4.1.1 - basic concepts of organic chemistry

• saturated hydrocarbon - single carbon-carbon bonds only
• unsaturated hydrocarbon - at least one multiple carbon-carbon bond, including double and triple C-C bonds, or aromatic rings
• straight-chain hydrocarbon - one continuous carbon chain only
• branched-chain hydrocarbon - shorter side chain bonded to a longer continuous carbon chain
• alicyclic hydrocarbon - carbon atoms joined together in non-aromatic rings (with or without side chains)
• aromatic hydrocarbon - unsaturated hydrocarbon that contains a benzene ring
• homologous series - a series of organic compounds having the same functional group but with each successive member differing by CH2
• functional group - the group of atoms responsible for the characteristic reactions of a compound
• general formula of an alkane - Cn H2n+2
• general formula of an alkene - Cn H2n
• general formula of a haloalkane - Cn H2n+1 X