Reactions of Organic Chemistry

What are the 8 common chemical reactions in organic chemistry?

1. COMBUSTION

2. ADDITION

3. SUBSTITUTION

4. ELIMINATION

5. OXIDATION

6. REDUCTION

7. CONDENSATION

8. HYDROLYSIS

What are Combustion reactions?

• All hydrocarbons burn in air to produce large amounts of LIGHT and HEAT

• In the presence of excess oxygen, the hydrocarbon will undergo a COMPLETE COMBUSTION

• The products of a complete combustion are CARBON DIOXIDE and WATER

What are Addition reactions?

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

• Common for ALKENES and ALKYNES

• Atoms are ADDED to a double or triple bond

• One bond of the multiple bond breaks so that TWO new bonds form

• TWO compounds react to form ONE major product

What are Substitution reactions?

• A reaction where a HYDROGEN atom or a FUNCTIONAL GROUP is replaced by a different functional group

• TWO compounds react to form two DIFFERENT products

What are Elimination reactions?

• A reaction where atoms are removed from a  molecule to form a DOUBLE bond

• This reactions is the REVERSE of the addition reaction

• ONE reactant usually breaks up to give TWO products

What are Oxidation Reactions?

• A reaction where a CARBON atom forms MORE bonds to OXYGEN or LESS bonds to HYDROGEN

• Involves the formation of double C=O bonds

• Occurs when an organic compound reacts with an OXIDIZING AGENT [O]

What are Reduction reactions?

• A reaction where a CARBON atom forms FEWER bonds to OXYGEN or MORE bonds to HYDROGEN 

• A C=O bond or a C=C bond is reduced to a SINGLE bond

• Reduction occurs when the organic compound reacts with a REDUCING AGENT [H]

What are Condensation reactions?

• A reaction where two organic molecules combine to form a SINGLE organic molecule

• Water is usually produced during the reaction

What are Hydrolysis reactions?

• A reaction where water is added to a bond to split and organic molecule in TWO

• This reaction is the REVERSE of a condensation reaction

What types of reactions do Alkenes and Alkynes undergo?

• HYDROGENATION: the addition of hydrogen atoms

• HALOGENATION: the addition of a halide (Cl, Br, F)

• HYDRATION: the addition of water

What is Markovnikov’s Rule?

“When a HYDROGEN, HALIDE or WATER molecule reacts with an alkene, the hydrogen atom will generally bond to the carbon atom in the multiple bond that has the MOST hydrogen atoms already bonded to it.”

What types of Reactions do Aromatic Compounds undergo?

• Undergo SUBSTITUTION reactions 

• A hydrogen atom or a functional group that is attached to the benzene ring may be replaced by a DIFFERENT functional group

What types of reactions do Alcohols undergo?

1. Substitution

2. Elimination

3. Oxidation

What is the Substitution reaction of Alcohols?

When a halogen acid (HCl, or HBr) reacts with an alcohol the halogen atom is substituted for the OH group of the alcohol

What is the Elimination reaction of Alcohols?

When an alcohol is heated in the presence of a strong acid, the OH group and one H atom leave the compound. 

Water is produced. Also called a DEHYDRATION reaction.

What is the Oxidation reaction of Alcohols?

In the presence of an oxidizing agent, the alcohol is oxidized to form an aldehyde or a ketone. 

A primary alcohol with form an aldehyde and a secondary alcohol will form a ketone.

Tertiary alcohols cannot be oxidized.

What types of reactions do Aldehydes undergo?

1. Oxidation

2. Reduction

What is the Oxidation reaction of Aldehydes?

When an aldehyde is in the presence 

of an oxidizing agent, it is oxidized to form a carboxylic acid

The hydrogen atom bound to the C=O is replaced by an OH group

What is the Reduction reaction of Aldehydes?

When an aldehyde is in the presence of a reducing agent, it is reduced to a primary alcohol

What types of reactions do Ketones undergo?

1. Reduction

What is the Reduction reaction of Ketones?

When a ketone is in the presence of a reducing agent, it is reduced to a secondary alcohol

What types of reactions do Carboxylic Acids undergo?

1. Neutralization

2. Esterification

What is the Neutralization reaction of Carboxylic Acids?

• carboxylic acids react with BASES to produce a SALT and WATER

What is the Esterification reaction of Carboxylic Acids?

• a CONDENSATION reaction where a carboxylic acid reacts with an alcohol to form an ESTER

What types of reactions do Esters undergo?

• When an ester is treated with an acid or a base the ester splits into a carboxylic acid and an alcohol

• This is the reverse of an esterification 

• This reaction is called HYDROLYSIS

• These reactions usually involve heat

What types of reactions do Amides undergo?

• The HYDROLYSIS of an amide produces a carboxylic acid and an amine