Lecture 1

Question 1

Organic Chemistry

Answer 1

Organic Chemistry is the study of the chemistry of everyday life
The chemistry of compounds which contain carbon (chemistry of carbon and carbon based compounds - structures, properties and their reactions)
Organic compound - has carbon as the principle element
Inorganic compound - any other compound

Question 2

Organic compounds

Answer 2

All organic compounds consist of carbon and hydrogen
Carbon can from single, double or even triple bonds
Carbon can bound other elements - may also contain oxygen and nitrogen and other elements: phosphorous, halogens and/or metals.

Question 3

Organic Chem is everyday life

Answer 3

Strongest substance known?… Carbyne
Most abundant organic compound?… Cellulose
Why do onions make u cry?… Propanethial-S-oxide
Source of asphalt?… Petroleum
Most toxic substance known?… Botulinum toxin
Class of drug responsible for most accidental od’s?… Opioid analgesics
Most explosive non-nuclear substance?… Octanitrocubane

Question 4

What makes carbon so unique?

Answer 4

Atomic No. = 6 and lies at the top of group 4A
Carbon is neither strongly electropositive of strongly electronegative (2.55)
C usually forms covalent bond by sharing electrons
A covalent bond is formed by sharing electrons.
Carbon has 4 valence electrons- it bonds to other elements (i.e. N, O, S, Cl) and slows other carbon atoms forming chains and rings.

Question 5

Valency

Answer 5

Valency is the capacity of an atom of an element to form a chemical bond.
It is determined by the number of valence electrons in an atom of that element and dictates the number of other atoms which can combine with one atom of that element.
A valence electrons is an outer shell electron of an atom that can participate in the formation of a chemical bond.
In a single covalent bond, both atoms in the bond contribute one valence electrons in order to form a shared pair.

Question 6

Valency pt.2

Answer 6

In metals, the valence shell contains 1,2 or 3 electrons. They loose these valence electrons during chemical combination.
The valency of metals is equal o the number of valence electrons in its atom.
In non-metals, the valence shell contains 5,6 or 7 electrons. They accept 3, 2 or 1 electron to complete the octet.
The valency of non-metals is equal to eight minus the number of valence electrons in the atom.

Question 7

Bonding in Carbon: Methane (CH4)

Answer 7

With 4 valence electrons, carbon has a tendency to lose or gain electrons (to satisfy octet rule), but instead carbon shares electron pairs.
Four identical bonds are formed using hybrid orbitals