organic chem

why does carbon form so many compounds?

a carbon atom has four valence electrons and can bond with multiple atoms

how many electrons does carbon have?

six in two energy levels

what are the four outer electrons called?

valence electrons

how can carbon form multiple bonds at once?

because they form bonds by sharing valence electrons. and since they have four, they can have up to four different bonds at once.

Single bond

A bond between two atoms that is made up of only two electrons

Double bond

A bond made up of two pairs of electrons, a carbon atom can form a maximum of two.

Triple bond

A bond made up of three pairs of electrons, a carbon atom cannot form more than one.

how can carbon molecules form chains?

the ability to form bonds with other carbon atoms

Chemical formula

A combination of letters and numbers that have specific meanings

Subscript

The number at the bottom of an atom in the chemical formula that is used to tell how many of each type of atom is present in the molecule

Structural formula

Shows how atoms are connected

Two types of structural formulas

Full structural formula and simplified structural formula

Full structural formula

Shows all of the bonds between the atoms of a molecule

Simplified structural formula

Shows how atoms relate to one another within a molecule, but not every bond

Organic compound

A chemical compound that is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and possibly other elements.

examples of organic compounds in nonliving things

nylon, fuel, paper, etc

examples of organic compounds in living things

found in the human body, animals, etc

categories of organic compounds

hydrocarbons, organic acids, carbohydrates

hydrocarbon

An organic compound that contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms

simplest hydrocarbon

methane (ch₄)

Organic acid

An organic compound that has acidic properties

Organic acids are identified by a group of atoms called a _____

carboxyl, COOH

Carboyxl group

One oxygen atom is double-bonded to a carbon atom, and the other is single-bonded to the same carbon atom and a hydrogen atom

example of organic acids

citrus fruit

Carbohydrate

A neutral organic compound containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

Carbohydrates often contain ____ hydrogen atom for every ___ oxygen atom

two; one

Simple carbohydrates

fruit, vegetables, milk

Complex carbohydrates

Long chains of sugar molecules

Rings

Can form from three or more carbon atoms

aromatic compounds

Molecules that include rings formed from six carbon atoms that are connected by alternating double and single bonds with a distinctive odor

Polymers

Molecules composed of the same repeating small groups of atoms joined together in long chains

Monomers

Repeating groups in a polymer

examples of polymers

cellulose, fat and nucleic acids