Simple Organic Reactions Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the five major types of organic reactions, including their mechanisms, chemical traits, and real-world applications based on the lecture notes.

Combustion

A high-temperature reaction where an organic fuel reacts rapidly with oxygen gas, breaking carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds to produce carbon dioxide and water if the fuel is a pure hydrocarbon.

Addition

A reaction occurring exclusively in unsaturated molecules where a double bond breaks into a single bond to create two new bonding slots, allowing multiple reactants to combine into one single, larger product.

Substitution

A reaction primarily in saturated molecules where an incoming atom swaps places with an atom already on the chain, resulting in exactly two products: a modified organic molecule and a small acid byproduct.

Condensation

A reaction where two separate organic molecules link together to form one large linked molecule while ejecting a small, stable molecule, which is typically water ($H_2O$).

Saponification

A specific chemical breakdown reaction where a fat or oil (triglyceride) is mixed with a strong base like sodium hydroxide ($NaOH$) to produce glycerol and crude salts of fatty acids (soap).

Unsaturated Molecule

A molecule containing double or triple bonds that can undergo addition reactions by breaking those bonds to accommodate new atoms.

Saturated Molecule

A molecule containing only single bonds, meaning all carbon bonds are full and new atoms can only be added through substitution of existing atoms.

Catalytic Hydrogenation

A specific addition reaction used to convert ethene ($C_2H_4$) to ethane ($C_2H_6$) by passing ethene gas and hydrogen gas over a finely divided metal catalyst.

Triglyceride

The specific type of fat or oil molecule used as a reactant in saponification, which splits into glycerol and soap salts when reacted with a strong base.

Lye

The common name for a highly alkaline solution or strong base, such as sodium hydroxide ($NaOH$) or potassium hydroxide ($KOH$), used to trigger saponification.

Glycerol

An alcohol that is one of the two key products formed when a fat or oil molecule is broken down during a saponification reaction.

Ethyl Acetate

An ester produced by the condensation reaction of acetic acid ($CH_3COOH$) and ethanol ($C_2H_5OH$), characterized by its distinct smell of plastic balloons.

Chloromethane

Also known as methyl chloride ($CH_3Cl$), this chemical is a product of a substitution reaction between methane ($CH_4$) and chlorine ($Cl_2$) and is used to make silicone sealants.

Methane Combustion Equation

The chemical equation represented as $CH_4 + 2 O_2 \rightarrow CO_2 + 2 H_2O$, describing the burning of methane gas.