FAD1018 Intuition Notes — Master Index
Quick navigation to all intuition and quick-reference notes for FAD1018.
Organic Chemistry Intuition Notes
Core Functional Groups (In Reaction Order)
| # |
Topic |
File |
Key Concepts |
| 1 |
Alcohol & Phenol |
Alcohol & Phenol |
Classification (1°/2°/3°), pKa trends, Lucas test, chromic acid test, iodoform, oxidation, Grignard, E1 dehydration |
| 2 |
Carbonyl Compounds |
Carbonyl Compounds |
Aldehydes vs ketones, Tollens/Fehling/2,4-DNP tests, nucleophilic addition, aldol, Cannizzaro, haloform |
| 3 |
Carboxylic Acids & Derivatives |
Carboxylic Acids & Derivatives |
Reactivity ladder (acyl chloride → amide), Fischer esterification, saponification, Hofmann rearrangement |
| 4 |
Ketones (Deep Dive) |
Ketones |
Carbonyl trap, tetrahedral intermediate, reduction methods, cyclic ketones |
Organic Chemistry Flow
Alcohol (1°) ──Oxidation──→ Aldehyde ──Oxidation──→ Carboxylic Acid
│ │ │
│ │ ├──→ Acyl Chloride
│ │ ├──→ Ester (Fischer)
│ │ └──→ Amide
│ │
└───PCC (mild)──────────────┘
Alcohol (2°) ──Oxidation──→ Ketone ──Reduction──→ Alcohol (2°)
│ │
└───Any oxidant─────────────┘
Physical Chemistry Intuition Notes
| Topic |
File |
Key Concepts |
| Chemical Kinetics |
Kinetics |
Rate laws, integrated rate laws, half-life patterns, Arrhenius, mechanisms, enzyme kinetics |
| Thermochemistry |
Thermochemistry |
Enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs free energy, Hess's law |
| Phase Equilibria |
Deviations & Azeotropes |
Raoult's law, ideal vs non-ideal, azeotropes |
| Acid-Base Titration |
Acid-Base Titration |
Titration curves, indicators, buffer regions, equivalence point |
| Electrochemistry |
Electrochemical Series |
Redox potentials, cell potential, spontaneity |
Drill Packs & Practice
| Type |
File |
Content |
| Carbonyl Compounds |
Carbonyl Drill |
56 problems: naming, reactions, tests, synthesis |
| Electrochemistry |
Electrochem Drill |
Cell potential calculations, redox reactions |
| Interleaved Mastery |
Mastery Set |
Mixed topics, exam-style problems |
| Kinetics through Biochem |
Kinetics Drill |
Connecting kinetics to organic/biochemistry |
| Phase & Thermo |
Phase Drill |
Raoult's law, colligative properties |
| Solubility Product |
Ksp Guide |
Precipitation, Q vs Ksp calculations |
| Degree of Dissociation |
Alpha Guide |
Weak acid/base dissociation calculations |
Exam Preparation
| Resource |
File |
Use Case |
| Final Exam Scope |
Exam Scope |
Complete breakdown of exam topics, past year analysis |
| Part B Prediction |
Kinetics Prediction |
Section B prediction for kinetics |
| Comprehensive Drill |
Full Syllabus Drill |
Excalidraw visual map of entire course |
| Nth-Order Half-Life |
Half-Life Derivation |
General derivation for any reaction order |
Quick Reference: Organic Chemistry Tests
| Test |
Positive For |
Observation |
| Lucas |
3° > 2° > 1° alcohol |
Cloudy/turbid (ZnCl₂/HCl) |
| Chromic Acid |
1°/2° alcohol, aldehyde |
Orange → green/blue |
| Iodoform |
CH₃CHO, CH₃COR, CH₃CH(OH)R, ethanol |
Yellow CHI₃ precipitate |
| Tollens' |
Aldehydes |
Silver mirror |
| Fehling's |
Aliphatic aldehydes |
Brick-red Cu₂O |
| 2,4-DNP |
All carbonyls |
Orange/red precipitate |
| Br₂ (aq) |
Phenols |
White precipitate (tribromophenol) |
| FeCl₃ |
Phenols, enols |
Light purple complex |
| NaHCO₃ |
Carboxylic acids |
CO₂ bubbles (effervescence) |
Quick Reference: Oxidation Reagents
| Starting Material |
Reagent |
Product |
| 1° Alcohol |
PCC/CH₂Cl₂ |
Aldehyde |
| 1° Alcohol |
K₂Cr₂O₇/H⁺, KMnO₄/H⁺ |
Carboxylic acid |
| 2° Alcohol |
Any oxidant |
Ketone |
| 3° Alcohol |
Any oxidant |
No reaction |
| Aldehyde |
Any oxidant |
Carboxylic acid |
| Ketone |
Most oxidants |
No reaction |
Derivative Reactivity Order
ACYL CHLORIDE > ACID ANHYDRIDE > ESTER ≈ CARBOXYLIC ACID > AMIDE
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
Most reactive Moderate Less reactive Less reactive Least reactive
(Cl⁻ leaves) (RCOO⁻ leaves) (RO⁻ leaves) (HO⁻ leaves) (NH₂⁻ leaves)
Organic Chemistry Study Path — Where To Start And End
The Order (Builds on Each Other)
Start Here ──→ Alcohol & Phenol ──→ Carbonyl Compounds ──→ Carboxylic Acids & Derivatives
│ │ │
↓ ↓ ↓
Oxidation Nucleophilic Nucleophilic
(1°→aldehyde) Addition Acyl Substitution
(2°→ketone) (Grignard, HCN) (esterification,
(aldol, Cannizzaro) saponification, amides)
How To Read Each Intuition Note
Definition → Property → Identification → Condition → Preparation → Reactions
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
What is BP, pKa, Lucas, Tollens, What reagent How to What it
it? solubility Fehling, 2,4-DNP + temp? make it? becomes?
If Exam Is Tomorrow (Organic Only)
1. <a href="/pasum/sources/fad1018-exam-leaks-2025-2026/">FAD1018 Exam Leaks 2025-2026</a> — see which organic topics in Section A/B
2. <a href="/pasum/synthesis/alcohol-phenol-intuition-note/">Alcohol & Phenol — Intuition Note</a> → skip to: Identification + Reactions
3. <a href="/pasum/synthesis/carbonyl-compounds-intuition-note/">Carbonyl Compounds — Intuition Note</a> → skip to: Identification Tests table + Reactions
4. <a href="/pasum/synthesis/carboxylic-acids-derivatives-intuition-note/">Carboxylic Acids & Derivatives — Intuition Note</a> → skip to: Derivative reactivity + Reactions
5. <a href="/pasum/concepts/stereochemistry/">Stereochemistry</a> — read alongside, merged in exam questions
6. Memorise:
● Identification tests table (Tollens/Fehling/2,4-DNP/Iodoform)
● Oxidation reagent table (PCC vs K₂Cr₂O₇)
● Derivative reactivity order (acyl chloride > anhydride > ester ≈ acid > amide)
When To Do Which Drill
| You Feel... |
Do This |
| Carbonyl tests blur together |
Carbonyl Drill (56 problems) |
| Want mixed organic + physical |
Mastery Set |
| Full syllabus run needed |
Full Syllabus Drill |
| Need reaction mechanisms |
Re-read Reactions section of each Intuition Note |
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