Chapter 11 - Basic Concepts of Organic Chemistry Flashcards
what is a hydrocarbon?
a compound containing carbon and hydrogen only
what is the structural formula of methane?
CH4
what is the structural formula of but-2-ene?
CH3CHCHCH3
what is a saturated hydrocarbon?
a hydrocarbon with only single bonds
what is an unsaturated hydrocarbon?
a hydrocarbon with carbon-carbon multiple bonds (e.g. double bonds or triple bonds)
what is a homologous series?
a family of compounds with similar chemical properties whose successive members differ by the addition of a -CH- group
what are the first 3 members of the alkane homologous series?
methane, ethane, propane
what is a functional group?
the part of the organic molecule that is largely responsible for the molecule’s chemical properties
why does carbon form a large number of compounds?
- carbon is in group 4 (14) of the periodic table, with 4 electrons in its outer shell
- each carbon atom can form 4 covalent bonds to other atoms
- these can be single, double, and even triple bonds
- carbon atoms can bond to other carbon atoms to form long chains
what are the 3 classifications of hydrocarbons?
- aliphatic - carbon atoms are joined to each other in unbranched (straight) chains, branched chains, or non-aromatic rings
- alicyclic - carbon atoms are joined to each other in ring (cyclic) structures, with or without branches
- aromatic - some or all of the carbon atoms are found in a benzene ring
what are the three homologous series of aliphatic hydrocarbons? (that you should be aware of)
- alkanes - containing single carbon-to-carbon bonds
- alkenes - containing at least one double carbon-to-carbon bond
- alkynes - containing at least one triple carbon-to-carbon bond
what does the stem of the name of an organic molecule indicate?
the number of carbon atoms in the longest continous chain in the molecules
what does the prefix of the name of an organic molecule indicate?
the presence of side chains or functional groups
what does the suffix of the name of an organic molecule indicate?
functional groups
what are the steps for naming aliphatic alkanes?
- all alkanes have the suffix -ane
- identify the longest chain of carbon atoms and name it
- identify any side chains attached to the parent chain. these are known as alkyl groups. the name of an alkyl group is added as a prefix to the name of the parent chain
- add numbers before the alkyl groups to show the position of the alkyl groups on the parent chain
what is the stem for a compound with 1 carbon atom?
meth-
what is the stem for a compound with 2 carbon atoms?
eth-
what is the stem for a compound with 3 carbon atoms?
prop-
what is the stem for a compound with 4 carbon atoms?
but-
what is the stem for a compound with 5 carbon atoms?
pent-
what is the stem for a compound with 6 carbon atoms?
hex-
what is the stem for a compound with 7 carbon atoms?
hept-
what is the stem for a compound with 8 carbon atoms?
oct-
what is the stem for a compound with 9 carbon atoms?
non-