Grade 12 Chemistry - Organic Compounds

Organic chemistry is the study of

Carbon compounds

Organic Compound

A molecular compound of carbon, not including CO(g), CO₂(g) and HCN(g)

hydrocarbon

a compound containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms

Saturated hydrocarbon

A hydrocarbon with only single covalent bonds between its carbon atoms

alkane

A saturated hydrocarbon

Cyclic alkane

A hydrocarbon in which the main structure consists of a chain of carbon atoms joined to form a closed ring

Alkyl group

One or more carbon atoms that form a branch off the main chain of a hydrocarbon

Substituent group

an atom or group that replaces a hydrogen atom in an organic compound

Structural isomer

a compound that has the same molecular formula as another compound, but a different structure

complete combustion

a chemical reaction in which a compound reacts with oxygen, O; if the compound is a hydrocarbon, the products of the reaction are carbon dioxide, water, and thermal energy

alkyl halide

an alkane in which one or more hydrogen atoms have been substituted with one or more halogen atoms

Unsaturated hydrocarbon

An organic compound, consisting of carbon and hydrogen, with one or more double or triple bonds joining pairs of carbon atoms within the molecules

Alkene

A hydrocarbon that contains at least one carbon-carbon double bonds

Alkyne

a hydrocarbon that contains at least one carbon—carbon triple bond

Aliphatic hydrocarbon

a compound that has a structure based on straight or branched chains or rings of carbon atoms

Stereoisomers

molecules that have the same chemical formula and structural backbone, but with a different arrangement of atoms in space

Cis isomer

a stereoisomer in which the groups of interest are located on the same side of a double bond

trans isomer

a stereoisomer in which the groups of interest are located on opposite sides of a double bond

functional group

a group of atoms within a molecule that determines the properties of the molecule

Additional reaction

a reaction in which the atoms from one molecule are added to another molecule to form a single molecule

Markovnikov’s rule

the rule for predicting the products of addition reactions: when a hydrogen halide or water is added to an alkene, the hydrogen atom generally bonds to the carbon atom within the double bond that already has more hydrogen atoms bonded to it

Aromatic hydrocarbon

an unsaturated cyclic hydrocarbon with a pattern of bonding that makes it chemically stable

Phenyl group

A benzene ring (minus 1 hydrogen atom) that behaves as a substituent in an organic compound

Alcohol

organic compound that contains the hydroxyl (-OH) functional group

Primary alcohol

an alcohol in which the hydroxyl group is bonded to a terminal carbon atom

secondary alcohol

an alcohol in which the hydroxyl group is bonded to a carbon atom with two alkyl groups bonded to it

tertiary alcohol

an alcohol in which the hydroxyl group is bonded to a carbon atom with three alkyl groups bonded to it

Hydrogen bonding

A strong dipole-dipole force between a hydrogen atom attached to a highly electronegative atom (N, O, or F) in one molecule and a highly electronegative atom in another molecule

Dehydration reaction

a reaction that involves the removal of a hydrogen atom and a hydroxyl group from the reactant, producing a slightly smaller molecule and water

Ether

an organic compound containing an oxygen atom between 2 carbon atoms in a chain

condensation reaction

a chemical reaction in which two molecules combine to form a larger molecule and a small molecule, such as water

Thiol

an organic compound that contains the sulfhydryl (-SH) group

Carbonyl group

a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom, found in organic compounds such as aldehydes and ketones

aldehyde

an organic molecule containing a carbonyl group that is bonded to at least 1 hydrogen atom

ketone

an organic compound that contains a carbonyl group bonded to 2 carbon atoms