Chemistry: Intermolecular Forces and Organic Reactions

A set of practice vocabulary flashcards covering intermolecular forces, properties of states of matter, functional groups in organic chemistry, and various types of organic chemical reactions.

Intermolecular forces

Forces that exist between molecules, generally weaker than intramolecular forces.

Intramolecular forces

Forces within a molecule, such as covalent bonds, with typical bond strengths in the hundreds of thousands of kilojoules.

Ion-Dipole Forces

Attractive forces between an ion and a polar molecule, recognized as the strongest of all intermolecular forces.

Dipole-Dipole Forces

Attractive forces between polar molecules.

London Forces

The weakest intermolecular forces, also known as van der Waals dispersion forces, caused by instantaneous dipoles attracting adjacent electron clouds.

Polarizability

The ease with which an electron cloud can be deformed.

Hydrogen Bonding

A special dipole-dipole interaction between a hydrogen atom in a polar $N-H$, $O-H$, or $F-H$ bond and an electronegative $O$, $N$, or $F$ atom.

Surface Tension

The amount of energy required to stretch or increase the surface of a liquid by a unit area.

Cohesion

The intermolecular attraction between like molecules.

Adhesion

An attraction between unlike molecules.

Viscosity

A measure of a fluid's resistance to flow; higher intermolecular forces lead to high viscosity.

Unit Cell

The smallest repeating unit in a crystal that possesses all the symmetry of the entire crystal.

Covalent Network Solids

Solids where atoms are held together in large networks by covalent bonds, characterized by very high melting points (e.g., diamond and graphite).

Metallic Solids

Solids where metal nuclei float in a sea of delocalized electrons, providing high conductivity and malleability.

Charge Density

A value calculated as $\frac{\text{ionic charge}}{\text{volume}}$ that correlates with higher melting points and greater hardness.

Hydroxyl group

The $-OH$ functional group found in alcohols and phenols.

Methanol toxicity

A highly toxic substance to humans where $15\,ml$ can cause blindness and $150\,ml$ can cause death.

Polyalcohols

Alcohols containing more than one $-OH$ group, often using suffixes like -diol or -triol.

Carbonyl group

A functional group consisting of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom ($C=O$), present in both aldehydes and ketones.

Aldehyde

A compound containing a carbonyl group located at the end of a carbon chain.

Ketone

A compound where the carbonyl group is attached to two other carbon atoms within the chain.

Carboxylic Acid

An organic compound containing a carboxyl group ($-COOH$), exhibiting the highest polarity and boiling points among functional groups.

Esterification

A condensation reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid to produce an ester and water, typically catalyzed by $H_2SO_4$.

Addition Reaction

A reaction where atoms are added to a carbon-carbon double or triple bond, such as hydrogenation or hydration.

Markovnikov’s Rule

The rule stating that the hydrogen atom attaches to the carbon atom that already has more hydrogen atoms during an addition reaction.

Elimination Reaction

A reaction in which atoms are removed from an organic molecule to form a double bond; it is the reverse of an addition reaction.

Substitution Reaction

A reaction in which a hydrogen atom or functional group is replaced by a different atom or functional group.

Condensation Reaction

A reaction where two molecules combine to form a larger product while eliminating a small molecule such as water or alcohol.

Hydrolysis

A reaction in which a molecule is broken apart by adding the $OH$ and $H$ from a water molecule to either side of a bond.

Oxidation (Organic)

A reaction in which a carbon atom forms more bonds to oxygen atoms or fewer bonds to hydrogen atoms.

Reduction (Organic)

A reaction in which a carbon atom forms fewer bonds to oxygen atoms or more bonds to hydrogen atoms.

Combustion Reaction

A reaction where a compound reacts with oxygen to produce oxides, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor, and release energy.

Nomenclature for Alcohols

Alcohols are named by replacing the suffix '-e' of the corresponding alkane with '-ol', indicating the position of the hydroxyl group. For example, $C_2H_5OH$ is named ethanol.

Nomenclature for Aldehydes

Aldehydes are named by replacing the suffix '-e' of the corresponding alkane with '-al'. For example, $C_3H_6O$ is named propanal.

Nomenclature for Ketones

Ketones are named by replacing the suffix '-e' of the corresponding alkane with '-one', specifying the position of the carbonyl group. For example, $C_4H_8O$ is named butan-2-one.

Nomenclature for Carboxylic Acids

Carboxylic acids are named by replacing the suffix '-e' of the corresponding alkane with '-oic acid'. For example, $C_2H_4O_2$ is named acetic acid.

Catalysts for Esterification

Esterification typically requires an acid catalyst, commonly sulfuric acid ($H_2SO_4$), to speed up the reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid.

Catalysts for Addition Reactions

Addition reactions often utilize metal catalysts such as palladium, platinum, or nickel, particularly in hydrogenation reactions.

Catalysts for Elimination Reactions

Elimination reactions may use bases like sodium hydroxide ($NaOH$) or potassium hydroxide ($KOH$) to facilitate the removal of small molecules.

Catalysts for Oxidation Reactions

Common catalysts for oxidation reactions include potassium permanganate ($KMnO_4$) or chromium trioxide ($CrO_3$), which can oxidize alcohols.

Catalysts for Reduction Reactions

Reduction reactions often use hydrogen gas in the presence of metal catalysts such as palladium or platinum to convert carbonyl compounds into alcohols.