intro to organic chem

• molecular formula 


  not simplified formula
• empirical formula

  simplified formula
• displayed formula

  showing ALL the atoms and ALL the bonds
• Structural formula

  Shows atoms but not bonds
• Homologous series

  same functional group and general formula
• General formula

  Alkenes - CnH2n

  Alkanes - CnH2n+2

  Alcohol - CnH2n+1OH
• IUPAC rules

  find longest continuous chain of carbons

  functional group will tell you the suffix

  number carbons so that the functional group sits on the lowest possible carbon number

  number comes before suffix

  Side chains are written as prefixes in alphabetical order
• Curly arrow

  shows movement of pair of electrons
• Structural isomers - chain isomerism 


  Same molecular formula but different arrangement of the carbon skeleton
• Structural isomers - positional isomers


  same molecular formula but different position of the functional group
• Structural isomers - Functional group isomers

  same molecular formula different functional group

  alkene - cycloalkane

  carboxylic acid - ester

  alcohol - ether

  ketone - aldehyde
• Stereoisomers

  same structural formula but a different arrangement of atoms in space (e.g E/Z)
• E/Z

  Atoms bonded to C=C are planar

  Atoms can't rotate and so are rigid
• E/Z - when you have 4 different groups attached to C=C


  number carbons

  calculate the ATOMIC number of the first element directly bonded to C=C eg if it's CH3 you would look at C which is 6

  if both groups both start off with the same number then you look at the next element