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CAIE A Level Chemistry 9701 · Nitrogen compounds

Nitrogen compounds: explain question

Explain4 marksStandard

A student attempts to prepare a carboxylic acid from 1-bromopropane. The student plans to first convert the halogenoalkane to a nitrile, then hydrolyse the nitrile to the carboxylic acid.

(a) State the reagent and conditions needed to convert 1-bromopropane into a nitrile.

(b) Explain why this reaction produces a nitrile rather than a hydroxynitrile.

(c) The student also wants to prepare a hydroxynitrile from propanal. State the reagent and conditions for this reaction.

(d) The nitrile from (a) is hydrolysed to the carboxylic acid using dilute hydrochloric acid under reflux. Explain why the reaction mixture is then acidified if dilute alkali had been used instead.

0 words · 4 marks

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4 marks, so the mark scheme is looking for about 4 separate creditworthy points. Making the same point twice in different words earns it once.

Explain means: Give the reasons or the mechanism: why or how something happens. Link each point to the next with because, so or which means. A list of facts with no links usually loses the reasoning marks.

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