Organic chemistry can feel overwhelming and complex, akin to a dense jungle with many intricate pathways.
Date: 2/2/2025
Location: Koforid Technical University
Presenter: Christiana Narkie Mensah, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Topics Covered:
Historical introduction
Molecular composition and structure
Basic nomenclature and structural formulae
Characteristic groups in organic chemistry
Focus: Study of carbon and its compounds, a fundamental branch of chemistry.
Origin: Traces back to ancient medicine when natural compounds were extracted for treatments.
Example: Records of willow bark used for pain relief.
Development of pharmacology relied on organic chemistry knowledge.
In early 1800s, Jon Jacob Berzelius defined organic chemistry.
Classified compounds:
Organic: Originated from living matter
Inorganic: Derived from non-living matter
Berzelius supported Vitalism, the idea that organic compounds arise only in living things.
Frederich Wöhler's 1828 discovery refuted this by synthesizing urea from ammonium cyanate, showing organic compounds can be produced without a vital force.
Opened doors for chemists to synthesize organic compounds without relying on living organisms.
Three primary sources:
Carbonized organic matter (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas)
Living organisms, each producing unique compounds (e.g., scents of flowers, flavors of fruits).
Human ingenuity in synthesizing substances in labs, modifying structures of natural compounds.
Some carbon compounds are historically not classified as organic:
Examples include CO, CO2, diamond, graphite, and specific salts (e.g., carbonate).
Carbon's ability to form stable bonds with various elements (H, O, N, etc.) is essential.
Carbon structures can be chains, rings, and complex 3D shapes.
Over 16 million known organic compounds compared to about 600,000 inorganic compounds, due to carbon’s versatility.
Organic compounds are vital for biological processes, including vitamins, proteins, and genetic materials (ATP, DNA, RNA).
Organic compounds serve as medicines, fuels (e.g., coal, natural gas), and in technology (paints, plastics).
Carbon typically does not form ions, having four valence electrons; it forms bonds by sharing electrons to satisfy the octet rule.
When carbon bonds with others, hybrid orbitals (sp3) are formed by mixing its atomic orbitals to create equivalent energy levels.
Each carbon can form four bonds with various atoms, enabling versatile structures.
Carbon forms single (2 electrons), double (4 electrons), and triple (6 electrons) bonds.
Catenation: Carbon's ability to link into chains or large structures, exemplifying its unique bonding characteristics.
Organic compounds are classified based on functional groups, with carbon as the main atom in their structure.
Alkane: No functional group (E.g., ethane).
Alkene: C=C (E.g., ethene).
Alkyne: C≡C (E.g., ethyne).
Alcohol: C-O-H (E.g., ethyl alcohol).
Aldehyde: R-CHO (E.g., ethanal).
Carbon can create long stable chains, essential for living organisms, forming the backbone of organic molecules.
Carbon's essential role in life reflects a complex interaction in nature, deserving recognition as a remarkable element.