JEE Main Organic Chemistry: Reactions That Appear Every Year
Organic Chemistry contributes 8–10 questions in JEE Main every year. These 30 reactions are the most frequently tested — master them and secure a guaranteed 24–30 marks from Organic Chemistry alone.
Name Reactions You Must Know
- Aldol Condensation: Two aldehydes/ketones form β-hydroxy carbonyl compound with NaOH
- Cannizzaro Reaction: Non-enolisable aldehydes undergo disproportionation with conc. NaOH
- Clemmensen Reduction: C=O → CH₂ using Zn-Hg/conc. HCl
- Wolff-Kishner Reduction: C=O → CH₂ using NH₂NH₂/KOH/ethylene glycol
- Friedel-Crafts Alkylation: Benzene + alkyl halide → alkylbenzene (AlCl₃ catalyst)
- Friedel-Crafts Acylation: Benzene + acyl halide → aryl ketone (AlCl₃ catalyst)
- Sandmeyer Reaction: Diazonium salt + CuCl/CuBr → aryl halide
- Reimer-Tiemann Reaction: Phenol + CHCl₃/NaOH → salicylaldehyde
Conversion Reactions — JEE Favourites
- Alkene → Alkane: H₂/Pd or Pt catalyst (Hydrogenation)
- Alkene → Alkyl halide: HX (Markovnikov addition)
- Alkene → diol: cold KMnO₄ (syn addition — Baeyer’s reagent)
- Benzene → Phenol: via diazonium salt hydrolysis
- Alcohol → Aldehyde: PCC oxidation (primary alcohol only)
- Carboxylic acid → Amine: via amide → Hofmann degradation
How to Study Organic Reactions for JEE
- Learn the mechanism, not just the equation — JEE tests WHY not just WHAT
- Group reactions by functional group transformation
- Make a one-page reaction map for each chapter
- Practice 20 organic conversion problems per day for 2 weeks
Champion Scholars JEE Chemistry faculty use reaction maps and conversion problems in every class to ensure students can tackle any organic question in JEE Main. Join our Chennai batch today.
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