Chapter 24: Organic Compounds
Organic Compounds
Most compounds containing the element carbon
A carbon atom has four electrons in its outer energy level
Another reason carbon can form so many compounds is that carbon can link together with other carbon atoms in many different arrangements—chains, branched chains, and even rings.
Hydrocarbon: A compound made up of only carbon and hydrogen atoms
Carbon forms an enormous number of compounds with hydrogen alone.
The structural formula uses lines to show that four hydrogen atoms are bonded to one carbon atom in a methane molecule.
The space-filling model, shows a more realistic picture of the relative size and arrangement of the atoms in the molecule.
Methane and other hydrocarbons produce more than 90 percent of the energy humans use.
Single Bonds
In some hydrocarbons, the carbon atoms are joined by single covalent bonds.
Saturated Hydrocarbons: Hydrocarbons containing only single-bonded carbon atoms.
The chemical formula of butane is C4H10. Another hydrocarbon called isobutane has exactly the same chemical formula.
Boiling points of hydrocarbons increase as the
number of carbon atoms in the chain increases.
Isomers: compounds that have identical chemical formulas but different molecular structures and shapes.
Thousands of isomers exist among the hydrocarbons.
Some isomers differ only slightly in how their atoms are arranged in space.
Multiple Bonds
Ethylene is another name for the hydrocarbon ethene, C2H4. This contains one double bond in which two carbon atoms share two pairs of electrons.
Unsaturated Hydrocarbons: Hydrocarbons, such as ethene and ethyne, that contain at least one double or triple bond.
Aromatic Compounds
Many chemical compounds produce pleasant odors but others have less pleasant flavors and smells.
Aromatic Compound: one that contains a benzene structure having a ring with six carbons.
Many known compounds contain three or more rings fused together.
Substituted Hydrocarbons: changed compounds
Chemists change hydrocarbons into other compounds having different physical and chemical properties.
A substituted hydrocarbon has one or more of its hydrogen atoms replaced by atoms or groups of other elements.
Alcohol: formed when –OH groups replace one or more hydrogen atoms in a hydrocarbon.
Organic acids form when a carboxyl group, –COOH, is substituted for one of the hydrogen atoms attached to a carbon atom.
Other atoms besides hydrogen and oxygen can be added to hydrocarbons. One is chlorine.
When sulfur replaces oxygen in the –OH group of an alcohol, the resulting compound is called a thiol, or more commonly a mercaptan.
What is petroleum?
Petroleum—a dark, flammable liquid, often called crude oil, that is found deep within Earth.
Like coal and natural gas, this dark, foul-smelling substance is formed from the remains of
fossilized material.
The separation process is known as fractional distillation.
The tower separates crude oil into fractions containing compounds having a range of boiling points.
The higher boiling fractions reach only the lower plates before they condense, forming shallow pools that drain off through pipes on the sides of the tower and are collected.
The separation of the fractions is improved by the inter- action of rising vapors with condensed liquid. The processes involved vary.
Uses for Petroleum Compounds
The fractions that condense on the upper plates and contain from five to ten carbons are used for gasoline and solvents.
Some fractions are used directly for fuel—the lightest fractions from the top of the tower include butane and propane.
Polymers: Extremely large molecules
Monomer: small molecule, which forms a link in the polymer chain
One common polymer or plastic is made from the monomer ethene or ethylene.
Polyethylene: ethylene combines with itself repeatedly.
Polymers can be made light and flexible or so strong that they can be used to make plastic pipes, boats, and even some auto bodies.
The properties of polymers depend mostly on which monomers are used to make them.
Polymer materials can be shaped in many ways.
Sometimes the same polymer can take two completely different forms.
Other polymers can be spun into threads, which are used to make clothing or items such as suitcases and backpacks.
The first synthetic dye was a bright purple called mauve that was discovered accidentally in coal tar compounds.
Polymers have been used so widely that disposal has caused problems, because many polymers do not decompose.
Depolymerization: uses heat or chemicals to break the long polymer chain into its monomer fragments.
Biological Polymers
Like the polymers that are used to make the plastics and fibers, biological polymers are huge molecules.
Many of the important biological compounds in your body are polymers. Among them are the proteins, which often contain hundreds of units.
Proteins: large organic polymers formed from organic monomers called amino acids.
Amino acids are the monomers that combine to form proteins.
Amine groups of one amino acid can combine with the carboxylic acid group of another amino acid, linking them together to form a compound called a peptide.
Long protein molecules tend to twist and coil in a manner unique to each protein.
When you eat foods that contain proteins, such as meat, dairy products, and some vegetables, your body breaks down the proteins into their amino acid monomers.
Nucleic Acids: another important group of organic polymers that are essential for life.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: or DNA, is found in cells where it codes and stores genetic information. This is known as the genetic code.
The monomers that make up DNA are called nucleotides. A nucleotide is a complex molecule that contains one of four organic bases, a sugar, and a phosphate unit.
Human DNA contains more than 5-billion base pairs.
The DNA of each person differs in some way from that of everyone else, except for identical twins, who share the same DNA sequence.
Carbohydrates: compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, that have twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms.
Sugars are a major group of carbohydrates.
The sugar glucose is found in your blood and also in many sweet foods such as grapes and honey. Starch is a carbohydrate that is also a polymer.
It is made of units or monomers of the sugar glucose.
Lipids: Fats, oils, and related compounds make up a group of organic compounds
Lipids include animal fats such as butter, and vegetable oils such as corn oil.
Saturated fats contain only single bonds between carbon atoms.
Unsaturated fats having one double bond are called monounsaturated, and those having two or more double bonds are called polyunsaturated.
Plant lipids called oils are unsaturated and are usually liquids.
It appears that saturated fats are more likely to be converted to substances that can block the arteries leading to the heart.
Cholesterol is another lipid that is often in the news. It is found in meats, eggs, butter, cheese, and fish.
Organic Compounds
Most compounds containing the element carbon
A carbon atom has four electrons in its outer energy level
Another reason carbon can form so many compounds is that carbon can link together with other carbon atoms in many different arrangements—chains, branched chains, and even rings.
Hydrocarbon: A compound made up of only carbon and hydrogen atoms
Carbon forms an enormous number of compounds with hydrogen alone.
The structural formula uses lines to show that four hydrogen atoms are bonded to one carbon atom in a methane molecule.
The space-filling model, shows a more realistic picture of the relative size and arrangement of the atoms in the molecule.
Methane and other hydrocarbons produce more than 90 percent of the energy humans use.
Single Bonds
In some hydrocarbons, the carbon atoms are joined by single covalent bonds.
Saturated Hydrocarbons: Hydrocarbons containing only single-bonded carbon atoms.
The chemical formula of butane is C4H10. Another hydrocarbon called isobutane has exactly the same chemical formula.
Boiling points of hydrocarbons increase as the
number of carbon atoms in the chain increases.
Isomers: compounds that have identical chemical formulas but different molecular structures and shapes.
Thousands of isomers exist among the hydrocarbons.
Some isomers differ only slightly in how their atoms are arranged in space.
Multiple Bonds
Ethylene is another name for the hydrocarbon ethene, C2H4. This contains one double bond in which two carbon atoms share two pairs of electrons.
Unsaturated Hydrocarbons: Hydrocarbons, such as ethene and ethyne, that contain at least one double or triple bond.
Aromatic Compounds
Many chemical compounds produce pleasant odors but others have less pleasant flavors and smells.
Aromatic Compound: one that contains a benzene structure having a ring with six carbons.
Many known compounds contain three or more rings fused together.
Substituted Hydrocarbons: changed compounds
Chemists change hydrocarbons into other compounds having different physical and chemical properties.
A substituted hydrocarbon has one or more of its hydrogen atoms replaced by atoms or groups of other elements.
Alcohol: formed when –OH groups replace one or more hydrogen atoms in a hydrocarbon.
Organic acids form when a carboxyl group, –COOH, is substituted for one of the hydrogen atoms attached to a carbon atom.
Other atoms besides hydrogen and oxygen can be added to hydrocarbons. One is chlorine.
When sulfur replaces oxygen in the –OH group of an alcohol, the resulting compound is called a thiol, or more commonly a mercaptan.
What is petroleum?
Petroleum—a dark, flammable liquid, often called crude oil, that is found deep within Earth.
Like coal and natural gas, this dark, foul-smelling substance is formed from the remains of
fossilized material.
The separation process is known as fractional distillation.
The tower separates crude oil into fractions containing compounds having a range of boiling points.
The higher boiling fractions reach only the lower plates before they condense, forming shallow pools that drain off through pipes on the sides of the tower and are collected.
The separation of the fractions is improved by the inter- action of rising vapors with condensed liquid. The processes involved vary.
Uses for Petroleum Compounds
The fractions that condense on the upper plates and contain from five to ten carbons are used for gasoline and solvents.
Some fractions are used directly for fuel—the lightest fractions from the top of the tower include butane and propane.
Polymers: Extremely large molecules
Monomer: small molecule, which forms a link in the polymer chain
One common polymer or plastic is made from the monomer ethene or ethylene.
Polyethylene: ethylene combines with itself repeatedly.
Polymers can be made light and flexible or so strong that they can be used to make plastic pipes, boats, and even some auto bodies.
The properties of polymers depend mostly on which monomers are used to make them.
Polymer materials can be shaped in many ways.
Sometimes the same polymer can take two completely different forms.
Other polymers can be spun into threads, which are used to make clothing or items such as suitcases and backpacks.
The first synthetic dye was a bright purple called mauve that was discovered accidentally in coal tar compounds.
Polymers have been used so widely that disposal has caused problems, because many polymers do not decompose.
Depolymerization: uses heat or chemicals to break the long polymer chain into its monomer fragments.
Biological Polymers
Like the polymers that are used to make the plastics and fibers, biological polymers are huge molecules.
Many of the important biological compounds in your body are polymers. Among them are the proteins, which often contain hundreds of units.
Proteins: large organic polymers formed from organic monomers called amino acids.
Amino acids are the monomers that combine to form proteins.
Amine groups of one amino acid can combine with the carboxylic acid group of another amino acid, linking them together to form a compound called a peptide.
Long protein molecules tend to twist and coil in a manner unique to each protein.
When you eat foods that contain proteins, such as meat, dairy products, and some vegetables, your body breaks down the proteins into their amino acid monomers.
Nucleic Acids: another important group of organic polymers that are essential for life.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: or DNA, is found in cells where it codes and stores genetic information. This is known as the genetic code.
The monomers that make up DNA are called nucleotides. A nucleotide is a complex molecule that contains one of four organic bases, a sugar, and a phosphate unit.
Human DNA contains more than 5-billion base pairs.
The DNA of each person differs in some way from that of everyone else, except for identical twins, who share the same DNA sequence.
Carbohydrates: compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, that have twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms.
Sugars are a major group of carbohydrates.
The sugar glucose is found in your blood and also in many sweet foods such as grapes and honey. Starch is a carbohydrate that is also a polymer.
It is made of units or monomers of the sugar glucose.
Lipids: Fats, oils, and related compounds make up a group of organic compounds
Lipids include animal fats such as butter, and vegetable oils such as corn oil.
Saturated fats contain only single bonds between carbon atoms.
Unsaturated fats having one double bond are called monounsaturated, and those having two or more double bonds are called polyunsaturated.
Plant lipids called oils are unsaturated and are usually liquids.
It appears that saturated fats are more likely to be converted to substances that can block the arteries leading to the heart.
Cholesterol is another lipid that is often in the news. It is found in meats, eggs, butter, cheese, and fish.
