Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

Organic chemistry

The study of carbon compounds.

Organic compounds

Carbon-based molecules ranging from simple structures to large biological macromolecules.

Hydrocarbons

Molecules consisting solely of carbon and hydrogen atoms.

Isomers

Molecules with the same molecular formula but different structures and chemical properties.

Structural isomers

Isomers that differ in the covalent arrangement of their carbon skeletons or bonding patterns.

Cis-trans isomers

Isomers with the same covalent bonds that differ in spatial arrangement due to the inflexibility of double bonds.

Enantiomers

Isomers that are mirror images of each other and differ in shape due to the presence of an asymmetric carbon.

Functional groups

Chemically reactive groups of atoms within organic molecules that impart distinctive chemical