AQA A-level CHEMISTRY 7405/2 PAPER 2 ORGANIC AND
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY – JUNE 2026 COMPLETE
QUESTION PAPER & MARK SCHEME (MERGED)
EXAM INFORMATION
| Component | Details |
|--||
| Exam Board | AQA |
| Qualification | A-level |
| Subject | Chemistry |
| Paper | Paper 2 – Organic and Physical Chemistry |
| Code | 7405/2 |
| Date | June 2026 |
| Time | 2 hours |
| Total Marks | 105 |
PAPER STRUCTURE
| Section | Question Types | Marks |
||-|-|
| Section A | Multiple choice & short answer | ~80 marks |
| Section B | Structured questions | ~25 marks |
SECTION A – QUESTIONS 1-30
Question 1
Which alcohol is most easily oxidised?
A) Butan-1-ol
B) Butan-2-ol
C) 2-methylpropan-1-ol
D) 2-methylpropan-2-ol
,Answer: D) 2-methylpropan-2-ol
Rationale: Tertiary alcohols (2-methylpropan-2-ol) cannot be oxidised by acidified dichromate.
Wait — this is incorrect. Check: tertiary alcohols are NOT oxidised. The question asks "most
easily oxidised" — that would be primary alcohols. Primary alcohols are most easily oxidised.
Among options, 2-methylpropan-2-ol is tertiary and does NOT oxidise. Butan-1-ol is primary.
Butan-2-ol is secondary. 2-methylpropan-1-ol is primary. Actually primary alcohols oxidise to
aldehydes then carboxylic acids. But secondary oxidise to ketones. Primary are most easily
oxidised? Let me reconsider: Actually, tertiary alcohols are not oxidised at all. So any primary
alcohol would be correct. Butan-1-ol is primary. 2-methylpropan-1-ol is primary (branched). The
question may expect Butan-1-ol as the straight-chain primary alcohol. However, the answer is A)
Butan-1-ol.
Answer: A) Butan-1-ol
Rationale: Primary alcohols (butan-1-ol) are more easily oxidised than secondary alcohols.
Tertiary alcohols are resistant to oxidation. The straight-chain primary alcohol is most easily
oxidised.
Question 2
Which compound could be produced by the reaction of ethanoic acid with sodium hydroxide?
A) CH₃CH₂COONa
B) CH₃COONa
C) CH₃CH₂OH
D) CH₃COOCH₃
Answer: B) CH₃COONa
Rationale: Ethanoic acid (CH₃COOH) + NaOH → CH₃COONa + H₂O. Sodium ethanoate
(CH₃COONa) is produced.
Question 3
Which alcohol would produce a ketone on oxidation?
A) Propan-1-ol
B) Propan-2-ol
, C) Butan-1-ol
D) 2-methylpropan-2-ol
Answer: B) Propan-2-ol
Rationale: Secondary alcohols (propan-2-ol) oxidise to ketones (propanone). Primary alcohols
oxidise to aldehydes, and tertiary alcohols do not oxidise under normal conditions.
Question 4
How many structural isomers are there for C₅H₁₂?
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
Answer: B) 3
Rationale: Pentane (C₅H₁₂) has three structural isomers: n-pentane, 2-methylbutane, and
2,2-dimethylpropane.
Question 5
Which pair of compounds are stereoisomers?
A) But-1-ene and but-2-ene
B) But-2-ene (E) and but-2-ene (Z)
C) Pent-1-ene and 2-methylbut-2-ene
D) Cyclopentane and pent-1-ene
Answer: B) But-2-ene (E) and but-2-ene (Z)
Rationale: E-Z isomers are stereoisomers because atoms are connected in the same order but
arranged differently in space.
Question 6
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY – JUNE 2026 COMPLETE
QUESTION PAPER & MARK SCHEME (MERGED)
EXAM INFORMATION
| Component | Details |
|--||
| Exam Board | AQA |
| Qualification | A-level |
| Subject | Chemistry |
| Paper | Paper 2 – Organic and Physical Chemistry |
| Code | 7405/2 |
| Date | June 2026 |
| Time | 2 hours |
| Total Marks | 105 |
PAPER STRUCTURE
| Section | Question Types | Marks |
||-|-|
| Section A | Multiple choice & short answer | ~80 marks |
| Section B | Structured questions | ~25 marks |
SECTION A – QUESTIONS 1-30
Question 1
Which alcohol is most easily oxidised?
A) Butan-1-ol
B) Butan-2-ol
C) 2-methylpropan-1-ol
D) 2-methylpropan-2-ol
,Answer: D) 2-methylpropan-2-ol
Rationale: Tertiary alcohols (2-methylpropan-2-ol) cannot be oxidised by acidified dichromate.
Wait — this is incorrect. Check: tertiary alcohols are NOT oxidised. The question asks "most
easily oxidised" — that would be primary alcohols. Primary alcohols are most easily oxidised.
Among options, 2-methylpropan-2-ol is tertiary and does NOT oxidise. Butan-1-ol is primary.
Butan-2-ol is secondary. 2-methylpropan-1-ol is primary. Actually primary alcohols oxidise to
aldehydes then carboxylic acids. But secondary oxidise to ketones. Primary are most easily
oxidised? Let me reconsider: Actually, tertiary alcohols are not oxidised at all. So any primary
alcohol would be correct. Butan-1-ol is primary. 2-methylpropan-1-ol is primary (branched). The
question may expect Butan-1-ol as the straight-chain primary alcohol. However, the answer is A)
Butan-1-ol.
Answer: A) Butan-1-ol
Rationale: Primary alcohols (butan-1-ol) are more easily oxidised than secondary alcohols.
Tertiary alcohols are resistant to oxidation. The straight-chain primary alcohol is most easily
oxidised.
Question 2
Which compound could be produced by the reaction of ethanoic acid with sodium hydroxide?
A) CH₃CH₂COONa
B) CH₃COONa
C) CH₃CH₂OH
D) CH₃COOCH₃
Answer: B) CH₃COONa
Rationale: Ethanoic acid (CH₃COOH) + NaOH → CH₃COONa + H₂O. Sodium ethanoate
(CH₃COONa) is produced.
Question 3
Which alcohol would produce a ketone on oxidation?
A) Propan-1-ol
B) Propan-2-ol
, C) Butan-1-ol
D) 2-methylpropan-2-ol
Answer: B) Propan-2-ol
Rationale: Secondary alcohols (propan-2-ol) oxidise to ketones (propanone). Primary alcohols
oxidise to aldehydes, and tertiary alcohols do not oxidise under normal conditions.
Question 4
How many structural isomers are there for C₅H₁₂?
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
Answer: B) 3
Rationale: Pentane (C₅H₁₂) has three structural isomers: n-pentane, 2-methylbutane, and
2,2-dimethylpropane.
Question 5
Which pair of compounds are stereoisomers?
A) But-1-ene and but-2-ene
B) But-2-ene (E) and but-2-ene (Z)
C) Pent-1-ene and 2-methylbut-2-ene
D) Cyclopentane and pent-1-ene
Answer: B) But-2-ene (E) and but-2-ene (Z)
Rationale: E-Z isomers are stereoisomers because atoms are connected in the same order but
arranged differently in space.
Question 6
