A Level H2 Chemistry: Your 30‑Minute Organic Synthesis Roadmap

Big picture

Think in functional groups and the arrows that convert them. Anchor reactions: oxidation–reduction, nucleophilic substitution, electrophilic addition, elimination, hydrolysis.

Core conversions

• Alkene → Alcohol: Acidic KMnO₄ (diol) or H₂SO₄/H₂O (Markovnikov).
• Alcohol → Halogenoalkane: PCl₅, SOCl₂, HX.
• Primary alcohol → Aldehyde → Carboxylic acid: PCC (partial) vs acidic dichromate (full).
• Carboxylic acid ↔ Ester: Fischer esterification / base hydrolysis.
• Nitrobenzene → Aniline: Sn/HCl followed by NaOH.

Exam habits

• Write reagents + conditions exactly (temp/pressure/catalyst).
• Check stereochemistry and regiochemistry.
• Account for by‑products and overall yield.

Build a one‑page map linking groups with arrows and annotate your favourite routes.