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New YorkChemistry

Redox, Organic and Nuclear Chemistry

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do voltaic and electrolytic cells use redox reactions, and where do oxidation and reduction occur?

Electrochemical cells: distinguish voltaic from electrolytic cells, and identify the anode, cathode and direction of electron flow in each.
A focused Regents Chemistry answer on voltaic and electrolytic cells: how a spontaneous redox reaction makes a battery, how an electrolytic cell uses electricity to drive a non-spontaneous reaction, and where oxidation and reduction occur in each.
9 min answer →

How do you write half-reactions and use them to show that electrons and charge are conserved in redox?

Half-reactions and balancing redox: write oxidation and reduction half-reactions showing electron transfer, and balance them so that electrons lost equal electrons gained.
A focused Regents Chemistry answer on half-reactions: writing separate oxidation and reduction half-reactions with explicit electrons, balancing mass and charge, and equalizing the electrons lost and gained, using Table J as a guide.
9 min answer →

What are the types of radioactive decay, and how do you balance a nuclear equation and use half-life?

Nuclear chemistry: identify alpha, beta, positron and gamma radiation, balance nuclear equations, and use half-life with the Table T relationship and Table O data.
A focused Regents Chemistry answer on nuclear chemistry: the types of radiation and their symbols, balancing nuclear equations by conserving mass number and atomic number, half-life calculations, and the difference between fission and fusion.
9 min answer →

Why is carbon special, and how are the hydrocarbon families organized and named?

Organic chemistry and hydrocarbons: classify alkanes, alkenes and alkynes using their general formulas, and name simple hydrocarbons using Table P and Table Q.
A focused Regents Chemistry answer on organic chemistry and hydrocarbons: why carbon forms so many compounds, the alkane, alkene and alkyne homologous series with their general formulas, isomers, and naming using the Table P and Table Q reference data.
9 min answer →

How do functional groups define classes of organic compounds, and what are the main organic reactions?

Organic reactions and functional groups: identify organic classes from their functional groups using Table R, and recognize the main organic reactions such as combustion, substitution, addition, esterification and polymerization.
A focused Regents Chemistry answer on functional groups and organic reactions: identifying alcohols, acids, esters and other classes from Table R, and recognizing combustion, substitution, addition, esterification, saponification, fermentation and polymerization.
9 min answer →

How do you assign oxidation numbers, and how do they reveal what is oxidized and reduced?

Oxidation numbers and redox reactions: assign oxidation numbers using the standard rules, and identify oxidation, reduction, and the oxidizing and reducing agents in a reaction.
A focused Regents Chemistry answer on oxidation numbers and redox: the rules for assigning oxidation states, the meaning of oxidation (loss of electrons) and reduction (gain of electrons), and how to identify the oxidizing and reducing agents.
9 min answer →