How are organic compounds categorised and synthesised?

Question 1

Aldehyde

Answer 1

organic compound that contains an aldehyde functional group (−CHO)

Question 2

Alkene

Answer 2

hydrocarbon that includes at least one carbon-carbon double bond functional
group (C=C)

Question 3

Alkyl group

Answer 3

group containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms (e.g. −CH3, −CH2CH3)

Question 4

Amine

Answer 4

organic compound with an amino functional group (−NH2)

Question 5

Carboxyl group

Answer 5

a combination of two functional groups (−COOH) attached to a single carbon atom, namely, hydroxyl (−OH) and carbonyl (C=O) groups

Question 6

Degree of unsaturation

Answer 6

a measure of the number of double and triple bonds in a compound

Question 7

Electronegativity

Answer 7

how strongly an atom attracts electrons towards itself

Question 8

Empirical formula

Answer 8

chemical formula showing the lowest whole number ratio of the number of atoms in a compound

Question 9

Ester

Answer 9

organic compound that contains an ester functional group (−COOC−)

Question 10

Functional group

Answer 10

specific group of atoms within a compound that affects the chemical properties of the compound

Question 11

Haloalkane

Answer 11

organic compound that has one or more halogen atom (element in group 7 of the periodic table, often represented by ‘X’)

Question 12

Hydroxyl

Answer 12

a functional group (−OH) with one hydrogen and one oxygen atom

Question 13

Ketone

Answer 13

organic compound that contains a carbonyl functional group (C=O), where the
carbon atom in the −C=O group is bonded to two other carbon atoms

Question 14

Molecular formula

Answer 14

chemical formula that shows the number of each atom in a molecule

Question 15

Molecule

Answer 15

two or more atoms covalently bonded by sharing electrons

Question 16

Organic

Answer 16

containing carbon

Question 17

Primary amide

Answer 17

organic compound that contains an amide functional group at a terminal carbon atom (−CONH2)

Question 18

Saturated (organic compound)

Answer 18

possessing only single bonds between carbon atoms

Question 19

Semi-structural (condensed) formula

Answer 19

condensed form of a structural formula that does not show all bonds between atoms in a compound

Question 20

Skeletal formula

Answer 20

representation of a molecular structure where covalent bonds are shown as lines, carbon atoms are shown as vertices, and hydrogen atoms bonded to carbon atoms are not shown

Question 21

Structural formula

Answer 21

representation of a molecule that shows all the atoms and bonds in an atom or compound

Question 22

Terminal carbon

Answer 22

carbon atom at the end of the carbon parent chain

Question 23

Unsaturated (organic compound)

Answer 23

possessing at least one double or triple bond
between carbon atoms

Question 24

Valence electron number

Answer 24

number of electrons in the outer (valence) shell of an atom

Question 25

Dispersion forces

Answer 25

weak intermolecular forces caused by attraction between instantaneous dipoles in adjacent molecules

Question 26

Homologous series

Answer 26

series of organic compounds that have the same general formula and similar chemical properties

Question 27

Hydrogen bonding

Answer 27

a type of permanent dipole-dipole attraction between molecules (not a covalent bond) that results from the attractive force between hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to a very electronegative atom such as an N, O, or F atom

Question 28

Instantaneous dipole

Answer 28

partial positive and negative charge that suddenly appears in an atom or molecule due to the random movement of electrons

Question 29

IUPAC naming

Answer 29

set of rules used to name organic compounds according to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)

Question 30

Parent chain

Answer 30

typically the longest continuous chain of carbon-carbon bonds, depending on the functional groups present

Question 31

Permanent dipole

Answer 31

a permanent area of partial positive or partial negative charge on a molecule due to differences in electronegativity between atoms within a molecule

Question 32

Permanent dipole-dipole attraction

Answer 32

electrostatic force of attraction between the permanent dipoles of adjacent polar molecules

Question 33

Structural isomers

Answer 33

molecules with the same molecular formula but different spatial arrangement of atoms

Question 34

Systematic name

Answer 34

standardised name used to identify organic compounds

Question 35

Viscosity

Answer 35

resistance of a substance to flow