What is organic synthesis? | Chemistry Olympiad explainers

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Use this explainer to help familiarise students with organic synthesis, including carbonyl chemistry, as part of their preparation for the Chemistry Olympiad.

Organic synthesis is a common topic in Olympiad questions, but it’s often less familiar to students at the time they take part in the competition. This explainer provides an introduction to this topic, with a particular emphasis on carbonyl chemistry, to help students get to grips with the key ideas.

Students should read the introduction, before taking a look at a worked example of a past Olympiad question on the topic. They can then have a go at answering a past question themselves, before checking their answers.

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