Introduction to organic chemistry

• Define functional group


  - an atom/group of atoms in an organic molecule that is responsible for the characteristic reactions of that molecule
• Describe alkanes


  - only contains carbon and hydrogen atoms

  - only single covalent bonds

  - can exist as cylcoalkanes
• Describe alkenes


  - only carbon and hydrogen atoms

  - there is at least one carbon carbon double bond

  - can exist as cycloalkenes
• Describe halogenoalkenes


  - one of the hydrogens is replaced by a halogen

  - has prefixes but no suffixes

  - fluoro, chloro, bromo, iodo
• Describe alcohols


  - OH is a hydroxyl group

  - cycloalcohols exist
• Describe aldehydes


  - only exists at the end of a carbon chain - CHO

  - -al

  - eg. Ethanal
• Describe carboxylic acids


  - only exists at the end of carbon chain

  - COOH
• Describe ketones


  - cannot exist at the end of the carbon chain

  - CO

  - -one at the end eg. Propanone
• Describe the prefixes


  - methyl - CH3

  - ethyl - C2H5

  - propyl - C3H7

  - butyl - C4H9

  - can have more than 1, so would add di / tri / tetra
• Define structural isomerism


  - compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural formula
• Name the 3 different types of structural isomerism

  - positional - same functional groups attached to the main chain at different points

  - functional groups - different functional group

  - chain - different arrangement of the hydrocarbon
• What are the 4 main pairs of functional group isomers

  - alcohols and ethers

  - aldehydes and ketones

  - carboxylic acids and esters

  - alkenes and cycloalkanes