Intro to Medicinal Chemistry: Functional Groups

A comprehensive vocabulary set of functional groups including hydrocarbons, halogens, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur-containing structures based on medicinal chemistry lecture slides.

Alkane (single bond)

A hydrocarbon containing only single covalent bonds.

Alkene (double bond)

A hydrocarbon containing at least one carbon-carbon double bond.

Alkyne (triple bond)

A hydrocarbon containing at least one carbon-carbon triple bond.

Aromatic hydrocarbon (benzene)

A cyclic, planar hydrocarbon with delocalized pi systems, such as benzene.

Halogen

Elements from Group 7 of the periodic table, including $F$, $Cl$, $Br$, $I$, and $At$.

Hydrogen Bond Donor

A group with a hydrogen atom bonded to an electronegative atom, such as $N-H$ or $O-H$, capable of forming a hydrogen bond.

Hydrogen Bond Acceptor

An electronegative atom with a lone pair, such as oxygen, nitrogen, or fluorine, that can attract a hydrogen bond donor.

Alcohol

An oxygen-containing functional group characterized by the structure $R-O-H$.

Ether

An oxygen-containing functional group with the structure $R-O-R$.

Aldehyde

A carbonyl-containing functional group with the structure $R-CHO$.

Ketone

A carbonyl-containing functional group with the structure $R-CO-R$.

Carboxylic Acid

A carbonyl-containing functional group with the structure $R-COOH$.

Acid Halide

A carbonyl-containing functional group bonded to a halogen with the structure $R-COX$.

Ester

A carbonyl-containing functional group with the structure $R-CO-OR$.

Amide

A functional group in which a carbonyl carbon is bonded to a nitrogen atom.

Amine

A nitrogen-containing functional group typically structured as $R-NH_2$, $R_2NH$, or $R_3N$.

Nitro

A nitrogen-containing functional group with the structure $-NO_2$.

Nitrate

A nitrogen-containing functional group with the structure $-O-NO_2$.

Nitrile

A nitrogen-containing functional group with a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom ($R-C \biguplus N$).

Imide

A nitrogen-containing functional group consisting of two carbonyl groups bonded to the same nitrogen atom.

Guanidine

A nitrogen-containing functional group with the central structure $H_2N-C(=NH)-NH_2$.

Imine

A nitrogen-containing functional group characterized by a carbon-nitrogen double bond ($C=N$).

Amidine

A nitrogen-containing functional group with the structure $R-C(=NH)-NH_2$, similar to a carboxylic acid derivative.

Carbamate

A functional group that contains both an ester and an amide moiety bonded to the same carbonyl.

Urea

A functional group where a carbonyl carbon is bonded to two different nitrogen atoms.

Thiol

A sulfur-containing functional group characterized by the structure $R-SH$.

Sulfide (thioether)

A sulfur-containing functional group with the structure $R-S-R$, analogous to an ether.

Thioketone

A sulfur-containing functional group where a carbon atom is double-bonded to a sulfur atom ($C=S$).

Thiocarboxylic acid

A sulfur-containing analogue of a carboxylic acid where one or more oxygen atoms are replaced by sulfur.

Thioester

A sulfur-containing analogue of an ester with the structure $R-CO-SR$.

Disulfide

A sulfur-containing functional group consisting of a bond between two sulfur atoms ($R-S-S-R$).

Sulfoxide

A sulfur-containing functional group where a sulfur atom is double-bonded to one oxygen and single-bonded to two alkyl or aryl groups.

Sulfinic acid

A sulfur-containing functional group with the structure $R-S(=O)OH$.

Sulfone

A sulfur-containing functional group where a sulfur atom is double-bonded to two oxygen atoms and single-bonded to two alkyl or aryl groups ($R-SO_2-R$).

Sulfonic acid

A sulfur-containing functional group with the structure $R-SO_2-OH$.

Sulfonate ester

A sulfur-containing functional group with the structure $R-SO_2-OR$.

Sulfonamide

A sulfur-containing functional group with the structure $R-SO_2-NH_2$.