chapter 11 : basic concepts of organic chemistry

what is an unsaturated hydrocarbon

a hydrocarbon with double bonds so isn’t fully saturated with hydrogen

what is a hydrocarbon

a compound containing carbon and hydrogen ONLY

what is a functional group

the part of the organic molecule responsible for its chemical reactions (e.g. -OH)

what is a homologous series

a series of organic compounds with the same functional group so similar chemical properties whose successive members differ by a CH2 group

what is an alkane

a saturated hydrocarbon with the general formula CnH2n+2

what are alkenes and alkynes

hydrocarbons containing at least 1 carbon-carbon double bond

hydrocarbons containing at least 1 carbon-carbon triple bond

what are aliphatic hydrocarbons

carbon atoms that are joined to each other in unbranched or branched chains

what is an alicyclic hydrocarbon

carbon atoms that are joined to each other in a ring (cyclic) structures

what are aromatic hydrocarbons

some or all of the carbon atoms are found in a benzene ring

what’s the general formula of a cyclic alkane

CnH2n (same as an alkene)

what is the functional group prefix and suffix for alcohols

-OH

hydroxy-

-ol

e.g. butan-2-ol

what is the functional group and prefix for haloalkanes

-Cl or -Br or -I

chloro- bromo- iodo-

e.g. 2-chloro-2-methylbutane

what is the functional group and suffix for alkenes

C=C

-ene

what is the functional group and suffix for aldehydes

-CHO

-al

e.g. propanal (don’t need numbers as carbonyl group always on the end)

what is the functional group and suffix for ketones

-C(CO)C-

-one

what is the functional group and suffix for carboxylic acids

-COOH

-oic acid

what can and can’t molecular formula show

shows number and type of atoms of each element present in a molecule

doesn’t show bonds and different molecules can have the same molecular formula

what is empirical formula

simplest whole number ratio of the atoms of each element in a compound

what is a general formula

simplest algebraic formula for any member of a homologous series

what is displayed formula

shows relative positioning of all atoms in a molecule and the bonds between them

what is structural formula

shows which groups are bonded together and the arrangement of atoms in a molecule using the smallest amount of detail necessary

what is skeletal formula

simplified organic formula without carbon (intersection of two lines) and hydrogen (not shown) labels

what are structural isomers

compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural formulas

what happens in cases of isomers with and without the same functional groups

functional group can be in different positions along the carbon chain

sometimes isomers have different functional groups (e.g. aldehydes and ketones)

why are safety flames orange

because the soot particles are burning in it due to incomplete combustion occurring

what does a reaction mechanism show

different processes in a chemical reaction as steps

what are the two ways covalent bonds can be broken

homolytic fission

heterolytic fission

what is homolytic fission

when each bonded atom takes one of the electrons from the shared pair from the bond so each atom has a single unpaired electron

what is a radical

an electrically uncharged atom or groups of atoms with an unpaired electron

what is heterolytic fission

when one of the bonded atoms takes both of the electrons from the shared pair in the bond and so becomes a negative ion and the other becomes a positive ion

when are curly arrows used in a chemical equation

to show the movement of electron pairs when bonds are being broken or made

what is an addition reaction

when two reactants (a molecule and unsaturated alkene) join together to break double bond and form a single saturated compound

what is a substitution reaction

an atom or group of atoms replaced by a different atom or group of atoms

what is an elimination reaction

removal of a small molecule from a larger one to form two products

e.g. water molecule removed from saturated alkane to form unsaturated alkene