1. Give the systematic name of $P$ .
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Question 7Oct/Nov 2023, paper 41Structured8 marksHas a diagram
Sunset Yellow is an additive used for colouring foods. A synthetic route for making Sunset Yellow is shown. Molecules $E$ and $G$ each contain one $- S O_{3}^{-}$ group.
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Question 7May/June 2026, paper 42Structured11 marksHas a diagram
Alanine, ${CH}_{3} CH ({NH}_{2}) COOH$ , is an amino acid that contains a chiral centre. Different synthetic routes to produce alanine can lead to the formation of an optically active sample or a racemic mixture. Describe what is meant by optically active.
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Question 9Oct/Nov 2025, paper 42Structured14 marksHas a diagram
Compound X is made from benzene by the route shown in Fig. 9.1. Describe the bonding in benzene, $C_{6} H_{6}$ .
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Question 8May/June 2023, paper 42Structured15 marksHas a diagram
Describe the difference in reactivity between chloroethane and chlorobenzene with ${OH}^{-} (aq)$ .
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Question 9May/June 2026, paper 42Structured10 marksHas a diagram
Compound P and compound Q are isomers. State the relative basicities of P, Q and ammonia.
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Question 9May/June 2025, paper 42Structured9 marksHas a diagram
The structures of the amino acids serine and lysine are shown in Fig. 9.1. Draw the structure for the dipeptide, ser–lys, with molecular formula $C_{9} H_{19} N_{3} O_{4}$ .
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