Organic Chemistry Introduction

Vocabulary flashcards covering the fundamentals of organic chemistry, including the properties of carbon, types of hydrocarbons, naming rules, structural representation, and functional groups.

Organic Chemistry

A large branch of chemistry that deals with molecules made of carbon and hydrogen.

Five Primary Atoms of Living Organisms

The five elements that make up $98\%$ of all living organisms: Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur.

Biological / Organic Molecule Bonding

The type of chemical bonding utilized by biological molecules such as lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids, which is covalent bonds.

Organic Compounds

Carbon-based molecules of life, with exceptions including carbon monoxide ($CO$), carbon dioxide ($CO_2$), carbonates, and cyanides.

Carbon Valence

Carbon has $4$ valence electrons, enabling it to form single, double, or triple covalent bonds and link together to form very useful chains.

Hydrocarbons

Organic molecules composed entirely of carbon and hydrogen atoms, categorized by the types of carbon-carbon bonds they contain.

Alkanes

Hydrocarbons characterized by single covalent bonds between carbon atoms, named using the suffix '-ane' (e.g., ethane).

Alkenes

Hydrocarbons containing at least one double covalent bond between carbon atoms, named using the suffix '-ene' (e.g., ethene).

Alkynes

Hydrocarbons containing at least one triple covalent bond between carbon atoms, named using the suffix '-yne' (e.g., ethyne).

Hydrocarbon Prefixes (1 to 4 Carbons)

The root prefixes designating chain length: 'meth-' for $1$ carbon ($CH_4$), 'eth-' for $2$ carbons ($C_2H_6$), 'prop-' for $3$ carbons ($C_3H_8$), and 'but-' for $4$ carbons ($C_4H_{10}$).

Hydrocarbon Prefixes (5 to 10 Carbons)

The root prefixes designating chain length: 'pent-' ($5$), 'hex-' ($6$), 'hept-' ($7$), 'oct-' ($8$), 'non-' ($9$), and 'dec-' ($10$).

Structural Formula

A visual representation of a hydrocarbon that explicitly displays all atoms and the covalent bonds connecting them.

Line Diagram (Skeletal Formula)

A simplified sketching method for hydrocarbons where line segments represent bonds and each corner, vertex, or line end represents a carbon atom.

Cyclo-

A prefix added to the beginning of a hydrocarbon's root name when the carbon chain forms a closed ring.

Functional Groups

Additional branches on a hydrocarbon or specialized groups (such as branching alkyl chains like methyl, ethyl, and propyl, or halogens) that dictate the molecule's chemical properties.

Branch Numbering Rule

The rule stating that when numbering the longest continuous carbon chain, one must count in the direction that assigns the lowest possible number to the carbon bearing the functional group.