BIO 103N: MODULE 1.1: Introduction to biology and chemistry

Organic chemistry

The branch of science which deals with scientific study of structure, composition, properties, preparations, reactions and synthesis of organic compounds.

organic compound

contains carbon covalently bound to other atoms, especially carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen

chemical compound

any substance made up of two or more elements that are chemically bonded togetherand can be classified as organic or inorganic

vitalism

the prevailing notion that living things had a life force or a vital force (vis-vitalis)

1828

Friedrich Wohler proved the ‘vital force’ theory wrong by synthetically producing urea

urea

a well-known organic material readily isolated from urine

1865

Friedrich August Kekule von Stradonitz discovered the benzene ring structure

1874

Jacobus van’t Hoff and Joseph-Archille Le Bel developed an organic molecule modeling system, called 3D stereochemical representation. They also discovered that carbon is tetrahedral, which means that carbon can have four atoms coming off it

valence shell electron pair repulsion (vsepr)

a model used to predict 3D molecular geometry based on the number of valence shell electron bond pairs among the atoms in a molecule or iron

organic chemistry

the study of the chemistry of carbon compounds

inorganic chemistry

the study of the chemistry of all other elements

natural organic compounds

one that is produced naturally, such as by plants or animals, and can be obtained from natural souces

synthetic organic compound

are major components of living systems, but can be produced artificially through chemical processes.