The GATE Grind

GATE Organic Chemistry: Organic Synthesis: Synthesis, reactions, mechanisms and selectivity involving the following classes of compounds – alkenes, alkynes, arenes, alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, nitriles, halides, nitro compounds, amines and amides. Uses of Mg, Li, Cu, B, Zn, P, S, Sn and Si based reagents in organic synthesis. Carbon-carbon bond formation through coupling reactions – Heck, Suzuki, Stille, Sonogashira, Negishi, Kumada, Hiyama, Tsuji-Trost reactions; olefin metathesis, McMurry coupling and Buchwald-Hartwig amination reactions. Baylis-Hillman, Henry, Ritter, Sakurai, Tebbe olefination, Pauson-Khand and Nazarov cyclization reactions. Concepts of multistep synthesis – retrosynthetic analysis, strategic disconnections, synthons and synthetic equivalents. Atom economy and green chemistry, Umpolung reactivity – formyl and acyl anion equivalents. Selectivity in organic synthesis – chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity. Protection and deprotection of functional groups. Concepts of asymmetric synthesis – resolution (including enzymatic), desymmetrization and use of chiral auxiliaries, organocatalysis. Carbon-carbon and carbonheteroatom bond forming reactions through enolates (including boron enolates), enamines and silyl enol ethers. Stereoselective addition to C=O groups (Cram, Prelog and Felkin-Anh models). Asymmetric aldol reactions – Evans reaction and proline catalyzed reaction. – Previous Year Questions

15 GATE previous year questions on Organic Synthesis: Synthesis, reactions, mechanisms and selectivity involving the following classes of compounds – alkenes, alkynes, arenes, alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, nitriles, halides, nitro compounds, amines and amides. Uses of Mg, Li, Cu, B, Zn, P, S, Sn and Si based reagents in organic synthesis. Carbon-carbon bond formation through coupling reactions – Heck, Suzuki, Stille, Sonogashira, Negishi, Kumada, Hiyama, Tsuji-Trost reactions; olefin metathesis, McMurry coupling and Buchwald-Hartwig amination reactions. Baylis-Hillman, Henry, Ritter, Sakurai, Tebbe olefination, Pauson-Khand and Nazarov cyclization reactions. Concepts of multistep synthesis – retrosynthetic analysis, strategic disconnections, synthons and synthetic equivalents. Atom economy and green chemistry, Umpolung reactivity – formyl and acyl anion equivalents. Selectivity in organic synthesis – chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity. Protection and deprotection of functional groups. Concepts of asymmetric synthesis – resolution (including enzymatic), desymmetrization and use of chiral auxiliaries, organocatalysis. Carbon-carbon and carbonheteroatom bond forming reactions through enolates (including boron enolates), enamines and silyl enol ethers. Stereoselective addition to C=O groups (Cram, Prelog and Felkin-Anh models). Asymmetric aldol reactions – Evans reaction and proline catalyzed reaction. (Organic Chemistry, Chemistry) with answers and explanations, from every paper.

  1. GATE 2026 CY Q13 (1 mark, Multiple choice) – The major product formed in the following reaction sequence is
  2. GATE 2026 CY Q21 (1 mark, Multiple select) – The reagent(s) that will effect the following transformation is(are)
  3. GATE 2026 CY Q39 (2 marks, Multiple choice) – The major product formed in the following reaction sequence is
  4. GATE 2026 CY Q48 (2 marks, Multiple select) – The set(s) of reagents that will effect the following conversion is(are)
  5. GATE 2025 CY Q15 (1 mark, Multiple choice) – For an unambiguous single step synthesis of the following target molecule (TM), the best bond disconnection in its retrosynthetic analysis is (TM)
  6. GATE 2025 CY Q41 (2 marks, Multiple choice) – The major products X and Y formed in the following reaction sequences are
  7. GATE 2025 CY Q43 (2 marks, Multiple choice) – The major product formed in the following reaction sequences is
  8. GATE 2025 CY Q44 (2 marks, Multiple choice) – In the following asymmetric transformation, the key aldol reaction involves the attack of
  9. GATE 2025 CY Q53 (2 marks, Multiple select) – The correct option(s) of reagents and reaction sequences suitable for carrying out the following transformation is/are
  10. GATE 2025 CY Q59 (2 marks, Numerical answer) – In the following reaction, 13.4 grams of aldehyde P gave a diastereomeric mixture of alcohols Q and R in a ratio of 2:1. If the yield of the reaction…
  11. GATE 2024 CY Q17 (1 mark, Multiple choice) – The product M in the following reaction is
  12. GATE 2024 CY Q43 (2 marks, Multiple choice) – The major products E and F in the following reaction sequence are
  13. GATE 2024 CY Q51 (2 marks, Multiple select) – The correct option(s) that give(s) P as the major product is (are)
  14. GATE 2024 CY Q53 (2 marks, Multiple select) – Consider the following reaction sequence. The correct option(s) is (are)
  15. GATE 2024 CY Q61 (2 marks, Numerical answer) – In the given reaction sequence, the amount of R produced (in g) is . (Given: molar mass (in g mol-1) of H = 1, C = 12, N = 14, O = 16, and S = 32)…