Organic Chemistry

Question 1

Chiral center

Answer 1

A carbon atom with four different atoms or groups attached to it; sometimes called an asymmetric carbon atom

Question 2

Cis-Trans Isomerism

Answer 2

two compounds have the same structural formula, but the groups are arranged differently in space around a double bond or a ring

Question 3

diastereomers

Answer 3

stereoisomers that are not mirror images of each other

Question 4

electrophile

Answer 4

a reagent (a positively charged ion or the positive end of a dipole) that is attracted to regions of high electron density and accepts a pair of electrons to form a covalent bond; an electrophile is a lewis acid.

Question 5

Free radical

Answer 5

Is a species (atom or groups of atoms) with an unpaired electron; free radicals are very reactive because of this unpaired electrons

Question 6

Functional group

Answer 6

Is an atom or group of atoms that gives an organic molecule its characteristic chemical properties

Question 7

Homologous series

Answer 7

a series of compounds with the same functional group, in which each member differs from the next by -CH2-

Question 8

Homolytic fission

Answer 8

a covalent bond breaks such that one electron goes back to each atom making up the original covalent bond

Question 9

Hydrocarbon

Answer 9

A compound containing hydrogen and carbon only

Question 10

Hydrogenation

Answer 10

the addition of hydrogen (H2) to a compound containing multiple bonds

Question 11

Hydrolysis

Answer 11

a reaction in which a covalent bond in a molecule is broken by reaction with water, most commonly hydrolysis reactions occur when a molecule is reacted with an aqueous acid or aqueous alkali

Question 12

Markovnikov’s rule

Answer 12

When H-X adds across the double bond of an alkene, the H atom becomes attached to the C atom that has the larger number of H atoms already attached

Question 13

Monomer

Answer 13

A molecule from which polymer chain may be built up, e.g ethene is the monomer for polyethene

Question 14

Nucleophile

Answer 14

A molecule/negatively charged ion, possessing a lone pair of electrons, which is attracted to a more positively charged region in a molecule and donates a lone pair of electrons to form a covalent bond; a nucleophile is a Lewis base

Question 15

Optical Isomerism

Answer 15

When molecules have the same molecular and structural formula, but groups are arranged differently in space and the individual optical isomers are non-superimposable mirror images of each other; optical isomers rotate the plane of the plane-polarised light in opposite directions

Question 16

SN1

Answer 16

A unimolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction - only one species involved in the rate-determining step

Question 17

SN2

Answer 17

a bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction - two species involved in the rate-determining step

Question 18

Stereoisomers

Answer 18

Molecules with the same molecular formula and structural formula but the atoms are arranged differently in space; Cis-trans isomers, conformational isomers are optical isomers are stereoisomers

Question 19

Structural isomers

Answer 19

Two or more compounds that have the same molecular formula but different structural formulas, i.e. the atoms are joined together in a different way