recall the reactions by which carboxylic acids can be produced: (a) oxidation of primary alcohols and aldehydes with acidified \( K_2Cr_2O_7 \) or acidified \( KMnO_4 \) and refluxing (b) hydrolysis of nitriles with dilute acid or dilute alkali followed by acidification (c) hydrolysis of esters with dilute acid or dilute alkali and heat followed by acidification
interpret and use the following terminology associated with types of organic compounds and reactions: (a) homologous series (b) saturated and unsaturated (c) homolytic and heterolytic fission (d) free radical, initiation, propagation, termination (e) nucleophile, electrophile, nucleophilic, electrophilic (f) addition, substitution, elimination, hydrolysis, condensation (g) oxidation and reduction (in equations for organic redox reactions, the symbol [O] can be used to represent one atom of oxygen from an oxidising agent and the symbol [H] to represent one atom of hydrogen from a reducing agent)