Organic Chemistry Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for organic chemistry lecture notes.

Functional Group

An atom or group of atoms that is responsible for the specific properties of an organic compound; compounds that contain the same functional group can be classified together because they will undergo the same types of chemical reactions.

Alcohol

Organic compounds that contain one or more hydroxyl groups; its functional group is —OH.

Alkyl Halide

Organic compounds in which one or more halogen atoms (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine) are substituted for one or more hydrogen atoms; its functional group is —X (X= F, Cl, Br, or I).

Ether

Organic compounds in which two hydrocarbon groups are bonded to the same atom of oxygen; its functional group is R—O—R.

Aldehyde

Organic compounds in which the carbonyl group is attached to a carbon atom at the end of a carbon-atom chain; its functional group is a Carbonyl group.

Ketone

Organic compounds in which the carbonyl group is attached to carbon atoms within the chain; its functional group is —C=O.

Amine

Organic compounds that can be derivatives of ammonia, NH3; its functional group is —N—.

Carboxylic Acid

Organic compounds that contain the carboxyl functional group; its functional group is —C—OH.

Ester

Organic compounds that have carboxylic acid groups in which the hydrogen of the hydroxyl group has been replaced by an alkyl group; its functional group is —C—O—.

Saturated Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons where each carbon atom in the molecule forms four single covalent bonds with other atoms.

Alkanes

Hydrocarbons with only single bonds.

Cycloalkanes

Alkanes in which the carbon atoms are arranged in a ring, or cyclic structure.

Alkyl Groups

Groups of atoms that are formed when one hydrogen atom is removed from an alkane molecule.

Unsaturated Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons in which not all carbon atoms have four single covalent bonds; they have one or more double bonds or triple bonds.

Alkenes

Hydrocarbons that contain double covalent bonds.

Alkynes

Hydrocarbons that contain triple covalent bonds.

Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons that have six-membered carbon rings and delocalized electrons.

Organic Compounds

Covalently bonded compounds containing carbon, excluding carbonates and oxides.

Catenation

The covalent bonding of an element to itself to form chains or rings.

Hydrocarbons

Compounds composed of only carbon and hydrogen; they are the simplest organic compounds.

Isomers

Compounds that have the same molecular formula but different structures and different properties.

Structural Formula

Indicates the number and types of atoms present in a molecule and shows the bonding arrangement of the atoms.

Structural Isomers

Isomers in which the atoms are bonded together in different orders.

Geometric Isomers

Isomers in which the order of atom bonding is the same but the arrangement of atoms in space is different. Cis: on the same side. Trans: on opposite sides.