Carbon Chemistry, Functional Groups, and Macromolecules

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering functional groups, isomerism, carbon skeletons, and macromolecular synthesis from lecture notes.

Organic Molecule

A molecule that contains carbon and is usually associated with living things.

Macromolecules

Large organic molecules found in living things that serve as the building blocks of life, categorized into carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Monomers

Small repeating units that cells join together to synthesize larger macromolecules.

Polymers

Large macromolecules consisting of a long chain of repeating subunits called monomers joined together.

Dehydration Reaction

A chemical reaction, also known as condensation, in which monomers combine to form polymers while releasing a water molecule.

Hydrolysis Reaction

A chemical reaction in which a polymer breaks down into smaller monomers, requiring the addition of a water molecule.

Hydrocarbons

Molecules consisting of only carbon and hydrogen that are found in many of a cell's organic molecules.

Carbon Skeletons

Chains formed by carbon bonding to itself that form the skeletons of most organic molecules, varying in length, branching, double bonds, and rings.

Isomers

Molecules that share the same molecular formula but have different structural arrangements and properties.

Enantiomers

Molecules that are mirror-image isomers of each other, having critical functional significance in pharmaceuticals where different forms have different biological activities.

L-Dopa

The active enantiomer effective against Parkinson's disease, contrasted with its enantiomer D-Dopa, which is biologically inactive.

Thalidomide

A drug prescribed to pregnant women in the 1950s and 1960s to reduce morning sickness, whose stereoisomer caused severe birth defects.

Functional Groups

Chemically reactive groups of atoms within organic molecules that are involved in chemical reactions and give molecules distinctive chemical properties.

Hydroxyl Group

A functional group with the formula $-OH$; compounds containing it are alcohols (typically ending in -ol), which increase water solubility and make hydrocarbons hydrophilic.

Carbonyl Group

A functional group consisting of an oxygen atom double-bonded to a carbon atom ($C=O$).

Aldehyde

An organic compound containing a carbonyl group ($C=O$) situated at the end of the carbon skeleton.

Ketone

An organic compound containing a carbonyl group ($C=O$) situated in the middle of the carbon skeleton.

Carboxyl Group

A functional group ($-COOH$) with a carbon double-bonded to an oxygen and single-bonded to a hydroxyl group; compounds containing it are called acids.

Amino Group

A functional group ($-NH_2$) containing a nitrogen atom attached to two hydrogen atoms; acts as a base by picking up $H^+$ from solution, forming compounds called amines.

Phosphate Group

A functional group ($-PO_4$) in which phosphorus is bonded to four oxygens and connects to carbon through an oxygen; carries multiple negative charges, is highly reactive, and transfers energy between organic molecules.