Fundamentals of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry: Introduction to Organic Chemistry

These flashcards cover fundamental concepts related to organic chemistry, including definitions, properties, classifications, and types of bonds and molecules pertinent to the study of medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry.

What is the primary focus of organic chemistry?

The chemistry of carbon compounds.

What property differentiates organic compounds from inorganic compounds?

Organic compounds are made of carbon atoms covalently bonded to each other and to other non-metal atoms.

What are the key components in organic chemistry?

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and halogens.

What are functional groups?

Atoms or groups of atoms within a molecule that determine its chemical properties.

What is a hydrocarbon?

A compound that contains only carbon and hydrogen.

What are the three types of hydrocarbons?

Aliphatic, aromatic, and cyclic.

What are isomers?

Compounds that have identical molecular formulas but different structural formulas.

Define structural isomers.

Isomers that differ in the connectivity of their atoms.

What is a geometric isomer?

Isomers that have the same order of attachment of atoms but different spatial arrangements.

What determines the properties of organic molecules?

The functional groups they contain.

What is a covalent bond?

A bond formed by the sharing of electrons between atoms.

Describe a sigma bond.

A covalent bond formed by head-on overlap of atomic orbitals.

What is a pi bond?

A covalent bond formed by sideways overlap of atomic orbitals.

What is the Lewis structure?

A representation of a molecule showing all valence electrons and the bonds between atoms.

How many valence electrons does carbon have?

Four valence electrons.

What is the electronegativity value of carbon?

2.5.

What type of bond is represented by a line in a Lewis structure?

A shared pair of electrons.

What characterizes aliphatic hydrocarbons?

They are non-aromatic and have open-chain structures.

What functional groups are associated with carbonyl compounds?

Aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, and amides.

What is the difference between an alkane and an alkene?

Alkanes contain only single bonds, while alkenes contain at least one double bond.

What does it mean for a bond to be polar covalent?

The electron pair is not shared equally between the atoms.

What is an example of a polar covalent bond?

C-O bond.

What is the simplest example of an alcohol?

Ethanol.

What is a thiol?

A compound that contains a sulfhydryl (-SH) group.

Define stereoisomers.

Isomers that have the same molecular formula and connectivity but differ in orientation in space.

What is a primary alcohol?

An alcohol where the hydroxyl group is attached to a carbon that is only connected to one other carbon.

How are the boiling points of cis and trans isomers typically compared?

Cis isomers usually have higher boiling points than trans isomers due to greater polarity.

What are the simplest aromatic compounds?

Benzene and its derivatives.

List two types of geometric isomers.

Cis isomers and trans isomers.

What indicates that a molecule is an ester?

The presence of a carbonyl group adjacent to an ether (-O-) group.